This is not going to end well. That they have vandalized and stolen items from offices, shot someone inside after they broke in is bad enough. I just hope they don’t choose to burn down buildings or blow them up on top of everything else.
I just found myself suddenly in tears. I had the TV on this morning without sound just to follow the crazy spectacle of the Congressional dispute over the electoral vote, then realized there was something much bigger going on. I’m not entirely surprised that it’s happened, but I’m surprised to feel so overwhelmingly disturbed about it.
There is no allowance for “dispute” in counting the Electoral College votes.
12th Amendment:
The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted;-The person having the greatest Number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed;
Nothing in there about Senators objecting or any other nonsense allowed with the express consent of and enablement by Mitch McConnell.
VP Pence comes in, reads the count of the votes certificates for each state, and announces Biden is POTUS 46.
@mike808
When I read the Georgia election results this morning I waved generally east and though ‘Good bye, good riddance, McConnell, thanks for the rotten fish, and if you don’t move quick, the door will damned well hit you on your way out.’
I also had this mental image - last night actually - of a star trek type captain calling up to her ship “Phasers on stun Scotty” Him saying back, “I"m not Scotty.” Her replying, “And I’m not Kirk, just fucking do it before they all kill each other and this world goes up in flames.”
@f00l Not only that, objecting to the election results in another state (Arizona) that he doesn’t even represent, has no standing, or otherwise give a flying fuck about. Much like he demonstrated what he thinks about the constitution and the oath of office he took yesterday.
Since the elector result certifications go in alphabetical order by state name, he protested re AZ because he was wanted to go first and get the biggest press attention.
According to everything I’ve heard, Cruz’s fellow Republican senators and Republican house members absolutely loathe him.
@f00l Ted “the turd” was basing his argument based on the fact that a high percentage of American’s had questions about the legality of the election. But were their questions based on verifiable facts-NO-they were based on the rantings of someone who lies every time he opens his mouth. Guess he forgot to mention that little fact.
According to everything I’ve heard, Cruz’s fellow Republican senators and Republican house members absolutely loathe him.
So do all of the Texans that voted for Beto.
Even more embarrasing, is that Ted Cruz “claim to fame” was as a *Constitutional scholar" on law school.
12th Amendment:
The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted;-The person having the greatest Number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed
@f00l Cruz and Hawley and the other seditionists don’t seem to have a problem understanding the word “shall” when it comes to the 2nd Amendment or the 10 Commandments. And Mitch McConnell has been the great enabler in all of this.
Let’s see what AG Merrick Garland will make of this.
@f00l Hey I’ll throw in my two toilet floating Senators-Rick (medicare fraud) Scott and Marco (little hands and littler brains) Rubio. What makes Florida the shithole state it really is is the Governor-Rick DeSantASS.
@f00l@Felton10 And you can have that Fucker Trump butt kisser from my state who actually was one of the 6 who voted for (Cindy Hyde-Smilth) to throw in that fire too. Her head is so far up his ass that when he opens his mouth her face shows. She is one disgusting, likely not even human, a-hole. Of course the bulk of this state has serious issues including a governor who is also a Trump butt kisser who got rid of the mask mandate while we had cases exploding. He only started to get somewhat more reasonable when his daughter tested pos.
@f00l@Felton10 We in Duval County have the added indignity of Congressman Rutherford. He has waxed eloquent about That Vote. Exposure may be his undoing. Excuse me, I’m off to become a more active voter.
@f00l@mike808 Ok, here’s my thought if something like this ever comes up again.
Ted Cruz announces objection to Arizona count. Someone says “Ted Cruz: your objection to the electoral count in Texas is registered.”
The entire Trump presidency has been a triumph for the Kremlin and for Putin.
Trump has been their “useful idiot” now for 5 long years.
Incidentally, tho Trump sees China as an enemy and rival, his bumbling and foolish blustering policies have made China stronger, and consistently made us weaker in comparison to them.
Thereby giving China a free hand in destroying freedom in HK without effective opposition from the western democracies, and giving China a chance to continue to strong-arm power in the Pacific and to gain economic power worldwide.
@AuntMean67@Felton10
When Democratic protesters stormed and invaded the Capitol building and broke windows and battered the doors and forced the Congress to go into hiding?
Yes, there were protests to Trump’s election, but I remember this:
‘Hillary Clinton, in her concession speech, asked supporters to give Mr. Trump a “chance to lead.”’
Well-now that the Democrats control the House, Senate and the Presidency they can begin to undo some of the damage this insane egotistical self serving lunatic has rought upon this once proud nation.
@Felton10 But the supreme court has swung so far right it’s going to be hard to get anywhere without constitutional amendments, and they don’t have the 2/3rds they need for those.
@Felton10 And he lost Georgia for the Senate. New York Times: The political fallout of Mr. Trump’s tenure is now clear: His single term in the White House will conclude with Republicans having lost the presidency, the House and the Senate on his watch.
@f00l@Felton10@Kyeh His last rally though was probably a success for becoming a super spreader event - as was the one he incited this afternoon in DC. If we don’t have the more contagious covid in all states yet this will probably take care of that.
@f00l@Felton10@Kidsandliz Yeah, I’ve kept wondering if he secretly wants to kill off his supporters, holding all those rallies and constantly downplaying the danger of the virus.
@f00l@Felton10@Kyeh I am reasonably sure that he seldom, if at all, thinks about the effects of his actions on others, rather he is focused on the impact of the actions of others on him. As a result he’d only care if enough of his worshipers died that it would negatively impact the size of his rally crowds and thus his perceived importance.
Hee-Hawley, continuing to raise his white-fist-of-power high, said he thought it was so important to object to Arizona’s votes that it was worth debating, but he didn’t mention Arizona when it was his turn to talk. And then Hee-Hawley thought it was so important to talk about Pennsylvania that he’s forcing the House and Senate to sit through another round of debate. But he’s not even going to bother to say anything.
@f00l@Kyeh
If you don’t see the Twitter link, and it’s a big grey rectangle, try using the browser reload/refresh. That does the trick on my Android phone.
I’m just waiting for the final vote. Hopefully he is finally done instigating but I doubt it. He doesn’t care who dies obviously. There are psychopaths. And then there is this guy. And the fact he was allowed to get there is so discouraging. Regardless of your party
There is some research that finds that about a third (this is from memory so the number may be a little off) of CEO’s are high functioning sociopaths. I’d suspect if we looked at the politicians who made it to DC, those at the top of the heap in government agencies, etc. we’d have similar findings.
@Kidsandliz well aware. What else were serfs and lords. Still applies to many companies. The problem with politics is that people choose. And a direct effort to subvert that
@f00l@unksol I’d agree. In many ways he behaves like someone who has full blown attachment disorder (plus a few other psych dx’s) Often adults get a borderline personality disorder dx instead of attachment disorder. There is a lot of overlap between sociopathic behavior and the behavior of those with a serious case of attachment disorder. His toddlerhood - per his niece - certainly is consistent with the history of kids where attachment disorder is the outcome (I know a lot about this as my kid, adopted at an older age, has full blown attachment disorder and several other dx’s).
Typical behavior includes: lies, what I said yesterday has nothing to do with what I said today, best skills are triangulation and manipulation, the world is about me and your effect on me not my effect on others, amoral, no empathy, needs to be the center of attention (their world is the size of the head of a pin and they are the only person on it) and negative attention is better than no attention (so wrecks other people’s turn to shine in the light) and I need attention all the time, holds a grudge forever, revenge is perceived as the appropriate response (which is likely one major way how he kept his hold all the butt kissers) and revenge needs to be of the scorched earth variety, turning people on each other and other shows of power to show dominance, influence and importance, lash out regardless of the consequences when crossed, cause and effect reasoning is poorly coupled, tantrums that can be pretty distructive… and I could go on but won’t.
This is where I worry about the remaining two weeks if someone can’t reign him in. He has the resources and reach to cause significant havoc and widespread harm.
Yes they choose, but as in marketing, the attempts to influence (and marketing is getting better and better at this - for example if you touch something you are more likely to buy it - that affects packaging, store layout…) can be disconnected from ethics. Manipulation and triangulation are polished skills in snake oil salesmen (also see my post above this) and Trump is a snake oil salesman. Cult leaders manage to ensnare some even otherwise reasonable people. Then cognitive dissonance contributes to them not leaving the cult.
@Kidsandliz I’m aware. Not thrilled with how we got here. Or there. Or getting to a place where the only choice is omg that guy is an awful human being. Now what. Feel free to figure out a better way. That still is democratic. Maybe they shouldn’t be allowed to run biased commercials and straight up lies but then who polices that…
@f00l Perhaps you misread then. Telling me to figure out a better way is a back handed slap when worded “feel free”. Especially when I wasn’t even criticizing voting as a way to decide and then I am told to “feel free” to find a “better way”?
@f00l@Kidsandliz there was no intended attack. Sorry if it read that way. Just general dislike of how we got in this situation. As a country. Which is very upsetting. Literally if you have a real suggestion of how to fix it. I can’t think of one. Or one that would work.
About the insane social media part and how easy it is to install bad data in peoples brains
@f00l@Kidsandliz@unksol think I heard a TED talk or something about elections where people write their first pick, second pick third pick etc and then somehow that is translated into someone winning. It doesn’t sound perfect but it would seem to make it so that instead of a two party fight to the death it could be more civil…
@ApplePI@f00l@Kidsandliz
Other countries with multi party systems are set up that way. There is a percentage of the vote a candidate has to reach to win outright and if no one hits it the top two candidates have a run off.
A multiparty system would be an improvement but we’ve never managed to make that a real thing… Libertarians and independents would be the best candidates but we can’t seem to turn them into actual parties. I mean I’m not sure the should be but… Some sort of organization is required per our current county design
@ApplePI@f00l@Kidsandliz@unksol
It’s called the “Condorcet Method”, better known as “Ranked Voting”. Amazingly, here in St Louis City, they’ve adopted it for local alderman elections.
There is a lot of game theory and serious study (grad, phd) work that shows optimal outcomes with resistance to manipulation, both by the candidates (inside) and outside influences.
Basically you rank the candidates, first to last. The idea us that the “best” candidate emerges, and doesn’t devolve into binary alternating duopolies or worse, when one party is in power, they abuse that power to eliminate, prevent, or exclude the other party from participation in the next election cycle, and degenerate into fascism.
Smells a lot like Mitch McConnell’s strategy for the GOP the past 20 years, and the GOP modus operandi funded by dark money, gerrymandering, and voter suppression from the state legislature to Congress (especially the Senate, where it has been used to destroy the Judiciary (by extorting appointments, including SCOTUS) and neutering the Congress to install a sociopath proto-fascist in a unitary White House of unlimited power.
@Kidsandliz@mike808 The filename says jpg, but it seems to actually be a webp. I thought Safari supported those now. (Firefox does. I assume Chrome does.)
Shortly before 4 am ET the electoral college vote is certified.
What next?
Are the enough non boot-lickers left in the cabinet to be willing to invoke the 25th amendment should the politicians and the powerful deem that necessary or appropriate?
(I believe this 25th amendment procedure should already have happened;
tho I don’t know if the cabinet currently contains enough non-corrupt members to accomplish this if sane & politically powerful people wish to accomplish this.)
@f00l Yeah I’d bet that only came about because someone finally figured out how to handle people like this is hook stuff to their own self interests. I’d bet it was pointed out to him that it was in his own best interests to do that if he wanted a chance to hang on to the last 2 weeks of his presidency and be able to run in the future. He is pretty much only motivated by his own self interest.
The statement, on the twitter account of a WH aide (since Trump’s account was temp blocked to new posts by Twitter), was almost certainly written by an aide who pressured DT into releasing it.
It’s not typical DT language: the wording feels “official”, and that’s not his natural language.
DT has not yet publicly committed to this.
So who knows.
@f00l@Kidsandliz Turns out that is exactly what happened. Pence and some cabinet members told him if he did not condemn his riotous supporters actions he could be charged with inciting to riot. he appeared shortly thereafter reading in a monotone voice that he condemned the actions of those people. The next day he stated he was remorseful FOR SAYING HE CONDEMNED THEIR ACTIONS!!!
Chinese State media is openly scornful of the United States now, and openly gleeful about events in the capital area and the Capitol building yesterday.
Chinese media seems to be wondering how dare we protest about events in Hong Kong recently, given what just happened in Washington DC
According to the Chinese state media, we’re clearly just a bunch of posturing hypocrites who never had any moral standing of any kind in terms of having a better form of government than the state run economic and political dictatorship they practice.
This failure to guarantee and enact the peaceful and orderly transfer of power according to the Constitution has only happened under one president. The current one.
Also he is the only recent president who lives and breaths lies and more lies and all lies:
the bigger and the more emphatic the lies, the better.
In 1800 Thomas Jefferson and John Adams fought an incredibly bitter political battle for the presidency
John Adams was the second President of the United States and he lost the election of 1800 to Thomas Jefferson, the third president
No one in Europe believed that John Adams would give up power,
just as they had been shocked when George Washington gave up power and went home after two terms.
Only: George Washington had announced in advance he would give up power and had refused to be a contestant in the third presidential election;
and the great European powers and politicians considered this astonishing and compared George Washington to Cincinnatus, the Roman leader who voluntarily gave up power and went home to his farm.
The European powers and politicians were again shocked by John Adams, because he had sought to continue in office holding the ultimate political power in the United States.
After Adams had lost the election, the Europeans expected him to find a way to hang on to the power he clearly sought to keep.
When he gave it up voluntarily and went home without drama and with great respect for the Constitution, the European powers were again astonished and again compared him to Cincinnatus.
John Adams gave up power and did so with dignity and honor and deliberation. during the carriage ride home to Massachusetts he wrote:
that the United States has a government of laws not of men
The city of Cincinnati OH, is named for the great Roman statesman Cincinnatus, in honor of George Washington who also went home.
but John Adams having voluntarily relinquished power according to the legal path arranged by the constitution is just as noble and honorable an example of dignified and dedicated respect for law over personal ambition.
The foundations of democracy aren’t immutable, aren’t capable of withstanding ceaseless abuse without any maintenance… I’m not sure I’m even surprised this is happening.
Nobody took it as a sign that the cancer had metasticized when Trump got elected. They just doubled down on the same dysfunctional games that allowed him to not be laughed off the Republican primary stage. After he was elected, the Republicans were willing to dance with the devil, while the Democrats avoided ever breaking the kayfabe to allow that there’s distinctions to be had between partisan disagreements and nonpartisan ones.
I’m less worried about the country at this point, and more worried about the world facing Chinese and Russian aggression with an America so hollowed out that it finally broke itself. America deserves it, but this isn’t a controlled demolition.
Biden’s not equal to this. He’s not going to grab the country and tell everyone that we need to concentrate on sustainability and its foundations. If he does his shit party will reject him, just like McConnell was willing to make every compromise until the last one. That’s not how any of this works.
Not that Trump shouldn’t be blamed, but Trump fundamentally shouldn’t exist, and everyone should be blamed for the smallmindedness that creates a favorable environment for him and his supporters and his useful enemies to thrive.
We don’t yet know what Biden is equal to. Or what Biden and his assorted companions and allies are equal to.
Trump should not exist?
Just like every sociopath and constant liar/manipulator should not exist?
Like every dictator, sadist, and warmonger in history should not exist?
Agreed, that would my pref. But this ain’t no ideal world. (Tho Trump makes me long for Nixon in comparison)
The US has gone thru hideous and horrible incarnations. Civil War, anyone? Slavery? Anti-immgrant riots? Labor rights supression? Voter supression? Lynching? Religious and cultural supression? Female rights supression? Birth control suppression? KKK? Near oligarchies? Incredible personal enrichment off the govt by elected officials? Lies and corruption? Red scare and McCarthyism? Imperial presidency? Back-of-the-bus? Incarceration of 1/4 to 1/3 of some African American community’s male populations? Stealing everything from Native Americans, breaking our treaties, often considering them to be targets on sight, and casual or formal near-genocide of some groups? Casually using the CIA to install anti-democratic sadistic homicidal dictators all over Latin America, and in plenty of other places around the world? Policing and financial and cultural redlining? Laws that penalize the poor for being poor?
Etc etc etc. And I barely know US history.
We’ve been hideous. And sometimes we’ve gotten over it. Or sometimes we’ve improved, tho we still have ways to go.
So … Here we are. I understand the appeal of cynicism about all this.
I also, I hope, remember what a few folks have accomplished by being realistic and by not being comoletely cynical.
Winston Churchill (who comes with plenty of terrible flaws, history, colonialism, and other baggage of his own) once said:
You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing after they have tried everything else.
We ain’t no pure shining city on a hill yet.
In fact we suck.
But we have done as decent an approximation to that as every other great power. And way better than most.
Yeah, the world sucks. So what? You gonna stew in that?
Well, that’s one way to pass the time.
Maybe we can get better. Who knows?
So … give up on it all if you wish.
Just don’t tell Stacy Abrams.
Cause she might talk you out of that, if she knew.
Not that I don’t blame the Democratic party a lot. Republicans are beyond blame, for me. Trump’s like a rabid badger, or a brain-damaged bear, and the Republicans are mostly, where they show signs of sentience… other wildlife, I guess. Very confused salmon. To me, the Democrats are like irresponsible animal control officers, by comparison. How angry can you get at the bear?
Where was I? I wrote this whole goofy post, but it was too meandering. Then I tried an argumentative one, but it was too bleak.
You a fan of Stacy Abrams I guess? From what little I’ve seen, I wouldn’t mind seeing more of her. I don’t know what she’s about though. Read that she almost got to be governor of Georgia, gets some credit for “turning Georgia purple” by either registering a bunch of Mexicans as voters, or abandoning political centrality, or possibly common sense voting reform of some kind, sounded like shenanigans potentially lost her the governorship… read Schumer wanted to recruit her for the senate seat now to be occupied by Warnock, but she turned him down. She had aimed at being Biden’s VP…
It’ll be interesting to see what the Democrats do with their narrow senate majority, hypothetically cooler heads and all that… I think I’ve seen this one… I’ll just cross my fingers before bed.
There is much to appreciate about Abrams as a politician, but that’s not where I find her her personal truest superpower is.
The R party has chosen gerrymandering and voter suppression deliberately, nationwide, as permanent means to stay in power. Without both, they’d be a lesser political power party by far.
They did these effectively in Georgia.
And Stacy Abrams didn’t care much for this.
Sue couldn’t beat or take on gerrymandering without control or near-control of the state legislature.
But she could go after voter reg and voter suppression on her own, or with a few recruited allies. In what was then, I think, a dark red state.
So she did. Starting umpteen years ago. Using every decent human capacity she and her allies possessed.
It would seem to my less driven and determined soul a bit like deciding to empty the Atlantic with a tablespoon.
She didn’t care about that.
Every day she faced what many or most of us would find to be an almost hopeless task, and decided it was not hopeless and she went out and took it on. And she kept going. And she gained allies. And they all faced all kinds of shit and kept going.
And it helps that she’s a brilliant lawyer and was able to use the law and the courts and her legal knowledge to great effect.
But mostly it helped that she is the sort of person who wants what is good and right and true, and will not quit.
Even if most people think a task is impossible, or think it will take a century, or that the effect of any one person’s efforts will be tiny.
Abrams just doesn’t care about impossible.
She just keeps going.
There are worse qualities one can have.
@f00l@InnocuousFarmer
You need to read a littke deeper on Stacey Abrams. The shenanigans were on the part of her competitor, the Secretary of State at the time, running for Governor, and as SOS, he launched baseless “investigations” into her campaign in order to smear her and cheat his way into the Governor’s office.
She’s tirelessly worked to GOTV and engage the Georgia citizenry to unshackle them from Republican voter suppression targeting POC, and by design and consequence, Democrats. She loves het state, the people in it, and will eat Kemp’s lunch and take his job as the next Governor of Georgia.
She would have left for VP, but in retrospect, she did not stop or be deterred after losing to Kemp for Governor. She pushed hard for Biden and was a huge ground game field marshall pushing for Warnock and Ossoff. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her giving a shot at POTUS in 2028 if she’s wanting more than one term as Governor. She will be a major player/strategist for the DNC, just not chair as that’s a dead-end role and she’s too good at rallying the troops and most importantly, getting them to the voting booth.
@f00l@mike808 You guys are spooking me. I don’t believe in political stories that pure. I’ll find time to read up a bit though. She sounds like an interesting, maybe admirable figure.
I intend to read up on her. have donated to her organization and recently bought a book of hers which I have not yet read.
I know that Kemp is a POS who screwed her out of the governorship at a time when he was Secretary of State in Georgia and he controlled that office in the most corrupt way possible along party lines
so that when he and she competed for the governorship he had the legal means to force her to lose regardless of what a fair voting result would have been
And he needs to go down. badly
But my impression of Abrams is that she would have found a way to work miracles no matter what circumstances she was in and no matter who the bad guys were or are
I’m sure that she has the usual collection of human flaws that most of us fight with in ourselves
I don’t mean to paint her as otherwise
But some people just have qualities and skills and determination that make them into the perfect match for their circumstances and times and so they become extraordinarily effective
"Today’s violent assault on our Capitol, an effort to subjugate American democracy by mob rule, was fomented by Mr. Trump. His use of the Presidency to destroy trust in our election and to poison our respect for fellow citizens has been enabled by pseudo political leaders whose names will live in infamy as profiles in cowardice.
