I’ll be quick tonight because we have been without power since 5:00 this morning, and I am very eager indeed to escape the echoing grind of the generator for the night.
This wasn’t that quick and very informative. As an FBI veteran, I’m pleased to see a Director stand up to these idiotic conspiracies and what if’s from the Republicans.
They appeared very worried, and looking for ways to suppress evidence revealed. As with the Biden-Harris administration good works, the snowball of the investigation will steadily grow. I have faith it will pick up such trash as it finds it. It is time stop giving Jtrash H press, and to deflate the Crxz balloon.
My imagination of potential activities for those two go in the direction of Criminal Minds FBI profilers on really special criminals who have been so privileged and look at the depths they have sunk to— they ought to be studied so we can learn about th3ir brain functions and then can recognize th3m in other strange criminals.
Frog March? Better, a couple of sleds (or wagons) with belt fasteners so, you know, the passengers cannot fall off before their vehicles slide into the deeper water.
Someone posted this previously. I'm sorry I can't remember who it was.
“It takes a special kind of stupid to think the left would dress up like the right and raid the Capitol to change the outcome of an election they just won.“
You know, Jan, we have a small problem here. Your statement contains the implicit assumption that brainpower and intelligence are being applied, qualities Republicans are not known for. That quote would be stretching most of them way beyond their abilities.
You have to think like a sheep, like a fly in a swarm of flies, like a person with limited emotional capacity, to get into their minds.
"Hey, we are losing our white privilege here. Our world is disappearing. Our country will never come back if we lose this election. [That last one is a Cheeto quote]. It's all the fault of those POC, those uppity nasty women, Pelosi and AOC and BLM, they are taking away our white power and white privilege. We don't wanna lose our white privilege. We don't wanna lose out to POC and liberals and gays. We wanna keep our white males-first straights-first society. We don't wanna grow up. We don't wanna wear masks. WAAAAAAAAA. . . "
They don't want to lose their white power and white privilege society to liberals and gays and POC and women. That's all there is to it.
"It's all their fault, the liberals and gays and Pelosi and AOC and yoga and women in power. Yoga, yech, what is that? It's not something we learned in Sunday school, so it must be a Muslim clothing thing like what the women wear. We can't deal with it! We can't change to a different society, a new society! We are babies! We are infants, toddlers, wimps, wussies, cowards crying into our beer, because we lost our White Society and our Great White Leader."
Frank Arthur has 128 likes with the post "This wasn’t that quick and very informative. As an FBI veteran, I’m pleased to see a Director stand up to these idiotic conspiracies and what if’s from the Republicans."
Frank, what does that tell you about how appreciated you are here?
Director Ray's testimony indicated that the Bureau is doing its job properly. Cruz and Hawley were playing to their audience of ignorant and gullible supporters. They know the truth and prefer to peddle lies rather than admit it. Actually, many of those who swallow the Trumpublican lies know they are lies but it gives them a cover for their real beliefs, racism, bigotry and a desire for the easy answers a dictatorship brings.
When Director Wray was chosen I told friends that Trump just doesn’t realize that every Republican isn’t a mindless sycophant and could have integrity. I’m just glad Trump didn’t fire him and Biden let him stay to restore some calm and continuity. With Merrick Garland as AG, the Rule of Law is back.
I found Hawley's questions regarding tracking electronic communications interesting. Can't help but wonder whether there could be some personal angst in that.
Regarding the Christopher Wray questioning by the Judiciary Committee, Grassley, Hawley and Cruz continued to regurgitate an obviously crash-tested rhetorical mantra that draws a false equivalence between the rioters at the Capitol on January 6th and those who joined the protesters in Portland and Washington D.C. and elsewhere, at protests connected with the police killing of George Floyd. This ruse needs calling out and shouted down. As Merrick Garland said during his earlier confirmation interview at the Senate when pushed toward the false-equivalence, the violence in the wake of the Floyd killing that precipitated property damage to Federal buildings (the Portland court-house and the Washington D.C. church) was not motivated and coordinated for the purpose of interfering with Federal governmental functions the way the January 6 Capitol attack was admitted by its organizers to be an effort to interrupt the Electoral Vote count and interfere with the Constitutionally mandated transfer of presidential power. As is too often the case with protests galvanized by a triggering event like the death of George Floyd, persons often separate from the political purpose of the protest are attracted to the ambient anger and rage to trash property and even struggle with the forces of the law. Another false equivalence is then added to the theme "violence is universally bad and must be suppressed no matter what the motivating cause". Once Portland and the Capitol are made equivalents, the next move is to use destruction of property and attacks on the police, for whatever reason, to "prove" the folly of police reform or taking money from police budgets to hire persons trained in talking down persons in the throes of a psychological crisis, which stupidly got called "defunding the police." Ron "doe eye" Johnson too has gone even further to pin the Capitol insurrection on anarchists, faceless Stalin plants in the crowd as provocateurs of the left aimed at pinning the Capitol attack on fire-spitting AOC, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. For those who were paying attention at the Garland hearing, Garland aimed directly at the pro-Trump anarchist ploy when he said damaging Federal property is bad and needs to be treated as such, but it's not equivalent to attacking the Capitol and the members of Congress with the intention of interfering with the workings of our democracy. The not-so-clever Cruz-Hawley-Grassley response to Garland's distinction was to say Garland had no quarrel with attacking Federal property at night when Federal offices were closed and employees not in the building. Shame on you Grassley, Cruz, Hawley, and Cotton too. I hesitate to add Ron Johnson because I feel like I would be beating up on an old floppy-eared dog. A brief word on "liberator" Texas governor Abbott's decision to drop most public restrictions aimed at reducing virus spread in the name of "self-reliance". Abbott doesn't seem to get it that mask wearing, social distancing and hand washing are above all measures aimed at saving others from us, not saving ourselves, i.e., being super-spread agents. Since endangering others is totally lacking in testosterone laced freedom, why not liberate Texans to drive on whichever side of the highway that turns them on in the moment so as not to throttle the "call of the wild."
Sadpanic, this is a most insightful and sensitive analysis of violence, and especially vandalism, at racial-justice events. The dynamics are complex, but it rarely has to do with political protest, and carries little more weight than mayhem after a concert or sports triumph. The main exceptions come from false-flag violence or infiltration by rightwing provocateurs. THERE is the truly dangerous threat for honest law enforcement to address.
