396 Comments

As Heather wrote, "we are still in a dangerous moment..."

However heartening the trend of forces weakening the Big Lie and Trumpism, this is no time to be lulled into complacency. As Heather wrote about the Civil War, “But, once they declared an insurrection, they found it hard to keep up enthusiasm for it. Confederate leaders approved the firing on Fort Sumter in April 1861 in part because interest in creating a new nation was fading…Sparking a crisis made sure that southern whites did not abandon the Confederacy…Wars are far easier to start than to stop.”

Our vigilance is necessary now more than ever to be on the alert for such a spark of a crisis by the far right, whether the spark be another organized insurrectionist move, or escalating an incident of violence:

• Monitor the far right extremists.

• Counter toxic negative messaging on social media and amplify positive supportive messaging for the Biden administration.

• Don’t react; assess for truth and respond effectively.

• Be prepared to participate in nonviolent resistance.

https://americansofconscience.com/

https://www.commoncause.org/

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/02/why-nonviolent-resistance-beats-violent-force-in-effecting-social-political-change/

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You're so right - we have to stay vigilant. My husband and I (in Arlington, VA) were going through our library of protest signs from the former guy's term, thinking about what the next DC area protest might be. Voting rights and the For the People Act, maybe? We're prepared to be out there.

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Thanks for these resources, Ellie, especially the research that says, on average, nonviolent resistance is far more successful than violent campaigns.

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Indeed. The last thing we want to be is violent as the GOP/Trump are the self- anointed law and order folks and, with extreme hypocrisy, claim the high ground when it comes to violence (on the part of anyone not on their team.)

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Lined up against right wing militias is a more powerful group, the joint chiefs. They hate trump and he knows it. They have hatched plans A thru F at least and can’t wait for the paramilitary to meet the military. Mitch and ted and kevin will whine that the military should stay out of politics, and the chiefs will reply that this is not politics, this is war. This is when Mitch and ted and Kevin get woke.

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Hopefully, the Joint Chiefs can do some housecleaning and root out the far right militia types from the military. It's becoming clear that there are many militia trainees in the military, as well as on police forces, and they end up as Oath Keepers, etc.

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desperado…right on the money you are.

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That “start a war to maintain interest” part of the “look back in history” caught my attention. Mainly, because I’m waiting for violence to be stoked into erupting, again. Right wing media contributes to my fear. Fox News has a giant megaphone, and host’s pronouncements are becoming more outrageous and unhinged. Thanks Ellie Kona for non-violent protest links. We may need them. ❤️🤍💙

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Honestly, and in no way am I minimizing what you are feeling. But Fox News, every time I tune in for a segment just to stay up with the chatter, just seems so ridiculous. Talking blathering heads. I know their very large audience, but there are news outlets I respect with just as great an audience.

Every entity has a tipping point. Fox News is no different. I’m not so sure they have any fresh batteries for their bullhorn. Certainly not solar powered ones.

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Fox News and Entertainment IS ridiculous—to people who operate in a fact-based world. For those who consume Fox Entertainment and/or OAN exclusively and without applying criteria for balanced news with verifiable, credible sources, Fox is their news, their truth, and their ideology fueling their behavior.

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Fox heads are no different than Barr. Watch them change their direction incrementally. Especially after the investigation shows their collusion. Especially in calling Arizona early. Contrary to the supposed outrage, I think it was an early setup for the former president to start the “fraud wheels” rolling.

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and the money solicitations rolling, as they have picked up again...

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I try to listen in order to know what their audience, our fellow citizens, are attracted to as well as hearing. My capacity for it is very close to zero, 2 to 6 minutes once in a while, is my limit. With understandable reasons to know what Fox is dishing out, I'm not up to the job.

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My experience too, Fern! Every once in a blue moon I check in ….but I only last about 30 seconds. It is unwatchable. My father, an M.I.T. graduate and devoted fan of Julia Child on PBS had dementia his last few years and would watch Fox for hours ….drove my mother nuts. She could not believe how awful they were and that they only appealed to old men with dementia who didn’t know better!

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Janet, My mother had Alzheimer's disease. Until she could no longer do it (with help) she liked to go the bank. This subject is very difficult. You've provided the only evidence that Fox served a dear soul. Please don't spread it around.

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I wish I could realize comfort in your point. I do not see any movement towards truth in Fox News et al.

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Good advice. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

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Time for vigilance!