Our Constitution and our Republic will overcome this stain and We the People will come together again in our never-ending effort to form a more perfect Union, while Mr. Trump will deservedly be left a man without a country."
Senator Mitt Romney:
"We gather today due to a selfish man’s injured pride and the outrage of his supporters whom he has deliberately misinformed for the past two months and stirred to action this very morning.
What happened here today was an insurrection, incited by the President of the United States.
Those who choose to continue to support his dangerous gambit by objecting to the results of a legitimate, democratic election will forever be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy. They will be remembered for their role in this shameful episode in American history. That will be their legacy.
The best way we can show respect for the voters who are upset is by telling them the truth. The truth is that President-elect Biden won the election. President Trump lost."
A very technical friend observed that the whole Capitol IT system must be assumed compromised, and needs to be wiped and replaced. There are probably significant data breaches as well.
This is the kind of intrusion that hostile nations could only dream of pulling off.
I believe that the capitol building and capitol complex security resources are controlled by Congress not by the president
Perhaps I’m wrong I don’t know the details
But the Congress seems to have failed to take its own security seriously
So there’s plenty of blame to go to the white house in addition since Trump reportedly refused to allocate National Guard and the mayor and congress had to go through Pence and neighboring governors to get extra security and policing assistance
since they were so starved for security resources I guess it’s a good thing from a security point of view that all the protesters and rioters and crazy people were mostly white and so you could just let them go home or go back to their hotels and you don’t have to beat them up and arrest them the way you might have to if they’re non-white
Bad news: As of this post, I’m out of reasons to mention the misadventures of Duncan Hunter. Trump pardoned him so I can’t see if he tried and failed to buy a PS5. Maybe he will get arrested when he tries to break into his ex wife (divorced was finalized on his birthday while in prison) 's house to get his jet rabbit back. Maybe he will try to run for office and fail miserably like Joe Arpeio (or as I call him “piehole”).
Ah yes. The woman who thought guns should be in schools to protect children from grizzly bears. Now she is concerned about children learning about the domestic terrorism that occurred yesterday. How dare children learn how NOT to do something.
She also said:
“We should be highlighting and celebrating your Administration’s many accomplishments on behalf of the American people. Instead, we are left to clean up the mess caused by violent protestors overrunning the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to undermine the people’s business.”
Like she’s going to clean (or do) anything that helps the public. I’m sure she misses her prized children aka her private yachts. Now with her resignation she can sail away never to be heard from again. Good riddance.
@f00l@JT954 She’s gone because she was part of Pence’s religious base that jumped on the Trump train to help Mitch McConnel pack the courts with all those right-wing and religious forced-birther activist judges. Now that Pence is out with Trump, she’s picking up her toys and going home before the investigations start into her deep ties to Navient, the largest student loan sharking for-profit grifting outfit in the country.
@mike808 Navient used to be Sallie Mae. I had student loans with them. I was beyond ecstatic when that group of loans were finally paid off (I had consolidated all but those). Yes paying that bunch off made me happy, but what made me even happier is never having to deal with them again. I had had over a 3 year battle with them to get back a lot of money when they decided to reset my loan, that only had 3.5 years left on it, to 10 years and change the interest rate. Something I had not requested and had signed no papers for. I finally won but OMG that place was a mess - including their group advocacy group who was supposed fix problems that regular channels couldn’t fix.
They need to ditch that entire fire ant nest and go with a more ethical company.
@Kidsandliz How else do you think the DeVos family “earned” their multiple yachts. All are also registered in other countries (see “flag of convenience”) so they can cheat their fellow Ohio taxpayers out of property taxes, which pay for our educational systems for the most part.
For bonus points, they avoid US coast guard safety requirements, and do not have to comply with US labor wage and safety laws, since technically, the yacht is “territory” of the country it is registered under.
So yeah, the DeVos family are tax cheats and grifters off the backs of students all the way to the bone.
I think she is also related to Erik Prince and his merry band of profiteering mercenaries at Blackwater sucking up those military welfare contracts consting billions of taxpayer dollars.
@f00l@mike808 I think a bunch of his cabinet is quitting so they won’t be caught between (for them) a rock and a hard place if the pressure continues to declare Trump unfit. Now they can avoid having to actually vote on removing him and so still suck his coat tails later if his coat tails haven’t been “burned” so badly that everyone finally sees he is the emperor with no clothes.
Her unwillingness to reign in the abuses in the for profit sector higher education told me she/her family likely had ties to that crooked sector.
@blaineg@Kyeh I’m pretty sure the Jamiroquai impersonator (or are they the leader of a Village People revival band?) can be identified by their unique tatoos/body markings.
Also out and resigning - Eliane Chao, Transportation Secretary, who worked that sweet, sweet Russian Aluminum plant grift for her hubby Mitch McConnell in Kentucky, and kept close “business” ties with her relatives back in mainland China.
The people who stayed in Trump’s cabinet or in his orbit pretty much totally corrupted themselves
a few reputedly stay because they know, if they leave, Trump will appoint somebody who is somuch worse than they are, that they had to stay if only as a placeholder, out of fear for the future
I don’t think they should have taken these jobs in the first place
But once you’re in I can understand if you don’t want to leave since the president will then appoint a lunatic
However now I wish enough of them who are somewhat sane would stay at least long enough to vote for removing Trump according to the Constitution and the 25th amendment
pretty soon it looks like nobody but the totally incompetent, the ethically vacant or corrupt, and extreme crazies will be left
@f00l It’s the Jack Welch management program on steroids. Hire a bunch of sycophants, fire the least loyal 25% and replace with even more sycophantile suck-ups. After a couple of iterations, you’re in the shallow end of the gene pool with floaties.
@mike808 Hahaha - you’ll laugh. That snake for profit Strayer “University” (now merged with Capella University) actually calls their online so called executive MBA program the Jack Welch MBA program. That place operates more or less along the lines of if you are breathing and can pay for it you are admitted. And unless you totally screw up totally by not doing anything at all, you will graduate with good grades even if what you actually do is D or F work.
@f00l I have heard it suggested, and I think there is wisdom here, that it would be best for those who remain in the Whitehouse to strongly encourage the President to just leave for the next two weeks. Delegate his powers and get out of town and go to Florida or something.
An impeachment, or invoking the 25th amendment, will likely just politicize the situation further and make things more difficult for soon-to-be President Biden when he assumes office.
@f00l@Limewater I think that with every resignation of a cabinet member, the threshold to achieve a “majority” becomes easier, if Pence finds the will to invoke the 25th. Or, Pelosi can make Trump the first POTUS in history to ever have been impeached twice. And the Republican seditionists can put their names down on the wrong side of history twice.
And then let the DOJ investigations for RICO violations proceed against every one of the Senators that voted to acquit and the RNC leadership going back to the 2016 convention. Remember Jeff Sessions in private conversation with Russian ambassador Kislyak on removing that plank about condemning Russia for invading Ukraine and militarily taking over Crimea and fomenting openly overthrowing the Ukrainian government by pushing their stalking horse candidate as a useful idiot?
Sound familiar?
Where do you think Flynn, Papadopoulos, Stone, Manafort, and all of the other Trump 2016 campaign grifters worked for millions in “consulting fees” on the “campaigns” of another Russian/Putin-supported puppet candidate working to overthrow the duly elected President of Ukraine?
The Republican national party leadership was well aware of and intentionally engaged in money laundering from Russian interests through their control of party candidate campaign finances. That’s where billions from the NRA came from and went in 2016. That’s where half a Billion dollars from Trump’s 2020 campaign went to. Not to ads or GOTV. But to “consulting fee” payments to shell companies that are entirely controlled by Tump, Jarvanka, Junior, and Eric, along with the cadre of 2nd string grifters milking the Republican campaign coffers under the pretense as “promoters” and “producers”, “suppliers”, “consultants”, etc. behind all of those “rallies”. They were mechanisms to money launder campaign funds into the pockets of the Trump family personally.
A grifter, a con, a cheat, a liar, a fraud, and forever an impeached one-term loser. #LockHimUp
Gosh. Do you think the Kremlin got their money’s worth?
(By trying to get DT elected twice and by overtly or covertly promoting his insanity while they simultaneously attacked our country in so many other ways?)
I’d say Trump was a great investment for them. Consciously intending to or not, he paid out to Putin in spades.
Thanks to Trump, the rest of the world now thinks or fears we can’t be counted on.
Thanks to Trump, the rest of the world fears we have zero judgment in difficult times.
Thanks to Trump, we now lack the moral standing to promote democracy and fairness elsewhere, or to speak against corrupt or brutal government in the world.
Thanks to Trump, Russia and China are far stronger internationally (esp China, who also gained economic strength, and who DT strongly dislikes but can’t handle)
Thanks to Trump, our foreign policy has been based on delusion for 4 years. And much of our domestic policy as well.
Thanks to Trump, we are weaker by almost every sane measure or judgment.
Thanks to Trump, they hardly need to attack us. We’ll do it for them. Without prompting.
@f00l@Kyeh@Limewater@OldCatLady
Let’s not forget the four years worth of POTUS and NSC eyes-only classified national security information that Trump and Jared Kushner will be taking with them after he leaves office, in addition to whatever else they’ve already smuggled out on thumb drives. The IC is pretty certain Jared has been conveying intel to MBS, specifically regarding the saudi state-sanctioned Kashoggi assassination. And what else would Jared have or know about that would interest the middle east enough to give him millions in forgiving or not foreclosing on that 800 million dollar mortgage coming due on Trump Tower that is held by the saudis?
As long as Trump and Jarvanka are out and about, they are an ongoing national security threat to all of us. The whole Trump crime family and loyalist/business associates are flight risks. #LockHimUp45
Jared used the carrot and stick version of American foreign policy to get refinancing on his New York skyscraper during the first couple of years Trump was in office
I suspect that was his highest priority In The West wing
Jared couldn’t have unlocked all those middle Eastern billions held in state controlled sovereign investment funds for his personal use without having something significant on a policy level to offer in return
I suspect when more memoirs start coming, we find that pretty quickly the state department and the intelligence communities figured out that some stuff needed to be withheld from the White House
that in many sensitive cases the White House could have perhaps an overview but not the details
I hope so
I hope someone in DC is playing Schlesinger’s role (w Nixon) in reference to Trump
Maybe Pence has an informal understanding with persons at State and the dod.
As for offering something in return for access to MBS and middle eastern funding, well, let’s just say that “emoluments”, “bribery”, “espionage”, “foreign agent”, “corruption”, “fraud”, “quid pro quo”, “money laundering”, “organized crime family”, “RICO”, and more choice words wouldn’t be polite in present company with such delicate topics.
As for the administration witholding information from the administration, why that goes against everything dbag AG (dis)Barr worked for since the Iran Contra days - a unitary presidency in the person of the POTUS, not beholden to either of the other two branches of our constitutional democracy. And utterly and completely supported by the Republican party led by Mitch McConnell because it was a means to pack the courts (empty from 8 years of stonewalling to create attrition) with unqualified right-wing religious forced birthers and Trump campaign donors to pay them back for their votes and their money.
Ive been off the loop for a few hours. But, as of this AM Pence was supposedly refusing to discuss using the 25th.
If I understand it, he has to buy-in for using the 25th to go forward.
I hope the House goes ahead next week with an impeachment vote, as has been discussed.
I esp want to see the Senate be forced to a roll call.
Last week, if the potential R Senate primary in Fl scheduled for 2022 had haopened, Rubio vs Ivanka, I suspect she would have won.
Marco: “I’m often a spineless weasel and pretender, but I do have a sort of brain, and I did work on all this legislation. Here’s the list.”
Ivanka: “I’m a vacuous, pre-written corp-speak presentation version of a human being, but: I’m daddy’s favorite and I’m always Instagram ready.
And I know how to be traveling, and away from the center of trouble, every time things get really bad.”
And she prob would have won.
I guess now Fl will likely keep Rubio in office a bit longer after 2022, unless the D’s can come up w someone strong to go after him.
This morning I heard reporting that as of last weekend the dod and the homeland security people both offered to the capitol police and to the city of DC additional troops or agents or security assistance for the coming week due to the rally scheduled for Wednesday
these news reports are incomplete and I suspect more information will come out and the situation will turn out to have been complex
But as of this morning the reporting is at last weekend both the capitol police and the DC government refused the aid
I’m not sure if this is true that it’s simply bad judgment
If the government of DC and the capital police refused extra help it might be that they were trying to avoid a situation like last summer when Trump cleared protesters in order to get a photo op,
or it might be that both the capitol police and the DC government were trying to avoid militarizing a situation that Trump could conceivably use if he wanted to go for a martial law situation in an attempt to create more chaos or to have another shot at voiding the election or to create some sort of national crisis excuse for seizing power
It will be fascinating to find out what the considerations were once everything comes out
If this assistance was offered and turned down and the reason for saying no was fear of offering Trump extra tools for seizing control of the government, it will make for an incredible story
I could never find a reason to “tweet” or to read twitter, tho I tried a few times. I would always give up within a day or less, due to the utter pointlessness.
Has some limited usefulness with updates in various subjects I suppose. The news industry uses it
I have one friend living elsewhere who uses it and I get those notices.
Trump used the account to cons9dersl effect. And the outlet as seemed to become psychologically necessary to his sense of himself and his personal range.
I would guess that his isn’t doing well without it.
During the night after the Capitol assault, anon WH insider-sourced news reports claimed that Trump was not particularly upset about the assault, but rather in a rage that the assault had failed to kill the elector vote certification; and doubly in a rage because he could not tweet his anger and lies and thus further rile up his fanatics.
A montage of Trump’s on-fire commentary Wed morning and afternoon, vs his sedated–feeling, “I’m being forced to do this by my lawyers” self-protective, “please don’t impeach me again or charge me with crimes” statement on Thurs.
During the second statement he totally throws his supporters under the bus, for having done exactly what he incited them to do on Wed.
Why did the rioters and incompetent wanna-be revolutionaries think he would be loyal to them? Didn’t they learn anything from watching his treatment of ass-kissers AG Jeff Sessions and VP Mike Pence?
First two min of this already brief clip. From today’s cold open, Morning Joe.
I hear President Trump will be at Camp David this weekend
It said that he doesn’t particularly like Camp David He likes his golf courses, he likes Palm Beach.
I presume they’re getting him to Camp David because they want him out of Washington, and they want him out of sight.
My hope is that this little escapade has put an end to Trump being a force in any political party ever again. It is good that has insanity and craziness has finally surfaced in a way that is difficult to ignore and even the brain dead (ie tRump supporters) are forced to acknowledge his instability.
“It’s a room that I love so much — it’s the heart of the Capitol, literally the heart of this country. It pained me so much to see it in this kind of condition.”
Guliani left a VM that was supposed to go to Tommy Tuberville, the football coach turned politician from Alabama, asking that Tuberville object some more state certifications, to buy Trump more time. Except Guliani left the VM on a different senator’s phone instead, and lo and behold, the tape is out.
So far there are five dead from the Wednesday riot. Before Wednesday the last time a US government building was stormed by people intending to do harm was in Benghazi where four died.
This hideous incident in Benghazi generated years of hearings and accusations and outrage.
So I hope the assault on the US capitol generates greater outrage.
Here is a video detailing some of the recently made public much darker stuff that was intended to happen on Wednesday
It seems that some of them intended to grab Pence and execute him as a traitor.
@f00l I would imagine it will now be a nightmare trying to protect Biden and Harris along with their spouses/kids/grandkids, along with select others Trump rails against.
Where the fuck were you when Washington was burning in June? Where the fuck were you on New Year’s eve when yet another riot was going on in Portland? Go fuck yourselves. You just elected a child sniffing, lying, dementia-ridden, plagiarist that’s been living off the American public his whole life and you’re proud of yourselves. Seriously, fuck off. And fuck Meh for letting you post your self-righteous bullshit. I’m done with this site and I won’t be back to read your childish scribbles, so please, have a good time telling each other how superior and moral you think you are on my post. And when you’re done, Fuck off.
@cjester66 Was wondering when one of Trump’s brain washed lemmings was going to have guts enough to come out from under his rock. Your uncontrolled unsubstantiated rant (just like Trump) was the main reason people like you attacked, ransacked and looted the Capitol. Keep drinking that Trump’s swill of lies-we can already see the type of person that this has made you by your post,
@cjester66 No, neither one is acceptable. I don’t think anyone here has said otherwise. And I’m no Democrat. After the past four years, I’m no longer a Republican, and never will be again.
@cjester66 If you can’t understand the difference between the various riots, and an assault on the Capitol that was organized and encouraged by a president who has betrayed his oath of office*, I don’t suppose there’s much discussion to be had.
*“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
@cjester66 I will grant that Trump has been an unqualified success in one of his primary goals: to divide America. For more than a decade he has fostered division, and now he literally has us at each others throats.
@cjester66@Felton10@tinamarie1974 Kinda like all the actors, musicians and comedians that swore they would leave the US if Trump was elected, and yet they stayed…
There is some talk of spelling Cruz and Hawley from the Senate. Almost certainly this is just talk.
However, it’s been pointed out:
if there were a motion on the Senate floor to expell Cruz, and if there were a secret ballot, the vote would be 99 in favor, and would have been 99 votes in favor of expulsion ever since he was elected Senator …
One of the thought games in Washington is “find someone, anyone, not in his family, who likes, or who actually wants to work, with Ted Cruz”.
Apparently Speaker Pelosi has gotten her office back in order and is back to doing the people’s business of impeaching the Orange Menace. For a second time.
@f00l There may be protections from physical theft are likely classified. Sources and methods.
That said, I’m confident basic endpoint management tools are in use for Federal IT assets. i.e. encrypted drive, the user has to authenticate to access, and again to connect to a network.
Then again, Trump has appointed waves of incompetents based on campaign donations (USPS DeJoy? DoEd DeVos?) to run the regulatory and oversight agencies and gutted them - he has “defunded the police” at the federal level for his entire term from his cabinet to the DOJ to the head of our cybersecurity agency who recently resigned in protest, and we just had the Solar Winds breaches on Trump’s watch.
@mike808
According to early reporting (Wed), congresspersons computers were accessed that were not locked and had visible open emails etc on the screen.
I don’t know if this was later confirmed.
Some sources seem to indicate that Congressional IT security practices are thought to be abysmal. But again, no details and no confirmation.
@f00l@mike808 There’s confirmation of IT compromise in the Ars Technica article I posted upstream.
I kind of doubt that any IT policy planned on a large scale invasion of the Capitol. Even if it did, asking folks to carefully follow IT procedures when they’re fleeing for their lives is probably asking a bit much.
@blaineg@f00l Sadly, I’m not confident even basic “lock your fucking desktop if you leave your desk” policies were in place. The reps and senators were in session. They knew they would be leaving their desks. The staff was evacuated in an orderly manner first. No different than a fire drill. Lock your desktop. Gather your personal items and go to the designated area.
Why there were open, unlocked laptops left unattended should be investigated and extensive training follow for all legislators and staff.
We should see some Benghazi levels of investigations into what information was compromised and where it has gone and how/if it is used.
Several Representatives have giving interviews saying that they were so worried about Wednesday that they made their staff stay home or even leave the city and that they made sure that their spouses or family knew where their wills and important papers were jic.
it seems to me that some blame must devolve onto the political leadership of Capitol Hill for being so unprepared for this level of emergency
Even without a the danger of a pro Trump invasion, the capitol is an obvious target for intelligence operations or for terrorism, and the responsibility for making sure it’s as secure as is reasonable in a democracy ought to fall onto Congressional leadership
@f00l@Felton10 He would think it is in his own best interest even if it wasn’t. Cause and effect reasoning doesn’t appear to be all that tightly coupled in his case, nor is his ability to anticipate consequences of his actions beyond what he hopes/thinks they will be.
Didja ever stop to wonder, how many of the great unwashed Trump mob of radical thugs, for whom he expressed great love, he would have over for dinner?
Of this unruly, flag waving bunch of gullible knuckleheads, whom he gladly threw under the bus in the aftermath of his very own riot, with how many would he spend more than 2 seconds? OK. OK. 2 milliseconds? Would you believe 2 nanoseconds?
How many will he be inviting over to Mar-Largo for a round of golf? Tennis? Cocktails on the patio?
How deep does his love for them run? Would he rather spend quality time with them or be curled up somewhere with a good mirror so he could admire his reflection?
Tell me. Do you think in his life after the presidency, he will turn to public service? (OK, OK, so stop laughing already…) Drawing on his great experience, which he so often bragged about as a builder, do you think maybe he will build houses for Habitat for Humanity like Jimmy Carter? Domiciles for Despots? Apartments for Autocrats? Flats for Fascists?
Or do you think he will move to Russia to continue to lick the boots or maybe to shovel snow for Putin, the controller of his wealth.
Maybe he will build industrial laundromats for Putin and his oligarchs money washing enterprises, of which, no doubt he is up to his neck.
I have heard that Kim Jong Un is either dead or in a coma, poisoned by Chinese operatives, who did not like his pro-Western posturing.
So The Donald will have to forego lazy afternoons on the beach with his love-brother watching missiles loft towards the U.S.
What, oh what, is The Donald gonna do with all this time on his hands?
Hey! I gotta idea!
Lock him up! Lock him up!
He would be the first prisoner with his own Secret Service detail. Whadda deal!
