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Heather, you wrote, "A senior official told CNN that the goal is 'to set so many fires that it will be hard for the Biden administration to put them all out.'" If it is true that Trump is intentionally sabotaging the Biden administration, isn't that treason?

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Thanks HR for being measured and rational so your community can express our anger and distress in an appropriate venue where real conversation can take place. This quote from your letter today: "Trump’s erratic behavior is starting to alarm even Republican lawmakers, who have kept silent as Trump has done pretty much whatever he wished for the past four years." This struck me as profoundly optimistic. My take on this? Too little too late: the timidity of these guys and their terror at displeasing their Dear Leader amounts to criminal negligence. And I don't trust any of them because they will deny ever disagreeing with their Capo as they all apparently are beholden to him or he has been collecting all kinds of "data" on them in order to gain even more power and control.

This person--I refuse to refer to him as president--has decided that death, destruction, and chaos is an appropriate response to losing an election. This person has decided that destroying American democracy, destroying the government, destroying society, killing his followers and minions are all solutions to alleviate the blow to his ego that losing the election has caused. This person is enabled by an amoral, criminally cynical, and power mongering group of thugs who do NOT represent the majority, do NOT represent their own constituents--and they are happy to see them fall prey to a preventable epidemic because it suits their purposes to cloak themselves in ill-gotten power. When we refer to these appalling despicable creatures as "toddlers" we are defaming toddlers.

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The Senate “ I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

The House of Representatives -“I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

The President –“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Neither the President nor the congressional GOP are upholding their oaths.

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The news of 250,000 American dead sickens me. That the majority of these deaths were likely preventable enrages me. So many loved ones lost. Those who survive will reflect symptoms of PTSD for literally generations to come.

I can hear the low toll of new alarm bells in the distance and it worries me. A news story about Russian war ships harassing Alaskan fishing boats a week ago or so that never seemed to be repeated or get any traction in the firehose stream of news. The situations with Iran (nukes and him wanting to make a strike). Letting covid run rampant (a sick population cannot defend itself). The sudden elevation of Special Ops in light of a speculated coup. Refusal to concede or allow the Biden-Harris team to have any information. The list goes on. His salt the earth approach to smashing everything on his way out, while denying he is on his way out, is as ludicrous as it is tragic. Childish. That is is now verified as intentional is unforgivable.

There was a hand wringing op-ed headline earlier this week asking how we can uphold the rule of law if he is not prosecuted. WHY WOULD WE NOT PROSECUTE HIM FOR BREAKING THE LAW??? He absolutely MUST be held accountable, along with anyone else in his regime who has broken the law. In my opinion, he should also be tried at The ICC (International Criminal Court) for crimes against humanity related to the national and worldwide impact of his refusal to deal the covid in the US. I have seen others say he should be tried at The Hague but the correct body would be the ICC. If a certain German Fuhrer hadn’t committed suicide he would have been tried. So should he. I can’t even bring myself to write his name or even one of the many euphemisms used for it/him. I can only hope and pray that we succeed in transitioning to a Biden-Harris administration on January 20 and that 2021 is truly a new year in which we put the horrors of 2020 and the current regime far behind us.

https://www.icj-cij.org/en/frequently-asked-questions

https://www.icc-cpi.int/about

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I submit that our political infrastructure was on life support prior to 2016. Since then the plug has been pulled.

In other words, THE SUBJECT IS DEAD...DOA...RIP.

Our job, should we accept the mission, is to redesign our governmental structures. The two-party system and the U.S. Congress ceased to produce anything of value for the American people a long time ago. The primary function of the parties and the officials they get elected, is to gain re-election...time after time after time.

I don’t know what form the end product of our united efforts will take, but I am confident that whatever “we the people” create will be far superior to the criminally embarrassing shambles that currently misrepresent us.

It’s high time we bring to life President Lincoln’s glorious vision: a government of, by, and for the people!

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It’s clear trump doesn’t care who and how many die as long as he continues his temper tantrum. Republican leaders are starting to become “alarmed.” That horse fled the barn four years ago. I am beyond disgusted.

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The utter impotence of our inability to rein in a rogue President is captured in these pathetic words about his latest outrage: "...but they have at least highlighted that Trump has violated normal procedures to make a sale that will dramatically change the balance of power in the Middle East." For four years, the 24/7 "breaking news" has highlighted his daily violation of "normal procedures". How am I to distinguish Donald J. Trump from Timothy McVeigh?

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It seems to me the most important thing we need to achieve is getting GSA Emily to sign the damn papers and let Biden-Harris Transition Team get up to speed.

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Sorry, community, but I must remind everyone that the media are not the government. CNN and Co. "calling" the election is not an official act. Mitch McConnell, my namesake (!) and (sadly) also my newly re-elected senator, is absolutely right to point this out. GSA Emily has said she cannot release the transition funds until the election results are certified. Sorry folks, but she is within her rights to do that, even though it's "traditional" to release the funds as soon as the election is "called". We have gotten far too comfortable in accepting the outsized role that the media have arrogated to themselves. The Reps are taking full advantage, and at least some of them, inlcuding the Big Man himself, are determined to fight this out to the end.

