Globe, Geoff Caldwell come down hard on assault on Capitol Building

The editorial page of today's Joplin Globe comes down hard on the protesters who stormed the U. S. Capitol Building Wednesday.

The page included a Globe editorial, which cited quotes from former Sen. John Danforth, former President George W. Bush and Sen. Roy Blunt, plus a syndicated column by conservative columnist George Will that levels the blame on President Trump, and senators Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz for inciting the lawless activity and a letter to the editor by Gerard Attoun of Joplin calling for the 25th Amendment to be invoked and Trump removed.

The most surprising element on the page was a lengthy column by blogger Geoff Caldwell, Joplin, whose ultra right wing commentary has been a Sunday fixture in the Globe for years.

Caldwell commended the reaction of President-Elect Joe Biden and provided a verbal slap in the face to the president whose policies Caldwell has praised in his columns:

I disagree with Joe Biden and his party’s politics, but it was he — not the president of the United States — who first came out with a statement against the assault on our Capitol.

It was he who said: “The scenes of chaos at the Capitol do not reflect a true America, do not represent who we are. ... I call on this mob to pull back and allow democracy to go forward.”

And it was sadly and pathetically the 45th president of these United States who muttered: “I know your pain, I know your hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us, especially the other side, but you have to go home now."

Thankfully, Globe editors appeared to have made a conscious decision not to fall into the trap of feeling they had to provide one column that supported what happened in the Capitol Building in the name of balance.

If someone wants to write a column supporting the kind of criminal assault on democracy that occurred Wednesday, let that person take his or her message elsewhere.

It has no place in the area's newspaper of record.