According to an anon WH source who was at the WH on Wed afternoon, Trump spent most of the afternoon either thrilled by the “action”, or in a rage that the rioters and insurrectionists were embarrassing him by acting and dressing like his idea of “trailer trash”.
He supposedly wanted them look more “cool”:. Like ex-military special forces, or like professional hunting and outdoor guides.
He thought they often looked ridiculous and that sloppiness reflected badly back on himself.
Planning online for an enormous “stop the steal” event on Jan 6 started as soon as the election was called.
Much of this planning was out in the open, in FB, twitter, reddit, etc. They opening talked about storming and occupying the Capitol, and "if you have weapons, bring them; we’ll get you a ride. How big are your gun cases?
@f00l Don’t leave out that the Republican Attorneys General Association lobbying group have been complicit and openly promoted the riot-inducing “rally” and even had their spokesperson take a turn at the same podium Giuliani have his “armed contest” speech.
The Republican State Attorneys General are just as complicit in this. Think about that for a minute. Who would prosecute state crimes committed by Trump and his merry band of sycophants? The Republicans are complicit and active participants in all of this. It is not Trump alone. It is the entire caucus.
It is no coincidence that Josh Hawley is a former Missouri AG, after lying to the electorate about how tirelessly he was going to work for all Missourians as AG, announced his candidacy to run for Senator within a month of taking office. Now he is grandstanding to be the next Trump and to finish the job of destroying this Constitutional Democracy.
They are nothing short of seditious. They cannot feign ignorance here. They are complicit, and knowing, willing participants. Every one of them that put their names down in writing to, make no mistake, disenfranchise millions of voters of other states because they lost the election.
They weren’t contesting a single down ballot vote on those ballots their fevered dreams imagined to be fraudulent. Some weren’t contesting those imagined fraudulent ballots when they themselves were elected.
It was all bullshit and intentional fraud to overthrow the election process because they didn’t like the results. That is the very definition of sedition. They should all be removed from office for failing to execute their duty of office and oath to defend the Constitution from domestic enemies.
Lock Them Up. It is the only way to ensure it will never happen again. Their actions must have consequences. It will not be easy. It will require resolve to recommit this country to its founding principle of justice for ALL. That’s not being partisan. It’s being truthful about the seditious actions of Republicans openly acting on their fascist lust for power.
Some of the issues that prevented their being a reasonable readiness are
apparently Congress and the DC police were offered resources from the DHS and the DOD in advance.
At least in the city’s case they refused
The reason they had watched Trump brutally use federal forces on black lives matter protesters during the summer in Washington for his photo op and at other times
And they had watched him do the same thing unasked and uninvited in Portland
and they feared that some of the provocations for which the federals agents responded were actually false flag operations they were not sure
so if they accepted the National Guard as a security Force they were essentially accepting a trump-controlled security Force to provide security against a trump-controlled and Trump incited mob
the potential for Trump if he wished to create a provocation and response that could justify a declaration of National emergency and some sort of control of Congress or stopping of the inauguration or stopping of certain civil rights or something were obvious
So they apparently also had some intelligence failures massive ones they didn’t seem to know what the protesters intended to do even though the protesters were discussing it openly
I’m sure the whole story will be much more complex in the end than this summary
When things went nuts at the Capitol National Guard troops were finally requested and Trump refused to authorize them
At this point a congress person who used to be in the CIA and who knew the Joint Chiefs personally called The Joint Chiefs and ask what they could do
The Joint Chiefs contacted Pence who was already in the protected location and asked him for authorization to redeploy National Guard troops already directing traffic in Washington and to ask him for instructions on how to deploy the National Guard troops at the Virginia governor was sending so that in a commands or orders couldn’t be overwridden by the White House
The Maryland governor agreed to send National Guard but actually sent State Police because they were closer and because it’s harder for the federal government to get control of them
So in the beginning the only two forces not directly under Trump’s control were the DC police and the capital police he would have had to do some legal shenanigans to get control of them
later once the Maryland State Police were helping he would have had to do legal dancing around to try to get control of them as well
Trump could have taken over the National Guard troops sent by Virginia and the ones already in the city I guess he never tried but I think the Joint Chiefs had an informal agreement to consult with Pence before they passed along any commands they were very concerned about being placed in a situation of defending unconstitutional use of power on one side or the other
Trump and his minions don’t seem to have thought this through there’s no way those idiot protesters could have sustained a coup by themselves he had the troops and could have tried to do it with them and created a standoff between himself his cabinet pence and the Pentagon and the capital. he seems not to have thought of this or decided he couldn’t go that far
I really don’t know what he expected his mob to do to stop the certification unless they kidnapped various members of Congress they didn’t succeed in doing this although some of them brought the equipment
Trump was clearly in communication with his mob although it wasn’t direct two-way communication it was through news reporting and the media
Immediately after Trump tweeted that Pence wasn’t going to be a good boy and do what he was told the protesters started ransacking the capital looking for Pence. reporters who were inside the capitol at the time heard them yelling to each other about various ways to look for and locate Pence and this started immediately after Trump’s tweet
some people erected a scaffold for hanging out on the external grounds and we’re talking about hanging pence for being a traitor
I’m sure this was a tiny group who had these plans I can’t believe that very many people were in on it or were aware that some of the mob intended to take it that far
there’s been speculation that they were after the rest of the Senate and House leadership as well but I don’t think that’s become clear. Did they have a clear-cut well-designed plan or did they just have a few crazy ideas?
I do believe that Trump or some of his crazier assistants knew that some of the people intended to occupy the capital and possibly to take hostages or kidnap people. That’s not proven yet though
I wonder what pence’s thoughts are on all this now
he probably knows a good bit about it by this point
Apparently the 25th amendment is a bit more complex than just a vote of the cabinet the president can appeal Congress has to approve it after a certain amount of time etc etc
I don’t know if Pence’s refusal to deal with that is based on him not wanting to further inflame things or that he doesn’t have the votes in the cabinet especially with all the resignations or that he thinks it just creates another legal nightmare
The option of impeachment comes with its own set of problems
I think the way it’s works is that the house can vote very quickly even on Monday to impeach
But then the Senate can take its damn time if it wants to and all other business kind of grinds to a halt while that goes on
Which means Biden cabinet people don’t get confirmed and other legislative business doesn’t get dealt with until the impeachment thing is dealt with
I’m not sure if the law I’m no lawyer but I did hear a legal expert discuss it in those terms and that the Senate could essentially use the threat of the government grinding to a halt to controlled impeachment process to some extent
I’m hoping that enough senators are absolutely furious or else they’re afraid of looking bad on television that they won’t do that
Trump to me seems to clearly have had traitorous intentions against the US government.
what boggles my mind is that if he was going to take things that far he didn’t have a viable plan or even attempt to get one and he seems not to have thought it was any big deal that apparently the nation would just kind of go along with it and the Congress and the courts would just kind of go along with it
Someone or other maybe David Axelrod said he’s not intelligent but he has feral cunning
Maybe that explains it I don’t know
Mitt Romney has said that essentially the 25th amendment and impeachment won’t do that much and that we just have to try to hold our breath and get to the 20th and through it and hope nothing else disgusting or despicable or violent happens
There’s no doubt that Senator Romney thinks Trump is guilty of all sorts of federal crimes. I think Romney’s just talking about the practicalities of the current moment.
Assuming and hoping that we do make it to the 20th and we do make it to a Biden administration there’s obviously an enormous and complex story here that will hopefully come out
I’ve heard a military legal expert say that the military can call general Flynn and any other potential participant in this sort of thing can recall them to active duty and then Court martial them
Trump’s pardon apparently is not part of this process although I’m not certain of that
If Trump’s pardon of Flynn doesn’t preempt that then I think the military ought to do it once Biden is president
@f00l Possible, but unlikely to happen for … reasons.
Retired commissioned officers can be Court Martialed. It’s been done, even to flag rank officers.
Criteria are narrow. Anything that violates civil law (like sedition) is left to civil courts. Military usually only acts when military law (that is not civil law) has been violated.
CM panelists (military juries) must be senior in rank or the same rank with seniority to the person being tried, and the smallest General CM panel possible is 6 - so would require at least six 3/4 star panelists with no reasons for recusal.
Military does not want to give even the appearance of political partisanship.
That’s the 5 cent answer. There’s a $2 answer, but it is long.
'Absolute Hero’: Capitol Police Officer Led Insurrectionists Away from Senate Entrance
… a man now identified as United States Capitol Officer Eugene Goodman faced off with the group. He was by himself and only wielded a baton, so he had to give ground to the advancing group, which was led by a man in QAnon apparel. After turning up some stairs, he led them off toward their left, not right, away from an open doorway.
The precise sequence of events that day become clearer as days pass. If the crowd entered the Senate, then there was the potential for ugly, perhaps fatal results.
One thing, even at the point the traitors left the building, how many officers/troops were there? They should have all been detained, as they were not only all suspects with ample evidence of multiple crimes, they are murder suspects, at least one of them bashed an officer’s head in. It seems reinforcements still weren’t present at a level where they could have set up a perimeter at some distance and detained everyone?
@kevinrs I don’t understand why Trump didn’t order DHS and FBI to have buses to arrest them waiting outside. It’s not like they didn’t know there were more than a few busloads of Trumpanzees on the loose.
Oh wait, Trump was part and parcel of the sedition. That’s why.
Apparently participating in an insurrection and assault on the capitol means you get put on the federal no-fly list where you then get detained for questioning in the airport by some nice DHS and FBI agents.
Who knew playing stupid games has stupid consequences?
Posted by Ivanka Trump during the Capitol storming in Wed.
Deleted shortly thereafter, as the phrase “American Patriots” in this context didn’t go over well.
@f00l Not before an infiltration that allowed access to everything being downloaded. Posts, images, videos, and because they required a scan of one’s ID to be verified, lots of personal information that’ll be a thief’s paradise and/or a pot of gold to the FBI.
@f00l@narfcake Apparently, Parler login security defaulted to “any password will do” when their login service provider, Twilio/Duo, dropped them. Including admin accounts. Who knows how many folks went in as admin and downloaded everything they could access before Amazon pulled the plug. Apparently there’s a bunch still on Archive.org (wayback machine).
And yeah, pretty sure the FBI was downloading the GBs of unencrypted PII (Personally Identifiable Info), as you said, with full scans of drivers licenses. No warrant needed.
@DoctorOW@f00l@narfcake Sorry, that doesn’t fly. All data “might” be evidence of a crime. That is why we have warrants.
Knowingly deleting data that has been declared evidence of a crime is the actual liability. That hasn’t been proven.
Just because the State would like to be able to collect evidence of a crime does not infer nor imply an obligation to preserve any potential evidence of any potential crime, that may or may not be a crime, or even a crime in the future.
Is there likely to be evidence of a crime? Criminal conspiracy? Perhaps. But that would be up to a judge to issue a warrant and order for AWS to preserve said data. Keep in mind that the feds have the ability to use FISA warrants, and we may not know the machinations or scope of any investigations.
I’m not defending the despicable people or their criminal actions and statements that were communicated and/or coordinated on Parler. But as a society of laws and principles, we must follow them, lest we become the lawless and unprincipled we abhor. There is a process, and I am confident the Biden administration will appropriately resource and prioritize pursuing these criminals and their coordinating organizations and willing, intentional collaborators in the seditious attempted insurrection upon our nation’s Capitol building and the Congress itself, performing the People’s business, specifically, both houses in session, performing the Constitutional actions required in the 12th Amendment.
When you were part of a group that violently stormed the US Capitol in a coup attempt, nobody wants you to be with you 30,000 feet in the air onboard a potential missile. Lessons from 9/11.
@f00l She and Trump have been screwing anyone they could in their own way to get what ever they want. I am sure this will be deleted as misogynistic but there is nothing good to say about either of them. They are both takers and she is the worst of the worse. Came to this country illegally and she enables him in every way possible. Good riddance to both of them.
Certainly she seems to me to be very cold, very uninvolved, and very into everything for only what she can get for herself, and what she can get for for her immediate blood family.
My instinct or guess would be that within two years she’s left him unless he buys her off with a very significant payout plus a notable improvement in whatever prenup they’ve got, in her favor
That judgment reflects mostly merely my own prejudices, because I know next to nothing about her
she seems to want it that way. she seems to want to give people zero information and zero personal response
@f00l@Felton10
She was busy renegotiating better terms in her prenup/exit strategy during Trump’s first impeachment. She will get her cut before the NY DA starts their freezes and siezes for the tax fraud charges that have been teed up for four years.
@f00l@Felton10
I have liked her more since the leaked “Who gives a fuck about Christmas decorations?” thing, and seeing how great her Christmas decorations have been.
I always kind of feel bad for the people who actually design each year’s Christmas look at places like the White House because they get no credit
they’re just behind the scenes and they mock up several alternatives and in this case the first Lady picks what she likes their crews do all the work and then she shows up for the photo op and takes credit
It always seemed to me like the name of the designers and the crews should be on a placard somewhere so they could get a little credit in the way that everybody who ever worked on a film gets their name at the end
Regarding her “who gives a fuck about Christmas” remark, most “public people in positions of power or in positions of respectability” who didn’t care at all about things like important religious or secular holidays would still not dare be that honest even in the most private conversation
She’s kind of upfront about how much she doesn’t care except about herself her son her parents and her sister. And she cares that she always looks good
From the outside, this marriage looks like a really serious Faustian bargain, with little going for it except preserving a slightly “glamorous” form of conventional appearances and the attempt to preserve money and power
@f00l@Felton10
Oh yeah, I just really don’t link Christmas and like how she’s said “fuck it” and chosen extremely bizarre/non-traditional designs. I can’t imagine another First Lady choosing to fill the White House with completely uniform, monochrome Christmas trees.
I mean, I don’t think that she displays a lot of admirable qualities, and I am certainly not hoping that my daughter grows up to be like the First Lady, but I can still find her amusing.
@f00l@Limewater I think we can all agree she had no interest in being first lady in the first place. She was just riding the terms of her prenup to get the most money when she finally dumps Donald.
She had a chance to reinvent what most people thought about her as a gold digger and she not only didn’t take that opportunity but I dare say most think less of her now than we did 4 years ago.
She could have picked a cause like most first ladies do and worked tirelessly toward that yet she picked “Be Best” which is the total opposite of how her husband acted.
A total waste of human being just like her husband.
I’ve found her to be rather uniquely obvious in her cold and calculating lack of personability. . And I’ve noted her incredible disdain for being nice in conventional ways. At least it’s different.
Her most recent message rather makes it sound like she thinks she’s the big victim of last Wednesday’s events
Maybe someday that will seem funny to me.
She does seem to have certain values in common with her husband
Such as a belief that everybody and everything else should be sacrificed for his or her image and for his or her position and standing
In person she apparently says as little as possible she’s famous even within the family for it
According to the SWW book, in private text communication she says as little as possible that’s concrete and expresses herself in long strings of emojis
Which leaves the recipient of the message the task of interpreting it, and people tend to interpret these private messages according to what they want to believe
And yet by using mostly emojis she’s committed herself to exactly nothing.
She seems to prefer that people in her life know absolutely nothing about her feelings and attitudes, while she arranges for them to assume that they know who she is
Jordan was an assistant wrestling coach with the Ohio State University’s (OSU) wrestling program from 1987 to 1995.[85] Ohio State University began an independent investigation in April 2018[86] into allegations of sexual misconduct against former wrestling team physician Richard Strauss; Strauss was the team physician during Jordan’s tenure as assistant coach.[87][88] Strauss committed suicide in 2005.[89]
In early June 2018, at least eight former wrestlers said that Jordan had been aware of, but did not respond to, allegations of sexual misconduct by Strauss.[90][91] Jordan’s locker was next to Strauss’s, and Jordan spent so much time in the locker room that he created and awarded a “King of the Sauna” certificate to the member of the team who spent the most time in the sauna “talking smack”.[92]
In July 2018, Jordan’s congressional spokesman Ian Fury released a statement in which Ohio State wrestling coach Russ Hellickson reportedly said: “At no time while Jim Jordan was a coach with me at Ohio State did either of us ignore abuse of our wrestlers. This is not the kind of man Jim is, and it is not the kind of coach that I was.”[93]
Former wrestling team members David Range,[94] Mike DiSabato and Dunyasha Yetts asserted that Jordan knew of Strauss’s misconduct. Yetts said “For God’s sake, Strauss’s locker was right next to Jordan’s and Jordan even said he’d kill him if he tried anything with him”.[95] No wrestlers have accused Jordan of sexual misconduct; however, Jordan was named as a defendant in a lawsuit against the university by four former wrestlers.[96][97][98] Several former wrestlers, including ex-UFC fighter Mark Coleman, allege that Hellickson contacted two witnesses in an attempt to pressure them to support Jordan the day after they accused the congressman of turning a blind eye to alleged sexual abuse.[99][100]
Jordan has refused to cooperate with investigations into Strauss.[101] Jordan described his accusers as “pawns in a political plot”[102] and stated that he did not even hear any locker room talk about Strauss or sexual abuse at OSU.[103] In response to Jordan’s denials, Mike DiSabato said: “I considered Jim Jordan a friend. But at the end of the day, he is absolutely lying if he says he doesn’t know what was going on.”[101][104]
On July 13, 2018, the editorial board of the Cleveland Plain Dealer asserted that “Jim Jordan must acknowledge what he knew”.[105]
In May 2019, DiSabato filed a Title IX lawsuit against OSU. In one count of the court papers, DiSabato claimed that a second cousin of Jordan’s attempted to “intimidate and retaliate” against DiSabato.[106][107] In 2019, DiSabato shared text messages with NBC News that were corroborated by another former wrestler[108] indicating that Jim Jordan, Russ Hellickson, and high school wrestling coach Jeff Jordan (Jim Jordan’s younger brother)[109] conspired to engage in witness tampering and intimidation when they called Coleman and Coleman’s parents to pressure Coleman to recant his earlier accusation that Jordan was aware of the abuse.[108]
In November 2019, a retired wrestling referee filed a lawsuit alleging that he had warned Jordan and Hellickson about Strauss’ misconduct.[110][111] Jordan promptly dismissed the referee as “another person making a false statement”.[112]
In February 2020, Adam DiSabato—the brother of Mike DiSabato—testified before the Ohio House Civil Justice Committee that “Jim Jordan called me crying, crying. Groveling. On the 4th of July, begging me to go against my brother. Begging me. Crying for a half hour. That’s the kind of cover-up that’s going on there”.[104][113][114]
How to ruin the prestige of an award like this for those in the future when they are offered to jerks like this. Sigh. But then again why would anyone expect anything different based on who is giving them out?
The good news I suppose is it now the FBI and DHS are all over the security threats posed by these extremists and terrorists.
The security for the inauguration is going to be insane I hope it’s effective
One of the worst parts of this is continuing reports of fifth column and collusion activity from within law enforcement at various levels
I heard a former high individual from the FBI (forget his name) say that for this particular inauguration they have to take extra procedures
They not only have to have all sorts of National Guard and security and police people there to protect the high government officials the foreign dignitaries and other important people and so forth
But that some of those security people are going to be watching our own security forces for signs of radicalization or anti inauguration action within those ranks
According to this person whose name I can’t remember that’s a first for inaugurations where he was somewhat familiar with the security plans
@f00l I would agree. All it would take is any one or a few of the numerous armed officers from numerous agencies, many of which are under the direct control of Trump (or “acting” loyalist sycophants that haven’t jumped ship from the Trumptanic), to “go rogue”. They all have guns, remember, from the DC parking enforcement officers to SWAT to the Secret Service. That’s a lot of people to vet and ensure they weren’t lying about their loyalty to the Constitution.
Because we all know that Trumpanzees and MAGAts are just so honest and truthful.
/giphy family guy vomit
People who talked to Trump right after the impeachment said he was clueless as to the effect the impeachment would have on his legacy and the US’s standing in the world. But he expressed concern about the effect it would have on the Trump brand. Big surprise.
@JT954 Zero.
10 is simply not enough after the election lies, inciting riot, & sedition. I’ve been skeptically Independent for most of my adult life, but simply cannot ever support a Republican Party so full of sycophants & enablers.
@mike808 so I think this is interesting. Historically United Van Lines has been the official White House mover. If you look at the pictures that have most recently been posted they are not UVL trucks, rather plain white trucks. I wonder if they declined OR don’t want their logo associated with this president.
For those of us who were glad to get rid of 2020 and into 2021, this year has started out shitty and gone down hill fast. Over 4,000 dead a day from Covid, vaccine shortages and impossible to get what ever is available and oh yes. Riots and lockdowns thanks to the worst President ever-that POS tRump.
Well, they’re getting bolder. I was just taunted by a maskhole while shopping at Aldi’s. Fucker came right up to me, asked if I ever pulled my mask down to get some air. I told him to get away from me. I yelled for the cashier to call security. She ignored me. As I was checking out, maskhole and his woman came close again and called me a dumbass. I told the cashier to call her manager. Manager apologized for her inaction. I suggested perhaps he could train her. Another shopper corroborated me.
I am the very picture of white privilege, and he chose to act out at me. They’re ramping up, folks.
@OldCatLady Our only hope is that these idiots will die a horrible death from Covid for their stupidity and that someone in the Republican party has the balls to finally tell Trump’s brain dead lemmings that he is and was a liar and to forget everything he said.
