The horned man in question is none other than 32-year-old Jake Angeli, a familiar face at pro-Trump rallies and a purported QAnon conspiracy theorist sometimes referred to as the “QAnon Shaman,” according to the Arizona Republic’s website.
In the past year, Angeli has been spotted — often in costume — at various demonstrations across the country, including a Washington D.C. protest after Joe Biden’s presidential win in November.
A man seen in a viral photo in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office with his feet on her desk is Richard Barnett of Gravette, Arkansas, a long time right wing activist and QAnon supporter.
We have the tools to deal with these scum. 52 years ago, interstate travel to conspire to riot became a federal crime (used against the Chicago Seven). Angeli has been photographed at several violent protests in different states, making him a prime target for use of this law. The sentence is 20 years. Barnett will "get his" by the end of the week, Pelosi won't diddle around on that. Interviewed, the inbred Arkansas evolutionary U-turn (i.e., southern white trash) claimed he was "looking for a bathroom."
They have photographs of many of them, easy to ID since they weren't wearing masks. Arrest them all on interstate conspiracy to riot. Start putting them in prison and the rest of the mouthbreathers will get the message and go back to East Asswipe, where they belong.
“The odd American idea that giving money to political campaigns is free speech means that the very rich have far more free speech, and so in effect far more voting power, than other citizens.”-Dr. Tim Snyder
Absolutely agree, TC. In fact, as I watched the early footage, my first thought, after the outrage, that is, was, "What would have happened in 1968 if the Yippies had done this? Let alone the Black Panthers!! " I think we who lived through those years know full well.
One of the famous attorneys here in Florida is John Morgan, (you have probably heard of him) tweeted a picture of Barnett in Pelosi’s office, saying “he doesn’t know it yet, but he will be spending many years in prison”.
I agree it is time to put an end to this. But we can do it peacefully by calling our Senators and representatives and demanding DJT's immediate impeachment. Some of us have posted lists of phone numbers to call. If you still have access to those lists or links to those lists; Please, Please post them.
Impeachment would take too long. He needs to be dismantled immediately from all power. He needs to be escorted out in a paddy wagon. This is very serious sedition and inciting destruction and possibly harm to elected officials including the Vice President of the United States who will replace him for two weeks—if my dreams finally come true. And luckily, I seriously doubt Pence will pardon trump or his comrades now.
Impeachment need take no time at all, it's a piece of legislation and the pace is in the hands of the House. Trial can be commenced as soon as the bill is passed and the evidence is ready to hand. The theatrics that attended and delayed previous impeachments are just that, not a required part of the process. The added impact of impeachment is that it would render the guilty party effectively ineligible for future office.
Agreed. The House could vote a bill in a day. Then any Senators who delayed or obfuscated--and of course some would--would be publicly exposed. Not just as advocating wink-wink sedition, but as equivocating about flat-out insurrection. It doesn't matter if they convict or not. DJT richly deserves to be the only twice-impeached president.
Do you think there are enough Republican senators who would be willing to find him guilty? What are the chances that McConnell would wreck the process?
Doesn't matter. Failure to actively oppose what happened is complicity and, if the House even gets a few Republican votes to impeach, McConnell's opposition becomes problematic for him.
I would go for the elephant tranquilizer immediately and arrest. Not sure what impeachment would do at this point. Arrest for sedition. Impeachment is meaningless from what we have experienced. It has to be removal. Immediate.
Impeachment with prompt trial and conviction, if it happens, would remove Tя☭mp from office immediately and forever. It could be done in 24 hours, if the Senate Republicans are sufficiently motivated after being forced out of their Senate chamber and offices by Tя☭mp's mob.
I heard on NPR this morning that both actions have been initiated by separate members in Congress. Can't give you a link because I heard it on the radio. I don't think they'll go anywhere, though. Romney was heard to say that there wasn't enough time for an impeachment, although the prospect of one is appealing if it means trump can never hold public office again or run for/be president. Frankly, I doubt that Pence has the courage or the skill to bring the Cabinet along for a 25.
And I think the ones that are jumping ship are doing so not from conscience, but to avoid being put in the position of deciding on the 25th amendment issue.
You'd think so, wouldn't you? But it isn't looking likely at this point. Considering how he's always strategically disappeared from the stage at key moments, I'm betting he won't do any different now. I'm thinking his political career might be over no matter which way he jumps.
Removal by 25th Amendment is the preferred action, but seems like a long shot in that it requires those closest to trump politically to publically turn against him.
Impeachment, on the other hand, can be done in the House. They just need to draw up the articles and vote on them. Easy peasy, as they say. I imagine someone has articles laying on their desk as I write. It may be tight, but Dems still have the majority.
Conviction and removal would not happen before his term expired, but he can be impeached. My only dismay about that is it would actually give trump another superlative, as the most impeached president.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar have both said they have articles drawn up. I'd rather see a bi-partisan effort because it's more likely to succeed but it has to start somewhere or it will surely fail. The process could go as quickly or as slowly as Congress wants it to but, given the events of yesterday, best 'twere done quickly.
When do Warnock and Ossoff take the oath of office? Should be soon, yes? Then it might be doable if at least one Republican will sign on in the Senate (in addition to all the Dems).
Not for another week or two. It depends on how fast Georgia goes through its process. Tomorrow (Friday) is the last day for military ballots to be received and counted. Then each of the 159 counties has to certify their results, and send them to the Governor to certify the total. It has to be done by January 22.
Nancy Pelosi just said in a press conference that she expects a yes or no answer today from Pence on invoking the 25th. My impression is that she is holding off vigorous House action on impeachment until heaing from Pence. The question, of course, is whether there are enough reality-based Senators after yesterday to convict promptly.
What has to be done with the President must be done TODAY. If there is a way to impeach, convict or invoke the 25th Amendment within 24 hours, it must be done. Otherwise, he should simply be arrested for inciting a riot and held for a bail hearing until after Biden's inauguration. There is no time to waste.
Nancy Pelosi just said her phone is ringing off the hook with people demanding impeach impeach impeach. That’s the way to go. He’s unfit for office and proved it yesterday so that impression is fresh. Swift action to neutralize him and remove him from power for he can still cause havoc and will.
On one of the news channels they reported that just because the arrest was not made at the time, they have the evidence to pick these scum up later for these FELONIES.
Yeah Rob! Bunch of dipshit Trumppets! As if cameras aren’t everywhere already, they post incriminating evidence and bragging video confessions on their SM. “The best & brightest” yep.
I watched a bit on news yesterday that many known white supremest groups and their members have easily been identified already by ADL. That they actually exposed their faces and tattoos just shows how ignorant they are. Also the man who was carrying the podium and the woman with a piece of Pelosi’s door sign.
I suspect that any one of the state lines they crossed gives jurisdiction to different states. Again, Trump needs to be removed to make sure his pardoning days are over.
Impeaching of invoking the 25th immediately would prevent him from exercising any pardon powers. Waiting to arrest these guys/gals would be dereliction.
I copied it into my Journal, and it transferred perfectly. With your permission, I am going to use it. If you email me at Roland and my initials RLJ at Google Mail with your permission, I would like to make use of it. Not commercially of course, just privately. But just in case, if it ever has a commercial use, I would have your contact info on file.
One year later… Merrick’s Justice Dept’s MO has been to hunt the bottom feeders and work their way up the food chain. The chemo to their cancer will be incarceration. We must not accept anything less.
So it took extreme violence and fear for their lives to change the minds of many (but not all) of the Sedition Caucus ...
As Heather has reminded us many times, the question is what WE are going to do for our country. I feel like, all things considered, with the elections of Ossoff and Warnock driven by the enormous voter turnout in Georgia that even the Traitor himself couldn’t prevent, and Mitch’s unchecked power now checked, we have a real opportunity to enact legislation. I for one would like to see strong voting rights, and anti-gerrymandering and civil rights legislation, along with health care legislation. I want to see trump prosecuted for what he has done since November 3 (not to exclude what he did before, of course). I look forward to hearing what the DOJ under Merrick Garland will look like.
Peace to all of you here, and thanks to Heather from the bottom of my heart. We keep each other afloat emotionally and now let’s channel our outrage into positive activism for America.
All of what you said and deep campaign finance reform, no loopholes, reverse Citizens United, and go the route of other " developed" nations that have very short campaigns and limited publicity. More policy details and debate instead of vague promises that go nowhere. Kind of like.......Elizabeth Warren who had a detailed plan for everything.
Go Liz!!! Seeing her as Senate Majority Leader would assuage my pain at our failure to get her the nomination. Joe now has his chance, with Kamala and the most diverse (and talented, experienced) administration in history. I almost feel optimistic!
Agreed! I'm from NY and like and respect Charles Schumer, but a great orator he is not. I give him the benefit of the doubt that he's a cagey tactician, what do I know? But I like a leader who is inspirational and can move people with their expression of progressive ideas.
I like a leader who knows the background ins and outs well enough to ensure things get done. The main job of Majority leader is not giving speeches. We never see the majority of what it takes to get bills written and herded through the process. Keep that in mind.
Especially reverse Citizens United! The Lincoln Project is posting names of CEO’s of many companies/banks who have supported Fake 45. Bless them! Two such companies are Walmart and ATT.
Thank you, Marcy, for this call for us to act while remembering this day. And your warm and heartfelt thanks to Heather and the rest of this group for keeping us all "afloat."
Garland gave such a heartfelt speech today! I trust him. Could you not feel the genuine passion and discipline in his voice and expressions? God I miss this that so much in public officials. He is the antithesis of Barr! My faith in Democracy has a few more bricks replaced. This leaves Sally Yates in play as a Special Counsel, the mortar necessary to put the last nail in 45’s political career’s coffin.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, …” (Charles Dickens describing London and Paris during the French Revolution in A Tale of Two Cities)
The domestic terrorist thugs who disrupted Congress in session and invaded the Capitol were only the noisily destructive henchmen thrill seekers fronting the ongoing threats posed by trump, his enablers, the Sedition Caucus in Congress, and the PACs that finance them.
They are not to overshadow the amazing work of Stacey Abrams and her crew that rallied support to not only turn Georgia blue, but to propel Warnock and Ossoff to win their run off election for the 2 Senate seats to neutralize McConnell's death grip on progressive legislation. Now Biden has a chance to lead this country in plugging the loopholes exploited by trump and McConnell, and building on the energy swells of BLM, #MeToo, environmentalists, anti-gun violence, Indigenous people's rights, and our various efforts to make this a more humane world for all of us.
Thank you, Heather, for another of your amazing compilations that pulls the essential events of a day fraught with chaos and puts them together in a way that coherently helps us to remember what matters.
Yes! The amazing work of Stacey Abrams, and the stalwart steadfastness of African-American voters, especially the women. I love that Stacey Abrams has persisted, and persisted, and continued on to victory for Georgia and for the nation. She has blazed a trail.
Rahm Emanuel was interviewed on PBS last night with Judy and he gave several examples of what persons who have lost elections have gone on to do. He said that Stacey decided to build. And boy has she! She took the lessons she learned, the good bad and ugly, and flipped an entire state. Just wow.
Entire state? Are you kidding? Tricia, Stacey flipped an entire nation. She and her partners (Voto Latino, the Asian group, etc.) turned the Senate 50-50 and gave Biden and Kamala the reins to legislate. No Mitch McConnell, he just got relegated to the history books. And like you said, "Just wow!"
Good morning everyone--I hope everyone is okay. It has been some helluva week so far. As an old Tom Lehrer fan I am reminded of one of his lines introducing a song, slightly paraphrased: "America feels a little like a Christian Scientist with pneumonia . . ." I also have to admit that when I saw the photo of Hawley--to whom I sent an email screed calling him a traitor and demanding that he remove himself from office, which I sent hours before he promoted insurrection and treason on a larger scale--I cracked up. He clearly practiced in front of a mirror because he looked like a dork who thinks he is "hip" by appropriating gestures and language that the Cool Kids use. It was the essence of white male idiocy. I haven't seen any memes showing up but I am sure there will be all kinds of photoshopped versions of Hawley as a Moronic Fascist.
