No Shared Reality, Not Even About the Portapotties

Readers of this blog probably have formed an idea of what happened at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, January 6. Like me, you are also probably waiting for more information about how and why it happened.

I have mentioned in the past that I've been on the National Mall myself a few times, most recently for the Rally to Restore Sanity (and/or Fear) in fall 2010. That event had at least 215,000 people at it, so I have a pretty good idea what a full Mall looks like. It was packed from the fronts of the flanking buildings and along many of the blocks of the Mall, plus for every person who got to the area there was a person who never even got there because the city was paralyzed. 

The 2017 Women's March had over a million people and it filled the streets and lots of other areas, so many that people couldn't move or march. That's what a million people looks like.

This week's MAGA rally, while significant, was nowhere near as large as that. The permit was for 30,000 people, and it clearly could have been larger than that, but I would be very surprised if it even approached 100,000.

I'm writing this because, of course, there's an alternate-reality version of Wednesday that's being spread through right-wing social media and I've glimpsed a couple pieces of it. This is one:

That includes the claim of a million attendees. I've also seen other accounts that claim the footage of the Capitol breach misrepresents what happened, that the media should have been covering the peaceful, beautiful rally on the Mall. 

As almost all D.C. march- and rally-goers know, the mainstream media just about never covers the content of rallies and marches in any depth, if at all. And after four years of Trump rallies featuring attacks on media personnel, who could really expect them to?

The other post that made me want to write about this was shared by a relative on Facebook, from someone named Sally Horton in southern Wisconsin. Horton is from Janesville, and went to D.C. on a Wisconsin bus for the January 6 event. She quotes a lengthy email from one of her bus-mates. It’s all about what a love fest it was, but how awful the D.C. services were.

Looking at Horton's Facebook wall (which is all open and accessible for anyone to read!), she’s anti-vaccine, anti-mask, and anti-mainstream Republican. Without scrolling through too much of it, I saw at least one anti-Semitic post and one racist post, lots of pro-Trump and Qish stuff and one thing about Biden and the occult and children... Whew.

Looking Horton up elsewhere, I can see that she was organizing a Tea Party-type rally in Janesville back in fall 2010 with all of the usual grievances. She prefaced her January 6 Washington post this way: "[my bus-mate] saw far more than I did but the love loyalty and respect for each other was exactly what I saw. I always thought saying something was life changing was hokey..but that's exactly what it was"
 
And then this is the lengthy quote from the bus-mate, with a bit of editing for length, and with footnotes added by me:

At least a million¹ folks, from Everywhere; Alaska, California, Texas, Florida, everywhere. Swelling in from all directions, to become a solid wall of people packing the Mall, the streets, and side streets. Truly moving.

Everyone friendly, happy, helpful, good people, a pure boost of affirmation in humanity and hope. Except for the occasional anti-fa moron who would pop up with horribly nasty shouts, who would then receive an instant unified boo-ing by folks quickly surrounding him to drown him out until he'd run off.

Our bus of 50 arrived at around 7:00 am at the Lincoln Memorial. Wow, no photos will ever do it justice. Pillars, marble, Abe statute, quotes, tears, reflecting pool, gardens, memorials, ponds, paths, amazing, on our walk toward the Washington Monument. That obelisk can be seen from anywhere, always can know where is the CENTER.

Mayor is scum. She closed all stores, restaurants, bars.² And ran off most of the food-truck vendors; we only saw four, completely surrounded by Trump vendors, their space marked off by a border of flags.

No city staff was anywhere³, no one emptying trash cans, and trash cans were scarce.  We took most all our own garbage out with us from having brought in our own food, or stacked garbage next to the few existing cans. Only maybe 100 port-a-potties and all were located only right in front of the Trump stage teleprompter; bottleneck, a sick sabotage. No matter. Patriotism Party.  

These port-a-potties were provided by private donation, not a single one provided by the Mayor.⁴ We got packed so tight that no one could move at all. But slowly we coagulated into a one-mind group and in good humor figured out a group momentum. We created human-lined passageways in and out. If Janesville's Trump Rally of over 10,000 people had 20 port-a-potties, then D.C. needed 2,000 for a million people.

There were many military persons in attendance. Also survivalists....  