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This seems like a place to insert this article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about a right-wing extremist cell found in Wilkerson county in Georgia. They recruit from law enforcement and ex-military members, which is something the FBI is finding out as well. These people are nuts--but they are armed nuts.

https://www.ajc.com/news/castrate-kill-remove-voting-rights-ex-marine-georgia-deputy-was-in-extremist-cell-feds-say/I6GKOE2SDJFS5FLEOAUW2V4BFE/

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From your Atlanta Journal Constitution article:

“ Screening for white supremacist or other ideologically extreme beliefs is a hit-or-miss proposition when it comes to the recruits for local law enforcement. Jones of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said the problem is that policing is a local government function, with each agency operating how they see fit when it come to screening applicants. ‘You’ve got almost 20,000 separate police forces and no national police force,’ he said.”

The longer term solution is prevention through screening, at the level of state licensing requirements that are in place for professions to help prevent harm to the people being served. Doctors, lawyers, nurses, mental health professionals, architects, engineers, etc. require education and training to pass licensing exams, then continuing education to keep the license. This cannot start soon enough for professionals charged with making life and death decisions at their fingertips—law enforcement officers. Typically, only a high school diploma is required to get into a police academy.

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Hat tip to MaryPat for this notion stemming from licensing standards for nurses.

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Ellie, Without knowing the intricacies of state licensing in bright Red states, it seems appropriate to question whether state licensing would prohibit the hiring of law enforcement officers with extreme beliefs

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Deeper than screening, state licensing requirements would require some level of college education—which tends to grow critical thinking skills.

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Ellie, Good point. After a few seconds, I thought about the traitors of Democracy with law degrees and have been elected members of the House of Representatives, the Senate, state legislatures, even appointed to be the Attorney General of the United States of America. And remember the guy who graduated from college and became ___________. I'm not being facetious. As a matter of fact, I frightened myself when I began to count the demons.

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True that college is no guarantee for growing critical thinking skills. College does not screen for one's moral compass, which I don't think can be taught in college.

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and I was starting to riff on Wilkerson County, they need to learn a few things from Isabel Wilkerson...but that was your Freudian slip! They're in Wilkinson County! :)

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I know! One of those things that you see the split second after hitting "Post"! Then, I figured hardly anybody would know Wilkinson county ANYWAY, so I didn't bother to mention my slip...

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Very frightening!

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My thoughts, exactly, Ellie! When will that other proverbial shoe drop? Is that the “…he will be reinstated in August” surprise?

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Kari, I fear for September when Trump isn't reinstated in August.

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Your comments are always sensible, objective and informative, Ellie! Thanks for teaching us so much!

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Hey Ellie et alia - I am late to the party today, but I think I have 2 cents to toss into the hat while the day is still today in some time zones.

1. The Erica Chenoweth interview in The Harvard Gazette mentions the data collection and analysis aspect of her work with Maria J. Stephan. This reminded me of the Swarthmore Global Nonviolent Action Database (GNAD) which is a freely accessible repository of descriptions of hundreds of cases of nonviolent action from many different time periods and almost every country. The site provides browsing "cases" with several pre-defined filters (country, campaigns, etc.) as well as browsing "methods" based on a rich taxonomy of action types. This latter point speaks directly to Chenoweth's third of "four things" indicative of successful campaigns - "more than just protests."

2. The GNAD is described at some length in George Lakey's 2018 book "How We Win: A Guide to Nonviolent Direct Action Campaigning." Lakey also emphasizes "more than just protests" and articulates a fairly detailed architecture of actions, campaigns, movements, and even movements of movements (which in his 1970s work he would have called revolutions - but Those Were the Days).

3. I read Lakey last week because his work (and training) was recommended in conversation with Cathy Learoyd and others on this substack just a few weeks ago.

Okay, so 3 cents.

https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/

https://www.worldcat.org/title/how-we-win-a-guide-to-nonviolent-direct-action-campaigning/oclc/1083878607?referer=br&ht=edition

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Thank you, Bill! This info on GNAD and Lakey is worth a whole lot more than two cents. It’s worth our lives and those of future generations—no pressure!

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thank you!!

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You are absolutely correct: There will be a Reichstag fire moment, and it will be coming within weeks from now.

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Barr: "It was all bullshit." We could as well describe Trump's entire presidency with those words!

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Totally.

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For some reason these days, when my thoughts wander to Trump, in my mind's eye there appears an enormous, gaudy balloon statue -- filled with hot air, of course -- standing beside a McDonald's, a giant Bozo for our times.

Maybe Bill Barr thinks he can save himself for posterity by calling the Big Lie "bullsh*t", but he will need to do much more -- such as provide testimony under oath -- before he can get out of the deep fecal morass he has helped dig for himself and others.