Someone a couple days ago pointed out that Hawley has supposedly been well educated but I reiterate that he is deeply, deeply stupid. His degrees are legacy-based as his family has been in Missouri politics for generations. He has no moral center; he is as cynical as Murderous Mitch but without the sense to know when to shut up. Someone said they were really worried about him because he was "smarter" than Trump. But the Cheeto's supporters focus on his celebrity not on his absence of mental acuity (remember he is also supposedly an Ivy League alum, so the notion that the Ivys confer some particular status on people is patently false: Bush II was a Yalie after all). Hawley looks like what he is: an awkward white boy with fantasies of power. He is a skinnier and equally deluded Ted Cruz. And Cruz is possibly the most bipartisanly hated person in Congress. The Nazis and racists who form the Cheeto base aren't interested in supporting them.
That said, I wholeheartedly support the immediate removal of Trump from office, per the 25th Amendment, and his arrest for treason and sedition on the basis that he has attempted to incite the overthrow of a legitimately elected government. In addition, all the members of Congress who objected to the EC certification should be removed from office and charged with sedition. The fact that only 50-odd people were arrested yesterday is shameful. Whiteness made it possible for an attempted coup almost to succeed: if they had gotten hold of Pelosi she would be dead. The failure of the security services to protect the Capitol despite the ginning up of potential violence by Trump and his enablers is shameful as well.
But my gleeful moment last night was reading that Biden has nominated Merrick Garland as his attorney general. I would LOVE to see all these f***ers charged and prosecuted by AG Garland. It would be yet another example of Biden's clever use of "payback sucks, doesn't it" tactics.
And some consolation, I just listened to an interview with former NYC Police Chief Bratton in which he commented on the gold mine of information available to law enforcement as a result of all the photos published yesterday of the maskless invaders - that, and the fact that they were all over social media bragging. Bratton indicated these folks will be easy to find and prosecute.
Cynthia, I mean who are those in masks? Why do they have masks on while others do not? Does it say something about spontaneity or planning & plotting? What did anticipate about video surveillance? What is different about them? Do they appear to you to look of Civilian build/stature? Do they look out of breath? ( that is a lot of steps to run up after a long march from DT's Speech location). Look closely at the waistlines of the masked. Watch how the masked move in each video, is it sporadic like the majority of the mob? Or is with orderly precision during chaos? Who moves like that? Not to be conspirator and not to encourage conspiracy, but I notice small things about athleticism and grace under pressure.
Agree with your statement. The masked persons of strong build, swift move, etc. were different than those out-of-shape (my observations) or showing their faces and body tats even. Those who are easily identified did the bidding of the masked ones. Because they are so uneducated and uninformed that your mere presence on the steps is illegal.
Adam Schiff should be consulting with the FBI Counterterrorism agents. I'd like to know and account for every single one of Eric Prince's mercenaries. Whereabouts, track locations. Communications, etc. Confirm their Alibi's. It only takes a few advisors to edge a mob over boundaries of police orders and public decency. These are former soldiers with insurgency and counter-insurgency training. We need to know their whereabouts.
Absolutely. We need to immediately clean out all the seditionists in our government starting with DJT. Hold them in Guantanamo until each of their court proceedings. It is the furthest away from us but still in leased territory and where we place terrorists until trial (although there are still a number of terrorists still there who never seem to go on trial...at least...we do not hear about them). That, in itself, is a simply a very delicious thought. Seriously, our country must deal with seditionists swiftly as examples to the radical and fanatical elements rising rapidly in our country, thanks to four years of this coup by trumplicans and hostile foreign entities.
Yes, that is the only thing I had talked about that could have remotely upset someone...a trumping most likely. I was allowed one appeal and asked YT to show me what post violated their guidelines. They never showed me and said they suspended me permanently. I am not a rude person except about this regime. Even then, I temper what I say and use logic, reason and definitions for people to understand what I am saying.
Whoa! That really sucks... sometimes I hold my breath when I make a snarky comment on Twitter... but this is terrible? I guess it’s ok if you post how to make a bomb on YT !?!...
Wow! And yet 45 can incite violence and spew destructive lies endlessly and get away with it with but a slap on his wrist for this. That’s really wrong. And you can’t even appeal it which seems arbitrary and authoritarian on the part of YT. Where’s the free speech now?
Yesterday early evening (somewhere 5-7 pm Pacific Time) on MSNBC Rachel was interviewing Claire McCaskill about Hawley, the man who beat her for her Senate seat. In Claire's very warm and loving way, she explained first that she subscribes to the old-fashioned belief that you don't criticize your successor. Then she said that, in light of current events, that her old-fashioned notion seemed quaint and ill-advised. She then proceeded to describe, again in those warm tones, how Hawley is a "craven" political opportunist, and without using the following words, basically said he is amoral and will do whatever it takes to advance. It was a damning characterization, I have to tell you.
Of course one of my Senators was Barbara Boxer, and then briefly we had Kamala Harris, now we have Xavier Becerra, a magnificent man, the former Calif. AG, stepping in for Kamala. I HAVE NO COMPLAINTS.
Hawley! Perfect description of him. But I am so depressed today because nothing will happen. As Heather pointed out when Nixon wasn’t at least tried for his crimes, it opened the door to all the criminals following him and here we are. Will someone please tell me that these seditious mongrels are not going to get away with this?! Please!
Well said. Leadership above all else is a moral relationship between leader and followers. I see no moral reason why anyone would be or remain a Republican this morning.
Sorry all: as I have been working today on the computer my brain finally clicked in the correct analogy from Tom Lehrer: "like a Christian Scientist with appendicitis." Much more effective!
Thank you for posting to the Wall of Shame for us to remember and remind when these seditious politicians seek re-election or any kind of validation through the course of their public lives. If they escape any consequences for their oath-violating conduct, the way to get them fired is through the vote. We will not forget.
I concur with you theoretically, and think it's a great analogy to suggest that what we have witnessed is similar to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party.
However, with great respect Stuart, such a course of action by Speaker Pelosi would be radically undemocratic -- and is too ugly for words.
We have seen far too much raw violence in the past 24 hours.
Instead, let us keep our wits about us. Remove Trump from office immediately through the process outlined in the 25th Amendment.
Then, move quickly by all means available, to charge any of his family members, advisors, followers, etc. with sedition (or, where appropriate, treason).
Do everything legally possible to bar these individuals from seeking elected leadership in future. No one should benefit, profit, or see personal advancement of any kind, or be given any position of responsibility in government, locally or nationally, as a result of association/cooperation with Donald Trump.
Love your sentiments and logic, but if Trump supporters committed crimes while assaulting Congress and terrorizing our elected representatives, and we have means to identify them, why shouldn’t appropriate legal actions be taken against them? These people knew they were doing something criminal but because they had Trump’s blessing they went ahead and did it anyway..and clearly were enjoying themselves. Shouldn’t such people be subject to whatever laws constrain the rest of us from behaving similarly? We teach our children not to raise their fists or bring weapons to school, on pain of dismissal or expulsion. Should Trump supporters who committed these brazen acts and threw our democracy into chaos be immune? Find them and punish them according to criminal procedure and the law, for all our sakes.
"Off with his head" implies violence, and perhaps is not the best phrase to throw in just now. I suspect, though, that posters responding to Stuart are thinking not of violent retribution, but of legal consequences. Which are indeed not only appropriate, but essential to establish the limits of behavior that will be tolerated. That goes for not only the insurrectionists themselves, but also those who abetted them and encouraged them in the acts they committed. I whole-heartedly agree with Rev. Judith that civil acts of sedition should be addressed as well. It is too easy to point to the lowest level as the culprits, and ignore those who deliberately created the conditions in which they operated, and are complicit in what happened.
I couldn’t copy the link for some reason, but there was an interesting, depressing article that I read on ‘The Conversation’.., about how once there is violence against the country, it will happen again. I will try again to post it.
Cynthia, Yes! Violence is contagious and Trump is modeling it for other extremists. Apparently, 45% of Republicans approve of what happened in our Congress.
Well, I think they qualify as advisors/followers (see text of my comment). But I'm happy to amend my statement to read "charge any of his family members, elected and/or appointed officials" to the list. Cruz and Hawley are complicit and should be removed.
Trump and his children successfully adopted thousands into the Trump Crime Family. From elected and appointed officials to cosplayers, all must be sanctioned.
Yes, I guess in my still ‘rattled brain’, I see their images larger than life and can’t stop feeling that they are in a category all by themselves. I will not be satisfied until they are dealt with in the appropriate manner.
Your post was fine, Judith. Some might see the details differently, but your post was great for sparking thought and discussion. I hope the Dept of Justice sorts it out and take the appropriate action, because you are right that there MUST be legal consequences. Bless you.
Absolutely! No absolution for these two. Senator Cruz is from Texas where I live but he certainly isn't representing me. All about ambition and trying to get the DT base behind them. Need to get TЯ☭💀p out of office before he pardons any of the ... and himself.
Of course they should. The question is what consequences, and how soon. At the very least, they have tied themselves to the Tя☭mpsters and cut off ties from whatever is left of the non-Tя☭mp Republican party. They should be expelled from the Senate for abetting the attempted overthrow of the Congress by the Executive. That does not mean it will happen.
Perhaps you could find another way to say what you need to say. Surely you knew someone would ask- otherwise why post it at all? (No, not offended by it- I have some pretty colorful language myself. But why dangle it?
Thanks, Stuart. I really wanted to avoid stepping on your toes...! I knew exactly what you meant about the Hatter, the Queen, etc. :-) Your comments and analyses are always excellent.
I was up most of the night watching the count, simply because I needed the reassurance that we were moving forward safely. Not normal yet, and that was clear from the foolish "objections" made all the while knowing all it was was a childish stall. While watching, I wrote letters to my Congress critters. Simple and short: 3 lines calling for Trump's removal.
This morning learned that my daughter had been up too, watching and writing. Love knowing I raised at least one political nerd, Probably more.
Fortunately the Constitution forbids bills of attainder. Let the guilty be punished, but only for their own actions and not because of guilt by association.
I'm thinking now, all stakeholders in govt, and the SC , representing all three branches need to act in concert. Congress impeach now. SC recommend for resignation, Cabinet invoke the 25th. That seems appropriate. Every Gov sign letter recommending he resign too.
Our kids are watching everything. Learning from our reaction to such tragedy. This generation risks growing up radicalized. the post-truth bullshit has to stop immediately. Ge him out of the WH now!!!
Well, I think you're incredibly optimistic and your statement is highly idealistic, but hey, why not shoot for the stars? Sometimes you fall short and hit the moon.
Respectfully Louis, while I hope TЯ☭💀p will be held accountable, I wish we wouldn't emulate him and his mob chanting "Lock her up." It always gave me the willies to hear him inciting his mob with those chants. My vision of TЯ☭💀p's future is that he will end up in an insane asylum. I'm with Michelle Obama -- "When they go low, we go high."
I like your reaction. Unfortunately, the violation of the U.S. Capitol reminds us that rhetoric can become reality, that's why so many people are having a problem with Stuart's lighthearted suggestion. But your post made me smile, thank you!
Speaker Pelosi just had a press conference. It is 2:55 pm on Thursday as I write this comment. She said plainly that Tя☭mp is a danger to the country and must be removed before he can do more damage. She also said that she expects a yes or no from VP Pence today on invoking the 25th Amendment.
He has to be out. Has to. Pardon power is available to cause more division and chaos. Learning and knowledge are nothing without creative imagination. We have to anticipate the next moves. We must demand removal before it is to late. I’m tired of seeing moral leaders be outperformed by this conman, this demagogue.