"False flag violence or infiltration of .... provacateurs".
Yes and that is one more equivalence that the negationists....and there is a word of shame in Europe that some will recognize here....are trying to make stick on Portland-Jan 6th comparisons. Normal strategy of the Perverse Narcissist as they are accusing their accusers of their own sins.
I live in Oregon, and am retired from law enforcement. The false equivalency arguments of comparing Portland's summer riots to the insurrection at the Capitol coming from my LE friends is something to behold. They acknowledge NO difference between disrupting the peaceful transfer of power, and the anarchist fringe that attached themselves to the BLM protests.
Sadpanic, you are so much more articulate than I have been. I may use some of your thoughts on the next Quixotic mission that I engage in.
Excellent analyses, Sadpanic. If anyone can show me pictures/videos of George Floyd protesters armed with militery equipment, I may be convinced of their equivalence to Jan 6.
You have to remember, Texas has a "tradition" to uphold, having been founded by cashiered army officers, failed politicians, slave catchers, back-alley assassins, bushwhackers, rustlers, bank robbers, con artists, and others on the lam from civilization for various infractions major and minor. The tradition is, they can only elevate people to public office who come from those backgrounds or similar. Anyone not from those backgrounds who gets into office is a fluke, and they do their best to remedy the mistake as quickly as possible.
Just look at the totally wild foundation myths that they managed to create by fantasizing reality at the Alamo and with Davy Crockett against Santa Anna. Hopefully there remains a few nuggets of the previous Native American and then Spanish-Mexican civilisation hidden away ready to widen their view of the world as in Santa Fe, NM.....but they seem to need a great deal of help in finding it these days!
Aw, come on Stuart, you seem to be bashing ALL Texans. I’m not a native Texan, but I married a 9th generation one whose forebears settled here while Texas was still part of Mexico. They were salt-of-the-earth, no-nonsense, hard-working people. My late mother-in-law was fond of exclaiming, “The world is full of people who can’t reason from A to B. And they don’t know that C and D are even out there!” That quote comes to mind more and more often these days.
your family obviously follows the Native American premise of thinking 7 generations ahead. In some parts of Texas the relations between newcombers and existing local inhabitants were friendly and cooperative.
I keep trying to figure out how Beto O'Rourke and Texas found each other. In any case, I think we can agree that whatever time Tedikins Cruz did on the Cross, it didn't last, nor sink in. As Texans burned the family furniture to stay warm in the recent power outage, Tedilonious Ticky saw how Texas was "turning blue" (from the cold) and moved his gang south of the border to watch the horror on Zoom and to ponder how snakes can change their political spots—with a presidential Sharpie no doubt.
Well, there is Beto! But truly Ann Richards was one of a kind. I didnt realize until a little while ago that her daughter was the former head of Planned Parenthood. She's another sharp cookie! There have to be others like that - just not speaking I guess.
Unfortunately Beto, like most of the best TX Dems, has never won a statewide race. Can he or another candidate break the pattern in 2022? Millions of lives may depend on the outcome, and not just in one state.
A “fluke” was the term used? And a “mistake” that was remedied ASAP. (I had to look up her term and indeed, it was limited to one) And the GOP attacks were vile.
GOP attacks? Always vile! But when you dont have authenticity & truth on your side what else is there, right? Wouldnt you think (or hope) that someone would actually listen & "cogitate" (good word) on the crap that they are spewing? Maybe, oh I dont know, think about it?
Your assessment of the opportunistic attachment of the anarchist movement to the BLM protests is accurate. The PNW has always had an anarchist component (really came to life during the WTO demonstrations in Seattle in 1999, and I had a fair number of incidents with them during some environmental protests in Oregon in the early 2000's. They seize on a legitimate protest (environmental awareness or racial inequity) and just plain create hate and discontent.
I concur with your description, Ally, with "opportunistic" anarchists against government in general. But in Portland they had their own shared interest in fighting federal officers sent by Trump, to set up a "police state" in the city of Portland.
My 17 year old son was working in Portland and paticipated in the protest between 8:30 pm and 11:00pm. As he was walking back to his car with people carring umbrells and a few leaf blowers to protect themselves in case of tear gas, the helmeted anarchists were arriving to confront the police with fireworks, frozen water bottles, and lacross sticks to toss the gas canister back over the police fence. The damage to the court house was primarily graffiti, not broken windows. The BLM protest walked through downtown Portland. The "rumble" between the anarchists and Boarder Patrol law enforcement et.al., didnt start until after 11:00pm. That confrontation was a few blocks east from downtown and confined to the block with the court house and the park across the street from the court house.
If the law enforcers wore identification uniforms instead of camouflage army fatigues, the people from Portland would not have felt the need to expose the federal law enforcement troops and their illegal detainment and interrorgation (sic) of protesters. They were not invited by the city nor the Portland police.
It is dangerous for the President to have access to his own "army" through his own appointed Homeland Security white suptremist.
Sleep, rest, and I hope the power is back on in the morning! It has been an interesting day. The situation in Texas is really scary but the legislature is also seeking ways to secede from the US so one has to wonder what Abbot is playing at. The fallout from the CPAC debacle is keeping the Cheeto in the news and even if all of the news is derisory he doesn’t care. What I wish is that news outlets would simply ignore him. He’s no longer president so they have no obligation to continue following him around. The Dems need to keep on announcing what they are getting done and keeping up the pressure on the purveyors of the Big Lie. Fingers crossed.
The only news I want to see about Donald Trump is that he’s been criminally charged with inciting insurrection against the Inited States. I would then be glad to watch the trial in action.
I don't know, I'd settle for criminal charges for fraud, rape, or one of the other crimes he's being investigated for. Tax evasion? Incitement is a tough charge to prove in court (even though it looks so obvious). Whatever gets him in a jumpsuit or living in exile works for me.
Many choices here, Jennifer. How about all of them so we can truly get at the heart of his corrupt, destructive and self-serving behaviors? This is the only way our country can heal.
Totally agree. Biden keeping his focus on what this country needs and not focusing on Trump is working. Unbelievable approval rating. Keeps going up. Gives me hope. We have been traumatized living through the last 4 years. Takes time and lots of work to rebuild our Democracy. Stacy persevered getting voters registered against all odds. We can do this and stop the steal of allowing our citizens to vote.