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"A giant Bozo for our times". Classic dude.

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That it's entertaining, but it's not real. And I know people want to say, yeah, they believe in the 'Big Lie' in some cases, but I think people recognize that it's a lot of show and bombast. But it's going nowhere. The election is over. It was fair….let's move on."

In light of everything Romney’s statements are particularly offensive and dangerous. Good Lord …. let’s just all sing kumbaya and sweep it all under the rug! What is wrong with these people?! I’ll answer that …. IMO they are incompetent and narcissistic with a smattering of evil intent.

“Last week, news broke that the Manhattan district attorney is considering criminal charges and prosecutors have given the Trump Organization’s lawyers until Monday afternoon to finish their arguments about why the organization should not be charged.”

Am I missing something? Since when do organizations argue why they should not be charged and do they ever successfully convince prosecutors? Seems totally illogical.

Bill Barr should be disbarred then indicted and tried for his complicity in the criminal trump family cabal.

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Yes, I have the same question! And I am also hoping this is just the tip of the Cyrus Vance iceberg. Surely there is more coming form his office and others...

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Some legal minds weighed in yesterday that the Monday afternoon thing is common level procedure, part of due process, like Joseph wrote.

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Common legal procedure

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I would guess it's part of the "day in court" concept. If some random person accused me of, say, robbing a bank, and law enforcement went forward with it because they didn't like me, I should have the opportunity to convince the court that I was not even in the country at the time I was accused of being in the bank with a gun. I exaggerate to make the point that I should have the opportunity to clear up, on the record, a false accusation.

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I get it but isn’t that what a trial is for?

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I’m not a lawyer, but it appears to be what in some jurisdictions is called a Pretrial Resolution Conference. If evidence presented at this point can produce a resolution, then the time and expense of a trial is saved. Maybe someone gets out of jail earlier.

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Pretrial settlements are commonplace but I would think not a snowball's chance in hell no way in this case. (Needed the snowball reference as I'm sweltering in the East Coast heat ... self inflicted as I played pickIeball outdoors this AM!) I guess this is most likely a "formality" of process as with any other case. Crossing the t's and dotting the i's so this can get on the docket.

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Morning, all!! Morning, Dr. R!! What has irked me is folks saying Jan 6 was mostly peaceful. I got to thinking about why anyone would possibly say such a thing. Here is an aerial view of the protest before the breach. You can see a large crowd behind the barricades. I would concede that those that breached the Capitol were a smaller percentage of the crowd you see here:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1346830871245049856

I would argue that that smaller percentage elevated the "peaceful protest" into a violent insurrection. I doubt that those who did not enter the Capitol are being pursued by law enforcement. It is questionable whether those who made it to the grounds but did not enter would be considered along with the smaller percentage. They probably could be charged with trespassing.

As to Barr, I'm still wondering what he may have known about Jan 6 which would have contributed to his resignation.

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Whoever says Jan 6 was "mostly peaceful" is not engaging in an argument about fact, but is manipulating the narrative with this distortion. More gaslighting.

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Good morning Lynell and all! And good morning Dr. R! (Thanks, Lynell!) My thought, for what it is worth; January 6th stopped being peaceful the moment anything was breached. Breaching indicates entry into a protected space, and is therefore subject to whatever laws protect it. In the case of the Capitol, there was violence (storming the Capitol) and death. If you want law and order (so say the Republicans) then you have to prosecute. Period.

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So I'm still curious about the videos of the Capitol Policeman who was shown removing the barriers and waving the insurrectionists in. I don't hear much about that.

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Very curious, indeed. To this day, when we talk about DOJ, FBI, Capitol Police, etc., not sure if all of them held fealty to the country or to TFG.

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Because that is not what happened. It is what some people *thought* they saw, or wanted to see, but that's not what happened, and that interpretation was questioned immediately. Those 'barriers' (bike racks) were being held in place by cops trying to keep the insurgents from getting past. There was basically one line of cops. Insurgents piled up on the other side until they were tilting the racks up against the cops, who, had they not pulled away, could have been badly hurt as the insurgents crashed through. If you look at the videos and actually *think* about what is happening, it is very clear.

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I think Joseph might be speaking of the inside of the building, where there is video of police removing the barriers inside the building and as I recall, waving the insurrectionists inside. This is one clip. there are others.

https://wethepeopleconvention.org/articles/Police-Let-Protestors-Into-Capital

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I’ll agree and add Alexander. I believe that the great majority of people, even those generally law abiding citizens, clearly realized the event to be attended in DC was “gonna be wild”. We now know or have assumed that a great deal of messaging went out that this “protest” was not about “some lives matter”; it was about that our national elections were fraudulent, there was no peaceful transfer of power, the President was calling for for the electoral process to be halted, and it was time to “fight like hell”. Those that went there agreed with that premise. That crowd in its entirety was a threat to our democracy, our Capitol, and our lawmakers.