Yes, it is an evil grin... The grin of the devil's apprentice liking the chaos he's creating. Insane! Just wrote my Senator about getting DT removed from office now. And, censuring Senator Cruz, my other Senator.
Oh, God, you have Cruz. Makes my joke of a representative look like a toddler. When they construct the National Wall of Shame on the Mall, and they choose Maya Lin's artistic heir to design it, my House member will be on it, but your guy will be at the top in much larger letters.
General Mattis neglected to name himself among Trump's enablers, although to be fair, he did bail fairly early from the Trump Train Wreck.
I kept hoping I'd see Cruz and McCarthy perp-walked through the desecrated Rotunda, but no such luck. Oh, yeah, and Pence, too, of course.
I noted Marsha Blackburn declined, after the riot, to continue her opposition. That lady is nothing, if not a political animal. (And I use the term 'lady' advisedly).
And speaking of political animals, if anyone had any doubt as to whom McConnell would protect at all costs (hint: himself), I hope today erased all doubts. Thank God, Goddess, Buddha, Krishna, whatever powers you choose to invoke, that Georgia rescued us from having to endure McConnell any longer.
I was so glad to hear Sen. Duckworth call out the fact that each of those lawmakers joined Trump in violating their oaths of office. In a just world, I would hope to see them prosecuted and removed along with Trump. And for once, I am glad for the social media that will help law enforcement identify the rioters who thought it was funny to destroy the building and norms at the center of our democracy. I was moved by the emotional speeches, but I am also moved by your efforts to reach out to us — first in the midst of the day’s chaos, and so quickly following the certification. Your honest openness, your expert background, and your amazing analysis mean so much. I thank you. ❤️
Agreed! The seditious "lawmakers" must be removed from office. Write Congressional leadership to expel Hawley, Cruz, et al, per Article 1 Section 5: "Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behavior, and, with the Concurrence of two-thirds, expel a Member."
I'd like to amend my previous comment to include some gratitude. Yesterday a friend asked me in a text "If I was watching this" I wasn't. I knew that I would read Heather's letter this morning and I was comfortable being a day behind the action. I have been reading "This Is An Uprising" and coming to understand what it takes to be an activist and wondering if becoming a doctor was really the best use of my time. I do believe it is the money behind the scenes that is the driver of what we are seeing just as it is the money behind the scenes in medicine that is promoting illness for profit rather than actual healing but also I get it that to change this requires deep and sustained activism and even so is unlikely to progress quickly given our place in consciousness evolution. So I appreciate what all those who are activists are doing. Including those like Heather who are informing us with perspective and accuracy.
The power to heal, combined with the power to tell the truth is a force to be reckoned with. I really believe in doctors without borders. Check it out. We will need people to go abroad and contribute to humanity to right our wrongs.
I would add The Purpose of Power, by Alicia Garza to the highly recommended reading lists. It opened my eyes to the realities that many of today's activists are facing, and the need for all of us to do our part.
Sadly yesterday was a beginning of the violence that 45 began urging even before he was given a title by an antiquated electoral system, not the end, and it's not going to be an easy road.
This is the picture that says it all...I'm not you, Heather Cox Richardson, but enough of history student to know that history is not on the side of peaceful transitions of power. Joe Biden will be President on Jan 21 but that doesn't begin to address the issues that underly the violence we saw yesterday. The demographics are changing permanently in this country (see GA), and the backlash from those currently in power- the white male ruling class (and their cult followers) now soon to be minority is at fever pitch. Add into the mix the gross income disparity, a pandemic, and a justice system that works only for those in power and I believe we are in for some really difficult times.
On the positive side-- I am grateful for the 70% of this country that actually believes in democracy as a way to govern. I am grateful that a Democratic Senate will finally get to vote on John Lewis' Voter Protection Bill so that all Americans will eventually be able to vote without intimidation. I am heartened by the voter turnout across the country in November and in GA on Tuesday. And I am ready to do whatever work is needed to help our Democracy survive.
Sen. Corey Booker's speech on the Senate floor once Congress had reconvened compared those British loyalists carrying a monarch's flag to the White House in the War of 1812 to today's flag - the Trump flag - flown outside and inside the Capitol by those who invaded it today. "They both were waving flags to a sole sovereign - the one today was to a single person named Donald Trump." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtcVbNAstR0
Accept that the British troops in the King's army were loyally obeying their monarch according to British law. No treason there......just the "normal" collateral destruction of war. After all in the same war Jackson took New Orleans from the British army with significant loss of Redcoat life long after a cease-fire had been signed and US troops attacked Toronto without much thought for the Canadian citizens residing there.
Yes - he wasn't comparing them on the basis of treason, but on the basis of honoring a sovereign, suggesting that T's supporters flying Trump flags were exhibiting loyalty to a man they viewed as their sovereign, rather than an "elected" leader. Seeing that flag flying on the steps of the White House was one of the more chilling images of a day filled with horrifying images, and of both terror and horror. I couldn't stop crying as I watched it unfold in real time.
I never want to hear "We are the party of Lincoln" come from the mouths of the GOP. Had there not been quick action to get the legislatures out to a secured location, we would have seen mock trials and possibly executions by these lunatics. I am sure Giuliani and Don Jr will try to whitewash their remarks but words have consequences and their remarks along with the delusional ramblings of the President were inflammatory, much like yelling "Fire" in a crowded room. I have already seen posts stating that it was "Democrats and Antifa in disguise". Think about the absurdity of these comments. Why would the Democrats want to stop the count? Just to make these "virtuous" people look bad? (Rhetorical question only). And think about the emotional and/or mental health of people who would believe this. Many of us knew who and what Donald Trump was and is. I hold out some small hope that more thinking people now see who he is and who some of his followers are and do not want to be associated with them.
It scrambles my poor brain to try to understand the twisted logic of these narratives... as you said, why would Democrat’s/Antifa storm the Capitol? Honestly, they are flat-out insane.
My daughter and I discussed this tonight. A "friend" on her Facebook posted that she had seen the shirtless guy with the headpiece with horns and face paint who stood at the podium at a BLM protest and posted a picture. My daughter pointed out to this person that the picture showed him as a counter-demonstrator not a part of the BLM protest. They see what they want to see and what fits their narrative.
I am very distressed today to see how quickly Washington is pretending to move past this. The headlines this morning are all Biden will be President, Trump says transition will be orderly, Giuliani says no to violence, etc. I am sorry, but there are 13 days, 2 hours and 45 minutes left for Trump to create further chaos and destruction. We need to continue to call on Congress to remove this man from office right now. #25thamendmentnow
The mumbling about orderly transition is the teeny tiny price Republicans are demanding of Tя☭mp and his enablers for their attempted coup. It is not enough.
Absolutely. I already have good friends who are this morning talking about time to move on and think about how we can assist Biden. Move on? Like Trump will just be chastened for the next two weeks? Are we crazier than he is?
Tя☭mp will keep going, in or out of office, as long as he is alive and has a communications connection. Thinking he will back off is akin to Susan Collins thinking that absolving him of impeachment would improve his behavior.
There is no way that yesterday results in no consequences. None whatsoever.
People are stunned. It takes time to digest and process this momentous event. We are witnessing an unprecedented event in U.S. history (certainly not in world history, but here anyway). Give it a little bit of time. The wheels are grinding slowly, but trust me, they will grind thoroughly on this one. Right now, you might be seeing the rote, automatic words, but they are the interim, stock words that a society is using when it is processing the deep violation that just happened. Like a victim in shock saying "I'm fine, I'm fine." Trust me, there will be deep consequences. Keep in mind,, the entire House Judiciary Committee wrote to Pence advocating the 25th. Bill Kristol calls yesterday's actions "a de facto invoking of the 25th Amendment." Go back to the top of this Comments section, to HCR's post. This is no lightweight moment in history, to be glossed over. Remember every one of these people were personally affected by this attack, they were personally forced to escape from rioters. You should see Rep. Grace Meng's interview yesterday on MSNBC. She was terrified, she was texting everyone that she loves. For some of the Senators and members of the House, this is United Flight 93. No way they can gloss it over. The people who matter, the members of Congress, will never forget this.
I stand by my words. The reaction is going to be deep and severe. Already in the Republican assembly down in Florida, the conversation topic is how Trump caused the loss of the Senate and how Trump is responsible for the attack on the U.S. Capitol. A double-barreled blow to the Republican Party. At some point, the Republican mainstream is going to cut bait with this guy. I have trouble seeing how he can avoid jail time.
Me too. Like we all just watched another violent American TV show or movie and are waking up today talking about the actors and directors. This was not that. This was a coup. An insurrection.
Donald J. Trump and "Six senators and more than half of the House Republicans backed an attempt to overthrow our government in favor of a man [DJT] caught on tape just four days ago trying to strong-arm a state election official into falsifying the election results."
Yesterday, DJT incited violence and insurrection to his followers. The Confederate flag flew in the United States Capitol."
(I stole much of this from HCR but I am about to start making calls to my local reps and to our senators--including the Seditious Caucus members and every republican senator.
Thank you Penelope! I called my elected officials. I wish I had your “quote” here to use as my wording. I get so upset my tongue gets tied. Someone here suggested calling those among the Congressional leadership, which I will do. What will have the most impact?
It's ok, Pamsy. You called. They get it, and understand that people get flustered. Phone calls tend to be tallied by number, and the important thing is that you called. Good for you.
Oh my God, I hope so. But I think every second he is still there, the chances of removing him pass us by. Now Scalise is out there saying both parties need to tone down the rhetoric and work together. What? I think that is a sign he is saying no action against the President.
Hello Linda, TC in LA just turned us on to Raw Story. Take a look. It might help your concerns. I'm falling in love with it already, just looking at the headlines, now I'm going to read some of the articles.
I’m hearing on the news this morning that it seems unlikely that trump will be removed from power before January 20. Putting aside the strong emotions behind any call to do this, what does this look like to the rest of the world?? That the leader of the United States of America can incite violence against the republic, and congress leaves him in power?!?!? That is reprehensible and inexcusable.
Columnist Bret Stephens wrote: “To allow Trump to serve out his term, however brief it may be, puts the nation’s safety at risk, leaves our reputation as a democracy in tatters and evades the inescapable truth that the assault on Congress was an act of violent sedition aided and abetted by a lawless, immoral and terrifying president,” he wrote.
Who cares what Trump's removal looks like to the rest of the world. We need to walk away from the "what will the neighbors think" mentality and protect the people from Trump's evil.
Daria, I understand what you are saying, and agree with you. My point was that beyond the damage that has been done to our democracy, we also need to consider that the message we send in dealing with this this will have consequences that reach worldwide.
This can not be allowed to happen, for so many reasons. And exactly right, what does it say to the rest of the world watching us?? What does it say to those of us living here? That the president can incite a coup attempt/attack on our own government and democracy, that he can get away with absolutely anything, along with his gang of traitors? When will justice and the rule of law ever have any teeth, not to mention oaths sworn to the Constitutiin?
I am outraged by the abysmally incompetent security protection plan developed by leaders of the Capitol police. The Chief and the executive administrative team MUST be replaced NOW!
The plan appeared to order the front of line of officers to be COMPLIANT rather than protective! Shocking!
The security plan required plans for worse case scenario. If it did, the arrival of additional personnel was too few and too late. The National Guard should have been inside the Capitol buildings not called up after the desecration of our most hallowed national structure.
Why isn't the Capitol building equipped with barriers that can automatically seal off entrance to each main meeting halls of the House and Senate? seal off the hall way leading to the offices of the members of the house?
Years ago during the second Iraqi war, Gen. Petraeus had developed a strategy for an 'insurgency force' using a ratio of combat troops needed to fight an estimated size of enemy forces. Clearly, the planners for yesterdays security were woefully ignorant of such information.
