Our View: They were not patriots; it was not a protest; the beacon was dimmed

It was not a protest. It was a riot. It was an insurrection. It was a mob of pretenders, posers, villains. They are the treacherous who all gathered and made this their day. It was an attack on all of us.

It was a dimming of the beacon of freedom and democracy. It will be frightful to our friends. It will be adored by China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and every other denizen of dictatorial governance.

And if it were to happen in China, Russia, Iran, North Korea or any other denizen of totalitarianism, there would have been machine gun fire, blood running deep.

But here, in a free country, things can get out of hand. Our freedom can be unruly. We have always known that. This? Way over that line.

Please, let all of us write our messages, comment calmly... let us condemn senseless trespassing, vandalism, violence, bullying.

We respect protesters and people who are brave enough to advocate peacefully for change. We have no respect for people who willfully become a rabble. Worse than a rabble. A mob. A horde.

This was not justified and can’t be justified.

Our View editorials represent the opinion of the Appeal-Democrat and its editorial board and are edited by the publisher and/or editor. Members of the editorial board include: Publisher Glenn Stifflemire and Editor Steve Miller.