What is the point of trying to exonerate certain individuals in attendance or identify what the treason actually was? If there were those that became nervous or were “surprised” at the violent nature of the speeches before the call to march with the former president (oh, right) to the Capitol, THEN was the time to leave.

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Good summer morning, Lynell! The birds are singing. Just like traitors are starting to sing. So do not wonder anymore. Barr knew everything. At least all the salient points on the grubby penned outline. Just like any cabinet member who resigned quickly before having to request then demand the president’s resignation. Like Mrs. McConnell, Elaine Chao.

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Elaine Chao also has the distinction of having illegally used her influence to enrich her relatives' business interests. We can only hope that she and her handsome, kind husband will eventually be indicted.

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Wow, Nancy. Many words have been used to describe her dear hubby..."handsome" and "kind" are not among them!

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HMMM, I thought there had to be some reason Elaine married him - besides putting her in a position to enable her family's grift.

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It’s because he’s well endowed… with money. Yet she’s even weller endowed.

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I considered going in that direction, but was pilloried for my cheekiness recently, and I didn't want to risk an outbreak of hives for allowing the frightening thought. Glad that you took up the snark for me.

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Didnt I read that his former wife was writing a book?? Now THAT should be highly entertaining.

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I hadn't heard that. Somehow, I doubt that anything she writes will be anything but a whitewash of her and Mitch's antics.

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His former (ex-wife) who raised his 3 daughters who are estranged from him! Not the present wife.

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Oh, I need to read more carefully. Yes, I'd like to buy that book! Thanks.

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No worries - I'm guilty of doing that far too often! Youre welcome.

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Good morning, Lynell! Anyone with eyes knows that January 6 was not a walk in the park and saying otherwise is sheer hogwash. As for Barr? You can bet your bottom dollar the reason he resigned is because he knew that events on January 6, being orchestrated by trump et al, were going to become violent. He witnessed Trump's increasing rage and hostility and those stoking it. Barr knew he was wrong to keep the Big Lie going from day one.

Barr will never, ever be a hero. He spent his capital on the far right's hunger for absolute power and a con man's ego. As it stands today, there is no salvation for him.

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Morning, Daria. Now this is clear speak. Thank you. I did read somewhere (in an article about TFG's Ohio rally, I think) that a father and daughter were on the cusp of entering the Capitol that day but the daughter talked her father out of it. They, however, still believe the Lie.

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Hey, Lynell. I read the same article. unbelievable.

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We can hold more than one idea in our heads. The people on Jan. 6 who sacked the Capitol, fought with police, and made credible threats against the lives of VP Pence and Speaker Pelosi engaged in violent insurrection. Those who 'merely' accompanied them into the Capitol participated in violent insurrection. Those who organized and incited them are just as guilty. At the same time, there clearly were many people who attended a rowdy rally and did nothing illegal or violent. The trouble is, GQP'ers who talk about 'peaceful Jan. 6' are not talking about rally goers - they are pretending that the violent insurrection did not happen.

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Ahh, thank you, Joan. Yours are the points I was trying to make.

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Yes, Barr has seemed for awhile to be trying to cover for himself. Normal for him

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Good Morning, Lynell! Yeah, 6 January's insurrection was NOT a peaceful protest. They were not tourists. While it is true that there was a smaller number of those who breached the Capitol than were actually in attendance at the "rally" beforehand, I would make a different comparison. There is a similar line that could be drawn between the invaders of the Capitol and protesters who remained outside and the majority peaceful BLM protests of George Floyd's murder and the violent extremists who rioted except for one major difference: the antifa rioters only want to destroy property and do not hold to the non-violent protest philosophy that the huge majority of BLM/Civil Rights protesters hold; the breachers of the Capitol represent the Big Lie just as much as those who thought that perhaps that was a breach too far and stayed out of the building.

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Mostly agree with your comparison but take strong issue with your claim that it was "antifa rioters" who wanted to destroy property etc. What evidence is there to support that claim? What evidence is there to support, instead, that it was opportunists and/or outside agitators? I believe there has been evidence for both.

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Morning, Judith!! I was thinking about the "opportunists and/or outside agitators" that you speak about. Thanks for pointing this out.