Most glaring is the comparison of crowd control tactics used yesterday with those employed against any Black Lives Matter protest or dispersing the crowd at the phony stunt pulled by trump to pose with a bible in DC.
I texted a friend in the morning and stated “This is a day that will go down in infamy”. I’m a nobody from Michigan, and even I saw this coming. If they say they weren’t prepared because they didn’t know, they are lying.
You are right (but NOT that you are a nobody): trump's administration purposely did not intend to protect the Capitol. I do think, though, that those of us in Michigan have a much more acute sense of the danger because we have lived it at our Capitol. I saw it coming too, and my out-of-state friends scoffed when I warned them. Then I couldn't believe D.C. had only 360 National guard on stand by, who could only be called out by the President who was causing the coup! Lock him up NOW.
You were absolutely right. And you are not a nobody! My 90 year old mother saw this coming as well. I am usually the worst-case-scenario person and I was blind-sided by this attack on the Capitol.
That is because Trump is the one who is supposed to call them out, and he refused. I’m not sure what finally happened, but it looks like maybe Pence called out the National Guard, not Trump.
I want to contribute my memory of going to DC to protest the Vietnam War, in the early ‘70s. I have a clear image of the snipers that were posted on the roofs of the government buildings we passed. And we were “just”college students in a largely nonviolent march through the city. Apparently White, male right-wing violence is not “a thing” for our police and security forces.
As always, thank you, Heather. Invoking the 25th must happen. If not after such a blatant act of terrorism incited by the president himself, then when? Yesterday also demonstrated that we are a country with two justice systems: one for whites; the other, for BIPOC. I hope there is as much discussion on that as anything in the months to come. Only that acknowledgement will help move us forward in the fight for equity and true justice.
Two justice systems, or simply complicit "capital police"? When their coniver in chief tweeted the police are "on our side" that confirmed it. We all saw the police retreat, then step aside. First they yielded the barricades, then the steps, then the freakin doors to OUR house! The crowd was NOT that big. The police were complicit.
Yes, I absolutely stand by my statement: we do have two different justice systems in this country. Do police ever “step aside” as you rightly outlined for people of color? They are part of the two different systems we have and they time and again police differently depending on the color of skin in front of them.
I watched on real time. News footage clearly shows police simply stepping aside on the steps. Then I thought, surely they'll be able to hold the line at the doors...uh, nope
I replayed the scene on the steps over and over to make sure my eyes were not deceiving me. It was shocking. Angry people of color would never have had that kind of an entre.
I saw photos and wondered if they were taken out of context. Reading the posts of those who saw it play out in real time confirms the truth. Obviously that needs to be investigated!
Lots of calls for the 25th, I would like to see immediate articles of impeachment. Let us see the fastest impeachment in our history, like, today ! The 25th says the man is batshit crazy right? He is not, he needs to be held fully accountable for his traitorous actions he committed with his "high intellect". Ugh.
I've changed my mind on this, you are right. An immediate 25th Amendment would freeze T**** from further abusing his pardon power. Don't put it past him to pardon everyone from yesterday's riot. Then follow with an impeachment even it if is going to extend beyond his term. He needs to be disqualified from holding any elected office ever again.
The 25th is meant for situations in which the President is incapacitated such that he/she cannot fulfull duties of President. It can be invoked both quickly and can be temporary. It would have come into play if Trump had become very ill when he had Covid19, for instance, and perhaps should have. Was it Obama who made Biden Pres overnight when he had minor surgery, just in case of complications? In this case, Trump could be batshit crazy, but he's likely to file a lawsuit faster than you can bat your eyes. Better that he is simply declared ill and unable to fulfill duties (which is demonstrably true and documented). A little sedation to keep him calm so he can get well enough to dodder to the helicopter in a couple weeks. Or just lock him in a closet and slide food trays under the door. Give him a kids andriod modified so it only connects to the Secret Service. Whatever. Personally prefer Impeachment, because it doesn't come with perks.
I agree, but it still will be an impeachment stain on his legacy. It will also label every Senator who refuses to admit the sedition and permanently marking them. It would at best flip future seats or at worst bring in some principled Republican replacements.
The 25th is about mental health. We are talking sedition and insurrection against our country. Impeachment and removal immediately or just arrest and forget the castrated republicans altogether.
The 25th is not about mental health. It is about a president becoming incapacitated such that he/she cannot fulfill duties of presidency. That covers a lot of territory. It can be temporary, and the VP fills in until President is well. I agree impeachment more appropriate; also more problematic to implement. We only need it for 2 weeks. If Congress could pull itself together, it could do that too. But 25th disables Trump in the near future. We need that.
It is but he could drag it out until the 20th. There must be other measures to punish his behavior that can serve as a lasting reminder of his call to insurrection.
The "man in the bull costume" is identified as:
The horned man in question is none other than 32-year-old Jake Angeli, a familiar face at pro-Trump rallies and a purported QAnon conspiracy theorist sometimes referred to as the “QAnon Shaman,” according to the Arizona Republic’s website.
In the past year, Angeli has been spotted — often in costume — at various demonstrations across the country, including a Washington D.C. protest after Joe Biden’s presidential win in November.
A man seen in a viral photo in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office with his feet on her desk is Richard Barnett of Gravette, Arkansas, a long time right wing activist and QAnon supporter.
We have the tools to deal with these scum. 52 years ago, interstate travel to conspire to riot became a federal crime (used against the Chicago Seven). Angeli has been photographed at several violent protests in different states, making him a prime target for use of this law. The sentence is 20 years. Barnett will "get his" by the end of the week, Pelosi won't diddle around on that. Interviewed, the inbred Arkansas evolutionary U-turn (i.e., southern white trash) claimed he was "looking for a bathroom."
They have photographs of many of them, easy to ID since they weren't wearing masks. Arrest them all on interstate conspiracy to riot. Start putting them in prison and the rest of the mouthbreathers will get the message and go back to East Asswipe, where they belong.
What I want to known is who is funding these people that enables them to travel all over the country to these numerous events?
Follow the money trail and catch more than the small fry
Yep. Always follow the $$$. I hardly think they are supporting themselves with family Walmart gift cards from Christmas. /snark
Tell Comcast, Microsoft, AT&T: Stop bankrolling hate!
https://actions.sumofus.org/pages/tell-comcast-microsoft-at-t-stop-bankrolling-hate/
Done. Thanks for posting the link. I’m an AT&T user and was disappointed to learn of their support, but not suprised.
We have Cricket - which is an AT&T subsidiary. How disappointing. That on top of having lousy reception where I live.
Signed, thanks for the link
*surprised
There is tremendous power here...if only we all connected and moved as one. Ripples become Tsunamis
Yup.
Charles Koch, Robert and Rebecca Mercer, Dick and Betsy Devos....
“The odd American idea that giving money to political campaigns is free speech means that the very rich have far more free speech, and so in effect far more voting power, than other citizens.”-Dr. Tim Snyder
I’ve been wondering that too.
good point!
Exactly!
Crowdfunding.
You're funny!
Absolutely agree, TC. In fact, as I watched the early footage, my first thought, after the outrage, that is, was, "What would have happened in 1968 if the Yippies had done this? Let alone the Black Panthers!! " I think we who lived through those years know full well.
One of the famous attorneys here in Florida is John Morgan, (you have probably heard of him) tweeted a picture of Barnett in Pelosi’s office, saying “he doesn’t know it yet, but he will be spending many years in prison”.
Oh that is good news. I hope he is right and that that applies to every single one of those defilers!
20
I agree it is time to put an end to this. But we can do it peacefully by calling our Senators and representatives and demanding DJT's immediate impeachment. Some of us have posted lists of phone numbers to call. If you still have access to those lists or links to those lists; Please, Please post them.
Impeachment would take too long. He needs to be dismantled immediately from all power. He needs to be escorted out in a paddy wagon. This is very serious sedition and inciting destruction and possibly harm to elected officials including the Vice President of the United States who will replace him for two weeks—if my dreams finally come true. And luckily, I seriously doubt Pence will pardon trump or his comrades now.
Impeachment need take no time at all, it's a piece of legislation and the pace is in the hands of the House. Trial can be commenced as soon as the bill is passed and the evidence is ready to hand. The theatrics that attended and delayed previous impeachments are just that, not a required part of the process. The added impact of impeachment is that it would render the guilty party effectively ineligible for future office.
I do not trust republicans to stand up.
Nor should you, but a few already have and, by taking immediate action, the emotional response to the violence should carry the day.
I may be a traumatized product of four years of watching repubs do nothing but kowtow. I want action. Now.
Agreed. The House could vote a bill in a day. Then any Senators who delayed or obfuscated--and of course some would--would be publicly exposed. Not just as advocating wink-wink sedition, but as equivocating about flat-out insurrection. It doesn't matter if they convict or not. DJT richly deserves to be the only twice-impeached president.
A Snap Impeachment Should Be Done Within 24 Hours
https://truthout.org/articles/a-snap-impeachment-should-be-done-within-24-hours/
Do you think there are enough Republican senators who would be willing to find him guilty? What are the chances that McConnell would wreck the process?
A Snap Impeachment Should Be Done Within 24 Hours
https://truthout.org/articles/a-snap-impeachment-should-be-done-within-24-hours/
With McConnell still in charge, there's not a chance.
An impeachment can be completed. Whether he’s convicted or not is a different story. The house can impeach him
That was my point - impeached but not convicted - again.
Doesn't matter. Failure to actively oppose what happened is complicity and, if the House even gets a few Republican votes to impeach, McConnell's opposition becomes problematic for him.
I'd love to see him go down in flames, but there are so few Republicans who can be counted on to put country above party. I hope you're right.
Even if it takes too long, isn't it worth doing, for the record? Isn't the same true with 25th amendment? How about elephant tranquilizers?
I would go for the elephant tranquilizer immediately and arrest. Not sure what impeachment would do at this point. Arrest for sedition. Impeachment is meaningless from what we have experienced. It has to be removal. Immediate.
Impeachment with prompt trial and conviction, if it happens, would remove Tя☭mp from office immediately and forever. It could be done in 24 hours, if the Senate Republicans are sufficiently motivated after being forced out of their Senate chamber and offices by Tя☭mp's mob.
After yesterday though the removal has to be pointedly legal.
He was not removed last time he was impeached. You have to depend on Republicans. I don't.
Why both impeachment *and* a 25th Amendment remedies need to start today: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/07/opinion/trump-25th-amendment-impeachment.html
I heard on NPR this morning that both actions have been initiated by separate members in Congress. Can't give you a link because I heard it on the radio. I don't think they'll go anywhere, though. Romney was heard to say that there wasn't enough time for an impeachment, although the prospect of one is appealing if it means trump can never hold public office again or run for/be president. Frankly, I doubt that Pence has the courage or the skill to bring the Cabinet along for a 25.
And I think the ones that are jumping ship are doing so not from conscience, but to avoid being put in the position of deciding on the 25th amendment issue.
Pence might be angry enough to do it, having Tя☭mp turn on him after 5 years of loyal groveling.
You'd think so, wouldn't you? But it isn't looking likely at this point. Considering how he's always strategically disappeared from the stage at key moments, I'm betting he won't do any different now. I'm thinking his political career might be over no matter which way he jumps.
Makes sense, thanks Kathleen.
Removal by 25th Amendment is the preferred action, but seems like a long shot in that it requires those closest to trump politically to publically turn against him.
Impeachment, on the other hand, can be done in the House. They just need to draw up the articles and vote on them. Easy peasy, as they say. I imagine someone has articles laying on their desk as I write. It may be tight, but Dems still have the majority.
