Outside Looking In

Bruce Vogel was a high school classmate of mine at Tracy High School. He eventually became a State Representative in District 13B as a Republican from Willmar from 2011-13.
When I learned that Vogel made the 20-hour drive to Washington D.C. last Wednesday with his wife, Jeanne, to attend the rally at Ellipse, the 52-acre oval-shaped field between the White House and the Washington Memorial, I contacted him to get an eyewitness account of the mob scene that stormed the Capitol.
"I went there specifically to pray for our country and to listen to the speakers so I could see for myself what's in store for us in the future," Vogel said.
During his time at Ellipse listening to several speakers, including President Trump, Vogel said the crowd did not seem to be getting angry or violent as though they were preparing for what eventually unfolded.
"No one really seemed worked up or angry," Vogel said. "(Trump) never said to come there and damage property or to injury anyone. We talked to a lot of people while we were there and no one felt that way. Disgusted, yes. Angry, no."
Trump supporters arrived from all over the country when he requested they come to the Capitol in protest of what he felt was a "rigged" election. There were several other speakers, too, Vogel said, that expressed similar sentiment.
"Rudy Guliani insisted that they have forensic evidence that ballot boxes were tampered with," Vogel said. "Basically, the speakers all wanted the supporters to not give up hope that things could be proven and Trump would remain in office. I thought it was interesting, but in no way was it anything where I felt people were getting upset and going to do what they did."
But any time there is a crowd of around one million people, as was the estimate at the Ellipse, there are going to be some people that just can't protest peacefully. They have to lash out in violent ways. It happened during the racial unrest and it happened here. It makes it appear as though everyone attending is protesting violently.
The Vogels were near the back of the pack when they arrived around 1 p.m. for a second session of speakers. That's when those in the front decided to act like animals and break down barricades, push and shove police, and eventually make their way inside the Capitol building where they caused damage and looted.
"It was absolutely wrong what they were doing," Vogel said. "We saw a lot of people dressed in black, dressed in military fatigues, some with helmets and weapons as though they were planning this all along. They came there just to cause damage. It was really sad to see. This should never have happened and it makes it look like everyone that was there was acting this way."
But Vogel also pointed out there were only a "few hundred people" causing all the trouble, out of the million in attendance.
"There were two guys up front with bullhorns encouraging people to come up front," Vogel recalls. "They were really trying to get everyone to break into the Capitol. But most people just stood outside and watched."
Several people did eventually storm the Capitol and entered some of the Democratic offices, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, where they damaged walls and stole items. One man who posed with his feet on Pelosi's desk was identified and arrested on Friday. Another man who stole her lectern was also identified and arrested.
Vogel posted a photo on his Facebook page with the White House showing in the background. He had an American flag draped over his shoulder. His wife was all bundled up in a hooded jacket. Nothing in the photo showed any support of Trump such as a MAGA hat or a sign. Yet Vogel was besieged with enough negative comments that he had to remove the photo from his Facebook page.
Two other people contacted the Mascot that attended the rally at the Capitol and expresses disgust at how the media portrayed the event. Neither wanted their names used for fear they would hit hard on social media.
"You would have had to be there to form an opinion," one said. "You can't go by what the media tells you. It did not happen the way it was told. When I read online what happened at the Capitol, it wasn't even close to the way it really happened."
No one seems to be able to voice an opinion, one way or another, anymore if the people reading it don't agree. No wonder our world is so divisive. And it's only going to get worse, no matter who is in office.
I've learned one thing about social media. It has caused way more bad than good.