@compunaut@OldCatLady
You should switch to fart or skunk spray. Pepper spray could result in you being charged with assault, depending on the local laws.
Even setting aside all the descriptives on your list, there are the issues of constant over-the-top dishonesty, manipulation of powers to serve the personal gain of one person, and near total incompetence (even when the advisors were competent)
In every area of governmental or national action, policy, philosophy, trust, judgment, image, influence, and state of readiness (from the trivial to the most profound), the damage is incalculable.
I hope it’s all mostly recoverable. I’m not certain that’s possible, tho.
@f00l Let us not forget the complicity of the Republican party enablers and full-throated champions of fascism who knowingly committed acts of criminality - sedition and insurrection.
Josh Hawley, as a former Attorney General does not get a pass on feigned “unity” to avoid consequences. Free speech is not without them, either.
Ted Cruz, as a Constitutional Lawyer, does not get a pass either.
Mitch McConnell, who provided “advise and consent” to his parties actions by actively directing them through his control over Senate business, does not get a pass either.
The assault on our Capitol, and more importantly, our Government, was not spontaneous. It was coordinated. It was planned. There were folks giving direction, with the intention to evade detection of their crime. Free speech does not exempt sedition, nor conspiracy, nor is privileged speech (say, between a lawyer and a client) protected for the planning of criminal activity.
I can only hope that AG Garland, who is well versed in stochastic and domestic terrorism, will not only apply the full force and weight of the US Government against these violent seditionists and murderers who sought to overthrow our government through attacking its constitutional election processes at every level, from county to state to the Congress.
They were knowingly aided and abetted by every one of the Republican Senators (McConnell, Blunt, Sessions, Hawley, Cruz, Loeffler, Purdue, et al.) and Representatives (Brooks, Tuberville, Boebert, et al.) who violated their oaths of office and who voted to reject performing the constitutional requirements of their office on January 6th. Some twice, ehile others did nothing, and by their inaction have been complicit co-conspirators.
Many continued their sedition, even after the failed insurrection they helped promulgate was dispelled and they returned to the business of complying eith the 12th Amendment.
@mike808@Kidsandliz@f00l How about that. Megaphone woman is Boebert’s mommy. Zip tie guy and his zip tie mommy were both arrested, I heard. There’s nothing like family values.
@f00l@Kidsandliz@Kyeh@OldCatLady
I’d rather they prove that she personally led reconnaissance tours to identify targets and defenses with her mother and other seditionists in the days before the failed insurrection.
And then vote to expell her and force the voters to reevaluate who they send to Washington to represent them.
Numerous Democratic representatives have given statements on the floor of the house stating that they did not give any tours in the weeks before Jan 6. No Republicans have similarly claimed they weren’t collaborators.
Any member who arranged for pre-riot tours needs to be expelled, charged, convicted, and jailed.
Would love to see the various Trump collusionistas punished, but most of them will only suffer slight reputation damage, if that.
I hope that, in particular, Sen Hawley and Sen Cruz are punished.
And poor, pathetic, weak-minded needy coward Sen Graham needs to retire, at the least.
@f00l@Kidsandliz@mike808@OldCatLady Yeah, well, if they can prove it was Boobert’s mom it will bolster the argument that she gave a reconnaissance tour, from what Megaphone mom told the crowd about knowing the layout.
That gun-totin’ hussy is an embarrassment to my state.
If there was any doubt about who incited the insurrection against the Capitol and the US Government itself, where Congress was in joint session conducting the people’s business inside.
That POS Trump is considering pardoning some of the people who stormed the Capitol as he thinks they did nothing wrong. Can wait for Wed when we flush this toilet turd down the crapper for good.
@Felton10@tinamarie1974 He won’t. He’s too focused on writing his self-pardon and pardons for Jarvanka.
Who else wont get pardons? Rudy.
Who will? Old white dudes who ripped off millions from taxpayers or others who’ve crossed Trump.
For a hefty contribution, of course, to Trump’s offshore accounts that he thinks Wilbur Ross or Deutsche Bank or Putin or MBS don’t already know about. With a smaller cut to Jarvanka for “consulting”.
Don Jr will be pissed when he’s left hung out to dry to save daddy’s girl.
@Felton10 Trump’s only going to pardon people who are useful to him, and people who can pay him. He was already expressing contempt for the rabble who threw away their jobs and years of their lives to physically express his Trumper tantrum during the attack. And he has a long history of screwing over the little guys, and gloating because he knows they can’t do anything about it.
I can’t feel sorry for these self-deceiving idiots. But it turns out I can despise Trump just a little more.
The Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News delivered similarly strong verdicts on the senator in the wake of the Capitol riots earlier this month, with both calling for the Republican to leave the upper chamber.
He is unlikely to resign. He appears to be one of those persons who possesses no capacity for shame, guilt, or self-evaluation.
His ambition appears to be his primary driving personal motivation in all areas of his life.
Not sure we can survive even 2 more days with this unhinged POS in office.
I’m interested why we haven’t heard anything from the miscreants who were defending him earlier. Have they seen the error of their ways and are too embarrassed to come forward or as I suspect are they are gutless cowards who don’t have the balls to defend their beliefs?
Anyone surprised? Parler moves to Russian hosting. Trump has been compromised from day 1. Russia and Trump are co-conspirators. Dude’s been projecting since 2016. It’s why he’s so sensitive about it. Because it’s true.
Parler is back online now by routing 100% of its user traffic through servers located within the Russian Federation.
Raise your hand if you understand the very significant impact this has on the ability to surveil and target insurrectionists who organize on Parler.
Meanwhile, journalists are exclaiming at how bizarre it is that laptops and documents were stolen. Really? How is it surprising that, in a group of conspiracy nuts who follow a shadow leader, some are compromised to function as dummy operatives?
@Kidsandliz Wednesdays are my normal trash days. I will be taking mine to the roadside about the same time DT will be having his going-away ceremony at Andrews AFB. Some things get hauled away in a panel truck; others in AF1.
@Kidsandliz@rockblossom tRump and his toilet floaters deserve a more refined and faster way to get to their final destination. I suggest we all flush our toilets at the same time his plane takes off. In that way, he will get to the shit hole state (my state) of Florida quicker.
Lindell has been served by Dominion in their $3B defamation case. He has been served with a similar order to preserve all communications with the Trump campaign, the White House, and Trump’s legal staff. Twitter has also been served with a similar order as certain Lindell tweets have been locked, presumably to prevent removal and thereby effect destruction of evidence and documents.
He’s toast. This is Georgia state courts, so there is no pardon pathway.
As is the case with the other political threads, the people who surround themselves with Trump continue to fascinate me more than Donald.
I’m still laughing at “Rudy Tooty” announcing he will not be able to represent Trump at the second impeachment hearing since he will be considered a witness (aka he’s toast that will probably lose his license soon).
And even with all the people getting pardons, it’s not going to last. Seriously, how will people like Duncan Hunter and Steve Bannon rebound from this? I imagine they will crash and burn like Joe Arpeio, Jeff Sessions, and Roy Moore and will never be seen again. At least one person from the pardons or this administration will think they are invincible and do something that will put them behind bars for good.
Could it be Mike Lindell next? Because wow, the things everyone is posting about him proves once again that truth is stranger than fiction.
Schumer needs to ditch the filibuster (which Mitch desperately needs to continue his obstruction by the GOP). Mitch is a dishonest negotiator in bad faith. Time and time again.
Merrick Garland. Doing away with the filibuster to pack SCOTUS with Cavanaugh and ACB. But now, he’s seen the error in his ways and we should keep it put of respect for tradition? Bullshit. Pure 200 proof bullshit.
Mitch has one goal - sabotaging and obstructing any Democratic legislation and interfering with and impeding the administration in any way he can. His past actions prove it.
Schumer should ditch the filibuster and tell Mitch to shove it for the first year, and that maybe he’ll consider bringing it back if Mitch demonstrates he is actually interested in democracy and a functioning Congress, or whether he isn’t.
He can start by leading the GOP caucus to expell the seditious among their ranks, starting with Hawley and Cruz.
I don’t think Schumer has the “for sure” votes for killing the filibuster, or for expelling Hawley and Cruz at this exact moment.
Times are fluid tho.
–
When McConnell first declined to to the impeach trial immediately, most interpretations were that he was still protecting his party.
But those views have shifted.
The trial will now be conducted with a 50/50 Senate. And McConnell, no fool, knew that, with a few days delay, more Senators might come on board, and more info would come out that looked terrible for Trump.
He appears to be undecided on his impeach vote at the moment. And McConnell is still a snake, of course.
But Mcconnell may think that he can use the impeach vote to kill Trump as a political power once and for all. McConnell is said to loathe Trump personally, and thinks Trump has destroyed the R party.
Trump didn’t help himself in this by his talk of creating a third party.
@f00l@mike808 I still don’t trust that snake in the grass, but I agree with you. This may be his one and only chance to remove Trump as a player in the Republican party forever.
@f00l@Felton10 And he will never do anything in the interests of unity or “reaching across the aisle” cough ACB cough. If he says so, he’s lying and his word cannot be trusted. He is just as transactional as Trump in all things.
In 2021, sheep will grow shockingly more independent, prompting people to search for another animal to serve as metaphor for blindly following someone or something
@f00l Maybe we need a fresh political thread to express our relief and delight at seeing a president actually working and communicating clearly without any ridiculous drama and posturing! Of course I’m sure we’ll have more foolishness from the MAGAts but for now I’m really enjoying the feeling that I’m no longer caught in some sort of bad acid trip.
Anxiety over the various political horrors and post-truth propaganda deluge had become my habit withouty being fully aware of it.
I’m trying to step back from that and lower the stress levels a bit now.
I don’t know if the sort of topic you advocate would work here tho.
These discussions (in general public forums) always seem to bring in far more who will do oppositional trolling, than those who would offer oppositional reasoned, open and civil conversation.
@f00l Yeah, I’m sure you’re right. It’s more fun to rant, of course. I’m sure there’s still going to be plenty to rant about, too. I still feel this millisecond of antagonism when I hear the word “president” before my brain catches up and realizes it’s not tRump anymore!
It is not a coincidence that both Missouri Senators get a panel in the Top 8 Senate co-conspirator seditionist accomplices of the two-time popular vote loser, twice-impeached, and soon to be mulitply indicted fecal stain of the former POTUS.
@mike808 Both of my senators-“Little hands and little everything else” Rubio and “Mr. Medicare Fraud” Scott both voted to acquit. Both were noticed not even paying attention during the arguments. Along with Governor DeDumbass they make up this worst group of toilet floaters by far in this country.
Cruz asked for and received a walking police escort both for going thru the airport terminal upon leaving for Cancun, and upon arriving during his return from MX.
I’m sure the police had nothing else to do and only had free time to take care of Sen Cruz;
since there was nothing else going on in TX at the time
(other than an ongoing pandemic, a weather catastrophe, record low temps, a power grid failure, massive water pipe damage, record setting insurance claims likely for storm property damage, unsafe and untreated water for many residents who had access to water, a stop to much or most commercial, economic, transportation activity, many persons at risk due to extreme cold exposure, many persons at risk due to battery depletion re life saving medical equipment, and 6-7+ million residents without heat, power, water, food, or more than one of those, at the time.)
I am watching this unfold on TV. This is NOT the USA operating under rule of law. That Trump encouraged and supports this is beyond appaling.
To say the least
he appears to have incited these people to attack another branch of government and he appears to be in every possible way attempting to achieve a coup
I guess he really hates being a loser
@f00l
Yah think? LOL (NOT!!!). Sigh.
This is not going to end well. That they have vandalized and stolen items from offices, shot someone inside after they broke in is bad enough. I just hope they don’t choose to burn down buildings or blow them up on top of everything else.
I just found myself suddenly in tears. I had the TV on this morning without sound just to follow the crazy spectacle of the Congressional dispute over the electoral vote, then realized there was something much bigger going on. I’m not entirely surprised that it’s happened, but I’m surprised to feel so overwhelmingly disturbed about it.
There is no allowance for “dispute” in counting the Electoral College votes.
12th Amendment:
Nothing in there about Senators objecting or any other nonsense allowed with the express consent of and enablement by Mitch McConnell.
VP Pence comes in, reads the count of the votes certificates for each state, and announces Biden is POTUS 46.
@mike808
When I read the Georgia election results this morning I waved generally east and though ‘Good bye, good riddance, McConnell, thanks for the rotten fish, and if you don’t move quick, the door will damned well hit you on your way out.’
I also had this mental image - last night actually - of a star trek type captain calling up to her ship “Phasers on stun Scotty” Him saying back, “I"m not Scotty.” Her replying, “And I’m not Kirk, just fucking do it before they all kill each other and this world goes up in flames.”
Was really busy today and JUST turned on the TV. I am speechless…
One of the insurrectionists
And another seditious one.
@mike808
Helped fuel the riot and then while it was ongoing he was raising money.
What a guy
@f00l Also leaving his wife alone with an infant to fend for herself. What a piece of shit lying “victim”.
Inciting sedition.
@f00l @mike808 maybe their timing was bad since he was OOT, but there was nothing wrong with their peaceful protest. He is a waste of skin!
And now the rats begin to leave the sinking ship … https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/stephanie-grisham-resigns-amid-capitol-hill-violence
The worst of my state’s US Senators helped fuel events today.
reportedly he was upset that he wasn’t first and foremost in objecting to legitimate electors because he wanted all the publicity for himself
/image Sen Ted Cruz
: p
@f00l Not only that, objecting to the election results in another state (Arizona) that he doesn’t even represent, has no standing, or otherwise give a flying fuck about. Much like he demonstrated what he thinks about the constitution and the oath of office he took yesterday.
@mike808
Since the elector result certifications go in alphabetical order by state name, he protested re AZ because he was wanted to go first and get the biggest press attention.
According to everything I’ve heard, Cruz’s fellow Republican senators and Republican house members absolutely loathe him.
@f00l Ted “the turd” was basing his argument based on the fact that a high percentage of American’s had questions about the legality of the election. But were their questions based on verifiable facts-NO-they were based on the rantings of someone who lies every time he opens his mouth. Guess he forgot to mention that little fact.
@f00l
So do all of the Texans that voted for Beto.
Even more embarrasing, is that Ted Cruz “claim to fame” was as a *Constitutional scholar" on law school.
12th Amendment:
@f00l Cruz and Hawley and the other seditionists don’t seem to have a problem understanding the word “shall” when it comes to the 2nd Amendment or the 10 Commandments. And Mitch McConnell has been the great enabler in all of this.
Let’s see what AG Merrick Garland will make of this.
@f00l Hey I’ll throw in my two toilet floating Senators-Rick (medicare fraud) Scott and Marco (little hands and littler brains) Rubio. What makes Florida the shithole state it really is is the Governor-Rick DeSantASS.
@f00l @Felton10 And you can have that Fucker Trump butt kisser from my state who actually was one of the 6 who voted for (Cindy Hyde-Smilth) to throw in that fire too. Her head is so far up his ass that when he opens his mouth her face shows. She is one disgusting, likely not even human, a-hole. Of course the bulk of this state has serious issues including a governor who is also a Trump butt kisser who got rid of the mask mandate while we had cases exploding. He only started to get somewhat more reasonable when his daughter tested pos.
@f00l @Felton10 Don’t forget our wonderful Matt “Daddy got me off” Gaetz.
@f00l
@earlyre
Is that a Twitter link? I can’t see it. Had some probs seeing Twitter links.
@f00l yes it is…
https://store.alfranken.com/products/and-i-hate-ted-cruz-coffee-mug
@earlyre
Ah.
There is a Capitol Hill joke about Ted Cruz; the joke was originated by, and is most frequently told by, Republicans.
Goes a bit like this:
Q:
Why do most people completely hate and despise US Sen Ted Cruz at the moment of first encountering him?
A:
'Cause it saves time.
@f00l @yakkoTDI That Trump cocksucker is not my representative-Vern Buchanan is my Rep POS rep.
@f00l @Felton10 We in Duval County have the added indignity of Congressman Rutherford. He has waxed eloquent about That Vote. Exposure may be his undoing. Excuse me, I’m off to become a more active voter.
@f00l @mike808 Ok, here’s my thought if something like this ever comes up again.
Ted Cruz announces objection to Arizona count. Someone says “Ted Cruz: your objection to the electoral count in Texas is registered.”
![putin][1]
Terry Moran on ABC: “In the Kremlin tonight they’re laughing.”
[1]:
@Kyeh
The entire Trump presidency has been a triumph for the Kremlin and for Putin.
Trump has been their “useful idiot” now for 5 long years.
Incidentally, tho Trump sees China as an enemy and rival, his bumbling and foolish blustering policies have made China stronger, and consistently made us weaker in comparison to them.
Thereby giving China a free hand in destroying freedom in HK without effective opposition from the western democracies, and giving China a chance to continue to strong-arm power in the Pacific and to gain economic power worldwide.
@f00l Yep. The repercussions will be serious and long-lasting, I’m afraid.
Do any of you remember the democrat protests/riot break in from 4 years ago?
@AuntMean67
Yeah, I remember how the Capitol was protected by law and order during the BLM protests just a few months ago…
“Both Sides” is pure B. S.
@AuntMean67 No-but I am sure everyone will remember this one for a long time.
@AuntMean67 @Felton10
When Democratic protesters stormed and invaded the Capitol building and broke windows and battered the doors and forced the Congress to go into hiding?
NO.
@AuntMean67 @Felton10
Yes, there were protests to Trump’s election, but I remember this:
‘Hillary Clinton, in her concession speech, asked supporters to give Mr. Trump a “chance to lead.”’
@AuntMean67 I remember back in 1814 when the Capitol was last breached, sure.
Well-now that the Democrats control the House, Senate and the Presidency they can begin to undo some of the damage this insane egotistical self serving lunatic has rought upon this once proud nation.
@Felton10 But the supreme court has swung so far right it’s going to be hard to get anywhere without constitutional amendments, and they don’t have the 2/3rds they need for those.
@Felton10 @kevinrs Maybe we’ll have 15 Supreme Court justices. The Dems don’t have the balls to do it, but it would be beautiful and legal.
@Felton10 @Fuzzalini The problem there is you are setting a precedent. The next time republicans have control, they up it to 20 justices, and so on.
If there was any more conclusive evidence that Trump was ready to throw the “baby out with the bath water” today was it.
@Felton10 And he lost Georgia for the Senate. New York Times: The political fallout of Mr. Trump’s tenure is now clear: His single term in the White House will conclude with Republicans having lost the presidency, the House and the Senate on his watch.
@Felton10 @Kyeh
I’m hearing that, in spite of, (or because of), Trump’s last minute campaign rally in Dalton, GA:
the pro-Republican election day turnout and voting in that county fell, compared to Nov;
and the pro-Democratic election day voting turnout in that county rose, compared to Nov.
In spite of increased turnout (both pro-D and pro-R) in many counties elsewhere in Georgia.
Trump"s last min election rally in Dalton seems to have been a failure in leading to increased voting of the sort he claims to support.
@f00l @Felton10 @Kyeh His last rally though was probably a success for becoming a super spreader event - as was the one he incited this afternoon in DC. If we don’t have the more contagious covid in all states yet this will probably take care of that.
@f00l @Felton10 @Kidsandliz Yeah, I’ve kept wondering if he secretly wants to kill off his supporters, holding all those rallies and constantly downplaying the danger of the virus.
@f00l @Felton10 @Kyeh I am reasonably sure that he seldom, if at all, thinks about the effects of his actions on others, rather he is focused on the impact of the actions of others on him. As a result he’d only care if enough of his worshipers died that it would negatively impact the size of his rally crowds and thus his perceived importance.
/youtube the devil went down to Georgia
/youtube night train to Georgia
/youtube Georgia on my mind
/image peach tree
/image magnolia
@f00l God bless Stacey Abrams and the people of the great state of Georgia to have elected Warnock and Ossoff to the Senate.
@mike808
Stacy Abrams is a one person profile in courage and determination
I’m in awe of her
This day has been insane. Unbelievable, and yet totally believable.
American carnage:
Hee-Hawley, continuing to raise his white-fist-of-power high, said he thought it was so important to object to Arizona’s votes that it was worth debating, but he didn’t mention Arizona when it was his turn to talk. And then Hee-Hawley thought it was so important to talk about Pennsylvania that he’s forcing the House and Senate to sit through another round of debate. But he’s not even going to bother to say anything.
What an utter dbag.
@mike808
When certifying the Pennsylvania electors was debated in the Senate, Hawley gave back all his time to the chair.
What a coward he is when he can’t make a public showing that he thinks is to his advantage
@mike808 It’s because he actually has no evidence, and nothing he can say that hasn’t already been totally proven as outright lies.
@kevinrs @mike808
He knows how to o speechify to serve his ambition. He understands the practice of lawyer sophistry.
If he had believed he could pull that off at that moment, he would have bloviated until his time was used up.
Republican Rep. Kinzinger, showing what Ted Cruz is really up to:
@Kyeh
Is that a Twitter link? I can’t see it I guess I have some kind of browser control blocking it
can you post an image or a screenshot?
@Kyeh
Of course the whole thing is a combo personal promo for the future and fundraising ploy
Of course
@f00l @Kyeh
If you don’t see the Twitter link, and it’s a big grey rectangle, try using the browser reload/refresh. That does the trick on my Android phone.
