As January 6, 2022, approaches, never, never forget what happened one year ago.
Never forget that the insurrectionists who stormed the U.S. Capitol where people were maimed and died were Trump cultists incited by Trump's Big Lie.
Never forget this: Republican Leader McCarthy:
"Some say the riots were caused by Antifa. There is absolutely no evidence of that. And conservatives should be the first to say so. "
And this by McCarthy:
“The president bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters,” McCarthy said on the House floor. “He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding. These facts require immediate action by President Trump."
Not since August 24, 1814, as the War of 1812 raged on, and invading British troops marched into Washington and set fire to the U.S. Capitol, the President's Mansion, and other local landmarks, has America suffered an attack on the U.S. Capitol.
January 6, 2021, was inspired by Trump, who refused to accept the will of the people.
I will not forget what happened that day, and I want to see everyone who planned and carried out this attack on American democracy punished and shunned for what they did.
Trumpublicans want us to pretend that what happened was just a "tiny bit of rowdiness," and to move on without having anyone answer for the seditious actions of that terrible day.
The question now is will the Trumpublican Party, its bloggers and news sites, continue to minimize the U.S. Capitol attack by Trump supporters and continue to spread Trump's Big Lie?
Do they stand with the United States or do they stand with the terrorists?
Here's a warning to everyone about what the Republican Party has become:
"Reuters published a horrifying examination of 'more than 850 threatening and hostile messages aimed at election officials and staff related to the 2020 election,' nearly all of which came from Trump supporters.
ProPublica reports that dozens of state and local officials, all Republicans, show up on secret membership lists of the Oath Keepers, a violent far-right organization that was amply represented at the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Meanwhile, local Republican Party organizations literally celebrate the insurrection as a glorious crusade.
From a German observer:
"Anyone who wants to understand the USA today needs to look at Germany in 1933, and anyone who wants to understand Germany in 1933 can look at the USA today. America's democracy is in a near death spiral and 'conservatives' are blocking the first responders to reach the dying patient while they scream: 'Look! Over there! A Mask! Antifa! The Squad!'
When I visited the USA in spring 2016, at the time when Trump won the GOP nomination, I told my American friends, 'Why do you worry? Trump can't be elected . That's not even a question of politics but of decency.'
When he got elected I thought that the American people would soon unite in reaction to his corruption, stupidity, and incompetence.
When the capitol was assaulted I thought that now the GOP would recognize that their strategy of radicalization would eventually engulf them and destroy the very foundations of the country.
Now, after 5 years, I can't help but to come to the conclusion that Trump is a genuine image of America. He is the mirror which reveals a large part of the American soul, driven by greed, racism, vileness, resentment, violence, and ignorance.
In the last 40 years America conducted a great experiment, to transition from a free market economy to a free market society, where everything is a commodity: health, justice, education, democracy, and even human decency. It can all be traded and the only question is the price.
Now, as this experiment is coming to its conclusion, it turns out that this free market society is incompatible with democracy itself."
39 comments:
Barbara Malmet: “Over three hours Trump watched his own reality tv show on 1/6 as his violent mob tore through the Capitol doing his bidding. Nothing could tear him away from the big screen tv in the White House.”
I'll never forget that very dark day in our history and I'll be damned if I ever let the Repibliscumbags forget it, either.
The course followed and the actions taken will determine the next chapter in our ongoing national nightmare. Outcome projection... Not Good.
Living around 5 miles from the White House and Capitol, 1/6 will remain forever in my mind, like 9/11. I was at a fast food drive thru and turned on the all news station here. I was gobsmacked listening to what was going on. I hurried to get home not knowing if other outbreaks of violence were going to start since there were previous rumors of proud boys and other alt right groups renting AirBnBs around my neighborhood. For better or worse it was confined to the Capitol building. I still cannot wrap my head around some Republicans that try to brush it off, or worse, go back on what they previously said about the former guy being responsible. I was and will forever be proud and grateful that Rep. Jamie Raskin is my congressman and lives in my little town.
While I really do understand the investigators’ need to find irrefutable evidence about who was behind 1/6 and who carried it out, I can’t help but wonder: Didn’t everybody watch the riot on live television? Didn’t we all see with our own eyes, hear with our own ears when rioters told us that the president asked them to do it?
Didn’t we all wonder why the president waited hours to say something and then reinforced the rioters by telling them how important they were? Didn’t he, years before, say that the only way he could lose is by fraud, preempting his loss?