Conviction and removal would not happen before his term expired, but he can be impeached. My only dismay about that is it would actually give trump another superlative, as the most impeached president.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar have both said they have articles drawn up. I'd rather see a bi-partisan effort because it's more likely to succeed but it has to start somewhere or it will surely fail. The process could go as quickly or as slowly as Congress wants it to but, given the events of yesterday, best 'twere done quickly.
When do Warnock and Ossoff take the oath of office? Should be soon, yes? Then it might be doable if at least one Republican will sign on in the Senate (in addition to all the Dems).
Not for another week or two. It depends on how fast Georgia goes through its process. Tomorrow (Friday) is the last day for military ballots to be received and counted. Then each of the 159 counties has to certify their results, and send them to the Governor to certify the total. It has to be done by January 22.
Nancy Pelosi just said in a press conference that she expects a yes or no answer today from Pence on invoking the 25th. My impression is that she is holding off vigorous House action on impeachment until heaing from Pence. The question, of course, is whether there are enough reality-based Senators after yesterday to convict promptly.
I heard Pence refuses.
What has to be done with the President must be done TODAY. If there is a way to impeach, convict or invoke the 25th Amendment within 24 hours, it must be done. Otherwise, he should simply be arrested for inciting a riot and held for a bail hearing until after Biden's inauguration. There is no time to waste.
Thank you, David. Key word here is "peacefully."
Nancy Pelosi just said her phone is ringing off the hook with people demanding impeach impeach impeach. That’s the way to go. He’s unfit for office and proved it yesterday so that impression is fresh. Swift action to neutralize him and remove him from power for he can still cause havoc and will.
On one of the news channels they reported that just because the arrest was not made at the time, they have the evidence to pick these scum up later for these FELONIES.
Yeah Rob! Bunch of dipshit Trumppets! As if cameras aren’t everywhere already, they post incriminating evidence and bragging video confessions on their SM. “The best & brightest” yep.
TC, the authorities may need your intel on these guys?
It's even on french radio...names, descriptions, all!
Wow.
Tres Bien!
C'est fantastique!!
I got it from Raw Story, so I'm pretty sure it's "out there" for anyone who looks.
TC thank you so much for your mention of Raw Story. This is the news source I have been looking for, for months. Really appreciate the mention.
You can sign up for notifications - you get a little box on your computer screen every time they drop a story.
I watched a bit on news yesterday that many known white supremest groups and their members have easily been identified already by ADL. That they actually exposed their faces and tattoos just shows how ignorant they are. Also the man who was carrying the podium and the woman with a piece of Pelosi’s door sign.
Well, look who they follow...the brightest, orangest star in the history of the universe.
What I worry about is Trump giving them all blanket pardons!!!
I suspect that any one of the state lines they crossed gives jurisdiction to different states. Again, Trump needs to be removed to make sure his pardoning days are over.
Think of a pardon, that could have placed BLM there or close. Keep that in mind these next few weeks.
“Evolutionarily U-turn”...love it.
The arrests should be made after January 21 so Tя☭mp can't pardon them.
"Tя☭mp" cool label
I copied it from someone whose name I don't recall, when it first appeared in these Letters some time ago.
Excellent thought
Thank you for this detail. Saves me a lot of surfing around online...
East Asswipe—yes
Let the authorities wait to deal with them until after January 21 so Tя☭mp can't pardon them.
Impeaching of invoking the 25th immediately would prevent him from exercising any pardon powers. Waiting to arrest these guys/gals would be dereliction.
Thank you, Jan.
You have posted some absolutely brilliant things yesterday and today.
Oh that's a beautiful thought Jan
Oh Mim I LOVE LOVE LOVE that little script of Shit-for-Brains's name
I copied it into my Journal, and it transferred perfectly. With your permission, I am going to use it. If you email me at Roland and my initials RLJ at Google Mail with your permission, I would like to make use of it. Not commercially of course, just privately. But just in case, if it ever has a commercial use, I would have your contact info on file.
One year later… Merrick’s Justice Dept’s MO has been to hunt the bottom feeders and work their way up the food chain. The chemo to their cancer will be incarceration. We must not accept anything less.
Yup, you need to get this info to DC metro police
I think Angeli has fantasies that DT will create a reality show for him.
So it took extreme violence and fear for their lives to change the minds of many (but not all) of the Sedition Caucus ...
As Heather has reminded us many times, the question is what WE are going to do for our country. I feel like, all things considered, with the elections of Ossoff and Warnock driven by the enormous voter turnout in Georgia that even the Traitor himself couldn’t prevent, and Mitch’s unchecked power now checked, we have a real opportunity to enact legislation. I for one would like to see strong voting rights, and anti-gerrymandering and civil rights legislation, along with health care legislation. I want to see trump prosecuted for what he has done since November 3 (not to exclude what he did before, of course). I look forward to hearing what the DOJ under Merrick Garland will look like.
Peace to all of you here, and thanks to Heather from the bottom of my heart. We keep each other afloat emotionally and now let’s channel our outrage into positive activism for America.
All of what you said and deep campaign finance reform, no loopholes, reverse Citizens United, and go the route of other " developed" nations that have very short campaigns and limited publicity. More policy details and debate instead of vague promises that go nowhere. Kind of like.......Elizabeth Warren who had a detailed plan for everything.
And thankfully Sen. Warren is still where she can have a major impact. She would be a great Majority Leader.
Go Liz!!! Seeing her as Senate Majority Leader would assuage my pain at our failure to get her the nomination. Joe now has his chance, with Kamala and the most diverse (and talented, experienced) administration in history. I almost feel optimistic!
Yeah, I agree with the "almost." My heart is still too riven, I'm still heart-broken and grieving about yesterday.
Agreed! I'm from NY and like and respect Charles Schumer, but a great orator he is not. I give him the benefit of the doubt that he's a cagey tactician, what do I know? But I like a leader who is inspirational and can move people with their expression of progressive ideas.
I like a leader who knows the background ins and outs well enough to ensure things get done. The main job of Majority leader is not giving speeches. We never see the majority of what it takes to get bills written and herded through the process. Keep that in mind.
You are absolutely right. McConnell had an iron grip on his caucus, but watching him speak makes drying paint seem fascinating.
Great idea!
Especially reverse Citizens United! The Lincoln Project is posting names of CEO’s of many companies/banks who have supported Fake 45. Bless them! Two such companies are Walmart and ATT.
Thank you, Marcy, for this call for us to act while remembering this day. And your warm and heartfelt thanks to Heather and the rest of this group for keeping us all "afloat."
Yours, Beth's, and Fairness Doctrine
Garland gave such a heartfelt speech today! I trust him. Could you not feel the genuine passion and discipline in his voice and expressions? God I miss this that so much in public officials. He is the antithesis of Barr! My faith in Democracy has a few more bricks replaced. This leaves Sally Yates in play as a Special Counsel, the mortar necessary to put the last nail in 45’s political career’s coffin.
Thank you.
What about the Senate banking committee?
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, …” (Charles Dickens describing London and Paris during the French Revolution in A Tale of Two Cities)
The domestic terrorist thugs who disrupted Congress in session and invaded the Capitol were only the noisily destructive henchmen thrill seekers fronting the ongoing threats posed by trump, his enablers, the Sedition Caucus in Congress, and the PACs that finance them.
They are not to overshadow the amazing work of Stacey Abrams and her crew that rallied support to not only turn Georgia blue, but to propel Warnock and Ossoff to win their run off election for the 2 Senate seats to neutralize McConnell's death grip on progressive legislation. Now Biden has a chance to lead this country in plugging the loopholes exploited by trump and McConnell, and building on the energy swells of BLM, #MeToo, environmentalists, anti-gun violence, Indigenous people's rights, and our various efforts to make this a more humane world for all of us.
Thank you, Heather, for another of your amazing compilations that pulls the essential events of a day fraught with chaos and puts them together in a way that coherently helps us to remember what matters.
Yes! The amazing work of Stacey Abrams, and the stalwart steadfastness of African-American voters, especially the women. I love that Stacey Abrams has persisted, and persisted, and continued on to victory for Georgia and for the nation. She has blazed a trail.
Love the phrase "yet she persisted" - ala Elizabeth Warren, and now Stacy Abrams (plus many many others who took the chance and their right to VOTE!)
I shared on Facebook a comment I read somewhere:
They tried to bury Stacey Abrams.
They didn't know she was a seed.
Rahm Emanuel was interviewed on PBS last night with Judy and he gave several examples of what persons who have lost elections have gone on to do. He said that Stacey decided to build. And boy has she! She took the lessons she learned, the good bad and ugly, and flipped an entire state. Just wow.
Entire state? Are you kidding? Tricia, Stacey flipped an entire nation. She and her partners (Voto Latino, the Asian group, etc.) turned the Senate 50-50 and gave Biden and Kamala the reins to legislate. No Mitch McConnell, he just got relegated to the history books. And like you said, "Just wow!"
YES! The nation. Presidential Medal of Freedom!
I'm concerned about what one very dangerous person who has recently lost an election might go on to do.
You and a lot of other people
That’s fabulous!
Thank you, Ellie. Need to celebrate our win in Georgia being a win for all...
Spot on, Ellie.
Good morning everyone--I hope everyone is okay. It has been some helluva week so far. As an old Tom Lehrer fan I am reminded of one of his lines introducing a song, slightly paraphrased: "America feels a little like a Christian Scientist with pneumonia . . ." I also have to admit that when I saw the photo of Hawley--to whom I sent an email screed calling him a traitor and demanding that he remove himself from office, which I sent hours before he promoted insurrection and treason on a larger scale--I cracked up. He clearly practiced in front of a mirror because he looked like a dork who thinks he is "hip" by appropriating gestures and language that the Cool Kids use. It was the essence of white male idiocy. I haven't seen any memes showing up but I am sure there will be all kinds of photoshopped versions of Hawley as a Moronic Fascist.
Someone a couple days ago pointed out that Hawley has supposedly been well educated but I reiterate that he is deeply, deeply stupid. His degrees are legacy-based as his family has been in Missouri politics for generations. He has no moral center; he is as cynical as Murderous Mitch but without the sense to know when to shut up. Someone said they were really worried about him because he was "smarter" than Trump. But the Cheeto's supporters focus on his celebrity not on his absence of mental acuity (remember he is also supposedly an Ivy League alum, so the notion that the Ivys confer some particular status on people is patently false: Bush II was a Yalie after all). Hawley looks like what he is: an awkward white boy with fantasies of power. He is a skinnier and equally deluded Ted Cruz. And Cruz is possibly the most bipartisanly hated person in Congress. The Nazis and racists who form the Cheeto base aren't interested in supporting them.
That said, I wholeheartedly support the immediate removal of Trump from office, per the 25th Amendment, and his arrest for treason and sedition on the basis that he has attempted to incite the overthrow of a legitimately elected government. In addition, all the members of Congress who objected to the EC certification should be removed from office and charged with sedition. The fact that only 50-odd people were arrested yesterday is shameful. Whiteness made it possible for an attempted coup almost to succeed: if they had gotten hold of Pelosi she would be dead. The failure of the security services to protect the Capitol despite the ginning up of potential violence by Trump and his enablers is shameful as well.
But my gleeful moment last night was reading that Biden has nominated Merrick Garland as his attorney general. I would LOVE to see all these f***ers charged and prosecuted by AG Garland. It would be yet another example of Biden's clever use of "payback sucks, doesn't it" tactics.
Love your characterization of Hawley.
And some consolation, I just listened to an interview with former NYC Police Chief Bratton in which he commented on the gold mine of information available to law enforcement as a result of all the photos published yesterday of the maskless invaders - that, and the fact that they were all over social media bragging. Bratton indicated these folks will be easy to find and prosecute.
Assuming there is a will to prosecute. Which we must insist on.
Along with cell phone data too. Between the photos and cell phones, they should be able to track down and arrest most of the thugs.
Who are the masked among the mob? Notice anything particular about their stature?
I’m not sure what you mean...? Do you mean white trash on parade?