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It is based on 20 years of watching anarchists in the northwest. In my jurisdiction, there is no line between those who proclaim the “antifa” name and the anarchists (who are made up of those opportunists snd outside agitators that you mention).

I realize that philosophically there is a difference between antifa and anarchists; in practice those lines are blurred if not indistinct.

My observations of these agitators is from my SWAT team experience from 1996-2013. Since my retirement, antifa has come into being, and while their confrontations with (for example) the proud boys in Portland and Seattle are reflective of their anti-fascist ideology, last summer’s riots in those two cities (and Eugene as well) are more reflective of the anarchist’s philosophy of destruction rather than a political stance.

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Watching Seattle for the past 40 years, I concur with Ally’s assessment. The WTO protests in Seattle 1999 for instance were marred by the violence of a few which the MSM picked up on ad infinitum.

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I'm curious if a large number of northwestern "antifa" protestors have ever all gotten together to run riot while wearing "proud boy" outfits. Just to give the "proud boys" a bad name.

What we saw on Jan 6 was a bunch of people wearing MAGA hats, pro-Trump T-shirts, "patriotic" face paint, waving US and Confederate flags. I don't recall a single "Antifa" flag or sign or indication in the lot of them.

The Antifa theory would represent a mass covert disinformation project, and that would require quite a bit of organization. ("NO! Don't show up in Antifa drag! Don't chant anti-fascist chants! We're pretending to be MAGA folks! We WORSHIP Trump! Savior of the nation! Remember that!")

You've indicated that the so-called Antifa crowd consists of anarchists, and that matches most of what I've heard. That pretty much precludes the kind of organization necessary for them to show up pretending to be MAGA.

Furthermore, the people actually arrested (so far) seem to have strong ties to right-wing organizations, like Proud Boys, or militia groups, or certain far-right Republican Representatives and Senators. Some of them were organizing on right-wing sites. So this also implies that these Antifa agitators have been working as moles within the far-right: again, a huge degree of organization required.

Sounds like "Communists under the bed" to me. Not buying it.

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Not sure exactly where you're coming from here. No. Antifa does not pretend to be proud boys. Neither have the anarchists. No, there were no "imposters" among the insurrectionists of 6 January, they were all bona fide MAGAts. I reread what I have written. The only analogies that I drew were that it was the anarchist/antifa crowd that made the BLM protests into riots. At no time did I suggest, infer, or imply that the anarchists infiltrated the MAGAts that stormed the Capitol. The only comparison there was between the MAGAts that breached the Capitol and the other people who attended the "rally" who decided that insurrection was not their cup of tea and declined to breach the Capitol.

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Ah. My misread, conflating what you wrote with the Republican "It was ANTIFA!" stuff. My bad. Apologies.

Agree with you. There were lookie-loos there, and there were bad actors, and I'm sure the bulk of the lookie-loos didn't even march to the Capitol, and those who did, did a fade when things got violent.

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Morning, Ally!! Hope you and yours are weathering the heat without too much angst.

So not sure I followed what you are trying to say. To be sure, I am in no way qualified to judge the guilt or innocence of all the people who were gathered on Jan 6. You may be right that all those people represent the Big Lie. But are the guilty of a particular law? I don't know enough about it to spin my opinion.

As to last summer's protests, if somebody asked me to compare them to Jan 6, I personally see no comparison.

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What I was aiming for with the comparison was based on your statement: “I would argue that that smaller percentage elevated the "peaceful protest" into a violent insurrection. I doubt that those who did not enter the Capitol are being pursued by law enforcement. It is questionable whether those who made it to the grounds but did not enter would be considered along with the smaller percentage. They probably could be charged with trespassing.“. What I was attempting to do is point out the similarities of conduct by the insurrectionists who breached the Capitol with criminal intent, and the actions of “antifa” (who are just rebranded anarchists here in the PNW) who rioted and destroyed property during peaceful BLM protests last summer. There is no real similarity in those protesting George Floyd’s murder at the hands of the police and a bunch of Republiqans who buy into the big lie, attended the “rally”, and chose not to breach the Capitol, but it is sort of similar.

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I think we're on the same page, Ally!

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P.S., Ally: See Joan's comments above. I adopt them!

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Reading the history of Trump's bout with the virus, one wishes that access to monocloidal antibodies and the other experimental treatments he was given had been less successful. He could have Made American Great Again with his permanent departure.

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TC I agree--but then we would have Mike Pence as president because McConnell and his minions would have moved heaven and earth get him there.

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My thoughts exactly, and once in place, he very well could have won in '20, since when compared to the former guy, he'd have appeared to be sane.