I'm somewhat interested in genuine historic runes and monuments, because they are primary evidence of Viking-era migration, settlement, land claims, etc. But if I meet someone with an excessive interest, I figure they just might be a Nazi and steer clear. Or else drop a dime.
To each movement their founding myths however far fetched and as usual, like jungian dream analysis, they are, at least symbolically, extremely revealing of their inner psychic problems over and above their apparent material representations. Their ignorance of the real history of the viking era and people obviously knows no bounds, so they have to rely on the TV/Film representations. Do you think Ted Cruz takes himself to be Kirk Douglas....probably and over above, by association, he'll be mixing his metaphores too with his Spartacus role.
What remains is the image of violent conquest of subordinate peoples by an autocratic, warrior led bad of thieves. They obviously are unaware of their importance in institution building, international trade and exchange and world exploration.
It is personally insulting too given my probable far back origins at least through my Scots mother (Christie coming from Christianson).
Oh well! There are lots of interesting viking settlement sites from Newfoundland from Eric the Red on and down the East Coast as far as you care to look.
I have to say that the WORST (and the funniest, although unintentionally) "medieval" movie I have ever seen (and I deliberately used it in a class once just for kicks and giggles) is The Vikings, starring Ernest Borgnine, Kirk Douglas, and Tony Curtis. The insertion of Brooklyn accents into the 9th centuries, well, indescribably hilarious.
🤣 Weirdly, there is a theory that Icelanders working their way down the North American coast settled for a time in what became Vineland, New Jersey--that the name was a long memory of Vinland, which is what they called Nova Scotia or New Brunswick (can't remember which one). So they would sound like Chris Christie, not Tony Curtis. Which is way worse.
The first Vineland was Newfoundland. Icelanders working The coasts yes. But the viking populations there and on Greenland were not then the most stable of . Hunters, farmers and fishermen without ocean going certainty in their boats. Its not certain that permanent settlement was envisaged but rather trading posts like the French and fish drying/salting/net repair stations like the Portuguese. Vineland, NJ is interesting because it did later come back to life as a Danish/Swedish colony...17thC vikings!
Totally agree. I saw it not long ago on a channel running old Paramount stuff. Laughed myself silly as did they no doubt ...all the way to the bank. They got paid for that farce! I was though a little troubled by the geography as the wicked lord to whom the "female interest" was forcibly betrothed was Welsh and it didn't seem more than a few hours sail from the vikings home base in Norway...difficult to reconcile with the need to go all the way round Scotland first! Perhaps they were vikings from their Irish settlements...a little problematic finding fjords on the emerald isle though.
I agree TPJ. It was no accident. The appropriation of runic symbols by white supremacists, like their use of the Black Eagle of St Maurice, has been something that the medievalist community has been trying to combat, but we can't get any traction in the larger media outlets because nobody seems to care. The runes (like the swastika--which was NOT a nazi symbol before being appropriated by them) are merely an alphabet that was developed in Scandinavia and the British Isles because it--like Roman capitals--was easy to carve into stone. There are ritual and religious meanings to the runes when used for religious purposes (like tarot cards or the I Ching) but they do not have any inherently fascistic meaning. It is really difficult to manage this expropriation as it is growing.
So here is my question. Who did the stage set design? What firm? Interior design peep within the firm? It would be interesting to follow their commissions.
Thanks Linda; I figured a Viking ref might catch your eye. Their Norman successors were involved in the medieval events that fascinate me most. Robert the Devil, William the Bastard, Robert the Weasel, et al -- such charming nicknames!
It's surprising that RW extremists (mis)appropriate St Maurice, but their obsessions are often esoteric. StM was famous for being not just saintly, but African too. (Definitely Egyptian, perhaps Black; it's unclear.) Not sure the KKK would like that. Maybe it'll provoke an internecine brawl between Nazis and KKK and they will neutralize each other. How's that for real "cancel culture?!"
And yes: I think I talked about St Maurice and the Black Eagle many months ago in another series of posts. It is one of the more amusing moments of stupid among the white supremacist crowd. If you want to read some very interesting stuff, check out the Medievalists of Color website: https://medievalistsofcolor.com
William, nicknamed the Conquerer, another Norman Viking, most famous for a propaganda tapestry drawn to honour him in Bayeux and an inventory of his new "taxable" possessions that were his spoils of war in Britain...the Doomsday Book. It was with him the "english" side of me arrived on the island. The Dutch mercenary clan, the Atte Velle that fought for the invading army were accorded in the Doomsday volume land in the are of Doncaster! Now one of the few places where you'll still find numbers of people bearing my name...particularly in the graveyards!
I thought I detected an Anglo-Norman dimension in your surname. Le Duc d'Attewell.
Though it hardly tells the whole history of the Conquest, I absolutely revere the Bayeux Tapestry. (It's actually embroidery, not a tapestry.) It is surprisingly respectful toward The Bastard's arch-rival Harold. The story of its survival is as remarkable as the BT itself.
There was a barroom contest to name the most people called "the:" Catherine the Great, Charles the Simple, Ivan the Terrible, Sulieman the Magnificent, etc. I won in a landslide by submitting dozens of mostly medieval monarchs and nobles. (Alas, they wouldn't accept Hold the Mayo or Down the Hatch.) Bragging rights were the best part, because first prize was a cheesy Budweiser wall clock. I had to pay for batteries.
It's always a question of current context representations which give a meaning to the symbols in each epoch. The swastika I believe was found on Sumerian Tablets originally....amongs the first pictural/written records that we have.
I wish we could stop referring to it as "the swastika", a name now almost inseparable from Nazi symbolism. Sadly, that term is not even German: the name derived long ago from Sanskrit svastika, which meant something like “conducive to well-being." Ironic, no?
Common in east Indian religions and later in the Mediterranean. Among many Indigenous people of the Americas (and possibly other places) a symbol representing the wind and, among some peoples, the path of the sun as it passes east to west. In Europe during medieval times, a Christian cross symbol called gammadion cross, (four Greek gammas stuck together) and probably before that, also a wind symbol. As you can imagine, it has numerous names.
I can't remember what my family called it, but they were clear that it was not in any way related to the German use, (which only emerged in the early 20th century and given its academic name).