Didn’t we hear the police officers testify to Congress about what happened? Have we forgotten Josh Hawley’s fist-salute to the rioters? How much more proof is needed to uncover treasonous activity? Time is running out and we may very well lose our system of government.
Fiona Hill, who is an expert on Russian autocracy, stated that everything that happened in Russia is happening here, mainly that one branch of our legislature is complicit in the coup.
Also, the fact that the coup was not a one day event. The coup was planned by intelligent people and lawyers from November 2020 and the coup is ongoing today. If these people who planned the coup and are continuing to plan the next coup are not brought to justice, we will have a coup in 2022 and another one in 2024.
Paula is asking the important questions. Let me put my MAGA Hat on and do my best to answer them in HMS Mothership speak...
"Didn’t everybody watch the riot on live television? Didn’t we all see with our own eyes, hear with our own ears when rioters told us that the president asked them to do it?"
Yes, we watched what was happening, as it happened. And we, the so called MAGA Mob also heard our president tell them to "I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard."
Wasn't that a call for peaceful protest?
"Didn’t we all wonder why the president waited hours to say something and then reinforced the rioters by telling them how important they were? Didn’t he, years before, say that the only way he could lose is by fraud, preempting his loss?"
Of course he said the only way he could lose was by fraud. Because it was true! And those mail in ballots you lefties love are rife with the possibility for fraud. Anyone can fill them out, even dead people apparently. How else to explain how so many Republicans everywhere won election against you guys but Trump lost? You expect us to believe that all those people split their ballots for the first time ever? So yes, he lost by fraud. And don't forget that flood in GA as the votes were starting to be counted. Coincidence? NO WAY!
And anyways what could the president have said? How would those people have heard him? Do you think they had radios in their ears so they could receive direct messages from him? How would anything he said as it was happening have gotten to them and made a difference?
And those people are important. All voters are important. BTW, we're still waiting for AOC to tell the ANTIFA and BLM protestors that burning federal buildings in protest over the summer was wrong. Isn't that important to you?
"Didn’t we hear the police officers testify to Congress about what happened? Have we forgotten Josh Hawley’s fist-salute to the rioters? How much more proof is needed to uncover treasonous activity? Time is running out and we may very well lose our system of government."
Yes we heard police officers testify, but not the FBI agents who coordinated and were part of the attack. And not the officers who opened the doors and invited the people in. Senator Hawley was just encouraging a mostly peaceful crowd, not the ANTIFA and FBI group that infiltrated them and encouraged all this as a false flag to discredit our president.
You lefties will do anything to discredit the best president we've had in years. All you want to do is make Pres Trump look bad. One of my friends said it best!
"The Democrats and China colluded this whole Covid thing. Created it, planned it and released it for the primary purpose of getting Trump out of the way. Don’t think it mattered to them which dem ended up in the white house as any that could have is on their payroll.
I firmly believe that. Tony F played a big part too. Add to that the people who can do such a thing are generally big on depopultion as well – more for them less of us. I seriously believe that, The depopulaters have been planning a long time. China? Hell they’d kill millions of their own for most state purposes. They feel as much association to us as a whale to an ant colony."
Paula, I hope this helps...
dave
Shaw...
We should never forget 1/6. Never forget the image of the flag of traitors being proudly carried in the US Capitol. Never forget the windows being broken out. Never forget the US Capitol being defaced. Never forget the images of US Capitol Police sacrificing their bodies to protect the lives of US Congressmen and Congresswomen and US Senators. Never forget the gallows erected for the Vice President of the United States of America to be hanged. Never forget that this was not a tourist visit.
Never. Never. Never.
It was planned terrorism, insurrection, a riot, treasonous and deadly.
It's on the short list of the worst days my country has seen in my lifetime, listed here in no particular order...
The killings of President Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and MLK. 9/11. The election of Donald Trump and now, 1/6
Each of these days negatively altered the trajectory of the US in ways historians will take years to finally understand. Sadly, many of our fellow citizens have decided that the violence of 1/6 was and remains justified.
It is so disheartening.
The objective of the storming the Capitol. Was the
FACT. that the election was STOLY!
The enemies of truth, decency and democracy proudly show off their hatred, evil, ignorance and hypocrisy.
They love their terrorist-praising Leader. “We love you. You're very special.”
This is their idea of America. Supporting the Big Lie and terrorists who ENDED our long history of CONSTITUTIONAL peaceful transition of power.
To hell with them all. They are anti-American fascists.
And what was behind things that lead up to this? The Electoral College which has long outlived its usefulness. Every other elected official in the US is elected by popular vote (by the people that actually vote). Even the Senators were changed from appointment to election by an amendment. Time to do the same with the President and Vice President.