Cynthia, I mean who are those in masks? Why do they have masks on while others do not? Does it say something about spontaneity or planning & plotting? What did anticipate about video surveillance? What is different about them? Do they appear to you to look of Civilian build/stature? Do they look out of breath? ( that is a lot of steps to run up after a long march from DT's Speech location). Look closely at the waistlines of the masked. Watch how the masked move in each video, is it sporadic like the majority of the mob? Or is with orderly precision during chaos? Who moves like that? Not to be conspirator and not to encourage conspiracy, but I notice small things about athleticism and grace under pressure.
Agree with your statement. The masked persons of strong build, swift move, etc. were different than those out-of-shape (my observations) or showing their faces and body tats even. Those who are easily identified did the bidding of the masked ones. Because they are so uneducated and uninformed that your mere presence on the steps is illegal.
Dictators always rely on Paramilitaries in coup/insurrections. This was not a spontaneous protest. It was well planned and executed.
The insurgents were interesting to watch--- and I was puzzled by many of them.
Adam Schiff should be consulting with the FBI Counterterrorism agents. I'd like to know and account for every single one of Eric Prince's mercenaries. Whereabouts, track locations. Communications, etc. Confirm their Alibi's. It only takes a few advisors to edge a mob over boundaries of police orders and public decency. These are former soldiers with insurgency and counter-insurgency training. We need to know their whereabouts.
Cynthia, you mean, Whiskey Tango Oscar Papa!!! ha ha Congrats! that is WTOP, founded by Cynthia O'Connor, nice!
Absolutely. We need to immediately clean out all the seditionists in our government starting with DJT. Hold them in Guantanamo until each of their court proceedings. It is the furthest away from us but still in leased territory and where we place terrorists until trial (although there are still a number of terrorists still there who never seem to go on trial...at least...we do not hear about them). That, in itself, is a simply a very delicious thought. Seriously, our country must deal with seditionists swiftly as examples to the radical and fanatical elements rising rapidly in our country, thanks to four years of this coup by trumplicans and hostile foreign entities.
Talking about sedition was the reason I was kicked off YT. I would like my rights returned or for YT to have competition.
What is YT?
YouTube?
Ah, I see ... thank you Kari.
You’re kidding!?! What?
Yes, that is the only thing I had talked about that could have remotely upset someone...a trumping most likely. I was allowed one appeal and asked YT to show me what post violated their guidelines. They never showed me and said they suspended me permanently. I am not a rude person except about this regime. Even then, I temper what I say and use logic, reason and definitions for people to understand what I am saying.
Whoa! That really sucks... sometimes I hold my breath when I make a snarky comment on Twitter... but this is terrible? I guess it’s ok if you post how to make a bomb on YT !?!...
Wow! And yet 45 can incite violence and spew destructive lies endlessly and get away with it with but a slap on his wrist for this. That’s really wrong. And you can’t even appeal it which seems arbitrary and authoritarian on the part of YT. Where’s the free speech now?
What?
Oh! You have got me so excited!
Has Betsy DeVos packed her bags yet?
Yesterday early evening (somewhere 5-7 pm Pacific Time) on MSNBC Rachel was interviewing Claire McCaskill about Hawley, the man who beat her for her Senate seat. In Claire's very warm and loving way, she explained first that she subscribes to the old-fashioned belief that you don't criticize your successor. Then she said that, in light of current events, that her old-fashioned notion seemed quaint and ill-advised. She then proceeded to describe, again in those warm tones, how Hawley is a "craven" political opportunist, and without using the following words, basically said he is amoral and will do whatever it takes to advance. It was a damning characterization, I have to tell you.
Claire is pretty awesome. It was an honor to be represented by her.
You're lucky to be that close to her. She is a gem.
Look who I get: Doug LaMalfa, CA-1, National Embarrassment, one member of the National Shame Caucus.
https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-01-06/republicans-in-congress-to-try-long-shot-bid-to-invalidate-biden-victory?_amp=true
Of course one of my Senators was Barbara Boxer, and then briefly we had Kamala Harris, now we have Xavier Becerra, a magnificent man, the former Calif. AG, stepping in for Kamala. I HAVE NO COMPLAINTS.
Some good people there. Mine are abysmal and embarrassing.
I saw that! She was fabulous!
Hawley! Perfect description of him. But I am so depressed today because nothing will happen. As Heather pointed out when Nixon wasn’t at least tried for his crimes, it opened the door to all the criminals following him and here we are. Will someone please tell me that these seditious mongrels are not going to get away with this?! Please!
I'm with you there Cynthia but I don't hold out a lot of hope.
I feel the same way.. but let’s keep calling and applying pressure.
That is where I am as well..... Congress fails us so often.
So we have to keep calling and writing. I know it feels futile sometimes but if we keep it up and add to our numbers the pressure adds up.
"if they had gotten hold of Pelosi she would be dead"
Exactly.
And I am not sure that the adoring, trumpest Pence was a rather direct target.
I agree with you: Both Pelosi and Pence would not be here this morning if they hadn't been whisked to safety at the right time.
Well said. Leadership above all else is a moral relationship between leader and followers. I see no moral reason why anyone would be or remain a Republican this morning.
Me neither. How can they look at themselves in the mirror or sleep at night.
I love that Tom Lehrer quote!
Sorry all: as I have been working today on the computer my brain finally clicked in the correct analogy from Tom Lehrer: "like a Christian Scientist with appendicitis." Much more effective!
Very well said. I agree 100%.
A grave day, nothing I ever imagined seeing and - to date - the worst thing Trump has wrought. But he isn’t gone yet, so I’m still on edge.
For those keeping track, you can find the names of those Representatives who voted in favor of rejecting the challenged States’ votes here:
https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2021/roll010.xml
https://clerk.house.gov/evs/2021/roll011.xml
The senators are: Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Cynthia Lummis, Roger Marshall, Rick Scott, John Neely Kennedy and Tommy Tuberville.
They all need to go – first home, and then to court to answer for their complicity. None of them should be permitted to hold office again.
As Professor Richardson said, this is just the beginning of the fight to set things right.
Thank you for posting to the Wall of Shame for us to remember and remind when these seditious politicians seek re-election or any kind of validation through the course of their public lives. If they escape any consequences for their oath-violating conduct, the way to get them fired is through the vote. We will not forget.
I have written down their names and will remind people over and over again that they have acted against the Constitution and should never hold office.
Excellent.
We must not forget!
Agree!
Yes I agree that all the treasonous complicity has to be accountable with serious consequences as a prelude to a new administration.
Thank you. Sadly, my rep is still on the list. If he is not indicted now, HE WILL BE FIRED IN 2022. That is my new mission
I totally agree. They must be held accountable.
I called Rick Scott’s office. No one to take my call but I left my message. I wish I could be as cool and composed as Heather.
In this Alice in Wonderland Tale with the Mad Hatter running riot, i think it's time for Queen Pelosi to shout "Off with His Head"
I concur with you theoretically, and think it's a great analogy to suggest that what we have witnessed is similar to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party.
However, with great respect Stuart, such a course of action by Speaker Pelosi would be radically undemocratic -- and is too ugly for words.
We have seen far too much raw violence in the past 24 hours.
Instead, let us keep our wits about us. Remove Trump from office immediately through the process outlined in the 25th Amendment.
Then, move quickly by all means available, to charge any of his family members, advisors, followers, etc. with sedition (or, where appropriate, treason).
Do everything legally possible to bar these individuals from seeking elected leadership in future. No one should benefit, profit, or see personal advancement of any kind, or be given any position of responsibility in government, locally or nationally, as a result of association/cooperation with Donald Trump.
Love your sentiments and logic, but if Trump supporters committed crimes while assaulting Congress and terrorizing our elected representatives, and we have means to identify them, why shouldn’t appropriate legal actions be taken against them? These people knew they were doing something criminal but because they had Trump’s blessing they went ahead and did it anyway..and clearly were enjoying themselves. Shouldn’t such people be subject to whatever laws constrain the rest of us from behaving similarly? We teach our children not to raise their fists or bring weapons to school, on pain of dismissal or expulsion. Should Trump supporters who committed these brazen acts and threw our democracy into chaos be immune? Find them and punish them according to criminal procedure and the law, for all our sakes.
Yes, and as HCR has said, if these thugs were POC, most of them would have been shot dead yesterday.
From the social justice angle, the footage from yesterday will be Exhibit A that we need to reform policing in our country.
Yes... good point
I am heartened that Dr. R is not the only one to have pointed that out. All the media, print and otherwise, are saying the same thing.
Tragically, and disgustingly, that is true.
Exactly
"Off with his head" implies violence, and perhaps is not the best phrase to throw in just now. I suspect, though, that posters responding to Stuart are thinking not of violent retribution, but of legal consequences. Which are indeed not only appropriate, but essential to establish the limits of behavior that will be tolerated. That goes for not only the insurrectionists themselves, but also those who abetted them and encouraged them in the acts they committed. I whole-heartedly agree with Rev. Judith that civil acts of sedition should be addressed as well. It is too easy to point to the lowest level as the culprits, and ignore those who deliberately created the conditions in which they operated, and are complicit in what happened.
I couldn’t copy the link for some reason, but there was an interesting, depressing article that I read on ‘The Conversation’.., about how once there is violence against the country, it will happen again. I will try again to post it.
Cynthia, Yes! Violence is contagious and Trump is modeling it for other extremists. Apparently, 45% of Republicans approve of what happened in our Congress.
This is disgusting.
How can that be??
How can any of this be!?!
Should Cruz and Hawley face any consequences?
Well, I think they qualify as advisors/followers (see text of my comment). But I'm happy to amend my statement to read "charge any of his family members, elected and/or appointed officials" to the list. Cruz and Hawley are complicit and should be removed.
Trump and his children successfully adopted thousands into the Trump Crime Family. From elected and appointed officials to cosplayers, all must be sanctioned.
Yes, I guess in my still ‘rattled brain’, I see their images larger than life and can’t stop feeling that they are in a category all by themselves. I will not be satisfied until they are dealt with in the appropriate manner.
At the very least disbarred.
I agree!
Your post was fine, Judith. Some might see the details differently, but your post was great for sparking thought and discussion. I hope the Dept of Justice sorts it out and take the appropriate action, because you are right that there MUST be legal consequences. Bless you.
Absolutely! No absolution for these two. Senator Cruz is from Texas where I live but he certainly isn't representing me. All about ambition and trying to get the DT base behind them. Need to get TЯ☭💀p out of office before he pardons any of the ... and himself.
YES
Yes. Unequivocally.
Absolutely. Will they? If they don’t face serious consequences, we will have surely gone around the bend.
Of course they should. The question is what consequences, and how soon. At the very least, they have tied themselves to the Tя☭mpsters and cut off ties from whatever is left of the non-Tя☭mp Republican party. They should be expelled from the Senate for abetting the attempted overthrow of the Congress by the Executive. That does not mean it will happen.
BFHY.
Ok, I give up... what is BFHY?
Sorry, I dont like the swear. Bull F*&^ing Hell Yeah!
Perhaps you could find another way to say what you need to say. Surely you knew someone would ask- otherwise why post it at all? (No, not offended by it- I have some pretty colorful language myself. But why dangle it?
Thanks! My 27 year old daughter is away so I am cut off from pop culture!
Exactly....and I think that Alice would agree😁
Thanks, Stuart. I really wanted to avoid stepping on your toes...! I knew exactly what you meant about the Hatter, the Queen, etc. :-) Your comments and analyses are always excellent.
My toes are not too sensitive, Judith. I understood perfectly
Let us meet the passion of this madness with disciplined moral reasoning. But yeah, I am angry and outraged.