My first ribbon shirt had the directions of the wind, and to tell the truth, to this day I am unclear which direction the German symbol actually goes, after seeing so many versions of it over the years as it popularized among right-wing extremists.
An aside: they also think the British Flag is the same thing as the Confederate battle flag. My Brit friends think this is both amusing and somewhat dismaying, and certainly an indication of American ignorance. They have a point.
Thanks for helpful details, Annie. There is a connection between the Union Jack and Confed battle flag: both incorporate the Cross of St Andrew. The UJ features crosses of St George, David and Andrew, representing the United Kingdoms of England, Wales, Scotland. Many antebellum Southerners had Scottish or Scotch-Irish ancestry, so the connection was logical. NB, Scots or Scottish is for people; Scotch is just for tape, eggs or whiskey.
History of origin of confed battle flag noted. My understanding is that it originated in Texas. Fuzzy on that. Regardless of origin, the Con battle flag has only a vague resemblance to the British flag. Simply because it has a cross doesn't explain the confounding of two flags with only that in common. Why my Brit friends were so baffled at seeing their flag atop our State House.
What if we look at that stage, so obviously on Odal rune and note that it is cast in blue – the color of the Democratic Party – and not in red, the color of the GOP. Consciously employing projection as a political weapon would call for the stage to be blue so that they can basically say Look behind me, look all around me, see that the opposition is promoting a Nazi platform. We won’t stand for that. Stick with us. We are the ones who are against a Nazi platform. And by the way, (wink, wink), we will continue to use this symbol as our rallying call.
It’s been going on for a while. Here’s an example:
Donald Trump Jr.stated on August 1, 2018 in an interview with One America News Network:
"You see the Nazi platform from the early 1930s ... look at it compared to the (Democratic Party) platform of today, you're saying, 'Man, those things are awfully similar.'"
"What if we look at that stage, so obviously on Odal rune and note that it is cast in blue – the color of the Democratic Party – and not in red, the color of the GOP."
GO LENA!!! Now you're talking my language. Use the symbols for good.
To respond to your quest for more sources on some aspects of European History, and in particular France, I thought i'd take this moment to give an initial response. The great difficulty with French historians is firstly they tend to get totally buried by what the French would call "Philosophers" and other more political/topical commentators. Secondly, the number of them that actually get translated into English is seemingly quite rare....Italian, no problem and even German or Spanish....but English...who reads it? The French view of the world can be a little short-sighted!
However, in the later category of political/historical/philosophical commentators 4 people stand out
Alain Finkelkraut......has moved from centre left to centre right
Eric Zemmour....much more to the right
Michel Onfray....much more to the left
Jacques Attali....eminence grise à la Talleyrand
Only the last 2 would have an odd volume or 2 translated into English. It is a great pity as all 4 write extremely well, have a clear view of where France is now and is heading and are extremely intelligent.
Otherwise historians are only heard of when they attempt unsuccessfully to "correct" interpretations of the above 4. In case this could help i have included a link to a site giving the "Top 100 French Histories of France"....that are available in English.
I might add a personal friend and brilliant historian whose work I was proud to publish (when I was the editor of an international history journal) in translated versions for the very first time: Yves Pourcher. He is not a traditional historian and has more of a reputation as a novelist, but his work on the period in France between WWI and WWII is superb.
Specific sources? I can find the article from Historical Reflections through ILL, but any translated books? My husband reads 20C history, but only in English.
However, I have seen that same rune used as a central focus in a young adult movie involving witches, vampires & werewolves (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones). Now makes me wonder about that. But, even the infamous swastika was used in Native Anerican art and is a Sanskrit symbol used by Hindus, Buddhists & Jains.
Yes, but even though in our lifetime, that counts as history right now! Because the religious use of the swastika persists. I would argue that current events must have changed the interpretation of Q, because I do NOT want the current Q to be omnipotent.
This wasn’t that quick and very informative. As an FBI veteran, I’m pleased to see a Director stand up to these idiotic conspiracies and what if’s from the Republicans.
Cruz and Hawley are afraid they're in the metadata. I'd love to see the Bureau frog march those two through an early morning perp walk.
They appeared very worried, and looking for ways to suppress evidence revealed. As with the Biden-Harris administration good works, the snowball of the investigation will steadily grow. I have faith it will pick up such trash as it finds it. It is time stop giving Jtrash H press, and to deflate the Crxz balloon.
Nothing would give me more pleasure!!
Their day is coming. It won't be a perp walk - more like getting kicked out of the treehouse club.
My imagination of potential activities for those two go in the direction of Criminal Minds FBI profilers on really special criminals who have been so privileged and look at the depths they have sunk to— they ought to be studied so we can learn about th3ir brain functions and then can recognize th3m in other strange criminals.
You and me both!
Frog March? Better, a couple of sleds (or wagons) with belt fasteners so, you know, the passengers cannot fall off before their vehicles slide into the deeper water.
Sorry. I posted my comment before seeing yours.
Someone posted this previously. I'm sorry I can't remember who it was.
“It takes a special kind of stupid to think the left would dress up like the right and raid the Capitol to change the outcome of an election they just won.“
You know, Jan, we have a small problem here. Your statement contains the implicit assumption that brainpower and intelligence are being applied, qualities Republicans are not known for. That quote would be stretching most of them way beyond their abilities.
You have to think like a sheep, like a fly in a swarm of flies, like a person with limited emotional capacity, to get into their minds.
"Hey, we are losing our white privilege here. Our world is disappearing. Our country will never come back if we lose this election. [That last one is a Cheeto quote]. It's all the fault of those POC, those uppity nasty women, Pelosi and AOC and BLM, they are taking away our white power and white privilege. We don't wanna lose our white privilege. We don't wanna lose out to POC and liberals and gays. We wanna keep our white males-first straights-first society. We don't wanna grow up. We don't wanna wear masks. WAAAAAAAAA. . . "
They don't want to lose their white power and white privilege society to liberals and gays and POC and women. That's all there is to it.
"It's all their fault, the liberals and gays and Pelosi and AOC and yoga and women in power. Yoga, yech, what is that? It's not something we learned in Sunday school, so it must be a Muslim clothing thing like what the women wear. We can't deal with it! We can't change to a different society, a new society! We are babies! We are infants, toddlers, wimps, wussies, cowards crying into our beer, because we lost our White Society and our Great White Leader."
