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October 3, 2026

The voice of Accomack and Northampton counties on Virginia’s Eastern Shore

Capitol Break-In Orchestrated by a Few ‘Bad Apples’

Jan 24, 2021 | Opinion

Dear Editor:

The break-in (orchestrated by only a small percentage of bad apples) was criminal and outrageous.

Despite media sensationalism depicting it as a major riot, here is what I did see:
• No wholesale violence
• No obscene graffiti
• No arson
• No government vehicles nor police cars nor emergency vehicles with windows smashed out or overturned or set on fire
• No wholesale murders
• No massive looting
• No police stations burned down
• No prolonged occupation by protesters
• No criminals shooting at police or firemen or emergency workers
• No police were ordered to turn away while the businesses of innocent, hard-working Americans were destroyed
• No one was raped
• No blocked highways
• No attacks on law enforcement other than by the criminals in the Capitol building
• No politicians declaring, “Let them destroy and burn the city, they need to release frustrations.”
• No absurd calls to defund the police
• When the curfew was announced there was an orderly departure from the area

The Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt should never have been shot to death by police. I do not believe she did anything for which to be killed. She simply should have been arrested like the rest of them. Why are there no calls for justice for her?

A handful of instigators (Antifa, brain-dead rednecks, neo-Nazis, etc.) who were hellbent on overthrowing the government and instilling anarchy seized the moment to cause trouble. The vast majority of demonstrators did not follow them; did not agree with them; did not participate unlawfully.

Here’s a link to the FBI reports on who’s been arrested as of Jan. 8: https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/thirteen-charged-federal-court-following-riot-united-states-capitol

The President should have gone to the Capitol Building and personally thrown out the troublemakers. He would have gained a lot of respect. Then again, the criminals in the building were not really supporters of the President. That was just an excuse. They had a whole other agenda. That was why they killed Capitol Police Officer, Brian Sicknick. No supporter of the President would endorse the murder of a law enforcement officer.

William W. Stilwagen, Onancock