Events of Jan. 6 don’t need to be exaggerated

As Juvenal said, “Who watches the watchers?” So who fact checks the fact checker?

In Sunday’s column Bob Oswald made the claim as reported by AP that the January 6th assault was the deadliest assault on the seat of American power in over 200 years. I would assume that would mean deaths. Five people died, one shot by a police officer, one drug overdose and three by natural causes.

Two hundred years is a long time. That takes us back to the Era of Good Feeling in 1824, not something we have today. But going forth from there, we have the Baltimore Riots of 1861 with 17 dead in an assault on troops going to D.C., then the little matter of the Civil War. Gen. Early attacked the Capitol, but forget that, go to the labor unrest. Coxey’s Army broken up, the Bonus march vets trying to get their money and 259 veterans died by government hands. Puerto Rican nationalist shoot up Congress.

I will shorten: Riots after King died, SDS bombing of Pentagon, 9/11 attack on Pentagon and I am sure I missed some.

Jan. 6 was a travesty but this country has a long list of violence. Don’t exaggerate. The truth is bad enough.

Jim Sather

Geneva