Hi Frank. Not everybody gets 42 likes so quickly. I’ll speak for myself: I really appreciate having an FBI veteran here. What an outstanding resource.
update: now it's 5:30 p.m. Pacific time.
Frank Arthur has 128 likes with the post "This wasn’t that quick and very informative. As an FBI veteran, I’m pleased to see a Director stand up to these idiotic conspiracies and what if’s from the Republicans."
Frank, what does that tell you about how appreciated you are here?
Director Ray's testimony indicated that the Bureau is doing its job properly. Cruz and Hawley were playing to their audience of ignorant and gullible supporters. They know the truth and prefer to peddle lies rather than admit it. Actually, many of those who swallow the Trumpublican lies know they are lies but it gives them a cover for their real beliefs, racism, bigotry and a desire for the easy answers a dictatorship brings.
When Director Wray was chosen I told friends that Trump just doesn’t realize that every Republican isn’t a mindless sycophant and could have integrity. I’m just glad Trump didn’t fire him and Biden let him stay to restore some calm and continuity. With Merrick Garland as AG, the Rule of Law is back.
I found Hawley's questions regarding tracking electronic communications interesting. Can't help but wonder whether there could be some personal angst in that.
😁 They should be afraid, very afraid. There’s a new Sheriff in town.
If only - it would be such sweet payback for the last four years of gangsterism.
I left the Bureau a long time ago but their resources, when used properly, are overwhelming.
I'm definitely in favor of their current resources.
I’m still perplexed as to why they didn’t see this violence coming.
I thought the same. He seemed a bit desperate to me.
I thought I detected perspiration.
Perfectly stated Jacob. That cover is their bully shield. It needs to be ripped right off!
Glad to see you here. 30 year retired local law enforcement myself. I so appreciate what you do.
Thank you for your service.
The fact that he's a Trump-appointed Republican makes it all the more sweet.
Regarding the Christopher Wray questioning by the Judiciary Committee, Grassley, Hawley and Cruz continued to regurgitate an obviously crash-tested rhetorical mantra that draws a false equivalence between the rioters at the Capitol on January 6th and those who joined the protesters in Portland and Washington D.C. and elsewhere, at protests connected with the police killing of George Floyd. This ruse needs calling out and shouted down. As Merrick Garland said during his earlier confirmation interview at the Senate when pushed toward the false-equivalence, the violence in the wake of the Floyd killing that precipitated property damage to Federal buildings (the Portland court-house and the Washington D.C. church) was not motivated and coordinated for the purpose of interfering with Federal governmental functions the way the January 6 Capitol attack was admitted by its organizers to be an effort to interrupt the Electoral Vote count and interfere with the Constitutionally mandated transfer of presidential power. As is too often the case with protests galvanized by a triggering event like the death of George Floyd, persons often separate from the political purpose of the protest are attracted to the ambient anger and rage to trash property and even struggle with the forces of the law. Another false equivalence is then added to the theme "violence is universally bad and must be suppressed no matter what the motivating cause". Once Portland and the Capitol are made equivalents, the next move is to use destruction of property and attacks on the police, for whatever reason, to "prove" the folly of police reform or taking money from police budgets to hire persons trained in talking down persons in the throes of a psychological crisis, which stupidly got called "defunding the police." Ron "doe eye" Johnson too has gone even further to pin the Capitol insurrection on anarchists, faceless Stalin plants in the crowd as provocateurs of the left aimed at pinning the Capitol attack on fire-spitting AOC, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. For those who were paying attention at the Garland hearing, Garland aimed directly at the pro-Trump anarchist ploy when he said damaging Federal property is bad and needs to be treated as such, but it's not equivalent to attacking the Capitol and the members of Congress with the intention of interfering with the workings of our democracy. The not-so-clever Cruz-Hawley-Grassley response to Garland's distinction was to say Garland had no quarrel with attacking Federal property at night when Federal offices were closed and employees not in the building. Shame on you Grassley, Cruz, Hawley, and Cotton too. I hesitate to add Ron Johnson because I feel like I would be beating up on an old floppy-eared dog. A brief word on "liberator" Texas governor Abbott's decision to drop most public restrictions aimed at reducing virus spread in the name of "self-reliance". Abbott doesn't seem to get it that mask wearing, social distancing and hand washing are above all measures aimed at saving others from us, not saving ourselves, i.e., being super-spread agents. Since endangering others is totally lacking in testosterone laced freedom, why not liberate Texans to drive on whichever side of the highway that turns them on in the moment so as not to throttle the "call of the wild."
Sadpanic, this is a most insightful and sensitive analysis of violence, and especially vandalism, at racial-justice events. The dynamics are complex, but it rarely has to do with political protest, and carries little more weight than mayhem after a concert or sports triumph. The main exceptions come from false-flag violence or infiltration by rightwing provocateurs. THERE is the truly dangerous threat for honest law enforcement to address.
"False flag violence or infiltration of .... provacateurs".
Yes and that is one more equivalence that the negationists....and there is a word of shame in Europe that some will recognize here....are trying to make stick on Portland-Jan 6th comparisons. Normal strategy of the Perverse Narcissist as they are accusing their accusers of their own sins.
I live in Oregon, and am retired from law enforcement. The false equivalency arguments of comparing Portland's summer riots to the insurrection at the Capitol coming from my LE friends is something to behold. They acknowledge NO difference between disrupting the peaceful transfer of power, and the anarchist fringe that attached themselves to the BLM protests.
Sadpanic, you are so much more articulate than I have been. I may use some of your thoughts on the next Quixotic mission that I engage in.
Make my words yours for whatever good purpose you can put them to.
Nicolle Wallace nailed Johnson - RonAnon
That's gonna stick like tar.
Excellent analyses, Sadpanic. If anyone can show me pictures/videos of George Floyd protesters armed with militery equipment, I may be convinced of their equivalence to Jan 6.
military
You have to remember, Texas has a "tradition" to uphold, having been founded by cashiered army officers, failed politicians, slave catchers, back-alley assassins, bushwhackers, rustlers, bank robbers, con artists, and others on the lam from civilization for various infractions major and minor. The tradition is, they can only elevate people to public office who come from those backgrounds or similar. Anyone not from those backgrounds who gets into office is a fluke, and they do their best to remedy the mistake as quickly as possible.