I was up most of the night watching the count, simply because I needed the reassurance that we were moving forward safely. Not normal yet, and that was clear from the foolish "objections" made all the while knowing all it was was a childish stall. While watching, I wrote letters to my Congress critters. Simple and short: 3 lines calling for Trump's removal.
This morning learned that my daughter had been up too, watching and writing. Love knowing I raised at least one political nerd, Probably more.
We should be angry and outraged.
Fortunately the Constitution forbids bills of attainder. Let the guilty be punished, but only for their own actions and not because of guilt by association.
But incitement is closer to complicity than association. Violence resulted from his "suggestion" so...
I am sure Stuart meant it metaphorically. Like arrest him now. (That is what I mean— Lock him up).
I'm thinking now, all stakeholders in govt, and the SC , representing all three branches need to act in concert. Congress impeach now. SC recommend for resignation, Cabinet invoke the 25th. That seems appropriate. Every Gov sign letter recommending he resign too.
Our kids are watching everything. Learning from our reaction to such tragedy. This generation risks growing up radicalized. the post-truth bullshit has to stop immediately. Ge him out of the WH now!!!
Well, I think you're incredibly optimistic and your statement is highly idealistic, but hey, why not shoot for the stars? Sometimes you fall short and hit the moon.
Agree 100%. But it’s that or crawl up in a ball ballin’
Rhetoric is a little too close to reality, isn't it? We are getting a taste of that with the violation of the U.S. Capitol.
Lock him up!
Respectfully Louis, while I hope TЯ☭💀p will be held accountable, I wish we wouldn't emulate him and his mob chanting "Lock her up." It always gave me the willies to hear him inciting his mob with those chants. My vision of TЯ☭💀p's future is that he will end up in an insane asylum. I'm with Michelle Obama -- "When they go low, we go high."
I think Yuila Tymoshenko would agree with you. F Paul Manafort
First time I have laughed in 20 hours!
I like your reaction. Unfortunately, the violation of the U.S. Capitol reminds us that rhetoric can become reality, that's why so many people are having a problem with Stuart's lighthearted suggestion. But your post made me smile, thank you!
I don’t think DT has laughed in twenty years
Speaker Pelosi just had a press conference. It is 2:55 pm on Thursday as I write this comment. She said plainly that Tя☭mp is a danger to the country and must be removed before he can do more damage. She also said that she expects a yes or no from VP Pence today on invoking the 25th Amendment.
And it sounds like a no from what the NYT and PBS Newshour were reporting tonight. So.......impeachment proceedings begin tomorrow???
It looks likely.
Then I will sleep soundly tonigh
Nice! Thank you, Joan!
He has to be out. Has to. Pardon power is available to cause more division and chaos. Learning and knowledge are nothing without creative imagination. We have to anticipate the next moves. We must demand removal before it is to late. I’m tired of seeing moral leaders be outperformed by this conman, this demagogue.
President T is the Cheshire Cat -- it's all one big grin to him.
Except the he is deadly serious...about himself!
Yes, it is an evil grin... The grin of the devil's apprentice liking the chaos he's creating. Insane! Just wrote my Senator about getting DT removed from office now. And, censuring Senator Cruz, my other Senator.
Oh, God, you have Cruz. Makes my joke of a representative look like a toddler. When they construct the National Wall of Shame on the Mall, and they choose Maya Lin's artistic heir to design it, my House member will be on it, but your guy will be at the top in much larger letters.
General Mattis neglected to name himself among Trump's enablers, although to be fair, he did bail fairly early from the Trump Train Wreck.
I kept hoping I'd see Cruz and McCarthy perp-walked through the desecrated Rotunda, but no such luck. Oh, yeah, and Pence, too, of course.
I noted Marsha Blackburn declined, after the riot, to continue her opposition. That lady is nothing, if not a political animal. (And I use the term 'lady' advisedly).
And speaking of political animals, if anyone had any doubt as to whom McConnell would protect at all costs (hint: himself), I hope today erased all doubts. Thank God, Goddess, Buddha, Krishna, whatever powers you choose to invoke, that Georgia rescued us from having to endure McConnell any longer.
Yes!
Paula Roberts1 min ago
I was so glad to hear Sen. Duckworth call out the fact that each of those lawmakers joined Trump in violating their oaths of office. In a just world, I would hope to see them prosecuted and removed along with Trump. And for once, I am glad for the social media that will help law enforcement identify the rioters who thought it was funny to destroy the building and norms at the center of our democracy. I was moved by the emotional speeches, but I am also moved by your efforts to reach out to us — first in the midst of the day’s chaos, and so quickly following the certification. Your honest openness, your expert background, and your amazing analysis mean so much. I thank you. ❤️
Agreed! The seditious "lawmakers" must be removed from office. Write Congressional leadership to expel Hawley, Cruz, et al, per Article 1 Section 5: "Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behavior, and, with the Concurrence of two-thirds, expel a Member."
As a first step ...
http://act.boldprogressives.org/survey/petition_2021_trump_accountability_coup
I'd like to amend my previous comment to include some gratitude. Yesterday a friend asked me in a text "If I was watching this" I wasn't. I knew that I would read Heather's letter this morning and I was comfortable being a day behind the action. I have been reading "This Is An Uprising" and coming to understand what it takes to be an activist and wondering if becoming a doctor was really the best use of my time. I do believe it is the money behind the scenes that is the driver of what we are seeing just as it is the money behind the scenes in medicine that is promoting illness for profit rather than actual healing but also I get it that to change this requires deep and sustained activism and even so is unlikely to progress quickly given our place in consciousness evolution. So I appreciate what all those who are activists are doing. Including those like Heather who are informing us with perspective and accuracy.
The power to heal, combined with the power to tell the truth is a force to be reckoned with. I really believe in doctors without borders. Check it out. We will need people to go abroad and contribute to humanity to right our wrongs.
I admire that organization so much!
I would add The Purpose of Power, by Alicia Garza to the highly recommended reading lists. It opened my eyes to the realities that many of today's activists are facing, and the need for all of us to do our part.
Sadly yesterday was a beginning of the violence that 45 began urging even before he was given a title by an antiquated electoral system, not the end, and it's not going to be an easy road.
This is the picture that says it all...I'm not you, Heather Cox Richardson, but enough of history student to know that history is not on the side of peaceful transitions of power. Joe Biden will be President on Jan 21 but that doesn't begin to address the issues that underly the violence we saw yesterday. The demographics are changing permanently in this country (see GA), and the backlash from those currently in power- the white male ruling class (and their cult followers) now soon to be minority is at fever pitch. Add into the mix the gross income disparity, a pandemic, and a justice system that works only for those in power and I believe we are in for some really difficult times.
On the positive side-- I am grateful for the 70% of this country that actually believes in democracy as a way to govern. I am grateful that a Democratic Senate will finally get to vote on John Lewis' Voter Protection Bill so that all Americans will eventually be able to vote without intimidation. I am heartened by the voter turnout across the country in November and in GA on Tuesday. And I am ready to do whatever work is needed to help our Democracy survive.
I agree with all of the above. Well said.
Beautifully expressed Jane.
". . . the backlash from those currently in power - the white male ruling class (and their cult followers) now soon to be minority is at fever pitch."
That's my favorite sentence.
Sen. Corey Booker's speech on the Senate floor once Congress had reconvened compared those British loyalists carrying a monarch's flag to the White House in the War of 1812 to today's flag - the Trump flag - flown outside and inside the Capitol by those who invaded it today. "They both were waving flags to a sole sovereign - the one today was to a single person named Donald Trump." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtcVbNAstR0
Accept that the British troops in the King's army were loyally obeying their monarch according to British law. No treason there......just the "normal" collateral destruction of war. After all in the same war Jackson took New Orleans from the British army with significant loss of Redcoat life long after a cease-fire had been signed and US troops attacked Toronto without much thought for the Canadian citizens residing there.
Yes - he wasn't comparing them on the basis of treason, but on the basis of honoring a sovereign, suggesting that T's supporters flying Trump flags were exhibiting loyalty to a man they viewed as their sovereign, rather than an "elected" leader. Seeing that flag flying on the steps of the White House was one of the more chilling images of a day filled with horrifying images, and of both terror and horror. I couldn't stop crying as I watched it unfold in real time.
War begets war. Repression breeds retaliation. RFK
There were some very serious impassioned speeches after the horrendous defilement of Congress— including Senator Corey Booker.
Such a terrific speech!
I never want to hear "We are the party of Lincoln" come from the mouths of the GOP. Had there not been quick action to get the legislatures out to a secured location, we would have seen mock trials and possibly executions by these lunatics. I am sure Giuliani and Don Jr will try to whitewash their remarks but words have consequences and their remarks along with the delusional ramblings of the President were inflammatory, much like yelling "Fire" in a crowded room. I have already seen posts stating that it was "Democrats and Antifa in disguise". Think about the absurdity of these comments. Why would the Democrats want to stop the count? Just to make these "virtuous" people look bad? (Rhetorical question only). And think about the emotional and/or mental health of people who would believe this. Many of us knew who and what Donald Trump was and is. I hold out some small hope that more thinking people now see who he is and who some of his followers are and do not want to be associated with them.
It is time for us to call all of our representatives and Senators and demand the impeachment of Donald J. Trump.
I will request the arrest of all seditionists attempting to overthrow a duly elected new government.
I second that
We have members who have lists of the numbers we must call. Can someone please repost the telephone numbers to our Senators and Representatives.?
https://contactsenators.com/senator-phone-numbers
https://clerk.house.gov/member_info/TTD-117.pdf
http://act.boldprogressives.org/survey/petition_2021_trump_accountability_coup
I saw comments saying the protestors were “antifa.” <sigh>
And the idiots on Fox just keep pounding that line. They should be cut off as well.
Don't believe it. 2 people that live down the street from me were there (!!!!); they're not "antifa".
Same here
Perhaps the incendiary rhetoric of Trump, Guiliani, Don Jr., and Hawley and others was more akin to yelling "Crowd" in a crowded fire.
It scrambles my poor brain to try to understand the twisted logic of these narratives... as you said, why would Democrat’s/Antifa storm the Capitol? Honestly, they are flat-out insane.
My daughter and I discussed this tonight. A "friend" on her Facebook posted that she had seen the shirtless guy with the headpiece with horns and face paint who stood at the podium at a BLM protest and posted a picture. My daughter pointed out to this person that the picture showed him as a counter-demonstrator not a part of the BLM protest. They see what they want to see and what fits their narrative.
Good point!
I am very distressed today to see how quickly Washington is pretending to move past this. The headlines this morning are all Biden will be President, Trump says transition will be orderly, Giuliani says no to violence, etc. I am sorry, but there are 13 days, 2 hours and 45 minutes left for Trump to create further chaos and destruction. We need to continue to call on Congress to remove this man from office right now. #25thamendmentnow
The mumbling about orderly transition is the teeny tiny price Republicans are demanding of Tя☭mp and his enablers for their attempted coup. It is not enough.
Absolutely. I already have good friends who are this morning talking about time to move on and think about how we can assist Biden. Move on? Like Trump will just be chastened for the next two weeks? Are we crazier than he is?
Tя☭mp will keep going, in or out of office, as long as he is alive and has a communications connection. Thinking he will back off is akin to Susan Collins thinking that absolving him of impeachment would improve his behavior.
What? He incited terrorism and the defining of our nations Capitol. What’s wrong with people?
Dear Linda,
There is no way that yesterday results in no consequences. None whatsoever.