@f00l
I just hope it backfires now…
![cruz][1]
Okay - Cruz, retweeted by Kinzinger:
[1]:
Kinzinger’s comment: “Told ya. All about the Benjamins.”
I’m just waiting for the final vote. Hopefully he is finally done instigating but I doubt it. He doesn’t care who dies obviously. There are psychopaths. And then there is this guy. And the fact he was allowed to get there is so discouraging. Regardless of your party
@unksol
There is some research that finds that about a third (this is from memory so the number may be a little off) of CEO’s are high functioning sociopaths. I’d suspect if we looked at the politicians who made it to DC, those at the top of the heap in government agencies, etc. we’d have similar findings.
@Kidsandliz @unksol
After watching him for years, reading his own words, and reading his bios (including ones he cooperated with), I believe he is a full sociopath.
@Kidsandliz well aware. What else were serfs and lords. Still applies to many companies. The problem with politics is that people choose. And a direct effort to subvert that
@f00l @unksol I’d agree. In many ways he behaves like someone who has full blown attachment disorder (plus a few other psych dx’s) Often adults get a borderline personality disorder dx instead of attachment disorder. There is a lot of overlap between sociopathic behavior and the behavior of those with a serious case of attachment disorder. His toddlerhood - per his niece - certainly is consistent with the history of kids where attachment disorder is the outcome (I know a lot about this as my kid, adopted at an older age, has full blown attachment disorder and several other dx’s).
Typical behavior includes: lies, what I said yesterday has nothing to do with what I said today, best skills are triangulation and manipulation, the world is about me and your effect on me not my effect on others, amoral, no empathy, needs to be the center of attention (their world is the size of the head of a pin and they are the only person on it) and negative attention is better than no attention (so wrecks other people’s turn to shine in the light) and I need attention all the time, holds a grudge forever, revenge is perceived as the appropriate response (which is likely one major way how he kept his hold all the butt kissers) and revenge needs to be of the scorched earth variety, turning people on each other and other shows of power to show dominance, influence and importance, lash out regardless of the consequences when crossed, cause and effect reasoning is poorly coupled, tantrums that can be pretty distructive… and I could go on but won’t.
This is where I worry about the remaining two weeks if someone can’t reign him in. He has the resources and reach to cause significant havoc and widespread harm.
@unksol
Yes they choose, but as in marketing, the attempts to influence (and marketing is getting better and better at this - for example if you touch something you are more likely to buy it - that affects packaging, store layout…) can be disconnected from ethics. Manipulation and triangulation are polished skills in snake oil salesmen (also see my post above this) and Trump is a snake oil salesman. Cult leaders manage to ensnare some even otherwise reasonable people. Then cognitive dissonance contributes to them not leaving the cult.
@Kidsandliz I’m aware. Not thrilled with how we got here. Or there. Or getting to a place where the only choice is omg that guy is an awful human being. Now what. Feel free to figure out a better way. That still is democratic. Maybe they shouldn’t be allowed to run biased commercials and straight up lies but then who polices that…
@unksol
Why are you attacking me?
@Kidsandliz
My reading of that post has no one attacking you.
Possibly try another interpretation of the writer’s intended meaning?
@f00l Perhaps you misread then. Telling me to figure out a better way is a back handed slap when worded “feel free”. Especially when I wasn’t even criticizing voting as a way to decide and then I am told to “feel free” to find a “better way”?
@Kidsandliz
Jeeza Louisa.
Interpret it however you like. And interpret me however you like. Totally suit yourself.
Don’t wanna get in anyone’s way today over trivia. Not in the mood at the moment, so wish I’d said nothing.
Hmmm. Ok then.
@f00l
/giphy rolling eyes
@f00l @Kidsandliz there was no intended attack. Sorry if it read that way. Just general dislike of how we got in this situation. As a country. Which is very upsetting. Literally if you have a real suggestion of how to fix it. I can’t think of one. Or one that would work.
About the insane social media part and how easy it is to install bad data in peoples brains
@f00l @Kidsandliz @unksol think I heard a TED talk or something about elections where people write their first pick, second pick third pick etc and then somehow that is translated into someone winning. It doesn’t sound perfect but it would seem to make it so that instead of a two party fight to the death it could be more civil…
@ApplePI @f00l @Kidsandliz
Other countries with multi party systems are set up that way. There is a percentage of the vote a candidate has to reach to win outright and if no one hits it the top two candidates have a run off.
A multiparty system would be an improvement but we’ve never managed to make that a real thing… Libertarians and independents would be the best candidates but we can’t seem to turn them into actual parties. I mean I’m not sure the should be but… Some sort of organization is required per our current county design
@ApplePI @f00l @Kidsandliz @unksol
It’s called the “Condorcet Method”, better known as “Ranked Voting”. Amazingly, here in St Louis City, they’ve adopted it for local alderman elections.
There is a lot of game theory and serious study (grad, phd) work that shows optimal outcomes with resistance to manipulation, both by the candidates (inside) and outside influences.
Basically you rank the candidates, first to last. The idea us that the “best” candidate emerges, and doesn’t devolve into binary alternating duopolies or worse, when one party is in power, they abuse that power to eliminate, prevent, or exclude the other party from participation in the next election cycle, and degenerate into fascism.
Smells a lot like Mitch McConnell’s strategy for the GOP the past 20 years, and the GOP modus operandi funded by dark money, gerrymandering, and voter suppression from the state legislature to Congress (especially the Senate, where it has been used to destroy the Judiciary (by extorting appointments, including SCOTUS) and neutering the Congress to install a sociopath proto-fascist in a unitary White House of unlimited power.
@mike808
And here I thought being called “Radical” was a good thing.
The deleted tweet that got Donald Trump locked out of his twitter for the next 12 hours.
The 45th President of the United States everyone:
@mike808
It all makes me sick.
@mike808 Tweet is only showing up as a blue box with a ? in it. Maybe post a screenshot?
@Kidsandliz @mike808 The filename says jpg, but it seems to actually be a webp. I thought Safari supported those now. (Firefox does. I assume Chrome does.)
@InnocuousFarmer @Kidsandliz
Yeah. I thought that if you ask for a jpg it gives you one. Maybe I need to ask for jpeg (vs jpg). I’ll try it.
It’s just a pain loading it in ezgif.com, converting it, saving it, then uploading it. Oh well.
@InnocuousFarmer @mike808 safari (what I am using) can’t read it. Too bad. I hope they update so it will in the future.
Shortly before 4 am ET the electoral college vote is certified.
What next?
Are the enough non boot-lickers left in the cabinet to be willing to invoke the 25th amendment should the politicians and the powerful deem that necessary or appropriate?
(I believe this 25th amendment procedure should already have happened;
tho I don’t know if the cabinet currently contains enough non-corrupt members to accomplish this if sane & politically powerful people wish to accomplish this.)
Two weeks.
@f00l Two weeks is enough time left to for him to finish blowing up (metaphorically speaking, although some of his followers might actually do it) DC.
Donald Trump just released a statement guaranteeing an orderly transfer of power on January 20th
He’s only 5 years late
Assuming he really means it
@f00l Yeah I’d bet that only came about because someone finally figured out how to handle people like this is hook stuff to their own self interests. I’d bet it was pointed out to him that it was in his own best interests to do that if he wanted a chance to hang on to the last 2 weeks of his presidency and be able to run in the future. He is pretty much only motivated by his own self interest.
@Kidsandliz
The statement, on the twitter account of a WH aide (since Trump’s account was temp blocked to new posts by Twitter), was almost certainly written by an aide who pressured DT into releasing it.
It’s not typical DT language: the wording feels “official”, and that’s not his natural language.
DT has not yet publicly committed to this.
So who knows.
@f00l @Kidsandliz Turns out that is exactly what happened. Pence and some cabinet members told him if he did not condemn his riotous supporters actions he could be charged with inciting to riot. he appeared shortly thereafter reading in a monotone voice that he condemned the actions of those people. The next day he stated he was remorseful FOR SAYING HE CONDEMNED THEIR ACTIONS!!!
Chinese State media is openly scornful of the United States now, and openly gleeful about events in the capital area and the Capitol building yesterday.
Chinese media seems to be wondering how dare we protest about events in Hong Kong recently, given what just happened in Washington DC
According to the Chinese state media, we’re clearly just a bunch of posturing hypocrites who never had any moral standing of any kind in terms of having a better form of government than the state run economic and political dictatorship they practice.
This failure to guarantee and enact the peaceful and orderly transfer of power according to the Constitution has only happened under one president. The current one.
Also he is the only recent president who lives and breaths lies and more lies and all lies:
the bigger and the more emphatic the lies, the better.
In 1800 Thomas Jefferson and John Adams fought an incredibly bitter political battle for the presidency
John Adams was the second President of the United States and he lost the election of 1800 to Thomas Jefferson, the third president
No one in Europe believed that John Adams would give up power,
just as they had been shocked when George Washington gave up power and went home after two terms.
Only: George Washington had announced in advance he would give up power and had refused to be a contestant in the third presidential election;
and the great European powers and politicians considered this astonishing and compared George Washington to Cincinnatus, the Roman leader who voluntarily gave up power and went home to his farm.
The European powers and politicians were again shocked by John Adams, because he had sought to continue in office holding the ultimate political power in the United States.
After Adams had lost the election, the Europeans expected him to find a way to hang on to the power he clearly sought to keep.
When he gave it up voluntarily and went home without drama and with great respect for the Constitution, the European powers were again astonished and again compared him to Cincinnatus.
John Adams gave up power and did so with dignity and honor and deliberation. during the carriage ride home to Massachusetts he wrote:
that the United States has a government of laws not of men
The city of Cincinnati OH, is named for the great Roman statesman Cincinnatus, in honor of George Washington who also went home.
but John Adams having voluntarily relinquished power according to the legal path arranged by the constitution is just as noble and honorable an example of dignified and dedicated respect for law over personal ambition.
From the Morning Joe shoe open this am
It’s short. And effective. Just watch, of you will.
Well, click thru and watch on youtube.
Don Jr
“We’re coming for you and we’re going to enjoy it.”
@f00l that video is scary.
Jr should listen to his daddy’s proto-seditioners from 4 years ago:
Fuck your feelings, snowflake.
And from Mitch McConnell:
Elections have consequences.
@f00l I feel like that speech was treasonous.
The foundations of democracy aren’t immutable, aren’t capable of withstanding ceaseless abuse without any maintenance… I’m not sure I’m even surprised this is happening.
Nobody took it as a sign that the cancer had metasticized when Trump got elected. They just doubled down on the same dysfunctional games that allowed him to not be laughed off the Republican primary stage. After he was elected, the Republicans were willing to dance with the devil, while the Democrats avoided ever breaking the kayfabe to allow that there’s distinctions to be had between partisan disagreements and nonpartisan ones.
I’m less worried about the country at this point, and more worried about the world facing Chinese and Russian aggression with an America so hollowed out that it finally broke itself. America deserves it, but this isn’t a controlled demolition.
Biden’s not equal to this. He’s not going to grab the country and tell everyone that we need to concentrate on sustainability and its foundations. If he does his shit party will reject him, just like McConnell was willing to make every compromise until the last one. That’s not how any of this works.
Not that Trump shouldn’t be blamed, but Trump fundamentally shouldn’t exist, and everyone should be blamed for the smallmindedness that creates a favorable environment for him and his supporters and his useful enemies to thrive.
Yeah we’re all doomed. Where’s my coffee…
@InnocuousFarmer
We don’t yet know what Biden is equal to. Or what Biden and his assorted companions and allies are equal to.
Trump should not exist?
Just like every sociopath and constant liar/manipulator should not exist?
Like every dictator, sadist, and warmonger in history should not exist?
Agreed, that would my pref. But this ain’t no ideal world. (Tho Trump makes me long for Nixon in comparison)
The US has gone thru hideous and horrible incarnations. Civil War, anyone? Slavery? Anti-immgrant riots? Labor rights supression? Voter supression? Lynching? Religious and cultural supression? Female rights supression? Birth control suppression? KKK? Near oligarchies? Incredible personal enrichment off the govt by elected officials? Lies and corruption? Red scare and McCarthyism? Imperial presidency? Back-of-the-bus? Incarceration of 1/4 to 1/3 of some African American community’s male populations? Stealing everything from Native Americans, breaking our treaties, often considering them to be targets on sight, and casual or formal near-genocide of some groups? Casually using the CIA to install anti-democratic sadistic homicidal dictators all over Latin America, and in plenty of other places around the world? Policing and financial and cultural redlining? Laws that penalize the poor for being poor?
Etc etc etc. And I barely know US history.
We’ve been hideous. And sometimes we’ve gotten over it. Or sometimes we’ve improved, tho we still have ways to go.
So … Here we are. I understand the appeal of cynicism about all this.
I also, I hope, remember what a few folks have accomplished by being realistic and by not being comoletely cynical.
Winston Churchill (who comes with plenty of terrible flaws, history, colonialism, and other baggage of his own) once said:
We ain’t no pure shining city on a hill yet.
In fact we suck.
But we have done as decent an approximation to that as every other great power. And way better than most.
Yeah, the world sucks. So what? You gonna stew in that?
Well, that’s one way to pass the time.
Maybe we can get better. Who knows?
So … give up on it all if you wish.
Just don’t tell Stacy Abrams.
Cause she might talk you out of that, if she knew.
@f00l Just venting, sleep deprived.
Not that I don’t blame the Democratic party a lot. Republicans are beyond blame, for me. Trump’s like a rabid badger, or a brain-damaged bear, and the Republicans are mostly, where they show signs of sentience… other wildlife, I guess. Very confused salmon. To me, the Democrats are like irresponsible animal control officers, by comparison. How angry can you get at the bear?
Where was I? I wrote this whole goofy post, but it was too meandering. Then I tried an argumentative one, but it was too bleak.
You a fan of Stacy Abrams I guess? From what little I’ve seen, I wouldn’t mind seeing more of her. I don’t know what she’s about though. Read that she almost got to be governor of Georgia, gets some credit for “turning Georgia purple” by either registering a bunch of Mexicans as voters, or abandoning political centrality, or possibly common sense voting reform of some kind, sounded like shenanigans potentially lost her the governorship… read Schumer wanted to recruit her for the senate seat now to be occupied by Warnock, but she turned him down. She had aimed at being Biden’s VP…
It’ll be interesting to see what the Democrats do with their narrow senate majority, hypothetically cooler heads and all that… I think I’ve seen this one… I’ll just cross my fingers before bed.
@InnocuousFarmer
There is much to appreciate about Abrams as a politician, but that’s not where I find her her personal truest superpower is.
The R party has chosen gerrymandering and voter suppression deliberately, nationwide, as permanent means to stay in power. Without both, they’d be a lesser political power party by far.
They did these effectively in Georgia.
And Stacy Abrams didn’t care much for this.
Sue couldn’t beat or take on gerrymandering without control or near-control of the state legislature.
But she could go after voter reg and voter suppression on her own, or with a few recruited allies. In what was then, I think, a dark red state.
So she did. Starting umpteen years ago. Using every decent human capacity she and her allies possessed.
It would seem to my less driven and determined soul a bit like deciding to empty the Atlantic with a tablespoon.
She didn’t care about that.
Every day she faced what many or most of us would find to be an almost hopeless task, and decided it was not hopeless and she went out and took it on. And she kept going. And she gained allies. And they all faced all kinds of shit and kept going.
And it helps that she’s a brilliant lawyer and was able to use the law and the courts and her legal knowledge to great effect.
But mostly it helped that she is the sort of person who wants what is good and right and true,
and will not quit.
Even if most people think a task is impossible, or think it will take a century, or that the effect of any one person’s efforts will be tiny.
Abrams just doesn’t care about impossible.
She just keeps going.
There are worse qualities one can have.
@f00l @InnocuousFarmer
You need to read a littke deeper on Stacey Abrams. The shenanigans were on the part of her competitor, the Secretary of State at the time, running for Governor, and as SOS, he launched baseless “investigations” into her campaign in order to smear her and cheat his way into the Governor’s office.
She’s tirelessly worked to GOTV and engage the Georgia citizenry to unshackle them from Republican voter suppression targeting POC, and by design and consequence, Democrats. She loves het state, the people in it, and will eat Kemp’s lunch and take his job as the next Governor of Georgia.
She would have left for VP, but in retrospect, she did not stop or be deterred after losing to Kemp for Governor. She pushed hard for Biden and was a huge ground game field marshall pushing for Warnock and Ossoff. I wouldn’t be surprised to see her giving a shot at POTUS in 2028 if she’s wanting more than one term as Governor. She will be a major player/strategist for the DNC, just not chair as that’s a dead-end role and she’s too good at rallying the troops and most importantly, getting them to the voting booth.
@f00l @mike808 You guys are spooking me. I don’t believe in political stories that pure. I’ll find time to read up a bit though. She sounds like an interesting, maybe admirable figure.
@InnocuousFarmer @mike808
I intend to read up on her. have donated to her organization and recently bought a book of hers which I have not yet read.
I know that Kemp is a POS who screwed her out of the governorship at a time when he was Secretary of State in Georgia and he controlled that office in the most corrupt way possible along party lines
so that when he and she competed for the governorship he had the legal means to force her to lose regardless of what a fair voting result would have been
And he needs to go down. badly
But my impression of Abrams is that she would have found a way to work miracles no matter what circumstances she was in and no matter who the bad guys were or are
@InnocuousFarmer
I’m sure that she has the usual collection of human flaws that most of us fight with in ourselves
I don’t mean to paint her as otherwise
But some people just have qualities and skills and determination that make them into the perfect match for their circumstances and times and so they become extraordinarily effective
And to me she is one of these
Facebook bans Trump ‘indefinitely’
Shopify pulls Donald Trump stores off its platform
@narfcake Yet woot still sells his flags. Check out the crowd picture. Haelhorneger Patriotic American USA Flag - $8.74 - Free shipping for Prime members https://tools.woot.com/offers/haelhorneger-patriotic-american-usa-flag?utm_medium=share&utm_source=app
There were a couple of bright spots.
Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Trump:
"Today’s violent assault on our Capitol, an effort to subjugate American democracy by mob rule, was fomented by Mr. Trump. His use of the Presidency to destroy trust in our election and to poison our respect for fellow citizens has been enabled by pseudo political leaders whose names will live in infamy as profiles in cowardice.
Our Constitution and our Republic will overcome this stain and We the People will come together again in our never-ending effort to form a more perfect Union, while Mr. Trump will deservedly be left a man without a country."
Senator Mitt Romney:
"We gather today due to a selfish man’s injured pride and the outrage of his supporters whom he has deliberately misinformed for the past two months and stirred to action this very morning.
What happened here today was an insurrection, incited by the President of the United States.
Those who choose to continue to support his dangerous gambit by objecting to the results of a legitimate, democratic election will forever be seen as being complicit in an unprecedented attack against our democracy. They will be remembered for their role in this shameful episode in American history. That will be their legacy.
The best way we can show respect for the voters who are upset is by telling them the truth. The truth is that President-elect Biden won the election. President Trump lost."
A very technical friend observed that the whole Capitol IT system must be assumed compromised, and needs to be wiped and replaced. There are probably significant data breaches as well.
This is the kind of intrusion that hostile nations could only dream of pulling off.
Then I came across this article:
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/01/pro-trump-reporter-gloats-over-access-to-fleeing-hill-staffers-computer/
@blaineg
All of Capitol security, including IT security, was for shit.
They didn’t even know the mob crowd size, tho this crowd had gathered in the ellipse for hours and there were news org crowd shot photos up.
@blaineg @f00l All by design with Trump starving resources from DC other than grifting emoluments with his hotel down the street.
@blaineg @mike808
I believe that the capitol building and capitol complex security resources are controlled by Congress not by the president
Perhaps I’m wrong I don’t know the details
But the Congress seems to have failed to take its own security seriously
So there’s plenty of blame to go to the white house in addition since Trump reportedly refused to allocate National Guard and the mayor and congress had to go through Pence and neighboring governors to get extra security and policing assistance
since they were so starved for security resources I guess it’s a good thing from a security point of view that all the protesters and rioters and crazy people were mostly white and so you could just let them go home or go back to their hotels and you don’t have to beat them up and arrest them the way you might have to if they’re non-white
Bad news: As of this post, I’m out of reasons to mention the misadventures of Duncan Hunter. Trump pardoned him so I can’t see if he tried and failed to buy a PS5. Maybe he will get arrested when he tries to break into his ex wife (divorced was finalized on his birthday while in prison) 's house to get his jet rabbit back. Maybe he will try to run for office and fail miserably like Joe Arpeio (or as I call him “piehole”).
Who will fill the void?
Good news: It’s Betsy Devos.
https://www.npr.org/2021/01/07/954725906/devos-resigns-as-education-secretary-says-impressionable-children-are-watching?utm_term=nprnews&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=npr&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR0U6CP8GPeqy5594xfGOK0EWBPB5d18hdCLeflxT-aMWl8TgdHOzRoHW_0
Ah yes. The woman who thought guns should be in schools to protect children from grizzly bears. Now she is concerned about children learning about the domestic terrorism that occurred yesterday. How dare children learn how NOT to do something.
She also said:
“We should be highlighting and celebrating your Administration’s many accomplishments on behalf of the American people. Instead, we are left to clean up the mess caused by violent protestors overrunning the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to undermine the people’s business.”