Mayor closed and fenced off all buildings, museums etc SAD. So many Patriots there for the first time moved to tears over our monuments, statues, fountains, pillars, but not allowed to view our constitution, or space ships, or art, etc . So insulting.⁵

The National Guard (was supposed to be there for us,⁶ but whom I saw not a single one) could have easily screened the entrances and limited access to just the huge lobbies. Then we could have warmed up, and used a toilet, and gotten a glimpse of the interior architectural wonder and treasures of our amazing heartbeat center of the yet greatest country to exist.

Also, we could have recharged our cell phones in these lobbies. Nor did that Mayor provide adequate cellphone tower reinforcement for such a large event.⁷ So folks couldn't live stream, or stay in contact with each other....

40 degrees, very damp, and NO warming houses ANYwhere, nor city busses nor cabs nor shuttles. No way to get out of the cold.⁸ ... So we packed together for warmth and windbreak, laughter, shared stories and concerns, helping folks with wheelchairs, handed out toe warmers, and water, many vendors sold sweatshirts. etc. Prices were surprisingly reasonable; ie, a $20 hat for $5.

....

After Trump's speech..., we expanded⁹ to the Capital where electoral votes were to be contested, debated, cured, counted. Peaceful, excited throng with flags, etc singing, praying, chanting "Who's house? OUR house" "We The Peo-Ple" "Stop the Steal"  Someone took down the barriers¹⁰ so that we could be right up to the building and in the yard. Metal gates were laid down in a row. Much of plastic fencing was rolled up and put under a few temporary bleachers. Monuments were decorated with fluttering flags and folks dressed as Washington, Ben Franklin, an Uncle Sam on stilts.

Thousands on the steps, balconies, all peaceful, chanting, praying, singing, flags. 60 or more empty parked police vehicles on the streets and in the courtyard, none being damaged, no vandalism. A steady stream of Patriots giving them thanks, thumbs up, to the numerous police officers for Law and Order. And them nodding and smiling back.  

But a few folks then went over the wall¹¹, scaled the building ...  Then patriots followed and hung a gigantic USA flag from scaffolding. That was quite cool. Earlier this same huge flag moved over the crowd during Trump's speech, being passed from 100's of folks to the next in line. Alive. A group unity.   

These few also demanded everyone pack in, to be able to fill the Capital Building. We learned from the port-a-potty dead-end to keep our human isles open. And why would we want to disrupt such an important process as the electoral vote count?¹²

Then rumor was spread by a few dashing thru the crowd that a few had entered thru tunnels to turn off water to the toilets inside.¹³ That would NOT have assisted the process, thus probably anti-fa-la, if it even happened.¹⁴ Then supposedly a few of them broke a window and went in while Patriots screamed at them and tried to stop them.¹⁵ They later posted videos of themselves sitting in head chairs in house and senate, but both rooms were empty, none of which makes sense, dressed in black, raising the BLM fist, one wearing gas mask and deer horns.¹⁶ Staged? Fake?

Around 3:30 mayor declared an emergency curfew, though the event was scheduled to last until 6:00 pm, which is when the 1000's of coach buses would be returning at pick-up points...

Thus, throngs of police poured in, along with every imaginable service vehicle, lights flashing, sirens screaming, every vehicle oddly having only one occupant. But nothing broke the mood of celebration, pride, courtesy, generosity, and camaraderie.   
....

Without proper cell phone service or ability to recharge phones, coach drivers had to go back and forth to different locations to locate and pick up all their riders. New information, blocked streets, changed pick-up points, changed times due to fake new curfew - all caused great concern for people's well-being and whereabouts. Everyone was helping anyone that they could. Took our bus an extra two hours to load our 50 persons. All deliberate attempts by the mayor to sabotage every aspect of the event and the well-being of over a million citizens.¹⁷

I have so much pride for We the People and our EXTRAORDINARY capital city mall. And the Capital building of our nation is exquisite, from the exterior.¹⁸ I can't wait to immerse that building inside and out, at a later occasion, and warmer weather.  

Apparently, after our representatives admitted to Pence of excessive election fraud, and submission of double and conflicting electoral ballots, he told them to then go back to the state level, fix it, and come back.¹⁹ So numerous steps have been added to the process. Apparently they can convene themselves and state governors have no official capacity in the process. In our local paper is a photo by Associated Press, taken supposedly inside the House Chamber, guns pointed by two supposed police officers (wearing expensive business suits, not uniforms). And the Associated Press photographer just happened to be a guest?²⁰ And with thousands of folks outside of every window, how did they know to be at THAT particular window? A headline reads "McConnell speaks of 'failed insurrection'".  It needs to read that "McConnell failed to turn our event into HIS insurrection" and that the only thugs that got 'arrested' were his own hired instigators. I'm guessing they won't get their paycheck.