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Agree, Linda. I think some of those Rs who voted against TFG (the former guy) would certainly have voted for the Q-tip.

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Possibly - but one thing we can all agree on is that Pence is no Trump. Even thaqt incompetent would have been an improvement - a very very very small improvement.

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And of course have the others use him as a martyred figurehead....until they finished the fight for succession and the Trump Jnr figure emerged. Possibly, that could have killed of a good many. Sounds good. It'll probably happen anyway now and so much the better.

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Arrrrr... bitter, bitter (grin).

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Agreed.

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Romney wants to "move on"....Where? Back to the time when the Rethuglicans could think? Too many of his ilk are already sullied by the Gaetz/Taylor-Greene/Boeberts of his party. Too late to go back to the old days. Get real, Romney.

And Bill Barr should be disbarred for his empowering tRump to believe he could become king. Barr is scum and belongs beside Guiliani in the category of "former lawyers."

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If Romney really wanted to move on he wouldn't have blocked crucial legislation re: voting protections and infrastructure. His backbone is made of jello just like Collins & Murkowski.

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The former AG William Barr is deserving of thorough investigation. He deserves our utter condemnation for his support for the former guy! He was a lynchpin that cemented 45s continued power and destabilization of our society. What an utter scum bucket!

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If Giuliani has to face consequences, Barr should even moreso.

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Or "if Giuliani had a face". There, fixed it for you.

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Dan Rather on Twitter: "Let’s be clear. There was a fertile field of lies that allowed the Big Lie to take root. And for years, William Barr helped till the soil and plant and water the seeds of bad faith, false equivalence, and, ultimately, injustice."

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Barr will likely be examined when folks determine how/why the DoJ secretly collected telephone records on Congress persons, journalists and even minors.

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You mean Jabba the Hut?

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Perhaps we could do a crowd source fund for a new drool bucket.

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David. “Lynchpin”. How about Barr’s outrageous handling of the Mueller Report!

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Exactly!

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"all the way along" ... "bullshit" ... right.

Barr should be disbarred for his actions under 45.

Sickening, the self-serving statements.

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In what state is he licensed? Where should the "Disbar Barr" campaign be targeted?

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STAY TUNED. BARR IS DONE.

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Medium well or well? Preferably burnt to a crisp.

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OMGoodness, Sandy raises his head and says something! And doesn't insult people in the process!

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I don't know how many of you have fought against the tide of narcissism, but it's difficult. Narcissists are very good at deflecting other people's moral compasses. I'll reference the "casting couch" that so many young actresses end up on. Is it because they are "loose women?" Of course not: it's because they have an ambition -- to become a recognized actress -- and a narcissist with power (or apparent power) to make or break that ambition gives them an ultimatum. You don't find yourself in Barr's position unless you have a lot of ambition to begin with. I'm quite certain Trump -- the narcissist -- "groomed" him for some time before asking him to do a favor. Then another. Then another. That he defied Trump at all is the astonishing thing.

Of course, the paradox is that a narcissist will never give you what they promised, because then you are free of their power, and will no longer give them what THEY want. There comes a point in that relationship where you have to cut and run, taking whatever losses it requires. Ruination of a career (Bill Barr). Jail time (Michael Cohen). Or you throw your conscience out the window (Giuliani) and go down when the narcissist asks for the moon, and you can't deliver.

When you get entangled with a narcissist, the sooner you make that diagnosis and break all ties, the more of your own skin you'll get away with.

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The Achilles heel of a narcissist like the former president is his fear of being exposed to others for what he truly is. Because if his circle of sycophants sees him for what he is, it limits the number of people he can manipulate, use, steal from, and draw narcissistic supply from, and he will have to hunt to find a new group to prey upon. Losing his Twitter and Facebook accounts was such a HUGE significant blow to him. I do not like giving credit to those media manipulators, but hey, hip hip hooray.

I believe that present time is the right moment to make the break from the former president. For a legislator or a citizen to stay in lockstep with him any further is to proceed at their own peril. And exposes their true intention. Loyalty? No. Fear of losing white privilege or power of any capacity? More to the point.

Rep Boebert mentioned with her “1776” Twitter on January 6th? She is up way up there in narcissist la la land. And she’s home home on the range with a gun. What in the world? Who elected her? Appropriate protest is nullifying the likes of her.

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I think Trump is so keen to be seen and so willing to lie that he encourages being "exposed" to garner attention.

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Good day to you Joseph. Your commentary always interesting.

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Don't take this as me excusing the acts of any of these people. It's just a recognition that I might not have done any better, and might have done worse.