Like she’s going to clean (or do) anything that helps the public. I’m sure she misses her prized children aka her private yachts. Now with her resignation she can sail away never to be heard from again. Good riddance.
@JT954 And one less cabinet member to get a majority for Pence to pull the ripcord on the 25th.
@JT954 @mike808
So DeVos doesn’t understand where the rioters came from or who sent them? She is always so smart. So very brilliant.
“Betsy DeVoid” has been her Nick in the West Wing.
(Referring to her total lack of brain power.)
She hasn’t been given one of the “Trump Special Extra-Undeserved Presidential Medals of Freedom” yet?
So she rates lower than that traitor and total tool Devin Nunez in Trumpworld?
Maybe she’s getting a pardon instead. Do they get to choose their party favors?
@f00l @JT954 She’s gone because she was part of Pence’s religious base that jumped on the Trump train to help Mitch McConnel pack the courts with all those right-wing and religious forced-birther activist judges. Now that Pence is out with Trump, she’s picking up her toys and going home before the investigations start into her deep ties to Navient, the largest student loan sharking for-profit grifting outfit in the country.
@mike808 Navient used to be Sallie Mae. I had student loans with them. I was beyond ecstatic when that group of loans were finally paid off (I had consolidated all but those). Yes paying that bunch off made me happy, but what made me even happier is never having to deal with them again. I had had over a 3 year battle with them to get back a lot of money when they decided to reset my loan, that only had 3.5 years left on it, to 10 years and change the interest rate. Something I had not requested and had signed no papers for. I finally won but OMG that place was a mess - including their group advocacy group who was supposed fix problems that regular channels couldn’t fix.
They need to ditch that entire fire ant nest and go with a more ethical company.
@JT954 @mike808
I figured that she was just so dim that she couldn’t figure out that Trump has always privately had nothing but contempt for her values
And that she was too stupid to know where her money came from or what problems might come with that
@Kidsandliz How else do you think the DeVos family “earned” their multiple yachts. All are also registered in other countries (see “flag of convenience”) so they can cheat their fellow Ohio taxpayers out of property taxes, which pay for our educational systems for the most part.
For bonus points, they avoid US coast guard safety requirements, and do not have to comply with US labor wage and safety laws, since technically, the yacht is “territory” of the country it is registered under.
So yeah, the DeVos family are tax cheats and grifters off the backs of students all the way to the bone.
I think she is also related to Erik Prince and his merry band of profiteering mercenaries at Blackwater sucking up those military welfare contracts consting billions of taxpayer dollars.
@Kidsandliz @mike808
My impression is that you’re right I think she is a sister of prince and blackwater evil.
So it’s a great comfort that she has such “high moral values”
@f00l @mike808 I think a bunch of his cabinet is quitting so they won’t be caught between (for them) a rock and a hard place if the pressure continues to declare Trump unfit. Now they can avoid having to actually vote on removing him and so still suck his coat tails later if his coat tails haven’t been “burned” so badly that everyone finally sees he is the emperor with no clothes.
Her unwillingness to reign in the abuses in the for profit sector higher education told me she/her family likely had ties to that crooked sector.
Other good news, the traitors are idiots.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/01/insurrectionists-social-media-presence-gives-feds-an-easy-way-to-id-them/
Need a laugh? Or a thousand bucks?
https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7my83/police-need-help-identifying-famous-qanon-guy-named-jake-angeli-from-arizona
@blaineg
The little dweeb on the right wore his work lanyard to the “revolution”! And got fired today.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9123393/Maryland-marketing-company-fires-Trump-rioter-stormed-Capitol-work-pass.html
@blaineg @Kyeh I’m pretty sure the Jamiroquai impersonator (or are they the leader of a Village People revival band?) can be identified by their unique tatoos/body markings.
How’s life up your way, DC folks? @CaptAmehrican? Has anyone heard anything interesting lately???
Also out and resigning - Eliane Chao, Transportation Secretary, who worked that sweet, sweet Russian Aluminum plant grift for her hubby Mitch McConnell in Kentucky, and kept close “business” ties with her relatives back in mainland China.
https://www.npr.org/sections/congress-electoral-college-tally-live-updates/2021/01/07/954495552/transportation-secretary-elaine-chao-to-resign-citing-violence-at-capitol
The people who stayed in Trump’s cabinet or in his orbit pretty much totally corrupted themselves
a few reputedly stay because they know, if they leave, Trump will appoint somebody who is somuch worse than they are, that they had to stay if only as a placeholder, out of fear for the future
I don’t think they should have taken these jobs in the first place
But once you’re in I can understand if you don’t want to leave since the president will then appoint a lunatic
However now I wish enough of them who are somewhat sane would stay at least long enough to vote for removing Trump according to the Constitution and the 25th amendment
pretty soon it looks like nobody but the totally incompetent, the ethically vacant or corrupt, and extreme crazies will be left
@f00l It’s the Jack Welch management program on steroids. Hire a bunch of sycophants, fire the least loyal 25% and replace with even more sycophantile suck-ups. After a couple of iterations, you’re in the shallow end of the gene pool with floaties.
@mike808 Hahaha - you’ll laugh. That snake for profit Strayer “University” (now merged with Capella University) actually calls their online so called executive MBA program the Jack Welch MBA program. That place operates more or less along the lines of if you are breathing and can pay for it you are admitted. And unless you totally screw up totally by not doing anything at all, you will graduate with good grades even if what you actually do is D or F work.
@f00l I have heard it suggested, and I think there is wisdom here, that it would be best for those who remain in the Whitehouse to strongly encourage the President to just leave for the next two weeks. Delegate his powers and get out of town and go to Florida or something.
An impeachment, or invoking the 25th amendment, will likely just politicize the situation further and make things more difficult for soon-to-be President Biden when he assumes office.
@f00l @Limewater We do not want him in Florida. Send him elsewhere.
@f00l @Limewater I think that with every resignation of a cabinet member, the threshold to achieve a “majority” becomes easier, if Pence finds the will to invoke the 25th. Or, Pelosi can make Trump the first POTUS in history to ever have been impeached twice. And the Republican seditionists can put their names down on the wrong side of history twice.
And then let the DOJ investigations for RICO violations proceed against every one of the Senators that voted to acquit and the RNC leadership going back to the 2016 convention. Remember Jeff Sessions in private conversation with Russian ambassador Kislyak on removing that plank about condemning Russia for invading Ukraine and militarily taking over Crimea and fomenting openly overthrowing the Ukrainian government by pushing their stalking horse candidate as a useful idiot?
Sound familiar?
Where do you think Flynn, Papadopoulos, Stone, Manafort, and all of the other Trump 2016 campaign grifters worked for millions in “consulting fees” on the “campaigns” of another Russian/Putin-supported puppet candidate working to overthrow the duly elected President of Ukraine?
The Republican national party leadership was well aware of and intentionally engaged in money laundering from Russian interests through their control of party candidate campaign finances. That’s where billions from the NRA came from and went in 2016. That’s where half a Billion dollars from Trump’s 2020 campaign went to. Not to ads or GOTV. But to “consulting fee” payments to shell companies that are entirely controlled by Tump, Jarvanka, Junior, and Eric, along with the cadre of 2nd string grifters milking the Republican campaign coffers under the pretense as “promoters” and “producers”, “suppliers”, “consultants”, etc. behind all of those “rallies”. They were mechanisms to money launder campaign funds into the pockets of the Trump family personally.
A grifter, a con, a cheat, a liar, a fraud, and forever an impeached one-term loser. #LockHimUp
@Limewater @mike808
Gosh. Do you think the Kremlin got their money’s worth?
(By trying to get DT elected twice and by overtly or covertly promoting his insanity while they simultaneously attacked our country in so many other ways?)
I’d say Trump was a great investment for them. Consciously intending to or not, he paid out to Putin in spades.
Thanks to Trump, the rest of the world now thinks or fears we can’t be counted on.
Thanks to Trump, the rest of the world fears we have zero judgment in difficult times.
Thanks to Trump, we now lack the moral standing to promote democracy and fairness elsewhere, or to speak against corrupt or brutal government in the world.
Thanks to Trump, Russia and China are far stronger internationally (esp China, who also gained economic strength, and who DT strongly dislikes but can’t handle)
Thanks to Trump, our foreign policy has been based on delusion for 4 years. And much of our domestic policy as well.
Thanks to Trump, we are weaker by almost every sane measure or judgment.
Thanks to Trump, they hardly need to attack us. We’ll do it for them. Without prompting.
@f00l @Limewater @OldCatLady
Like Krasnodar Krai, to Putin’s Palace. Seems like ole Vladimir ought to reward him for his help and support…
@f00l @Kyeh @Limewater @OldCatLady
Let’s not forget the four years worth of POTUS and NSC eyes-only classified national security information that Trump and Jared Kushner will be taking with them after he leaves office, in addition to whatever else they’ve already smuggled out on thumb drives. The IC is pretty certain Jared has been conveying intel to MBS, specifically regarding the saudi state-sanctioned Kashoggi assassination. And what else would Jared have or know about that would interest the middle east enough to give him millions in forgiving or not foreclosing on that 800 million dollar mortgage coming due on Trump Tower that is held by the saudis?
As long as Trump and Jarvanka are out and about, they are an ongoing national security threat to all of us. The whole Trump crime family and loyalist/business associates are flight risks. #LockHimUp45
@Kyeh @Limewater @mike808 @OldCatLady
Jared used the carrot and stick version of American foreign policy to get refinancing on his New York skyscraper during the first couple of years Trump was in office
I suspect that was his highest priority In The West wing
Jared couldn’t have unlocked all those middle Eastern billions held in state controlled sovereign investment funds for his personal use without having something significant on a policy level to offer in return
@Kyeh @Limewater @mike808 @OldCatLady
I suspect when more memoirs start coming, we find that pretty quickly the state department and the intelligence communities figured out that some stuff needed to be withheld from the White House
that in many sensitive cases the White House could have perhaps an overview but not the details
I hope so
I hope someone in DC is playing Schlesinger’s role (w Nixon) in reference to Trump
Maybe Pence has an informal understanding with persons at State and the dod.
@f00l @Kyeh @Limewater @OldCatLady
FTFY: I suspect when more
memoirsindictments start coming…As for offering something in return for access to MBS and middle eastern funding, well, let’s just say that “emoluments”, “bribery”, “espionage”, “foreign agent”, “corruption”, “fraud”, “quid pro quo”, “money laundering”, “organized crime family”, “RICO”, and more choice words wouldn’t be polite in present company with such delicate topics.
As for the administration witholding information from the administration, why that goes against everything dbag AG (dis)Barr worked for since the Iran Contra days - a unitary presidency in the person of the POTUS, not beholden to either of the other two branches of our constitutional democracy. And utterly and completely supported by the Republican party led by Mitch McConnell because it was a means to pack the courts (empty from 8 years of stonewalling to create attrition) with unqualified right-wing religious forced birthers and Trump campaign donors to pay them back for their votes and their money.
Ive been off the loop for a few hours. But, as of this AM Pence was supposedly refusing to discuss using the 25th.
If I understand it, he has to buy-in for using the 25th to go forward.
I hope the House goes ahead next week with an impeachment vote, as has been discussed.
I esp want to see the Senate be forced to a roll call.
Last week, if the potential R Senate primary in Fl scheduled for 2022 had haopened, Rubio vs Ivanka, I suspect she would have won.
Marco: “I’m often a spineless weasel and pretender, but I do have a sort of brain, and I did work on all this legislation. Here’s the list.”
Ivanka: “I’m a vacuous, pre-written corp-speak presentation version of a human being, but:
I’m daddy’s favorite and I’m always Instagram ready.
And I know how to be traveling, and away from the center of trouble, every time things get really bad.”
And she prob would have won.
I guess now Fl will likely keep Rubio in office a bit longer after 2022, unless the D’s can come up w someone strong to go after him.
This morning I heard reporting that as of last weekend the dod and the homeland security people both offered to the capitol police and to the city of DC additional troops or agents or security assistance for the coming week due to the rally scheduled for Wednesday
these news reports are incomplete and I suspect more information will come out and the situation will turn out to have been complex
But as of this morning the reporting is at last weekend both the capitol police and the DC government refused the aid
I’m not sure if this is true that it’s simply bad judgment
If the government of DC and the capital police refused extra help it might be that they were trying to avoid a situation like last summer when Trump cleared protesters in order to get a photo op,
or it might be that both the capitol police and the DC government were trying to avoid militarizing a situation that Trump could conceivably use if he wanted to go for a martial law situation in an attempt to create more chaos or to have another shot at voiding the election or to create some sort of national crisis excuse for seizing power
It will be fascinating to find out what the considerations were once everything comes out
If this assistance was offered and turned down and the reason for saying no was fear of offering Trump extra tools for seizing control of the government, it will make for an incredible story
Supposedly some of the people who invaded the interior of the US capitol on Wednesday were wearing “6 million wasn’t enough” paraphernalia
and some of them were supposedly seen wearing Auschwitz fanboy paraphernalia
@f00l There was no ‘supposedly.’
@f00l They must have rushed to publish that, as Zuck ain’t got nothing to do with Twitter.
@narfcake
I think it may have been a continuously updating story.
“Twitter has permanently suspended President Trump from Twitter over a pattern of behavior that violated company rules.”
https://www.npr.org/2021/01/08/954760928/twitter-bans-president-trump-citing-risk-of-further-incitement-of-violence
@narfcake @f00l but has MySpace done anything?
@narfcake Nice they that all found their spines. When it was way too late.
@blaineg @narfcake Only 10 more days of Trump 2024 ads to sell, and that gravy train fountain of Republican grifter campaign money has dried up.
Twatter/Facebag have never been about anything more than monetizing your eyeballs and being the biggest time-suck among the other time-sucks.
@blaineg @mike808 @narfcake
I could never find a reason to “tweet” or to read twitter, tho I tried a few times. I would always give up within a day or less, due to the utter pointlessness.
Has some limited usefulness with updates in various subjects I suppose. The news industry uses it
I have one friend living elsewhere who uses it and I get those notices.
Twitter explanation of their decision, which is interesting: they are now evaluating for the contextual influence toward violence of a given account, as expressed in internet chatter.
https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/company/2020/suspension.html
An AP obit for the account
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-politics-coronavirus-pandemic-david-letterman-reality-tv-cea450b1f12f4ceb8984972a120018d5
Trump used the account to cons9dersl effect. And the outlet as seemed to become psychologically necessary to his sense of himself and his personal range.
I would guess that his isn’t doing well without it.
During the night after the Capitol assault, anon WH insider-sourced news reports claimed that Trump was not particularly upset about the assault, but rather in a rage that the assault had failed to kill the elector vote certification; and doubly in a rage because he could not tweet his anger and lies and thus further rile up his fanatics.
Trump vs Trump
A montage of Trump’s on-fire commentary Wed morning and afternoon, vs his sedated–feeling, “I’m being forced to do this by my lawyers” self-protective, “please don’t impeach me again or charge me with crimes” statement on Thurs.
During the second statement he totally throws his supporters under the bus, for having done exactly what he incited them to do on Wed.
Why did the rioters and incompetent wanna-be revolutionaries think he would be loyal to them? Didn’t they learn anything from watching his treatment of ass-kissers AG Jeff Sessions and VP Mike Pence?
First two min of this already brief clip. From today’s cold open, Morning Joe.
I hear President Trump will be at Camp David this weekend
It said that he doesn’t particularly like Camp David He likes his golf courses, he likes Palm Beach.
I presume they’re getting him to Camp David because they want him out of Washington, and they want him out of sight.
My hope is that this little escapade has put an end to Trump being a force in any political party ever again. It is good that has insanity and craziness has finally surfaced in a way that is difficult to ignore and even the brain dead (ie tRump supporters) are forced to acknowledge his instability.
“It’s a room that I love so much — it’s the heart of the Capitol, literally the heart of this country. It pained me so much to see it in this kind of condition.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/behind-viral-photo-rep-andy-kim-cleaning-midnight-after-riots-n1253519
@narfcake I know someone who had volunteered for his campaign. He’s a great guy.
@cinoclav @narfcake
He radiates goodness, if that is what he is like most of the time.
As riot raged at Capitol, Trump tried to call senators to overturn election
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/politics/mike-lee-tommy-tuberville-trump-misdialed-capitol-riot/index.html
@f00l He also called upon his followers to hang his own VP. The cult is getting even worse
For those who have not heard it:
On Wed, during the seige at the Capitol:
Guliani left a VM that was supposed to go to Tommy Tuberville, the football coach turned politician from Alabama, asking that Tuberville object some more state certifications, to buy Trump more time. Except Guliani left the VM on a different senator’s phone instead, and lo and behold, the tape is out.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/01/fbi-arrests-republican-lawmaker-who-stormed-capitol-with-pro-trump-mob/
MAGA
My Ass Got Arrested
So far there are five dead from the Wednesday riot. Before Wednesday the last time a US government building was stormed by people intending to do harm was in Benghazi where four died.
This hideous incident in Benghazi generated years of hearings and accusations and outrage.
So I hope the assault on the US capitol generates greater outrage.
Here is a video detailing some of the recently made public much darker stuff that was intended to happen on Wednesday
It seems that some of them intended to grab Pence and execute him as a traitor.
10 min I think.
@f00l I would imagine it will now be a nightmare trying to protect Biden and Harris along with their spouses/kids/grandkids, along with select others Trump rails against.
@Kidsandliz
I’ve heard there is now significant militia internet chatter about assaulting the inauguration ceremony
@f00l That is no surprise. Sigh.
@f00l @Kidsandliz I saw something on Twitter, so dissapointing. I just hope no one gets hurt
@f00l
One of the deaths is at least a little ironic though.
https://www.rawstory.com/amp/rosanne-boyland-capitol-2649792873
@f00l @guyfromhawthorn Wow, no kidding.
@f00l
Trump Tries And Fails To Tweet From POTUS, Ally Accounts
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-twitter-potus-account_n_5ff9096fc5b6c77d85e6ca55
Where the fuck were you when Washington was burning in June? Where the fuck were you on New Year’s eve when yet another riot was going on in Portland? Go fuck yourselves. You just elected a child sniffing, lying, dementia-ridden, plagiarist that’s been living off the American public his whole life and you’re proud of yourselves. Seriously, fuck off. And fuck Meh for letting you post your self-righteous bullshit. I’m done with this site and I won’t be back to read your childish scribbles, so please, have a good time telling each other how superior and moral you think you are on my post. And when you’re done, Fuck off.
@cjester66 Was wondering when one of Trump’s brain washed lemmings was going to have guts enough to come out from under his rock. Your uncontrolled unsubstantiated rant (just like Trump) was the main reason people like you attacked, ransacked and looted the Capitol. Keep drinking that Trump’s swill of lies-we can already see the type of person that this has made you by your post,
@Felton10 the trumpublican party. The party of rage. So much anger.
@cjester66 No, neither one is acceptable. I don’t think anyone here has said otherwise. And I’m no Democrat. After the past four years, I’m no longer a Republican, and never will be again.
@cjester66 neither is acceptable, but I thought you were leaving. What gives?
@cjester66 If you can’t understand the difference between the various riots, and an assault on the Capitol that was organized and encouraged by a president who has betrayed his oath of office*, I don’t suppose there’s much discussion to be had.
*“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
@cjester66 I will grant that Trump has been an unqualified success in one of his primary goals: to divide America. For more than a decade he has fostered division, and now he literally has us at each others throats.
@cjester66 @tinamarie1974 They never leave, they just promise to. Just like everything else that comes out of their mouth-LIES.
@cjester66 @Felton10 @tinamarie1974 Kinda like all the actors, musicians and comedians that swore they would leave the US if Trump was elected, and yet they stayed…
@Ignorant That’s onion girl, right?
@blaineg sure is
@Ignorant
There’s a slightly longer cut available now
https://imgur.com/a/2WznUcW
Protesting Twitter’s deactivation of Donald Trump’s account, Rush Limbaugh has left Twitter:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/01/08/rush-limbaugh-leaves-twitter-following-trump-ban/6605864002/
Well, THAT’s gonna punish us all for our dissing of Trump!
@rockblossom I love it when the trash takes itself out.
@rockblossom @lisaviolet
I’m giving these comments 5 stars.
Share this with anyone that would benefit from it.
@blaineg WTAF
@blaineg that’s hilarious.
I just want to say how much I admire the courage, bravery, and integrity that these platforms showed.
After it was way too late.
Interesting. Wonder if they’ll really follow through?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/randalllane/2021/01/07/a-truth-reckoning-why-were-holding-those-who-lied-for-trump-accountable/
There is some talk of spelling Cruz and Hawley from the Senate. Almost certainly this is just talk.
However, it’s been pointed out:
if there were a motion on the Senate floor to expell Cruz, and if there were a secret ballot, the vote would be 99 in favor, and would have been 99 votes in favor of expulsion ever since he was elected Senator …
One of the thought games in Washington is “find someone, anyone, not in his family, who likes, or who actually wants to work, with Ted Cruz”.
apparantly, no takers on that.
Amazon Is Booting Parler Off Of Its Web Hosting Service
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/amphtml/johnpaczkowski/amazon-parler-aws
Google removed the App from the Play store yesterday; Apple removed it today as they gave them a 24 hour ultimatum unless they remove hate speech.
Apparently Speaker Pelosi has gotten her office back in order and is back to doing the people’s business of impeaching the Orange Menace. For a second time.
