Over my 25-plus-year military career, I found myself assigned in Washington, D.C., a few times. While in that historic city, I spent much of my off-duty time exploring our nation’s past. And that is how, in the late 1990s, I found myself working in the White House, and chatting with the chief usher in her office. The usher is the head of the household staff and runs the day-to-day operations of that amazing building. Displayed on her wall was a small wooden beam, charred and nearly burned through by fire. That beam, you see, was recovered from the ruins of the White House following the burning of that famous home by invading British soldiers in 1814. On Aug. 24 of that year, the raiders set fire to much of the city, leveling several buildings and thoroughly gutting the White House. They also set fire to the Capitol Building, but that edifice was saved by a massive thunderstorm, that dumped rainwater on the burning structure. That attack was the last time insurrectionists breached the Capitol.

Until Wednesday.

No doubt you have already read and watched a great deal about the attempted coup by an enraged mob. And you likely have seen the astonishing excuses for the attempted takeover by some in the far-right “news” organizations, as well as on social media. Therefore, I will not attempt to offer any profound insights about the attempted insurrection, nor will I comment on the incitement of these seditious acts by Donald Trump.

I will note that it saddens me to see some of my friends on Facebook and other platforms making excuses for the rioting, either by claiming that the crowd was secretly a group of antifa people, pretending to be Trump supporters, or by arguing that other people have rioted in the past. The first claim is nonsense and the second suggests that Charles Manson could make the excuse that since other people did bad things first, so his actions were OK. To assert these were not Trumpers denies the evidence of your own eyes, and to assert that insurrectionists are to be excused because other people rioted is a line of reasoning we do not accept in our children, and certainly will not accept in alleged adults.

Smarter people than me will write shrewd analysis of what happened, and historians will dissect the vents of Jan. 6, 2021, for years to come. Therefore, I will not attempt any profundities regarding the national shame of an attempted rebellion.

I will draw your attention to the remarkable speech made on the Senate floor by Colorado U.S. Sen. (and my former boss) Michael Bennet. A Colorado Politics story is an excellent summary of his remarks, but I do urge you to take the time to listen to the entire speech, as it is compelling and profound. But I will not say more about the sedition we witnessed, at least for now.

Instead, I want to draw your attention to a very interesting story in Colorado Politics. Aurora Mayor (and former U.S. Rep.) Mike Coffman spent a full week posing as a homeless person on the streets. While disagreeing with him on most policy issues, I do respect Coffman for his time in uniform and for his commitment to national service.

As the article notes, there has been some criticism of Coffman’s actions, claiming his actions were more of a publicity stunt than an effort to more fully understand what homeless people face. While I understand the disapproval, I also think Coffman should get some credit for at least trying to understand the challenges of homelessness more fully. And while he could not resist taking a shot at the federal government, Coffman seems to have recognized at least some of the truths about what puts people on the street. Far too many in the current Trumpian GOP appear to believe that homelessness is a choice made by lazy people. Coffman, however, learned about the role mental health, the pandemic, and more, and seems ready to expand some programs designed to help those who find themselves on the street.

There are legitimate criticisms of Coffman’s actions, as noted in the article. But I do believe in giving credit where credit is due. I have never really understood why so many in the GOP leadership seem to have open contempt for those in need. All too often we see GOPers refuse help to those in need, on the grounds of those folks are not, apparently, trying hard enough. Coffman’s time in homeless encampments and shelters will, I hope, open his eyes, at least a bit, to the plight of those in profoundly difficult circumstances. Perhaps these new insights will help color his views on issues such as the foreclosure moratorium and supporting food banks.

I do not want to overstate the significance of what Coffman did. But I do respect that he tried, albeit in an imperfect way, to understand more about those in greatest need. Whether his new insights will result in kinder policy choices remains to be seen.