...in our bus ... for an all-night bus ride ... sleeping in our tiny sardine seats.²¹
...

What a life-changing experience.  Wow. What a great bunch of folks - our 50 and a million more MAGA's. Wow.

I've been to large rallies and protests and I know how it is to feel that they have been misrepresented and misunderstood. You do build a bond with the other people who were present, and that's a good thing, it's a human thing. But this writer has so many misconceptions, from the small and misinformed to the large and possibly purposeful, that it's hard to think of how anyone could start to a conversation about a shared reality.

___________

Footnotes

1. Yeah, no. Not a million, as I said at the top. Somewhere between 30,000 and 100,000. I will update if I see a credible estimate. Update: This person estimates 20,000, and has a lot of other interesting things to say about the coup planners.
   
   
2. I don't know, but perhaps they might be closed due to... covid? And if they are on the National Mall rather than a city-based business, see footnote number 3.
   
   
3. You were on the National Mall, which is run by the National Park Service, which is under the Department of Interior. Take it up with your beloved Trump.
   
   
4. Portapotties are always provided by event organizers in every city in this country. Is this a case of socialism for me, but not for thee? Probably. And even if it was someone other than the event organizer's job, it would not be the city's responsibility, it would be the responsibility of the National Park Service. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that your event organizers originally filed a permit for 5,000 attendees and changed it to 30,000 not long before the event?
   
   
5. The mayor of Washington does not close the Smithsonian buildings or the other buildings on the National Mall. Again, take it up with the National Park Service or the Smithsonian.
   
   
6. How do you know the National Guard was supposed to be there, hmmm? We all wish they had been.
   
   
7. Somehow the mayor is supposed to have cell phone towers in her back pocket. But this complaint makes me laugh extra hard. This kind of service problem is something that happens at every large event, everywhere, and has for years. That this person doesn't know this is kind of pathetic. And the entitlement that they should all be able to livestream at once... wow.
   
   
8. You're from Wisconsin and you think 40° is cold? But seriously, maybe don't go to an all-day, outdoor protest in January if you aren't prepared. Plus... covid.
   
   
9. Oh, they "expanded" to the Capital [sic] after Trump spoke... as if there wasn't plenty of room for them in the area between the White House and the Washington Monument, right!
   
   
10. "Someone took down the barriers so that we could be right up to the building and in the yard" — as if it was planned that way, see? Wasn't that nice of them?
    
    
11. "But a few folks then went over the wall"... oh, for no reason at all, since the barriers were laid down and we were supposed to be there, right?
    
    
12. "why would we want to disrupt such an important process as the electoral vote count?" Why indeed?
    
    
13. This one is a major WTF?
    
    
14. The first false flag antifa mention.
    
    
15. I've seen lots of footage of people breaking windows and never seen anyone trying to stop the smashing. The only actively good behavior I've seen from a MAGA person in footage is one guy who tried to stop multiple people from beating AP photographer John Minchillo.
    
    
16. The second false flag antifa mention. There are probably more, I will stop pointing them out.
    
    
17. I'm sure it was very hard to get reconnected with their buses. Many of them should have been put on other types of buses instead (police buses) but weren't. But if they weren't in the Capitol building and weren't beating on police at the perimeter and needed to get back to their buses home, yes, I'm sure it was a mess. Again, not the mayor's fault, though, and nowhere near a million people affected.
    
    
18. Very careful to point out how s/he only saw it from the exterior.
    
    
19. What? Alternate reality much?
    
    
20. That's how things work: photographers are sent to cover news events, such as Congress approving the Electoral College votes, especially this year! Geez, what a doofus.
    
    
21. What a super-spreader opportunity, on top of the whole rally itself. Packed in a bus like sardines for 20-some hours, twice, with people who were not wearing masks.

If you want to see some footage you probably haven't seen of what "expanding" from the rally to the Capitol looked like, see this video by journalist John Harrington of the crowd making its way down the street (about 5 minutes worth).

Harrington also shot this footage (about 20 minutes) of the crowd confronting DC Metro police at the bottom of the Capitol steps. This is before the Capitol building was breached and shows that in at least this spot, the police were attempting to hold the line and made it clear the crowd was not supposed to enter the building. Note that these are not Capitol police, and they are in riot gear.