So, the folks with the gallows and explosives (etc.) didn't bring marines with heavy artillery and evidently had no intention of arresting anyone, and so may have been content with only murdering government officials without forethought about who may replace those unfortunate enough to end up on gibbets or in giblets; it's a novel approach, I will give you that.ajax18 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 13, 2021 8:00 pmA coup would have been 40,000 marines with heavy artillery taking over the capital and arresting everyone in Congress.Bret Ripley wrote: ↑Sat Feb 13, 2021 7:35 pmFabulous question! I'm not really 'up' on what weapons are de rigueur for coups this season, but let's see what's on the list -- well, this one guy was carrying a podium that would probably hurt if he dropped it on your foot. Then there was the guy with a crossbow -- he also had several guns, Molotov cocktails, and smoke bombs, but a crossbow deserves special mention not only because crossbows are cool but also because they sublimely encapsulate the cultural milieux from which the gentleman's politics emerge. That sort of attention to subtle detail deserves recognition.
Pistols and tasers were reportedly carried by some, but that's nothing you won't see being toted around at your local Walmart. (Tip: pay close attention to those folks -- nothing says 'I know how to spot a bargain' like a Sig Sauer P365.)
(We will note but quickly pass over the pipe bombs; they carry too much of a radical '60s leftist vibe to merit serious consideration as a proper patriot's 'coup weapon.')
Honorable mention goes to the wrist-restraints and gallows, but aesthetically they don't really bring anything to the table that has not already been more elegantly stated by the crossbow.
(Some artless soul could point out that some of these folks fully expected the military to join them in their not-a-coup, but fortunately for them the very whackadoodleness of that sentiment readily lends itself to plausible deniability.)
Here's a tip you can have for free: having 40,000 marines with heavy artillery arresting folks and not having 40,000 marines with heavy artillery arresting folks is irrelevant to whether the intent is 'coup' or 'not-coup,' but it can be the difference between whether history remembers it as a 'coup' or an 'attempted coup.' Seriously, no charge.