We also need a new voting system. Ranked-choice is one of them but not perfect. But it's a start.
Prepare for the future. It's goiong to be a treacherous journey for certain!
Slowly, one by one, these scum are being convicted and going to jail. We need to ad Trump to the prison roles. If Republicans win back majority, that will all stop.
Frank... first of all, it probably was Stoly. As in Russian Vodka.
But I'm willing to entertain your charge as I'm assuming you meant to type stolen. Do you have any evidence to back up your statement. Because you see, we are a country of laws and that means you need evidence to convict or prove wrongdoing.
Without that, you take the law into your own hands, which I am sure you know is illegal vigilantism, defined as law enforcement undertaken without legal authority by a self-appointed group of people.
So please come back and bring the receipts, not for the Stoly, but the evidence of this fraudulent election you and many like you claim to know exists.
We'll be waiting.
Because if you have that evidence, you'll be exposing the greatest conspiracy ever foisted on the American people by the courts, judges, state and local government and others.
But hey, at least you're willing to admit it was done not by ANTIFA or the FBI, but by supporters of Former President Trump. And that it was not a tourist visit.
That's more than most conservatives will do, including GOP members of Congress.
Howard Kurtz of FOX News in a mostly fair look at 1/6 had this to say to end his column...
"The media have played a polarizing role, breaking along the usual ideological lines. Some have minimized the Capitol riot, others have played it up as if it’s the biggest story in the land, day after day. Some have portrayed the House investigation as a witch hunt aimed at Trump, others have tried to excuse the likes of Mark Meadows and Steve Bannon defying lawful subpoenas."
That final line of his is interesting. Because the only ppl in the media and elsewhere calling this a witch hunt aimed at Trump and excusing Meadows and Bannon are supporters of the former guy.
Dave, Kurtz also wrote this:
When it comes to the attack on the Capitol, the attempt at revisionist history is just surreal, given that the events were recorded from endless angles and that more than 725 people have been charged. We also know that President Trump did not ask his supporters to stand down for three hours, and that numerous allies pleaded with Mark Meadows to get him to speak out. (Liz Cheney said over the weekend that Ivanka Trump twice tried to get her father to intervene.)
There are other verified reports of people trying to get Trump to call off his supporters rampaging through the Capitol, but Trump ignored all of them and let the destruction, and even death of one of his own, go forward.
You and I and others who read my blog know that if these had been insurrectionists against an elected REPUBLICAN president and the certification of the electoral college, all those who are dismissing what happened that day would be screaming their lungs out for justice and punishment for those who stormed the Capitol building.
This is pure tribalism. The Trumpers -- and especially the sailors on the Mother Ship -- will NEVER admit that what happened was more than "a tiny bit of rowdiness," as one of their commenters called it. I've seen this sort of "circling the wagons" mentality in families, so I understand it in a political situation as well, where it is more important for Trumpers to stick to their wrong convictions (election fraud) than see the failed coup for what it was and how it threatens the very foundations of our democracy. They'd rather be loyal Trumpers than loyal Americans.
Mike, Agreed. And I'm for ranked choice as well.
Dave Duby, I feel that same emotion, but I also know that sticking with that sensibility will get us nowhere. I don't know how to heal this divide, but I do know that nothing good will come from it if we don't heal.
As Paula showed, we ALL saw what happened, who was backing it and who continues to lie about it. The thing is, though; These scumbags seem very good at weaseling out of responsibility for their dastardly actions. We must continue to pressure those who are given the task of holding criminals to account. They need to know that a slap on the wrist will NOT be enough.
BlueBullAmerica
Paula, R.D., Anonymous, anymouse, and possumlady,
This is what a journalist who covers voting rights in Texas and elsewhere had to say about J6:
"At no point in his political career — not a single day — has Mr. Trump enjoyed the support of the majority of the country he governed for four years. And whatever else Jan. 6 might have been, it should be understood first and foremost as an expression of disbelief in — or at least a rejection of — that reality. Rather than accepting, in defeat, that much more of their country lay outside their ken than they’d known, his supporters proclaimed themselves victors and threw a deadly and historic tantrum.
The riot was an attack on our institutions, and of course, inflammatory conservative rhetoric and social media bear some of the blame. But our institutions also helped produce that violent outburst by building a sense of entitlement to power within America’s conservative minority."
This Big Lie is the minority's tantrum against America, led by the biggest tantrum thrower, DJT, because at no time did a majority of America EVER approve of Donald Trump, and so he lost in a free and fair election. A loss that neither Trump's cultists nor Trump himself can accept because they have the mindsets of authoritarians.
