by James A. Bacon
In Frederick County, Marine Corps veteran Miles Adkins pleaded guilty Monday to two federal misdemeanors and was sentenced to 12 days in jail, fined, and ordered to pay restitution for offenses he committed during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
According to DC News Now, Adkins waved other rioters into the building and helped one person climb into the building through a broken window. Later, he was seen on social media with a canned beverage, “bragging that he drank a Coors Lite beer in the U.S. Capitol building.”
Adkins committed misdemeanors, and he’s paying the legal penalty. He may pay a political price, too, as calls are mounting for his resignation from the Frederick County School Board. Voters have every reason to reject an elected official who egged on January 6 rioters and desecrated the Capitol. But Adkins does have one saving grace: He’s not whining about being mistreated.
Contrast that to students in Charlottesville who were arrested during the pro-Gaza protesters for refusing police orders to disperse.
Local prosecutors dismissed complaints of trespassing. But students are bellyaching anyway because the University of Virginia is withholding their degrees until the student judiciary can review complaints filed by the administration, which may not be until the end of the summer. (See previous post.) Lacking their sheepskin makes it harder to find a job, you see.
Adkins is refusing to step down from his school board position. But he has expressed contrition for his actions on Jan. 6.
“I do regret going in there and drinking a beer,” he said. “It’s the people’s house. It’s not my house.”
“I regret that there was violence that day. One hundred percent, I regret that. It’s a travesty,” he said. “It’s a scar on our country.”
There is no indication, however, that the UVA students have apologized for anything. Indeed, some faculty members and local media have expressed sympathy for them. Being a pro-Gaza activist, it seems, means never having to say you’re sorry.
James A. Bacon is contributing editor to The Jefferson Council. The views expressed here are his own.