My biggest problem with how events have unfolded after Jan. 6th is this: for years it was the Left who was infiltrated and entrapped by the FBI. Muslim communities as well after 9/11. Conservatives did nothing, even supporting those actions. Now those same tactics are being used on them because they weren’t smart enough to understand that any tactic used against their political enemies would one day be used against them. Everyone deserves a fair trial, and respect for their rights, and a government that doesn’t use these Gestapo tricks on its citizens. This is the same argument for the humane treatment of prisoners. Too many people love watching inmates received inhumane abuse in jail, but one day those jails could hold people whose only infraction is disobeying unconstitutional directives. Even if convicted of a crime, prison conditions should be such that a wrongfully convicted person isn’t on the receiving end of inhumane abuse. Prison means confinement, not wanton punishment. But we’ll probably never reach a level of collective empathy that changes this situation.

Author: S. Smith