"The structural advantages that conservatives enjoy in our electoral system are well known. Twice already this young century, the Republican Party has won the Electoral College and thus the presidency while losing the popular vote. Republicans in the Senate haven’t represented a majority of Americans since the 1990s, yet they’ve controlled the chamber for roughly half of the past 20 years. In 2012 the party kept control of the House even though Democrats won more votes."
That's not how democracies work. We are living under the tyranny of a loud, lawless, violent minority. And they mean to keep grabbing power in any way they can.
Remember how McConnell denied President Obama a Supreme Court nominee for the flimsy excuse of it happening in an election year, even though the election was more than 9 months away, and how McConnell jammed through Amy Coney Barrett's nomination and approval WHILE AMERICANS WERE ACTUALLY VOTING! in 2020! This is how thugs and authoritarians operate.
@RWF, sure sounds like you've been raiding the "STOLY" supply on a reg. basis.
Bluebullamerica
Absolutely correct! I don't know how anyone could have watched those horrific scenes on Jan. 6, 2021, and not understand what the insurrectionists were going to do: Interfere with the Constitutionally mandated certification of the electoral votes.
There was no fraud. All 60 suits filed by Trump's people were thrown out of court, even courts where Trump-appointed judges presided. There was no fraud; there was no stolen election.
Those facts still mean nothing to Trump cultists. There's something desperately wrong with them to not be able to see through Trump's disgusting lies and lawlessness in trying to hold on to power.
I hope you're doing well. Sending you best wishes for a peaceful 2022.
PS. Bluebullamerica, check your email.
Shaw... you stated, "I've seen this sort of "circling the wagons" mentality in families..."
I am sure you have. As in families where there is either/or sexual or physical abuse. How often does someone keep quiet to keep the peace, out of shame or it's just too plain hard to face reality.
We have to believe it is something like this behind their reticence to acknowledge the reality of what happened on 1/6. Because the only other option is that 30% of Americans are too stupid to know better.
Don't dismiss that other option so lightly Dave.
I agree with Joe Lockhart:
"Please stop referring to Jan. 6th as a riot. It was not a riot. It was a violent attempt to overthrow a free and fair election. Words matter."
Jennifer Rubin:
"A frighteningly high percentage of Republicans remain in utter denial about the Jan. 6 insurrection, choosing to exonerate the president who instigated it and downplaying the violence that occurred. Still, let’s remember that a very large share of Americans have not lost their minds nor forgotten last year’s events.
A new Associated Press-NORC poll shows results similar to other major polling. Some 57 percent say former president Donald Trump deserves “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of the blame; that number grows to 70 percent hold when we include respondents who think Trump was moderately to blame.
In addition, the poll says, “Nearly two-thirds of Americans say the riot was extremely or very violent, and about 7 in 10 think Congress should continue investigating the events of January 6.”
First, President Biden should accurately cast the Jan. 6 deniers and pro-violence crowd as a dangerous fringe. When “your side” has 60 percent or more of the public behind it, you should talk about it — a lot. You need to remind voters of the stakes and deprive the menacing minority of recruiting prospects. You would be wise to identify the source of the threat — Trump and the MAGA movement — so a majority of Americans can prevent them from recapturing power. It makes zero sense to say we should move on because cannot persuade the crazed minority; the point is to keep everyone else focused on the threat."
"We need to start acting as though we are under threat from a pernicious, anti-democratic and violent minority — because we are."
An attempted crime is still a crime even if you fail to carry it through. January 6th was an attempted obstruction of Congress, various terrorist activities, and an attempted overthrow of the duly and fairly elected president, and an attempt to make the loser the president over the will of the People.
And many, many people who participated have been found guilty by trial and have been sentenced.
Now onto the leaders!
trump should be taken to GITMO because he lead an overthrow of the US government and that is a terrorist act. We need to have a massive fireworks display at the mall because in these times of crisis with no leadership we need something to celebrate. Maybe we could combine the celebration for all the thousands of rioters in Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis and all the other cities that were burned and people were killed. Of course we can't jail them because of no bail and the fact that they didn't murder that many people.
I feel certain our elected elite will make a grand appearance on the steps of congress and declare we need to insure all elections are fair for all people by making sure everyone can vote from their couch with no ID.
Sadly, no amount of evidence or wrangling, not a single Congressional hearing about 1/6 will matter unless today, Atty Gen Merrick Garland in his speech, announces that the Justice Dept will begin moving towards criminal charges against former Trump Admin officials, if it is warranted.
