The commander of the D.C. National Guard has said the Pentagon restricted his authority ahead of the riot at the U.S. Capitol, requiring higher level sign-off to respond that cost time as the events that day spiraled out of control.

Local commanders typically have the power to take military action on their own to save lives or prevent significant property damage in an urgent situation when there isn’t enough time to obtain approval from headquarters.

But Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, the commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard, said the Pentagon essentially took that power and other authorities away from him ahead of the pro-Trump incursion into the capitol on January 6th.   That meant he couldn’t immediately roll out troops when he received a panicked phone call from the Capitol Police chief warning that rioters were about to enter the U.S. Capitol.

My comment:  What does this have to do with Epicurus?  Epicurus wanted us to have peace of mind, a feeling of security and safety. He despised politics (and maybe you can see why!) There was quite enough warfare and fighting in his day and it disrupted the quiet tenor of life.   Here we have a bogus claim of victory by a clear loser and what looks like a plan to overturn a democratic election by violence, whether you like the outcome or not.   I never thought I would see such a thing in the United States, of all countries. The frightening thing is that the instigator will clearly not be brought to book and will be encouraged to try again.   What price peace of mind?