Just look at the totally wild foundation myths that they managed to create by fantasizing reality at the Alamo and with Davy Crockett against Santa Anna. Hopefully there remains a few nuggets of the previous Native American and then Spanish-Mexican civilisation hidden away ready to widen their view of the world as in Santa Fe, NM.....but they seem to need a great deal of help in finding it these days!
Aw, come on Stuart, you seem to be bashing ALL Texans. I’m not a native Texan, but I married a 9th generation one whose forebears settled here while Texas was still part of Mexico. They were salt-of-the-earth, no-nonsense, hard-working people. My late mother-in-law was fond of exclaiming, “The world is full of people who can’t reason from A to B. And they don’t know that C and D are even out there!” That quote comes to mind more and more often these days.
your family obviously follows the Native American premise of thinking 7 generations ahead. In some parts of Texas the relations between newcombers and existing local inhabitants were friendly and cooperative.
There is some discussion of Texas history in the excellent book "The Comanche Empire" by Pekka Hamalainen.
"TCE" is recommended, with reservations.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RJJXCIKYLH4UO/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B001HZZ05C
Thanksjoan it's gone on my list.
I keep trying to figure out how Beto O'Rourke and Texas found each other. In any case, I think we can agree that whatever time Tedikins Cruz did on the Cross, it didn't last, nor sink in. As Texans burned the family furniture to stay warm in the recent power outage, Tedilonious Ticky saw how Texas was "turning blue" (from the cold) and moved his gang south of the border to watch the horror on Zoom and to ponder how snakes can change their political spots—with a presidential Sharpie no doubt.
Where does Ann Richards fit in?
She must have been an "outlier"??
A definite outlier - looks what came before and after. Too bad they can't have more outliers like her.
Well, there is Beto! But truly Ann Richards was one of a kind. I didnt realize until a little while ago that her daughter was the former head of Planned Parenthood. She's another sharp cookie! There have to be others like that - just not speaking I guess.
Unfortunately Beto, like most of the best TX Dems, has never won a statewide race. Can he or another candidate break the pattern in 2022? Millions of lives may depend on the outcome, and not just in one state.
A “fluke” was the term used? And a “mistake” that was remedied ASAP. (I had to look up her term and indeed, it was limited to one) And the GOP attacks were vile.
GOP attacks? Always vile! But when you dont have authenticity & truth on your side what else is there, right? Wouldnt you think (or hope) that someone would actually listen & "cogitate" (good word) on the crap that they are spewing? Maybe, oh I dont know, think about it?
Your assessment of the opportunistic attachment of the anarchist movement to the BLM protests is accurate. The PNW has always had an anarchist component (really came to life during the WTO demonstrations in Seattle in 1999, and I had a fair number of incidents with them during some environmental protests in Oregon in the early 2000's. They seize on a legitimate protest (environmental awareness or racial inequity) and just plain create hate and discontent.
I concur with your description, Ally, with "opportunistic" anarchists against government in general. But in Portland they had their own shared interest in fighting federal officers sent by Trump, to set up a "police state" in the city of Portland.
My 17 year old son was working in Portland and paticipated in the protest between 8:30 pm and 11:00pm. As he was walking back to his car with people carring umbrells and a few leaf blowers to protect themselves in case of tear gas, the helmeted anarchists were arriving to confront the police with fireworks, frozen water bottles, and lacross sticks to toss the gas canister back over the police fence. The damage to the court house was primarily graffiti, not broken windows. The BLM protest walked through downtown Portland. The "rumble" between the anarchists and Boarder Patrol law enforcement et.al., didnt start until after 11:00pm. That confrontation was a few blocks east from downtown and confined to the block with the court house and the park across the street from the court house.
If the law enforcers wore identification uniforms instead of camouflage army fatigues, the people from Portland would not have felt the need to expose the federal law enforcement troops and their illegal detainment and interrorgation (sic) of protesters. They were not invited by the city nor the Portland police.
It is dangerous for the President to have access to his own "army" through his own appointed Homeland Security white suptremist.
Brilliant analysis Sadpanic. Thank you.
or just covering your mouth when you sneeze.
I knew there was one anti-Covid measure I forgot to mention, mea culpa.
Sleep, rest, and I hope the power is back on in the morning! It has been an interesting day. The situation in Texas is really scary but the legislature is also seeking ways to secede from the US so one has to wonder what Abbot is playing at. The fallout from the CPAC debacle is keeping the Cheeto in the news and even if all of the news is derisory he doesn’t care. What I wish is that news outlets would simply ignore him. He’s no longer president so they have no obligation to continue following him around. The Dems need to keep on announcing what they are getting done and keeping up the pressure on the purveyors of the Big Lie. Fingers crossed.
The only news I want to see about Donald Trump is that he’s been criminally charged with inciting insurrection against the Inited States. I would then be glad to watch the trial in action.
I don't know, I'd settle for criminal charges for fraud, rape, or one of the other crimes he's being investigated for. Tax evasion? Incitement is a tough charge to prove in court (even though it looks so obvious). Whatever gets him in a jumpsuit or living in exile works for me.
Actually, RICO and tax evasion is probably the easiest way to get him out of the picture--like Al Capone.
My cousin who's a political lawyer in PA (worked on all the election cases) says NY has the strongest chance.
How quickly can it happen? Yesterday would be good. . . .
Many choices here, Jennifer. How about all of them so we can truly get at the heart of his corrupt, destructive and self-serving behaviors? This is the only way our country can heal.
"Whatever gets him in a jumpsuit or living in exile works for me."
Anything other than living out the rest of his life in a cold, dank, dark dungeon with other rats would not be just.
What about rape?
United
Totally agree. Biden keeping his focus on what this country needs and not focusing on Trump is working. Unbelievable approval rating. Keeps going up. Gives me hope. We have been traumatized living through the last 4 years. Takes time and lots of work to rebuild our Democracy. Stacy persevered getting voters registered against all odds. We can do this and stop the steal of allowing our citizens to vote.