@mike808 I would have like it better if Trump’s head were hanging on her wall.
@mike808
There seems to be a stolen laptop from her office
And since IT emergency procedures seem to have been nearly non-existent they’re going to have to cleanse the entire it system I would guess
@f00l There may be protections from physical theft are likely classified. Sources and methods.
That said, I’m confident basic endpoint management tools are in use for Federal IT assets. i.e. encrypted drive, the user has to authenticate to access, and again to connect to a network.
Then again, Trump has appointed waves of incompetents based on campaign donations (USPS DeJoy? DoEd DeVos?) to run the regulatory and oversight agencies and gutted them - he has “defunded the police” at the federal level for his entire term from his cabinet to the DOJ to the head of our cybersecurity agency who recently resigned in protest, and we just had the Solar Winds breaches on Trump’s watch.
@mike808
According to early reporting (Wed), congresspersons computers were accessed that were not locked and had visible open emails etc on the screen.
I don’t know if this was later confirmed.
Some sources seem to indicate that Congressional IT security practices are thought to be abysmal. But again, no details and no confirmation.
@f00l @mike808 There’s confirmation of IT compromise in the Ars Technica article I posted upstream.
I kind of doubt that any IT policy planned on a large scale invasion of the Capitol. Even if it did, asking folks to carefully follow IT procedures when they’re fleeing for their lives is probably asking a bit much.
@blaineg @f00l Sadly, I’m not confident even basic “lock your fucking desktop if you leave your desk” policies were in place. The reps and senators were in session. They knew they would be leaving their desks. The staff was evacuated in an orderly manner first. No different than a fire drill. Lock your desktop. Gather your personal items and go to the designated area.
Why there were open, unlocked laptops left unattended should be investigated and extensive training follow for all legislators and staff.
We should see some Benghazi levels of investigations into what information was compromised and where it has gone and how/if it is used.
@blaineg @mike808
Several Representatives have giving interviews saying that they were so worried about Wednesday that they made their staff stay home or even leave the city and that they made sure that their spouses or family knew where their wills and important papers were jic.
it seems to me that some blame must devolve onto the political leadership of Capitol Hill for being so unprepared for this level of emergency
Even without a the danger of a pro Trump invasion, the capitol is an obvious target for intelligence operations or for terrorism, and the responsibility for making sure it’s as secure as is reasonable in a democracy ought to fall onto Congressional leadership
@blaineg @f00l Mitch McConnell, traitor #1, enabler of the sociopath in chief.
Just … deplorable.
@mike808 I’m sure you’ll be shocked to learn it’s fabricated.
@mike808 well for a few more days lol
@mike808 @tinamarie1974 Nope, they’re censoring him on that one too:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-twitter-potus-account_n_5ff9096fc5b6c77d85e6ca55
I dare anyone to argue now that Trump has anyone’s interest other than his own when he says or does anything.
@Felton10
It’s questionable as to whether he even has his own best interest
@f00l @Felton10 He would think it is in his own best interest even if it wasn’t. Cause and effect reasoning doesn’t appear to be all that tightly coupled in his case, nor is his ability to anticipate consequences of his actions beyond what he hopes/thinks they will be.
@f00l @Felton10
Nobody has ever accused him of being particularly intelligent. Except himself, of course.
I would like to cancel my subscription to 2021. After experiencing the free 10-day trial, I’m not interested.
@mike808
Just TRY to turn off the auto billing
No matter what we’ll pay and pay and pay
@mike808 You really want 2020 back?
@mike808 We’re still in 2020, it’s December 41st.
Didja ever stop to wonder, how many of the great unwashed Trump mob of radical thugs, for whom he expressed great love, he would have over for dinner?
Of this unruly, flag waving bunch of gullible knuckleheads, whom he gladly threw under the bus in the aftermath of his very own riot, with how many would he spend more than 2 seconds? OK. OK. 2 milliseconds? Would you believe 2 nanoseconds?
How many will he be inviting over to Mar-Largo for a round of golf? Tennis? Cocktails on the patio?
How deep does his love for them run? Would he rather spend quality time with them or be curled up somewhere with a good mirror so he could admire his reflection?
Tell me. Do you think in his life after the presidency, he will turn to public service? (OK, OK, so stop laughing already…) Drawing on his great experience, which he so often bragged about as a builder, do you think maybe he will build houses for Habitat for Humanity like Jimmy Carter? Domiciles for Despots? Apartments for Autocrats? Flats for Fascists?
Or do you think he will move to Russia to continue to lick the boots or maybe to shovel snow for Putin, the controller of his wealth.
Maybe he will build industrial laundromats for Putin and his oligarchs money washing enterprises, of which, no doubt he is up to his neck.
I have heard that Kim Jong Un is either dead or in a coma, poisoned by Chinese operatives, who did not like his pro-Western posturing.
So The Donald will have to forego lazy afternoons on the beach with his love-brother watching missiles loft towards the U.S.
What, oh what, is The Donald gonna do with all this time on his hands?
Hey! I gotta idea!
Lock him up! Lock him up!
He would be the first prisoner with his own Secret Service detail. Whadda deal!
@Jackinga
According to an anon WH source who was at the WH on Wed afternoon, Trump spent most of the afternoon either thrilled by the “action”, or in a rage that the rioters and insurrectionists were embarrassing him by acting and dressing like his idea of “trailer trash”.
He supposedly wanted them look more “cool”:. Like ex-military special forces, or like professional hunting and outdoor guides.
He thought they often looked ridiculous and that sloppiness reflected badly back on himself.
@Jackinga So let me guess. The rioters are now off Trump’s Christmas Card list, eh?
@Jackinga
As long as he can use them and as long as they don’t get him accused of crimes or impeached or thrown into jail he loves them even if they dress badly
If they get him into trouble especially legal trouble then they’re thugs and ought to be thrown in jail
@f00l @Jackinga
He thought they often looked ridiculous and that sloppiness reflected badly back on himself.
Like the stunts he pulls don’t reflect badly on himself? Sigh.
According in the NYT
Planning online for an enormous “stop the steal” event on Jan 6 started as soon as the election was called.
Much of this planning was out in the open, in FB, twitter, reddit, etc. They opening talked about storming and occupying the Capitol, and "if you have weapons, bring them; we’ll get you a ride. How big are your gun cases?
@f00l Don’t leave out that the Republican Attorneys General Association lobbying group have been complicit and openly promoted the riot-inducing “rally” and even had their spokesperson take a turn at the same podium Giuliani have his “armed contest” speech.
The Republican State Attorneys General are just as complicit in this. Think about that for a minute. Who would prosecute state crimes committed by Trump and his merry band of sycophants? The Republicans are complicit and active participants in all of this. It is not Trump alone. It is the entire caucus.
It is no coincidence that Josh Hawley is a former Missouri AG, after lying to the electorate about how tirelessly he was going to work for all Missourians as AG, announced his candidacy to run for Senator within a month of taking office. Now he is grandstanding to be the next Trump and to finish the job of destroying this Constitutional Democracy.
They are nothing short of seditious. They cannot feign ignorance here. They are complicit, and knowing, willing participants. Every one of them that put their names down in writing to, make no mistake, disenfranchise millions of voters of other states because they lost the election.
They weren’t contesting a single down ballot vote on those ballots their fevered dreams imagined to be fraudulent. Some weren’t contesting those imagined fraudulent ballots when they themselves were elected.
It was all bullshit and intentional fraud to overthrow the election process because they didn’t like the results. That is the very definition of sedition. They should all be removed from office for failing to execute their duty of office and oath to defend the Constitution from domestic enemies.
Lock Them Up. It is the only way to ensure it will never happen again. Their actions must have consequences. It will not be easy. It will require resolve to recommit this country to its founding principle of justice for ALL. That’s not being partisan. It’s being truthful about the seditious actions of Republicans openly acting on their fascist lust for power.
@mike808
Yeah I saw about the AG’s.
But I don’t think the Congressional and various Attorney General and other enablers will get locked up.
Cont
Some of the issues that prevented their being a reasonable readiness are
apparently Congress and the DC police were offered resources from the DHS and the DOD in advance.
At least in the city’s case they refused
The reason they had watched Trump brutally use federal forces on black lives matter protesters during the summer in Washington for his photo op and at other times
And they had watched him do the same thing unasked and uninvited in Portland
and they feared that some of the provocations for which the federals agents responded were actually false flag operations they were not sure
so if they accepted the National Guard as a security Force they were essentially accepting a trump-controlled security Force to provide security against a trump-controlled and Trump incited mob
the potential for Trump if he wished to create a provocation and response that could justify a declaration of National emergency and some sort of control of Congress or stopping of the inauguration or stopping of certain civil rights or something were obvious
So they apparently also had some intelligence failures massive ones they didn’t seem to know what the protesters intended to do even though the protesters were discussing it openly
I’m sure the whole story will be much more complex in the end than this summary
When things went nuts at the Capitol National Guard troops were finally requested and Trump refused to authorize them
At this point a congress person who used to be in the CIA and who knew the Joint Chiefs personally called The Joint Chiefs and ask what they could do
The Joint Chiefs contacted Pence who was already in the protected location and asked him for authorization to redeploy National Guard troops already directing traffic in Washington and to ask him for instructions on how to deploy the National Guard troops at the Virginia governor was sending so that in a commands or orders couldn’t be overwridden by the White House
The Maryland governor agreed to send National Guard but actually sent State Police because they were closer and because it’s harder for the federal government to get control of them
So in the beginning the only two forces not directly under Trump’s control were the DC police and the capital police he would have had to do some legal shenanigans to get control of them
later once the Maryland State Police were helping he would have had to do legal dancing around to try to get control of them as well
Trump could have taken over the National Guard troops sent by Virginia and the ones already in the city I guess he never tried but I think the Joint Chiefs had an informal agreement to consult with Pence before they passed along any commands they were very concerned about being placed in a situation of defending unconstitutional use of power on one side or the other
Trump and his minions don’t seem to have thought this through there’s no way those idiot protesters could have sustained a coup by themselves he had the troops and could have tried to do it with them and created a standoff between himself his cabinet pence and the Pentagon and the capital. he seems not to have thought of this or decided he couldn’t go that far
I really don’t know what he expected his mob to do to stop the certification unless they kidnapped various members of Congress they didn’t succeed in doing this although some of them brought the equipment
Trump was clearly in communication with his mob although it wasn’t direct two-way communication it was through news reporting and the media
Immediately after Trump tweeted that Pence wasn’t going to be a good boy and do what he was told the protesters started ransacking the capital looking for Pence. reporters who were inside the capitol at the time heard them yelling to each other about various ways to look for and locate Pence and this started immediately after Trump’s tweet
some people erected a scaffold for hanging out on the external grounds and we’re talking about hanging pence for being a traitor
I’m sure this was a tiny group who had these plans I can’t believe that very many people were in on it or were aware that some of the mob intended to take it that far
there’s been speculation that they were after the rest of the Senate and House leadership as well but I don’t think that’s become clear. Did they have a clear-cut well-designed plan or did they just have a few crazy ideas?
I do believe that Trump or some of his crazier assistants knew that some of the people intended to occupy the capital and possibly to take hostages or kidnap people. That’s not proven yet though
I wonder what pence’s thoughts are on all this now
he probably knows a good bit about it by this point
Apparently the 25th amendment is a bit more complex than just a vote of the cabinet the president can appeal Congress has to approve it after a certain amount of time etc etc
I don’t know if Pence’s refusal to deal with that is based on him not wanting to further inflame things or that he doesn’t have the votes in the cabinet especially with all the resignations or that he thinks it just creates another legal nightmare
The option of impeachment comes with its own set of problems
I think the way it’s works is that the house can vote very quickly even on Monday to impeach
But then the Senate can take its damn time if it wants to and all other business kind of grinds to a halt while that goes on
Which means Biden cabinet people don’t get confirmed and other legislative business doesn’t get dealt with until the impeachment thing is dealt with
I’m not sure if the law I’m no lawyer but I did hear a legal expert discuss it in those terms and that the Senate could essentially use the threat of the government grinding to a halt to controlled impeachment process to some extent
I’m hoping that enough senators are absolutely furious or else they’re afraid of looking bad on television that they won’t do that
Trump to me seems to clearly have had traitorous intentions against the US government.
what boggles my mind is that if he was going to take things that far he didn’t have a viable plan or even attempt to get one and he seems not to have thought it was any big deal that apparently the nation would just kind of go along with it and the Congress and the courts would just kind of go along with it
Someone or other maybe David Axelrod said he’s not intelligent but he has feral cunning
Maybe that explains it I don’t know
Mitt Romney has said that essentially the 25th amendment and impeachment won’t do that much and that we just have to try to hold our breath and get to the 20th and through it and hope nothing else disgusting or despicable or violent happens
There’s no doubt that Senator Romney thinks Trump is guilty of all sorts of federal crimes. I think Romney’s just talking about the practicalities of the current moment.
Assuming and hoping that we do make it to the 20th and we do make it to a Biden administration there’s obviously an enormous and complex story here that will hopefully come out
I’ve heard a military legal expert say that the military can call general Flynn and any other potential participant in this sort of thing can recall them to active duty and then Court martial them
Trump’s pardon apparently is not part of this process although I’m not certain of that
If Trump’s pardon of Flynn doesn’t preempt that then I think the military ought to do it once Biden is president
@f00l Possible, but unlikely to happen for … reasons.
That’s the 5 cent answer. There’s a $2 answer, but it is long.
@rockblossom
that’s a great five cent answer
Thx
I thought it was worth posting separately as well, but here’s Arnold Schwarzenegger’s thoughts on the attack.
@blaineg
I can’t see it in the other topic or this one it must be a Twitter link I don’t suppose you could do a screenshot
@blaineg
Okay I watched it in the other topic thank you for posting it
Arnold really found his moment. He did a truly wonderful job on that
here’s a redundant link to the YouTube version for people who can’t see the Twitter links and don’t want to go to the other topic
'Absolute Hero’: Capitol Police Officer Led Insurrectionists Away from Senate Entrance
https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/absolute-hero-capitol-police-officer-led-insurrectionists-away-from-senate-entrance/
@blaineg
/giphy rimshot
One thing, even at the point the traitors left the building, how many officers/troops were there? They should have all been detained, as they were not only all suspects with ample evidence of multiple crimes, they are murder suspects, at least one of them bashed an officer’s head in. It seems reinforcements still weren’t present at a level where they could have set up a perimeter at some distance and detained everyone?
@kevinrs I don’t understand why Trump didn’t order DHS and FBI to have buses to arrest them waiting outside. It’s not like they didn’t know there were more than a few busloads of Trumpanzees on the loose.
Oh wait, Trump was part and parcel of the sedition. That’s why.
Apparently participating in an insurrection and assault on the capitol means you get put on the federal no-fly list where you then get detained for questioning in the airport by some nice DHS and FBI agents.
Who knew playing stupid games has stupid consequences?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-pga-golf/2021/01/10/c0384264-51ea-11eb-bda4-615aaefd0555_story.html
Posted by Ivanka Trump during the Capitol storming in Wed.
Deleted shortly thereafter, as the phrase “American Patriots” in this context didn’t go over well.
Might hurt her future political career.
@f00l Not before an infiltration that allowed access to everything being downloaded. Posts, images, videos, and because they required a scan of one’s ID to be verified, lots of personal information that’ll be a thief’s paradise and/or a pot of gold to the FBI.
@narfcake
Yeah. That info is showing up on archive.org and elsewhere.
I wonder if Russian Tool Assange is interested in publishing it?
@f00l @narfcake Apparently, Parler login security defaulted to “any password will do” when their login service provider, Twilio/Duo, dropped them. Including admin accounts. Who knows how many folks went in as admin and downloaded everything they could access before Amazon pulled the plug. Apparently there’s a bunch still on Archive.org (wayback machine).
And yeah, pretty sure the FBI was downloading the GBs of unencrypted PII (Personally Identifiable Info), as you said, with full scans of drivers licenses. No warrant needed.
@mike808 @narfcake
I assume that when AWS shut down their web services it didn’t also delete all the data
@f00l @mike808 @narfcake I assume they shut it down in order to delete all the data. It’s probably a pretty big liability having that on your equipment.
@DoctorOW @mike808 @narfcake
deleting data that might be evidence of crimes when one knows these crimes are being investigated is a far bigger liability
@DoctorOW @f00l @narfcake Sorry, that doesn’t fly. All data “might” be evidence of a crime. That is why we have warrants.
Knowingly deleting data that has been declared evidence of a crime is the actual liability. That hasn’t been proven.
Just because the State would like to be able to collect evidence of a crime does not infer nor imply an obligation to preserve any potential evidence of any potential crime, that may or may not be a crime, or even a crime in the future.
Is there likely to be evidence of a crime? Criminal conspiracy? Perhaps. But that would be up to a judge to issue a warrant and order for AWS to preserve said data. Keep in mind that the feds have the ability to use FISA warrants, and we may not know the machinations or scope of any investigations.
I’m not defending the despicable people or their criminal actions and statements that were communicated and/or coordinated on Parler. But as a society of laws and principles, we must follow them, lest we become the lawless and unprincipled we abhor. There is a process, and I am confident the Biden administration will appropriately resource and prioritize pursuing these criminals and their coordinating organizations and willing, intentional collaborators in the seditious attempted insurrection upon our nation’s Capitol building and the Congress itself, performing the People’s business, specifically, both houses in session, performing the Constitutional actions required in the 12th Amendment.
@f00l I’m looking for the source of the report saying multiple gallows were erected. This was just a practice run.
#NoFlyList
Trending on twitter.
When you were part of a group that violently stormed the US Capitol in a coup attempt, nobody wants you to be with you 30,000 feet in the air onboard a potential missile. Lessons from 9/11.
— TheValuesVoter January 10, 2021
Do you know who’s not on the No Fly List??
Black Lives Matter Protesters.
Do you know why?
Because they are not fucking terrorists #NoFlyList
— TweetiepieHawly January 11, 2021
It would be nice if any comments about Melania were not misogynistic
@f00l She and Trump have been screwing anyone they could in their own way to get what ever they want. I am sure this will be deleted as misogynistic but there is nothing good to say about either of them. They are both takers and she is the worst of the worse. Came to this country illegally and she enables him in every way possible. Good riddance to both of them.
@Felton10
I don’t see much misogynistic about your comment
Certainly she seems to me to be very cold, very uninvolved, and very into everything for only what she can get for herself, and what she can get for for her immediate blood family.
My instinct or guess would be that within two years she’s left him unless he buys her off with a very significant payout plus a notable improvement in whatever prenup they’ve got, in her favor
That judgment reflects mostly merely my own prejudices, because I know next to nothing about her
she seems to want it that way. she seems to want to give people zero information and zero personal response
@f00l @Felton10
She was busy renegotiating better terms in her prenup/exit strategy during Trump’s first impeachment. She will get her cut before the NY DA starts their freezes and siezes for the tax fraud charges that have been teed up for four years.
@f00l @Felton10
I have liked her more since the leaked “Who gives a fuck about Christmas decorations?” thing, and seeing how great her Christmas decorations have been.
@Felton10 @Limewater
I always kind of feel bad for the people who actually design each year’s Christmas look at places like the White House because they get no credit
they’re just behind the scenes and they mock up several alternatives and in this case the first Lady picks what she likes their crews do all the work and then she shows up for the photo op and takes credit
It always seemed to me like the name of the designers and the crews should be on a placard somewhere so they could get a little credit in the way that everybody who ever worked on a film gets their name at the end
Regarding her “who gives a fuck about Christmas” remark, most “public people in positions of power or in positions of respectability” who didn’t care at all about things like important religious or secular holidays would still not dare be that honest even in the most private conversation
She’s kind of upfront about how much she doesn’t care except about herself her son her parents and her sister. And she cares that she always looks good
From the outside, this marriage looks like a really serious Faustian bargain, with little going for it except preserving a slightly “glamorous” form of conventional appearances and the attempt to preserve money and power
@f00l @Felton10
Oh yeah, I just really don’t link Christmas and like how she’s said “fuck it” and chosen extremely bizarre/non-traditional designs. I can’t imagine another First Lady choosing to fill the White House with completely uniform, monochrome Christmas trees.
I mean, I don’t think that she displays a lot of admirable qualities, and I am certainly not hoping that my daughter grows up to be like the First Lady, but I can still find her amusing.
@f00l @Limewater I think we can all agree she had no interest in being first lady in the first place. She was just riding the terms of her prenup to get the most money when she finally dumps Donald.
She had a chance to reinvent what most people thought about her as a gold digger and she not only didn’t take that opportunity but I dare say most think less of her now than we did 4 years ago.
She could have picked a cause like most first ladies do and worked tirelessly toward that yet she picked “Be Best” which is the total opposite of how her husband acted.
A total waste of human being just like her husband.
@Felton10 @Limewater
I’ve found her to be rather uniquely obvious in her cold and calculating lack of personability. . And I’ve noted her incredible disdain for being nice in conventional ways. At least it’s different.
Her most recent message rather makes it sound like she thinks she’s the big victim of last Wednesday’s events
Maybe someday that will seem funny to me.
She does seem to have certain values in common with her husband
Such as a belief that everybody and everything else should be sacrificed for his or her image and for his or her position and standing
Oh well.