Garland so far has shown the spine of a jellyfish as it relates to the former administration. I realize he is trying to keep politics out of justice, but since when does justice, holding evidence, choose not to indict and move forward?
Skud, your sarcasm is noted. Here are a few things I've been asking myself the last few days as we approach 1/6. I'd love your thoughts.
- 5 or 10 years from now, what should we teach middle and high school students about what happened on 1/6? Was it an insurrection? Was it a riot? Was it a tourist visit as various leaders of the GOP have claimed?
-Who were the people who participated? Were they patriots? Were they Trump supporters? Were they BLM and ANTIFA interlopers? Were they members of the FBI?
-And what of the causes? Was it a mistaken belief that the election was rife with fraud and that Donald Trump was cheated out of the election? Was it because of thousands of dead people, as Former Pres. Trump has claimed? Was it some other reason?
-Finally, why, we will be forced to teach, did the events of 1/6 happen?
Any thoughts? Anyone? Especially the crew of Suzanne, Farmer, Frank, Bix and Skud.
I'm sure if you're civil, Shaw will publish your thoughts.
trump should be taken to GITMO because he lead an overthrow of the US government and that is a terrorist act. We need to have a massive fireworks display at the mall because in these times of crisis with no leadership we need something to celebrate. Maybe we could combine the celebration for all the thousands of rioters in Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis and all the other cities that were burned and people were killed. Of course we can't jail them because of no bail and the fact that they didn't murder that many people.
I feel certain our elected elite will make a grand appearance on the steps of congress and declare we need to insure all elections are fair for all people by making sure everyone can vote from their couch with no ID.
Is there any doubt how and why our nation's politics, as well as its ethics, are so GD screwed up these days. One only need be aware of actual reality. Something many cons are defenitely not wont to do any longer.
skud knows nothing about mail-in voting.
Utah (a solid Republican state) is primarily a vote-by-mail state, and no Republican that I've heard of has ever criticized Utah for this. And certainly not skudrunner. Or does he believe the Republicans of Utah are cheating in every federal and state election? I wish he'd answer this and explain why he's never criticized Utah's mail-in voting system.
Shaw and others...
Here's part of the problem from the folks claiming fraud. They're just mad the Dems are doing a better job of getting their voters to the polls or to send in their ballots. A quote from Rand Paul says it all...
“How to steal an election" He claimed on Twitter. '[By]Seeding an area heavy with potential Democratic votes with as many absentee ballots as possible, targeting and convincing potential voters to complete them in a legally valid way, and then counting the results.’”
Oh my gosh you chuckleheads on the right! Targeting potential voters? Getting people to legally vote? And then, I'm shocked!!!! Counting their votes?
That's what angers you clowns? Legal voting and counting?
Out there in Rio Lindo, they used to call that democracy. But that was before America decided we don't like what currently passes for conservative ideology.
Seen on the Mother Ship:
I’m counting on the fact that even some Dems are sick to death of JANUARY 6.
I put CNN on several times today and honestly burst into laughter….it’s ALL about JANUARY 6….
One bug-eyed female journalist was SO excited that Trump’s Stephanie Grisholm was seen going to the Jan 6 committee…”Oh YIPPEEE! ” OH, and that Hannity’s texts say he tried to get Trump to stop the antics of the 6th are priceless. If you could put a price tag on Hannity’s texts for the Left, it’d be way over a million bucks…they are THAT excited!
Meanwhile, the Left’s BLM and ANtifa and others spent a year destroying businesses and property, scaring people to death, threatening whole neighborhoods of businesses which have never returned but JANUARY 6th is the END OF DEMOCRACY!
This person has no idea that theres a different between peoople's anger in demonstrations over injustices against the black community and people attacking the US Capitol because they believed in the lie told by Trump that the election was stolen. And they tried to overturn an election.
These people are too dumb to vote and yet they do and they swallow all of trump's lies.
Honest Abe,
What that comment from the Mother Ship reveals is that they're too ashamed of what happened that day by the people they support so they try to minimize the disaster it was.
60% of the American people blame Trump. That's a huge majority, and, as is usual, those folks are on the wrong side of history.
No wonder they feel ashamed and humiliated.
Dave, I stopped listening to Rand Paul a long time ago. I don't think he's "right in the head."
Michael S. Mail-in voting is only fraudulent when Dems do it, doncha know? Yes, Utah and other states have been using that method for years, but folks like skudrunner and other Trumpers took issue with it only when Trump lost the 2020 election.
Surprised?
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