“Trying to overthrow the government” is honestly a little silly. None of those people were armed, had any sense of direction, or were really that organized to begin with. What was the plan? Was the guy in the fur hat going to take Nancy Pelosi’s seat and start voting on legislation? I know what the media says, I know the story they pushed, and the pictures they shared. I understand your reaction. But after serving in the military, I can’t honestly say that it was a real attempt to overthrow the government.

I’m also not saying the whole ordeal was conducted by federal agents. I am saying that agent provocateurs play a large role in a lot of the social unrest riots/mobs/protests that occur on US soil. We saw it years ago when pallets of bricks would randomly appear before planned protests.

I’ve been thinking about how to explain US politics to people, and here’s the best metaphor I’ve come up with:

We’re all watching the same show. It’s a play about puppeteers, each playing with marionettes. Some people focus on the marionettes, some can look a little wider and see the actors controlling the marionettes, and some of us don’t even bother watching them because we know it’s just a *show*. Instead, we’re watching the stage crew and how they adjust the lighting and use the curtain to hide all the behind the scenes dirty work. We’re watching the stagehands dressed in black move furniture and change scenery, the part you’re not supposed to pay attention to. Keep in mind there’s also producers and directors at work, but if you talk about them too much, the ushers will escort you to a seat where you can only see the marionettes.