A symbol is anything that stands for, or represents, something else. Symbols encourage people to go beyond the original purpose and create a connection that can cross psychological boundaries, cultures or politics. Anything can be a symbol, even a building or part of a building. Symbols of sacred American institutions were violated on both Sept. 11, 2001, and Jan. 6 of this year. In a symbolic sense, the Jan. 6 insurrectionists succeeded where the hijackers failed when it comes to the goal of attacking and interrupting the workings of Congress.
Even if the 9/11 hijackers had…