People are stunned. It takes time to digest and process this momentous event. We are witnessing an unprecedented event in U.S. history (certainly not in world history, but here anyway). Give it a little bit of time. The wheels are grinding slowly, but trust me, they will grind thoroughly on this one. Right now, you might be seeing the rote, automatic words, but they are the interim, stock words that a society is using when it is processing the deep violation that just happened. Like a victim in shock saying "I'm fine, I'm fine." Trust me, there will be deep consequences. Keep in mind,, the entire House Judiciary Committee wrote to Pence advocating the 25th. Bill Kristol calls yesterday's actions "a de facto invoking of the 25th Amendment." Go back to the top of this Comments section, to HCR's post. This is no lightweight moment in history, to be glossed over. Remember every one of these people were personally affected by this attack, they were personally forced to escape from rioters. You should see Rep. Grace Meng's interview yesterday on MSNBC. She was terrified, she was texting everyone that she loves. For some of the Senators and members of the House, this is United Flight 93. No way they can gloss it over. The people who matter, the members of Congress, will never forget this.
Thank you for this. I hope you are right. If there is no accountability on every level here, our democracy is screwed.
I stand by my words. The reaction is going to be deep and severe. Already in the Republican assembly down in Florida, the conversation topic is how Trump caused the loss of the Senate and how Trump is responsible for the attack on the U.S. Capitol. A double-barreled blow to the Republican Party. At some point, the Republican mainstream is going to cut bait with this guy. I have trouble seeing how he can avoid jail time.
BTW... where’s Pence!?
Avoiding Pelosi and Schumer
That made me laugh, thank you! I imagined a little boy hiding out in the closet.
Me too. Like we all just watched another violent American TV show or movie and are waking up today talking about the actors and directors. This was not that. This was a coup. An insurrection.
Is there any chance that something will be done!?
WE need to call our elected officials and demand something be done. https://contactsenators.com/senator-phone-numbers.
Donald J. Trump and "Six senators and more than half of the House Republicans backed an attempt to overthrow our government in favor of a man [DJT] caught on tape just four days ago trying to strong-arm a state election official into falsifying the election results."
Yesterday, DJT incited violence and insurrection to his followers. The Confederate flag flew in the United States Capitol."
(I stole much of this from HCR but I am about to start making calls to my local reps and to our senators--including the Seditious Caucus members and every republican senator.
Thank you Penelope! I called my elected officials. I wish I had your “quote” here to use as my wording. I get so upset my tongue gets tied. Someone here suggested calling those among the Congressional leadership, which I will do. What will have the most impact?
It's ok, Pamsy. You called. They get it, and understand that people get flustered. Phone calls tend to be tallied by number, and the important thing is that you called. Good for you.
Yes!
I get tongue-tied, too, so I write a script for myself and read it.
Oh my God, I hope so. But I think every second he is still there, the chances of removing him pass us by. Now Scalise is out there saying both parties need to tone down the rhetoric and work together. What? I think that is a sign he is saying no action against the President.
Steve Scalise is an evil worm.
Very true. So much work to do to wear out all the trash. And states are alway loathe to let go of senators with any seniority.
That is CLEAR out all the trash. not wear it out. LOL
Haha! Memo to Substack: an edit button please!
The old false equivalency argument.... not this time Steve. You guys own this.
Word is tRump is isolated in a room in the WH because he is going bezerk, with no Twitter or facebook to vent.
I would think so.
Wow. That is interesting.
I’ve been wondering where he was! And what about Pence!?
Hello Linda, TC in LA just turned us on to Raw Story. Take a look. It might help your concerns. I'm falling in love with it already, just looking at the headlines, now I'm going to read some of the articles.
Thanks Roland!
I’m hearing on the news this morning that it seems unlikely that trump will be removed from power before January 20. Putting aside the strong emotions behind any call to do this, what does this look like to the rest of the world?? That the leader of the United States of America can incite violence against the republic, and congress leaves him in power?!?!? That is reprehensible and inexcusable.
New York Times
Columnist Bret Stephens wrote: “To allow Trump to serve out his term, however brief it may be, puts the nation’s safety at risk, leaves our reputation as a democracy in tatters and evades the inescapable truth that the assault on Congress was an act of violent sedition aided and abetted by a lawless, immoral and terrifying president,” he wrote.
Exactly! Ugh... he’s a lunatic and he’s carrying a loaded gun! Spelled ‘NUCLEAR CODES’?!?
Who cares what Trump's removal looks like to the rest of the world. We need to walk away from the "what will the neighbors think" mentality and protect the people from Trump's evil.
Indeed. We need to uphold law and order and seek an immediate removal.
Except now congress has left until the 19th. No 25th, no impeachment. Unchecked.
Daria, I understand what you are saying, and agree with you. My point was that beyond the damage that has been done to our democracy, we also need to consider that the message we send in dealing with this this will have consequences that reach worldwide.
Hear ye! Hear ye!!
This can not be allowed to happen, for so many reasons. And exactly right, what does it say to the rest of the world watching us?? What does it say to those of us living here? That the president can incite a coup attempt/attack on our own government and democracy, that he can get away with absolutely anything, along with his gang of traitors? When will justice and the rule of law ever have any teeth, not to mention oaths sworn to the Constitutiin?
Unbelievable! This is what has been going on since he’s been in office! Before!
Do they (we?) think that he’s going to behave now after his ‘time out’. What point are we proving?
I am outraged by the abysmally incompetent security protection plan developed by leaders of the Capitol police. The Chief and the executive administrative team MUST be replaced NOW!
The plan appeared to order the front of line of officers to be COMPLIANT rather than protective! Shocking!
The security plan required plans for worse case scenario. If it did, the arrival of additional personnel was too few and too late. The National Guard should have been inside the Capitol buildings not called up after the desecration of our most hallowed national structure.
Why isn't the Capitol building equipped with barriers that can automatically seal off entrance to each main meeting halls of the House and Senate? seal off the hall way leading to the offices of the members of the house?
Years ago during the second Iraqi war, Gen. Petraeus had developed a strategy for an 'insurgency force' using a ratio of combat troops needed to fight an estimated size of enemy forces. Clearly, the planners for yesterdays security were woefully ignorant of such information.
Most glaring is the comparison of crowd control tactics used yesterday with those employed against any Black Lives Matter protest or dispersing the crowd at the phony stunt pulled by trump to pose with a bible in DC.
Homeland security is an oxymoron!
Clearly, protection was asked to stand down. This is on Trump & Co..
I texted a friend in the morning and stated “This is a day that will go down in infamy”. I’m a nobody from Michigan, and even I saw this coming. If they say they weren’t prepared because they didn’t know, they are lying.
You are right (but NOT that you are a nobody): trump's administration purposely did not intend to protect the Capitol. I do think, though, that those of us in Michigan have a much more acute sense of the danger because we have lived it at our Capitol. I saw it coming too, and my out-of-state friends scoffed when I warned them. Then I couldn't believe D.C. had only 360 National guard on stand by, who could only be called out by the President who was causing the coup! Lock him up NOW.
You were absolutely right. And you are not a nobody! My 90 year old mother saw this coming as well. I am usually the worst-case-scenario person and I was blind-sided by this attack on the Capitol.
I agree and to me it took a long time to get adequate security force (National Guard?) in place.
It’s not like they didn’t know it was coming! If these had been people of color it would’ve been a very different scene.
There is more to this than a simple act of 'poor planning'. IMHO of course.
That is because Trump is the one who is supposed to call them out, and he refused. I’m not sure what finally happened, but it looks like maybe Pence called out the National Guard, not Trump.
Correct
Yesterday was act 1. Better not be an Act 2.
I want to contribute my memory of going to DC to protest the Vietnam War, in the early ‘70s. I have a clear image of the snipers that were posted on the roofs of the government buildings we passed. And we were “just”college students in a largely nonviolent march through the city. Apparently White, male right-wing violence is not “a thing” for our police and security forces.
What a memory that must be. Thank you for protesting that war.
I came back from Vietnam in 1970. Thank you.
As always, thank you, Heather. Invoking the 25th must happen. If not after such a blatant act of terrorism incited by the president himself, then when? Yesterday also demonstrated that we are a country with two justice systems: one for whites; the other, for BIPOC. I hope there is as much discussion on that as anything in the months to come. Only that acknowledgement will help move us forward in the fight for equity and true justice.
Two justice systems, or simply complicit "capital police"? When their coniver in chief tweeted the police are "on our side" that confirmed it. We all saw the police retreat, then step aside. First they yielded the barricades, then the steps, then the freakin doors to OUR house! The crowd was NOT that big. The police were complicit.
Yes, I absolutely stand by my statement: we do have two different justice systems in this country. Do police ever “step aside” as you rightly outlined for people of color? They are part of the two different systems we have and they time and again police differently depending on the color of skin in front of them.
Capital police = nazi's imo. They need to go to jail along with their coconspiratirs. I agree with you.
Apparently the police are mostly Trumpees— now we know.
It sure looked that way with what I witnessed.
What's the difference between a trumpee and a nazi? Semantics?
Are they Trumpees or Trumpets, who obey their master?
They always were.
Did this atrocity of the police pulling aside really happen? I can believe it but have seen no proof of the same.
I watched on real time. News footage clearly shows police simply stepping aside on the steps. Then I thought, surely they'll be able to hold the line at the doors...uh, nope
I replayed the scene on the steps over and over to make sure my eyes were not deceiving me. It was shocking. Angry people of color would never have had that kind of an entre.
I watched it happen and several people recorded it. It is being shown around the world.
Then the police aided and abetted and need to held accountable as well. This is mind-bending.
I saw photos and wondered if they were taken out of context. Reading the posts of those who saw it play out in real time confirms the truth. Obviously that needs to be investigated!
Yes
Invoking the 25th please— I can’t imagine all the futility of another impeachment— invoking the 25th has got to be faster and simpler
Lots of calls for the 25th, I would like to see immediate articles of impeachment. Let us see the fastest impeachment in our history, like, today ! The 25th says the man is batshit crazy right? He is not, he needs to be held fully accountable for his traitorous actions he committed with his "high intellect". Ugh.
I've changed my mind on this, you are right. An immediate 25th Amendment would freeze T**** from further abusing his pardon power. Don't put it past him to pardon everyone from yesterday's riot. Then follow with an impeachment even it if is going to extend beyond his term. He needs to be disqualified from holding any elected office ever again.
Yes, because Congress has 21 days to act and by that time, time's up for Trump.
The 25th is meant for situations in which the President is incapacitated such that he/she cannot fulfull duties of President. It can be invoked both quickly and can be temporary. It would have come into play if Trump had become very ill when he had Covid19, for instance, and perhaps should have. Was it Obama who made Biden Pres overnight when he had minor surgery, just in case of complications? In this case, Trump could be batshit crazy, but he's likely to file a lawsuit faster than you can bat your eyes. Better that he is simply declared ill and unable to fulfill duties (which is demonstrably true and documented). A little sedation to keep him calm so he can get well enough to dodder to the helicopter in a couple weeks. Or just lock him in a closet and slide food trays under the door. Give him a kids andriod modified so it only connects to the Secret Service. Whatever. Personally prefer Impeachment, because it doesn't come with perks.
You will never get 2/3 of the Senate to agree to a conviction.
I agree, but it still will be an impeachment stain on his legacy. It will also label every Senator who refuses to admit the sedition and permanently marking them. It would at best flip future seats or at worst bring in some principled Republican replacements.
The 25th is about mental health. We are talking sedition and insurrection against our country. Impeachment and removal immediately or just arrest and forget the castrated republicans altogether.
The 25th is not about mental health. It is about a president becoming incapacitated such that he/she cannot fulfill duties of presidency. That covers a lot of territory. It can be temporary, and the VP fills in until President is well. I agree impeachment more appropriate; also more problematic to implement. We only need it for 2 weeks. If Congress could pull itself together, it could do that too. But 25th disables Trump in the near future. We need that.
https://www.history.com/news/presidents-ill-25-amendment
It is but he could drag it out until the 20th. There must be other measures to punish his behavior that can serve as a lasting reminder of his call to insurrection.
A delegation of Republican senators informing him that they support impeachment, and that resignation is better than that, a la Nixon?
That would work-- and is probably the fastest and least egregious to his violent cult.