There is NO WAY that Cpac "accidentally" used a Nazi rune design for their stage. Daily Kos had a bunch of stories earlier today.
https://www.dailykos.com/search?text=cpac+rune&time_begin=02%2F23%2F2021&time_end=now&text_type=any&text_expand=contains&search_type=search_stories&time_type=time_published&submit=search
I'm somewhat interested in genuine historic runes and monuments, because they are primary evidence of Viking-era migration, settlement, land claims, etc. But if I meet someone with an excessive interest, I figure they just might be a Nazi and steer clear. Or else drop a dime.
To each movement their founding myths however far fetched and as usual, like jungian dream analysis, they are, at least symbolically, extremely revealing of their inner psychic problems over and above their apparent material representations. Their ignorance of the real history of the viking era and people obviously knows no bounds, so they have to rely on the TV/Film representations. Do you think Ted Cruz takes himself to be Kirk Douglas....probably and over above, by association, he'll be mixing his metaphores too with his Spartacus role.
What remains is the image of violent conquest of subordinate peoples by an autocratic, warrior led bad of thieves. They obviously are unaware of their importance in institution building, international trade and exchange and world exploration.
It is personally insulting too given my probable far back origins at least through my Scots mother (Christie coming from Christianson).
Oh well! There are lots of interesting viking settlement sites from Newfoundland from Eric the Red on and down the East Coast as far as you care to look.
Columbus discovered America? Hah!
I have to say that the WORST (and the funniest, although unintentionally) "medieval" movie I have ever seen (and I deliberately used it in a class once just for kicks and giggles) is The Vikings, starring Ernest Borgnine, Kirk Douglas, and Tony Curtis. The insertion of Brooklyn accents into the 9th centuries, well, indescribably hilarious.
Didn't the Vikings reach Brooklyn?
If that's wrong, I need to turn over a new Leif.
🤣 Weirdly, there is a theory that Icelanders working their way down the North American coast settled for a time in what became Vineland, New Jersey--that the name was a long memory of Vinland, which is what they called Nova Scotia or New Brunswick (can't remember which one). So they would sound like Chris Christie, not Tony Curtis. Which is way worse.
The first Vineland was Newfoundland. Icelanders working The coasts yes. But the viking populations there and on Greenland were not then the most stable of . Hunters, farmers and fishermen without ocean going certainty in their boats. Its not certain that permanent settlement was envisaged but rather trading posts like the French and fish drying/salting/net repair stations like the Portuguese. Vineland, NJ is interesting because it did later come back to life as a Danish/Swedish colony...17thC vikings!
Ouch😂
Capital pun-ishment.
I can imagine already the long boats circling Long Island!
Totally agree. I saw it not long ago on a channel running old Paramount stuff. Laughed myself silly as did they no doubt ...all the way to the bank. They got paid for that farce! I was though a little troubled by the geography as the wicked lord to whom the "female interest" was forcibly betrothed was Welsh and it didn't seem more than a few hours sail from the vikings home base in Norway...difficult to reconcile with the need to go all the way round Scotland first! Perhaps they were vikings from their Irish settlements...a little problematic finding fjords on the emerald isle though.
Don’t forget Tony Curtis as Antoninus, singa of sawngs in Spartacus. Side splitting.
A memorable twosome between him and Kirk Douglas again.
And Marc Anthony. Oy.
"Spartacus" is far superior to "Vikings" as film and as history.
I agree TPJ. It was no accident. The appropriation of runic symbols by white supremacists, like their use of the Black Eagle of St Maurice, has been something that the medievalist community has been trying to combat, but we can't get any traction in the larger media outlets because nobody seems to care. The runes (like the swastika--which was NOT a nazi symbol before being appropriated by them) are merely an alphabet that was developed in Scandinavia and the British Isles because it--like Roman capitals--was easy to carve into stone. There are ritual and religious meanings to the runes when used for religious purposes (like tarot cards or the I Ching) but they do not have any inherently fascistic meaning. It is really difficult to manage this expropriation as it is growing.
So here is my question. Who did the stage set design? What firm? Interior design peep within the firm? It would be interesting to follow their commissions.
I think the stage set is a bit of proof o the money behind these terrorist groups.
Thanks Linda; I figured a Viking ref might catch your eye. Their Norman successors were involved in the medieval events that fascinate me most. Robert the Devil, William the Bastard, Robert the Weasel, et al -- such charming nicknames!
It's surprising that RW extremists (mis)appropriate St Maurice, but their obsessions are often esoteric. StM was famous for being not just saintly, but African too. (Definitely Egyptian, perhaps Black; it's unclear.) Not sure the KKK would like that. Maybe it'll provoke an internecine brawl between Nazis and KKK and they will neutralize each other. How's that for real "cancel culture?!"
And yes: I think I talked about St Maurice and the Black Eagle many months ago in another series of posts. It is one of the more amusing moments of stupid among the white supremacist crowd. If you want to read some very interesting stuff, check out the Medievalists of Color website: https://medievalistsofcolor.com
My absolute favorite nickname for these guys is a moniker coined for one of the early counts of Anjou: Foulque the Surly.
William, nicknamed the Conquerer, another Norman Viking, most famous for a propaganda tapestry drawn to honour him in Bayeux and an inventory of his new "taxable" possessions that were his spoils of war in Britain...the Doomsday Book. It was with him the "english" side of me arrived on the island. The Dutch mercenary clan, the Atte Velle that fought for the invading army were accorded in the Doomsday volume land in the are of Doncaster! Now one of the few places where you'll still find numbers of people bearing my name...particularly in the graveyards!
I thought I detected an Anglo-Norman dimension in your surname. Le Duc d'Attewell.
Though it hardly tells the whole history of the Conquest, I absolutely revere the Bayeux Tapestry. (It's actually embroidery, not a tapestry.) It is surprisingly respectful toward The Bastard's arch-rival Harold. The story of its survival is as remarkable as the BT itself.
Maybe that explains the decision to settle in new jersey
There was a barroom contest to name the most people called "the:" Catherine the Great, Charles the Simple, Ivan the Terrible, Sulieman the Magnificent, etc. I won in a landslide by submitting dozens of mostly medieval monarchs and nobles. (Alas, they wouldn't accept Hold the Mayo or Down the Hatch.) Bragging rights were the best part, because first prize was a cheesy Budweiser wall clock. I had to pay for batteries.