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Did not take it as such. The narcissist framing is key when it comes to former presidents. Many victims.

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Followed that analysis.

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Defund the Narcs

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Sorry for another post everyone but was just reading the WaPo morning brief and they report on an Axios story that Toyota is one of the most aggressive SUPPORTERS of the Big Lie enthusiasts in Congress--by a wide margin. I no longer drive Toyotas but if you do you might want to give a ring to your local dealership and to the corporate headquarters. They gave even more than Koch Industries, which is saying a lot. https://www.axios.com/toyota-leads-donations-among-election-objectors-ebae427b-6f47-4591-aa28-31f366e6e2e0.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wp_power_up&utm_content=politics-electioncertification&wpisrc=nl_powerup

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I have driven Toyotas for years. Time for a new (used) car anyway for me since I am downsizing but this makes me furious. Thanks for posting.

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Harry Cjust now

They only contributed about $60k to 37 R pols. Hardly enough to matter. I assume they contributed at least that much to as many Democrats.

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Less than $60k in 37 donations? That’s all?

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Wait. "Gave even more than Koch Industries"? The Axios story in the link says CREW data "show Toyota gave $55,000 to 37 GOP objectors this year." $55,000? That's chump change, as Harry C points out. That's the cost of playing the politics game. Am I missing something? Let's not denigrate a car-maker until we have some corroboration. This just doesn't feel like the whole picture yet.

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Thank you for pointing this out. I’d like to see what the competition for “most aggressive” is, also, along with some numbers for other objectors supported. This doesn’t look like it’s worth getting a new car over, which I wouldn’t do anyway. My last vehicle was 26yo before she breathed her last. 😉

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I read about this lat night. thankful I don't own a Toyota.

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You can't hold yourself accountable for decisions made before this revelation.

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Koch contributes millions of dark money.

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They only contributed about $60k to 37 R pols. Hardly enough to matter. I assume they contributed at least that much to as many Democrats.

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This is where the Trumpsters learn the meaning of the phrase "No honor among thieves." Under the bus you go.

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Facts don't support the Big Lie. Those facts will continue to come out. But the underlying attitudes about race, privilege and laws to keep "others" in their place but no laws for "us", which existed during Indian wars and slavery, leading to the Confederacy, then supporting Jim Crow, eventually the Republican southern strategy and finally Donald Trump Republicans courses through America's veins like heroin. We are talking cults not culture and addicts not patriots.

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Thank you Heather.

I completely agree with Mitt Romney. He is spot on with his assessment that the GOP/ Trump Show is WWF, though I would say more WTF. I'm waiting for the intro of Trump at his next cult rally to be done by Vince McMahon. That said, have you noticed that the crowd you see at a Trump rally are a carbon copy of the people you see cheering in the commercials for WWF? I don't think it's a coincidence.

I can only surmise that Barr will somehow turn his "bullshit" statement into a "I meant that for those that are trying to crucify Trump". Barr has not yet to find his go to Jesus moment. People like Barr simply don't have those moments. Perhaps there is rustling in the bushes that the DOJ has something to stick on Barr that will hold and he is looking for cover.

I very much enjoyed Al Gore's well played insult to Trump and the cult. He can speak first hand at putting the Country first. Clearly, Trump is incapable of doing that.

Be safe, be well.

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I missed the Al Gore thing. Where can I find that please? And thanks!

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https://youtu.be/72Lgsirz_Ao

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Oh thank you! That was so nice of you!

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Thank you, that was a breath of fresh air!!

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I watched it on CNN yesterday. I'm sure there is a link for it.

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Thanks!

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Yes, Al Gore was a statesman and behaved as such after the 2000 fiasco in Florida.

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WWF?? World Wildlife Fund? World Wrestling Federation? (WTF I got}

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World Wrestling Federation

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👏 👏 yes!

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Totally off topic, but positive news I had to share (just in time for infrastructure talk)! I surely want to be in that number when the bison cross this bridge! https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jun/27/bison-bridge-wildlife-crossing-mississippi-river?utm_term=666f274ad7926a4c6e75fafa259b5453&utm_campaign=GuardianTodayUS&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=GTUS_email

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Nice to promote bison, but I sure hope the plans include structural rehab of this "exhausted 55-year-old concrete bridge...slated to be torn down."

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There is proposed to be another bridge built to replace the exhausted bridge. Brad Pregracke is advocating renovation of the old bridge rather than tearing it down.

He is no stranger to environmental challenges. According to the above article, he has "convened a team of experts to help bring the bridge to life."