/image Melania I don’t really care do u jacket
@Felton10 @Limewater
In person she apparently says as little as possible she’s famous even within the family for it
According to the SWW book, in private text communication she says as little as possible that’s concrete and expresses herself in long strings of emojis
Which leaves the recipient of the message the task of interpreting it, and people tend to interpret these private messages according to what they want to believe
And yet by using mostly emojis she’s committed herself to exactly nothing.
She seems to prefer that people in her life know absolutely nothing about her feelings and attitudes, while she arranges for them to assume that they know who she is
https://www.queerty.com/noflylist-videos-sobbing-domestic-terrorists-arrested-airplanes-going-viral-20210111
@lisaviolet
MAGA
My Ass Got Arrested
@f00l
/image medal of freedom Jim Jordan
Meanwhile this POS has of course accepted his. The official White House statement about it is just appalling:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-award-medal-freedom-jim-jordan/
@f00l @Kyeh ummmmm is it just my computer or did the White House post the text twice?
@ApplePI @f00l I’m only seeing it once (which is already too much…)
@ApplePI @f00l @Kyeh it’s repeated for me too.
@ApplePI @f00l @RiotDemon Oh, you’re right - I looked more closely and they did!
Pretty sloppy for an official White House statement!
@ApplePI @Kyeh @RiotDemon
Jim Jordan, Medal Of Freedom Recipient.
Hmmmm.
From Jordan’s wikipedia entry
@ApplePI @f00l @Kyeh @RiotDemon
How to ruin the prestige of an award like this for those in the future when they are offered to jerks like this. Sigh. But then again why would anyone expect anything different based on who is giving them out?
The good news I suppose is it now the FBI and DHS are all over the security threats posed by these extremists and terrorists.
The security for the inauguration is going to be insane I hope it’s effective
One of the worst parts of this is continuing reports of fifth column and collusion activity from within law enforcement at various levels
I heard a former high individual from the FBI (forget his name) say that for this particular inauguration they have to take extra procedures
They not only have to have all sorts of National Guard and security and police people there to protect the high government officials the foreign dignitaries and other important people and so forth
But that some of those security people are going to be watching our own security forces for signs of radicalization or anti inauguration action within those ranks
According to this person whose name I can’t remember that’s a first for inaugurations where he was somewhat familiar with the security plans
@f00l I would agree. All it would take is any one or a few of the numerous armed officers from numerous agencies, many of which are under the direct control of Trump (or “acting” loyalist sycophants that haven’t jumped ship from the Trumptanic), to “go rogue”. They all have guns, remember, from the DC parking enforcement officers to SWAT to the Secret Service. That’s a lot of people to vet and ensure they weren’t lying about their loyalty to the Constitution.
Because we all know that Trumpanzees and MAGAts are just so honest and truthful.
/giphy family guy vomit
Sheldon Adelson, Billionaire Donor to G.O.P. and Israel, Is Dead at 87
Doesn’t belong in the RIP thread because he doesn’t deserve to rest in peace.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/business/sheldon-adelson-dead.html
@Kyeh Rest in payback?
@OldCatLady Hopefully not too restful!
A growing number of Republicans say they will vote to impeach Trump
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/12/politics/republican-reaction-impeach-vote/index.html
Final days bring new urgency to Trump’s desire to pardon himself and his children
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/12/politics/trump-pardons-children-attacks-capitol/index.html
Pompeo cancels Europe trip after Luxembourg snub
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/12/politics/pompeo-trip-canceled/index.html
People who talked to Trump right after the impeachment said he was clueless as to the effect the impeachment would have on his legacy and the US’s standing in the world. But he expressed concern about the effect it would have on the Trump brand. Big surprise.
@Felton10 Will it be the first presidential library to be housed in Leavenworth?
So 10 Republicans voted in favor of Trump’s second impeachment. How many voted in favor of Trump’s first impeachment?
@JT954 Zero.
10 is simply not enough after the election lies, inciting riot, & sedition. I’ve been skeptically Independent for most of my adult life, but simply cannot ever support a Republican Party so full of sycophants & enablers.
@compunaut @JT954 I’m not sure who I’m voting for in the next few congressional elections, but I know who I’m voting against.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2021/01/mike-pence-donald-trump-attack
@Kyeh
@JT954 Yes, I saw that
!
@mike808 so I think this is interesting. Historically United Van Lines has been the official White House mover. If you look at the pictures that have most recently been posted they are not UVL trucks, rather plain white trucks. I wonder if they declined OR don’t want their logo associated with this president.
@mike808 @tinamarie1974
So JK Moving is doing the job.
The proper salutation for this time of year?
Treason’s Greetings!
For those of us who were glad to get rid of 2020 and into 2021, this year has started out shitty and gone down hill fast. Over 4,000 dead a day from Covid, vaccine shortages and impossible to get what ever is available and oh yes. Riots and lockdowns thanks to the worst President ever-that POS tRump.
@Felton10 I watched a Stephen Colbert bit yesterday, every occurrence of the president’s name was censored. T****.
@blaineg @Felton10 I noticed that on the Colbert show too! He won’t say his name but says the President!
Well, they’re getting bolder. I was just taunted by a maskhole while shopping at Aldi’s. Fucker came right up to me, asked if I ever pulled my mask down to get some air. I told him to get away from me. I yelled for the cashier to call security. She ignored me. As I was checking out, maskhole and his woman came close again and called me a dumbass. I told the cashier to call her manager. Manager apologized for her inaction. I suggested perhaps he could train her. Another shopper corroborated me.
I am the very picture of white privilege, and he chose to act out at me. They’re ramping up, folks.
@OldCatLady so sorry you had to deal with such stupidity
@OldCatLady Our only hope is that these idiots will die a horrible death from Covid for their stupidity and that someone in the Republican party has the balls to finally tell Trump’s brain dead lemmings that he is and was a liar and to forget everything he said.
@OldCatLady
Goodness. I’m not seeing casual incivility in Texas. Hope it stays that way.
In rural areas there are still a few Trump banners out tho.
@OldCatLady I’m going to start carrying pepper spray for potential use on those who don’t wear masks and won’t stay 6+ feet away.
Self-defense.
@compunaut @OldCatLady
You should switch to fart or skunk spray. Pepper spray could result in you being charged with assault, depending on the local laws.
@compunaut @mike808 @OldCatLady
I think it would be appropriate to spray them with Poo-Pourri!
The Trump Presidency in Six Words (by Bennet Kelley)
Thankfully, only 2 more day until December 51, 2020 is over.
@mike808
Even setting aside all the descriptives on your list, there are the issues of constant over-the-top dishonesty, manipulation of powers to serve the personal gain of one person, and near total incompetence (even when the advisors were competent)
In every area of governmental or national action, policy, philosophy, trust, judgment, image, influence, and state of readiness (from the trivial to the most profound), the damage is incalculable.
I hope it’s all mostly recoverable. I’m not certain that’s possible, tho.
@f00l Let us not forget the complicity of the Republican party enablers and full-throated champions of fascism who knowingly committed acts of criminality - sedition and insurrection.
Josh Hawley, as a former Attorney General does not get a pass on feigned “unity” to avoid consequences. Free speech is not without them, either.
Ted Cruz, as a Constitutional Lawyer, does not get a pass either.
Mitch McConnell, who provided “advise and consent” to his parties actions by actively directing them through his control over Senate business, does not get a pass either.
The assault on our Capitol, and more importantly, our Government, was not spontaneous. It was coordinated. It was planned. There were folks giving direction, with the intention to evade detection of their crime. Free speech does not exempt sedition, nor conspiracy, nor is privileged speech (say, between a lawyer and a client) protected for the planning of criminal activity.
I can only hope that AG Garland, who is well versed in stochastic and domestic terrorism, will not only apply the full force and weight of the US Government against these violent seditionists and murderers who sought to overthrow our government through attacking its constitutional election processes at every level, from county to state to the Congress.
They were knowingly aided and abetted by every one of the Republican Senators (McConnell, Blunt, Sessions, Hawley, Cruz, Loeffler, Purdue, et al.) and Representatives (Brooks, Tuberville, Boebert, et al.) who violated their oaths of office and who voted to reject performing the constitutional requirements of their office on January 6th. Some twice, ehile others did nothing, and by their inaction have been complicit co-conspirators.
Many continued their sedition, even after the failed insurrection they helped promulgate was dispelled and they returned to the business of complying eith the 12th Amendment.
#LockThemUp
@f00l @mike808 You also have Rep. Lauren Boebert who was apparently tweeting where Nancy Pelosi was after the capital was over run. Sigh.
@mike808 @Kidsandliz @f00l How about that. Megaphone woman is Boebert’s mommy. Zip tie guy and his zip tie mommy were both arrested, I heard. There’s nothing like family values.
@f00l @Kidsandliz @mike808 @OldCatLady Wow - I hadn’t heard that about Boebert’s mom! Oh, I hope they can prove that …
@f00l @Kidsandliz @Kyeh @OldCatLady
I’d rather they prove that she personally led reconnaissance tours to identify targets and defenses with her mother and other seditionists in the days before the failed insurrection.
And then vote to expell her and force the voters to reevaluate who they send to Washington to represent them.
Numerous Democratic representatives have given statements on the floor of the house stating that they did not give any tours in the weeks before Jan 6. No Republicans have similarly claimed they weren’t collaborators.
complicit
@Kidsandliz @Kyeh @mike808 @OldCatLady
Any member who arranged for pre-riot tours needs to be expelled, charged, convicted, and jailed.
Would love to see the various Trump collusionistas punished, but most of them will only suffer slight reputation damage, if that.
I hope that, in particular, Sen Hawley and Sen Cruz are punished.
And poor, pathetic, weak-minded needy coward Sen Graham needs to retire, at the least.
@f00l @Kidsandliz @mike808 @OldCatLady Yeah, well, if they can prove it was Boobert’s mom it will bolster the argument that she gave a reconnaissance tour, from what Megaphone mom told the crowd about knowing the layout.
That gun-totin’ hussy is an embarrassment to my state.
@f00l @Kidsandliz @mike808 @OldCatLady
Well, it turns out that the “bullhorn woman” in the pink hat is NOT Boebert’s mom:
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/a-pennsylvania-mothers-path-to-insurrection-capitol-riot
For those with trouble viewing imgur pictures of tweets, here’s the sauce.
If there was any doubt about who incited the insurrection against the Capitol and the US Government itself, where Congress was in joint session conducting the people’s business inside.
2:35 “We are listening to Trump – your boss.”
That POS Trump is considering pardoning some of the people who stormed the Capitol as he thinks they did nothing wrong. Can wait for Wed when we flush this toilet turd down the crapper for good.
@Felton10 I kinda figured that would happen. Disgraceful
@Felton10 @tinamarie1974 He won’t. He’s too focused on writing his self-pardon and pardons for Jarvanka.
Who else wont get pardons? Rudy.
Who will? Old white dudes who ripped off millions from taxpayers or others who’ve crossed Trump.
For a hefty contribution, of course, to Trump’s offshore accounts that he thinks Wilbur Ross or Deutsche Bank or Putin or MBS don’t already know about. With a smaller cut to Jarvanka for “consulting”.
Don Jr will be pissed when he’s left hung out to dry to save daddy’s girl.
@Felton10 @mike808 @tinamarie1974
Anyone wanna donate $1M in spare change on my behalf?
I want a full and complete pardon for my prior traffic tickets.
@f00l @Felton10 @mike808 @tinamarie1974 Alas, presidential pardons are at the federal level only, not the state or local level.
@Felton10 @mike808 @narfcake @tinamarie1974
Maybe I can get a retroactive venue change.
@Felton10 Trump’s only going to pardon people who are useful to him, and people who can pay him. He was already expressing contempt for the rabble who threw away their jobs and years of their lives to physically express his Trumper tantrum during the attack. And he has a long history of screwing over the little guys, and gloating because he knows they can’t do anything about it.
I can’t feel sorry for these self-deceiving idiots. But it turns out I can despise Trump just a little more.
https://apple.news/A8tG_UFOfT3uf-v37zxut6Q
He is unlikely to resign. He appears to be one of those persons who possesses no capacity for shame, guilt, or self-evaluation.
His ambition appears to be his primary driving personal motivation in all areas of his life.
@f00l WOW!
Two-faced liar Rep McCarthy at his “best”.
‘Unbelievable’: Jake Tapper reacts to Rep. McCarthy’s about-face
https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2021/01/17/tapper-ender-trump-big-lie-election-results-capitol-riot-sotu-vpx.cnn
Not sure we can survive even 2 more days with this unhinged POS in office.
I’m interested why we haven’t heard anything from the miscreants who were defending him earlier. Have they seen the error of their ways and are too embarrassed to come forward or as I suspect are they are gutless cowards who don’t have the balls to defend their beliefs?
They’re the ones screaming “unity”, as if that absolves them of guilt and consequences.
They’re only screaming unity because they got caught.
Anyone surprised? Parler moves to Russian hosting. Trump has been compromised from day 1. Russia and Trump are co-conspirators. Dude’s been projecting since 2016. It’s why he’s so sensitive about it. Because it’s true.
@mike808 Nnnng.
Meanwhile, journalists are exclaiming at how bizarre it is that laptops and documents were stolen. Really? How is it surprising that, in a group of conspiracy nuts who follow a shadow leader, some are compromised to function as dummy operatives?
Off the rails: Behind Trump’s post-election meltdown
Is an Axios deep dive by reporter Jonathan Swan into how Trump got to the demise if what was left of his reputation and his 2020 election ambitions.
The overall series so far
https://www.axios.com/off-the-rails-episodes-cf6da824-83ac-45a6-a33c-ed8b00094e39.html
The still incomplete series so far:
Episode 1: A premeditated lie lit the fire
Episode 2: Barbarians at the Oval
Episode 3: Descent into madness
Episode 4: Trump turns on Barr
Episode 5: The secret CIA plan
…
Axios us traditionally very well sources within the Trump White House and cabinet
@f00l
Ep 6 Last stand in Georgia.
(Same url as above)
@f00l
Ep 7 Trump turns on Pence
@f00l
Ep 8 The siege
@Kidsandliz Wednesdays are my normal trash days. I will be taking mine to the roadside about the same time DT will be having his going-away ceremony at Andrews AFB. Some things get hauled away in a panel truck; others in AF1.
@Kidsandliz @rockblossom tRump and his toilet floaters deserve a more refined and faster way to get to their final destination. I suggest we all flush our toilets at the same time his plane takes off. In that way, he will get to the shit hole state (my state) of Florida quicker.
Some major retailers will be throwing out some pillows.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/01/19/my-pillow-ceo-lindell/
https://www.dailykos.com/story/2021/1/16/2009784/-Hey-barking-lunatics-Use-the-code-QAnon-to-get-a-45-MyPillow-discount-No-seriously
Lindell has been served by Dominion in their $3B defamation case. He has been served with a similar order to preserve all communications with the Trump campaign, the White House, and Trump’s legal staff. Twitter has also been served with a similar order as certain Lindell tweets have been locked, presumably to prevent removal and thereby effect destruction of evidence and documents.
He’s toast. This is Georgia state courts, so there is no pardon pathway.
As is the case with the other political threads, the people who surround themselves with Trump continue to fascinate me more than Donald.
I’m still laughing at “Rudy Tooty” announcing he will not be able to represent Trump at the second impeachment hearing since he will be considered a witness (aka he’s toast that will probably lose his license soon).
And even with all the people getting pardons, it’s not going to last. Seriously, how will people like Duncan Hunter and Steve Bannon rebound from this? I imagine they will crash and burn like Joe Arpeio, Jeff Sessions, and Roy Moore and will never be seen again. At least one person from the pardons or this administration will think they are invincible and do something that will put them behind bars for good.
Could it be Mike Lindell next? Because wow, the things everyone is posting about him proves once again that truth is stranger than fiction.
@JT954
Unfortunately, most if the people around Trump will transmute their ambitions or insanities into new directions.
They will still be destructive well into the future.
“American Carnage” departs the WH on Jan 20.
@f00l The Fucker and Mrs. Fucker have left the building. But the smell will linger.
@f00l
@f00l I feel sorry for those that live near the ex-prez.
Schumer needs to ditch the filibuster (which Mitch desperately needs to continue his obstruction by the GOP). Mitch is a dishonest negotiator in bad faith. Time and time again.
Merrick Garland. Doing away with the filibuster to pack SCOTUS with Cavanaugh and ACB. But now, he’s seen the error in his ways and we should keep it put of respect for tradition? Bullshit. Pure 200 proof bullshit.
Mitch has one goal - sabotaging and obstructing any Democratic legislation and interfering with and impeding the administration in any way he can. His past actions prove it.
Schumer should ditch the filibuster and tell Mitch to shove it for the first year, and that maybe he’ll consider bringing it back if Mitch demonstrates he is actually interested in democracy and a functioning Congress, or whether he isn’t.
He can start by leading the GOP caucus to expell the seditious among their ranks, starting with Hawley and Cruz.
Elections have consequences.
@mike808
I don’t think Schumer has the “for sure” votes for killing the filibuster, or for expelling Hawley and Cruz at this exact moment.
Times are fluid tho.
–
When McConnell first declined to to the impeach trial immediately, most interpretations were that he was still protecting his party.
But those views have shifted.
The trial will now be conducted with a 50/50 Senate. And McConnell, no fool, knew that, with a few days delay, more Senators might come on board, and more info would come out that looked terrible for Trump.
He appears to be undecided on his impeach vote at the moment. And McConnell is still a snake, of course.
But Mcconnell may think that he can use the impeach vote to kill Trump as a political power once and for all. McConnell is said to loathe Trump personally, and thinks Trump has destroyed the R party.
Trump didn’t help himself in this by his talk of creating a third party.
@f00l @mike808 I still don’t trust that snake in the grass, but I agree with you. This may be his one and only chance to remove Trump as a player in the Republican party forever.
@Felton10
McConnell acts in the interests of furthering his vision of his party. And in the interests of his power within.
No reason to trust him. He “does the right thing” when that coincides with the values mentioned above.
@f00l @Felton10 And he will never do anything in the interests of unity or “reaching across the aisle” cough ACB cough. If he says so, he’s lying and his word cannot be trusted. He is just as transactional as Trump in all things.
Just flushed all the toilets in my house to rid the country of the biggest piece of shit ever to occupy the White House.
@f00l
How about MAGAt…MAGA-ite?
Trumpista?
OMG -how refreshing! A White House press secretary who isn’t covered with make-up, who speaks clearly and directly.
@Kyeh Are you referring to Jen or the ex first lady. Could apply to both.
@Felton10 I’m saying Jen is such a nice contrast to Kayleigh Malarkenany. Dr. Jill is a nice contrast to Malaria too.
The National Mall early this morning.
Very different from the afternoon of two weeks ago.
Seemed to presage a good day.
@f00l Maybe we need a fresh political thread to express our relief and delight at seeing a president actually working and communicating clearly without any ridiculous drama and posturing! Of course I’m sure we’ll have more foolishness from the MAGAts but for now I’m really enjoying the feeling that I’m no longer caught in some sort of bad acid trip.
@Kyeh
Good idea.
Anxiety over the various political horrors and post-truth propaganda deluge had become my habit withouty being fully aware of it.
I’m trying to step back from that and lower the stress levels a bit now.
I don’t know if the sort of topic you advocate would work here tho.
These discussions (in general public forums) always seem to bring in far more who will do oppositional trolling, than those who would offer oppositional reasoned, open and civil conversation.
@f00l @Kyeh So what does Grandpa think we should talk about?
@f00l @mike808 Universal health care! Free college! I don’t disagree, but I don’t think either of those things has a chance right now.
@f00l Yeah, I’m sure you’re right. It’s more fun to rant, of course. I’m sure there’s still going to be plenty to rant about, too. I still feel this millisecond of antagonism when I hear the word “president” before my brain catches up and realizes it’s not tRump anymore!
@f00l @Kyeh @mike808 I
Bernie
@f00l @mike808 @tinamarie1974 Me too!
Just one of many:
https://apple.news/AD2Fnx8XnTWqkGXxA1k16ZA
@f00l @Kyeh @mike808
@f00l @Kyeh @mike808
Possibly relevant:
@f00l Wow
That woman really had a way with words, didn’t she?
It is not a coincidence that both Missouri Senators get a panel in the Top 8 Senate co-conspirator seditionist accomplices of the two-time popular vote loser, twice-impeached, and soon to be mulitply indicted fecal stain of the former POTUS.
@mike808 Both of my senators-“Little hands and little everything else” Rubio and “Mr. Medicare Fraud” Scott both voted to acquit. Both were noticed not even paying attention during the arguments. Along with Governor DeDumbass they make up this worst group of toilet floaters by far in this country.
@Felton10 is he really only 50??
@Felton10
Cruz asked for and received a walking police escort both for going thru the airport terminal upon leaving for Cancun, and upon arriving during his return from MX.
I’m sure the police had nothing else to do and only had free time to take care of Sen Cruz;
since there was nothing else going on in TX at the time
(other than an ongoing pandemic, a weather catastrophe, record low temps, a power grid failure, massive water pipe damage, record setting insurance claims likely for storm property damage, unsafe and untreated water for many residents who had access to water, a stop to much or most commercial, economic, transportation activity, many persons at risk due to extreme cold exposure, many persons at risk due to battery depletion re life saving medical equipment, and 6-7+ million residents without heat, power, water, food, or more than one of those, at the time.)
I found Flying Ted.
#TedFled