It's always a question of current context representations which give a meaning to the symbols in each epoch. The swastika I believe was found on Sumerian Tablets originally....amongs the first pictural/written records that we have.
I wish we could stop referring to it as "the swastika", a name now almost inseparable from Nazi symbolism. Sadly, that term is not even German: the name derived long ago from Sanskrit svastika, which meant something like “conducive to well-being." Ironic, no?
Common in east Indian religions and later in the Mediterranean. Among many Indigenous people of the Americas (and possibly other places) a symbol representing the wind and, among some peoples, the path of the sun as it passes east to west. In Europe during medieval times, a Christian cross symbol called gammadion cross, (four Greek gammas stuck together) and probably before that, also a wind symbol. As you can imagine, it has numerous names.
I can't remember what my family called it, but they were clear that it was not in any way related to the German use, (which only emerged in the early 20th century and given its academic name).
My first ribbon shirt had the directions of the wind, and to tell the truth, to this day I am unclear which direction the German symbol actually goes, after seeing so many versions of it over the years as it popularized among right-wing extremists.
An aside: they also think the British Flag is the same thing as the Confederate battle flag. My Brit friends think this is both amusing and somewhat dismaying, and certainly an indication of American ignorance. They have a point.
Thanks for helpful details, Annie. There is a connection between the Union Jack and Confed battle flag: both incorporate the Cross of St Andrew. The UJ features crosses of St George, David and Andrew, representing the United Kingdoms of England, Wales, Scotland. Many antebellum Southerners had Scottish or Scotch-Irish ancestry, so the connection was logical. NB, Scots or Scottish is for people; Scotch is just for tape, eggs or whiskey.
https://confederatewave.org/wave/confederate-flag-history.phtml
D Fischer, Albion's Seed
J Leyburn, The Scotch-Irish
G McWhiney & F McDonald. Cracker Culture
History of origin of confed battle flag noted. My understanding is that it originated in Texas. Fuzzy on that. Regardless of origin, the Con battle flag has only a vague resemblance to the British flag. Simply because it has a cross doesn't explain the confounding of two flags with only that in common. Why my Brit friends were so baffled at seeing their flag atop our State House.
What if we look at that stage, so obviously on Odal rune and note that it is cast in blue – the color of the Democratic Party – and not in red, the color of the GOP. Consciously employing projection as a political weapon would call for the stage to be blue so that they can basically say Look behind me, look all around me, see that the opposition is promoting a Nazi platform. We won’t stand for that. Stick with us. We are the ones who are against a Nazi platform. And by the way, (wink, wink), we will continue to use this symbol as our rallying call.
It’s been going on for a while. Here’s an example:
Donald Trump Jr.stated on August 1, 2018 in an interview with One America News Network:
"You see the Nazi platform from the early 1930s ... look at it compared to the (Democratic Party) platform of today, you're saying, 'Man, those things are awfully similar.'"
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2018/aug/03/donald-trump-jr/did-nazi-platform-echo-democratic-platform-donald-/
"What if we look at that stage, so obviously on Odal rune and note that it is cast in blue – the color of the Democratic Party – and not in red, the color of the GOP."
GO LENA!!! Now you're talking my language. Use the symbols for good.
While we're at it, let's take over the red color as well, and pretend that the entire image is healthy and life-affirming and democratic in red.
For the GOP, make the stage a dingy color of gray. That's what the GOP is: dead and dying.
To respond to your quest for more sources on some aspects of European History, and in particular France, I thought i'd take this moment to give an initial response. The great difficulty with French historians is firstly they tend to get totally buried by what the French would call "Philosophers" and other more political/topical commentators. Secondly, the number of them that actually get translated into English is seemingly quite rare....Italian, no problem and even German or Spanish....but English...who reads it? The French view of the world can be a little short-sighted!
However, in the later category of political/historical/philosophical commentators 4 people stand out
Alain Finkelkraut......has moved from centre left to centre right
Eric Zemmour....much more to the right
Michel Onfray....much more to the left
Jacques Attali....eminence grise à la Talleyrand
Only the last 2 would have an odd volume or 2 translated into English. It is a great pity as all 4 write extremely well, have a clear view of where France is now and is heading and are extremely intelligent.
Otherwise historians are only heard of when they attempt unsuccessfully to "correct" interpretations of the above 4. In case this could help i have included a link to a site giving the "Top 100 French Histories of France"....that are available in English.
http://www.listmuse.com/best-french-history-books-revolution.php
Hope this starts you of on a new trail.
I might add a personal friend and brilliant historian whose work I was proud to publish (when I was the editor of an international history journal) in translated versions for the very first time: Yves Pourcher. He is not a traditional historian and has more of a reputation as a novelist, but his work on the period in France between WWI and WWII is superb.
Specific sources? I can find the article from Historical Reflections through ILL, but any translated books? My husband reads 20C history, but only in English.
Hi Jan, It's the HR/RH articles. Alas, Yves has not founds an English publisher for his novels or complete books.
Thanks, Linda - so ILL for me. I don't think my 50+ year old school girl French is up to the translation!
Thank you 🇫🇷❤️🤍💙
Wonderfully helpful, thanks Stuart. Please don't feel any need to do more; the link has just what's wanted.
However, I have seen that same rune used as a central focus in a young adult movie involving witches, vampires & werewolves (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones). Now makes me wonder about that. But, even the infamous swastika was used in Native Anerican art and is a Sanskrit symbol used by Hindus, Buddhists & Jains.
This is true - an old symbol reinterpreted by a group for their own use, and as a symbol of purity. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/history-of-the-swastika
Unfortunately even a letter of the alphabet can become "reinterpreted".
"Q" was an omnipotent character on Star Trek. :)
Yes, but even though in our lifetime, that counts as history right now! Because the religious use of the swastika persists. I would argue that current events must have changed the interpretation of Q, because I do NOT want the current Q to be omnipotent.
Drop a dime? I don;t know that term.
to drop a dime on someone = to inform on someone
Back when phone booth calls were 10c. Ancient history.
Gosh, these exchanges make me feel very old.
In New Orleans in the '60s it was drop a nickel on ya. Somehow everything was cheaper in the Big Easy. (bus tokens 15 cents)
Thanks for this link, TPJ. The pictures of the stage I saw yesterday did not show the "branches" that distinguish it as Nazi.