Here he is in 1999 cleaning up the Mississippi River, a 400+ mile project: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=pregracke&&view=detail&mid=E242DB0EF381F61487ACE242DB0EF381F61487AC&&FORM=VDRVRV

He has been dubbed the "Hardest working Do Gooder in America.

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It's unconsciable the quantity of household and industrial garbage that ends up nonchalantly in our rivers and oceans and thus eventually through the fish into our stomachs

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You know what the papa buffalo said to his son when the latter went off to college?

“Bye-son"

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Corn is so delicious in the morning!

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Sorry to be the one to throw water on a cute joke but we have no buffalo on this continent. Buffaloes lives in Africa only. We have Bison. (Pesky former Yellowstone employee here)

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Perhaps this papa buffalo HAD one lived in Africa, before immigrating.

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hehehehehe! Yes, I believe that's true.

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THAT buffalo settled in Minn-e-so-ta, don't you know. Where many go to roam. I think the son, the bi-son, went to U of Minnesota, because he loved gophers. And now, off to bed, with this story

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At least they will wear less than the weight of all those cars. Reminds me a little of the current mess that Paris is in from the point of view of traffic. The Socialist mayor has shut down the expressway along the Seine for cars passing through the city and reserved it for pedestrians, skaters or the like. Now 1000s of Parisaians in the cars polluting the atmosphere in the constant immense traffic jams that this measure causes watch "fuming" while 2 skaters and 1 dog-walker exercise their "rights" on the expressway!

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Surely, there has to be a better way, Stuart! I used to live near Rock Creek Park, a wonderful oasis right in the middle of Washington, D.C. Years ago, they began to close some of the roads to traffic on the weekends. It was/is a win-win. Granted this park was not vital to commuter traffic, but lots of us used it during the week only to return as pedestrians, etc., on the weekend. Check out the pictures in this link! https://washington.org/visit-dc/things-to-do-rock-creek-park-washington-dc

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Most users were suburban dwellers working or visiting the center who had no alternative to their car.

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RTP & Metro, for crying out loud. It's like trying to get Americans out of their cars when there's actually a decent public transit system available. Sadly, that's available only in a few of our major cities and often doesn't serve suburbs. Surely, Paris could build parking out at the ends of lines where needed. While parking & switching to transit can add to travel time in some circumstances, I wonder if the time wouldn't be equivalent to time spent fuming (x2) in traffic congestion. Much more relaxed and possibly less costly given the price of petrol & parking.

I've used the RTP a few times from CDG and once from Versailles into the city. Worked fine and, coming from Versailles, we didn't need to look for parking in Paris. A fun part of the latter story is that I was traveling with elderly friends. The husband delighted in posing in front of the Arc de Triomphe because the last time he did so was in 1945.

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Morning Lynell, a fantastic idea that is going ahead apparently with wildlife preserves on either end to protect then beasts from the Quad Cities. Just revenge on Buffaloe Bill's 19th Century pre-showman sins of massacring buffaloes to starve the Native Americans and "facilitate the passage" of the railway oligarchs to their goal of true riches.

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You bet, Stuart, a just revenge indeed!

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And now financial supporters of the election deniers are facing major heat. Prompting tweets like:

Toyota announced their new model the 2021 Insurrectionist

Toyota unveiled it's newest model Sedition. It only comes in white.

Collapse is coming from all directions.

https://twitter.com/axios/status/1409253647523979264

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...and another good one:

Call me crazy but I’d think it’d be easier *not* to give money to insurrectionists. Then again, I am not @Toyota

.

https://twitter.com/BMeiselas/status/1409353590137712641

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Imperial Japan is still a living memory for many Japanese and there is still a natural deference to authority for many, especially the elite. Protecting the status quo comes first for any privileged class.

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I did not think of that, thanks for the enlightenment.

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That is some first-class snark. Love it

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So much for the Prius I used to think I wanted for my next car. I can't believe they outspent the Kochs, or that two other corporations also outspent them!

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Or you could buy a used one and support the informal peer to peer economy. Our 2003 Toyota Tundra was bought used from a friend 16 years ago. We will drive it until our mechanic can no longer repair it.

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At the end of 2002, I bought a 2003 Toyota Camry intending that it would carry me to my grave. I am still driving it and have had no major failures (windshield washer, gear shift panel lights had to be replaced, etc.). I am now closer to my grave, so I am confident my Camry will live up to my expectations.

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Thank you for understanding that 'me' was supposed to be 'mean'.

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AndreaH, My, it was very startling to read this comment. Do you me 'closer' as we all are? Your car is 18 years old. I am glad you are here on the Forum.

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