I read online about an event in Florida (of course) of the self-styled Patriot Freedom Front, that was a fundraiser for people jailed for attacking the Capitol. Trump made a video for the event in which he lamented the plight of these criminals as “a very unfair situation.” I’m not sure what he means by unfair, but I think it has to mean, in the context of Jan 6, that these poor dupes were sent to jail and Trump is still running his mouth in complete freedom. That’s unfair.

This report also described the speech of one of the seditionists, Robert Morss, delivered via telephone link from the D.C. jail. Morss described himself as an “American political prisoner.” If he planned to be a political prisoner, why did he show up at Jan 6 dressed in a military-style costume? The report mentions that “Morss wore camouflage and tactical gear as he joined the mob on Jan 6.” Shouldn’t he claim to be a prisoner of war?

Morss was only one of many at the Jan 6 riot dressed in “tactical,” that is quasi military clothing. “Tactical” is the preferred fashion of domestic enemies of the United States, and it has been taken up by gun-nuts and wannabe outdoorsmen generally. I recently looked through the catalogue of a military surplus firm that sells a host of items of clothing and equipment that are not of military origin, but have a certain style and are always called “tactical.” 

“Tactical” does not mean the attire and equipment of real soldiers, but is describes the kinds of costumes one sees modeled in magazines, TV, and movies by soldiers of fortune, bounty hunters, et al. People like Mr. Morss who parade in camouflage and tacticals show that they are trying to live out their boyhood fantasies.