Please, everyone, wake up and smell the coffee. Screaming about violated "norms" is entirely insufficient in these circumstances. We are learning that so-called "norms" have no force when a sitting president is determined to ignore or trample on them. I see two possibilites, neither of them good: a coup via hamstringing the EC and throwing the election to the House, or failing that (Rep. legislators may not go so far as to name electors determined to overturn the elections results in their states), scorched earth. Biden and co. are trying all sorts of workarounds, but the weaknesses of that are clear for all to see. He needs something analogous to FDR's "kitchen cabinet" and "brain trust" - people prepared to do NEW things, not just administer what's already there. If this is done openly, with full media coverage, the constrast to DT's destructive obstruction will be clear.

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With all humility, I would advise people to not travel to “home” for even small re-unions. It is the exact catalyst that could overwhelm the care system in the entire nation. Zoom, skype, FaceTime or just call. We are close to having vaccines. We are in the home stretch, so stay the course.

I have been pondering the question of who is behind the strategy of djt’s moves to place political acolytes in positions of power. Surely he did not conjure these moves on his own.

Influence from the Saudi’s and Israel? They would benefit from a US move against Iran. China? Russia?

I would be interested in what others think. But for now, Covid remains our greatest immediate threat. Stay home and safe.

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I feel a persistent sense of foreboding regarding our country’s future. Yet I have an inkling of hope our military leaders—who have taken an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic—will fulfill the spirit of that oath by refusing to execute any orders which would in the long term endanger our nation.

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Heather, I agree with you regarding the voter suppression caper not producing their desired election outcome, especially for the presidential race. I also agree that they DIDN’T have a plan to deal with the pandemic (God forbid they would have used the plan the previous administrations left for them). However, I believe that the deranged “plan” this administration is now pushing is Scott Atlas’s “herd immunity” scam. That’s why this president is so detached. He’s sown the seeds of COVID-19 throughout the land via rallies and such (just like Johnny Appleseed) and he’s just sitting back and watching the spread. “Herd Immunity”...that’s his dastardly, disgusting dangerous plan 🦠

Where and Who is our Superhero? We need them to act NOW!

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This is long so I get it if you skip it, I just need to get this off my chest.

Are we, as a nation, even governable? I started asking myself this question several years ago when I lived in a county where it became legal to open carry any firearm you chose anywhere, indoors or out of doors, with a few exceptions. Going to the grocery in my rural area of the county was an exercise in fear, with the rabid aggression of the gun rights advocates using their ability to carry a way to intimidate folks going about their day to day lives. And then came Trump, giving people permission to openly denigrate and disrespect "the other". Police violence against Black US Americans escalated, cops walked free. Children from Latin America were ripped from their parents and confined in kennels, where hundreds still sit today, their parents are who knows where. Then coronavirus and the one opportunity for the country to act as one was demolished by the ego, callousness and greed of the one person who could have engaged an entire nation into acting responsibly. Coronavirus has simply become another device to antagonize Trump's base and drive a wedge ever deeper between those moved by the common good and those for whom the common good is a dirty word. And now, now we have the Election, the results of which are clear. The majority voted for a quiet man of reason who has the experience to lead, the ability to choose qualified, competent advisors, cabinet members and support staff, the humility and intelligence to reach out and seek the guidance of experts so decisions can be fact based not ego driven. And what is standing in our way forward? One man, most Republicans in the House and Senate, a cadre of appointees willing to suck up to a maniac and 70 plus million people who believe that their president is doing what's right for them, not what's right for the entire country, for them.

I watch all this happen from Merida, Yucatan, so I am one step removed from the aggression and hatred. I see it and read about it and it frightens me, but it doesn't touch me in the same way it touches you, in the US, day in and day out. I'm afraid for my grown daughter who is living in isolation, teaching (online) at an east coast university and working on her MFA. Her room here is ready should things escalate to a point of total madness. I'm afraid for every one of you who are in the US right now because, despite following health and safety protocols and voting for new leadership, the muscle behind the madness really hasn't changed. They are still in positions of power and the have deeply sown the seeds of hatred into those who follow them. The money behind the madness is still there, too. So again, I ask, are we governable?

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I wonder how confident we can be that this crew WON'T hit Iran. More, I wonder how much more of this toxic explosion it will take before the Senate puts its foot down. Even more, I wonder if anyone knows what motivates McConnell?

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Again the deafening silence of Republicans as Trump breaks and burns everything he can on the way out to make governing as difficult as possible for the Biden Administration. Patriotism at its finest.

re: The arms/technology sale to UAE; didn't I read something somewhere about a UAE entity bailing Kushner out of his fiasco of a real estate deal involving a Manhatten sky-scraper to the tune of several hundred million dollars? Being the administration's point man in the Middle East has its perks, doesn't it.

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I was heartbroken to read the hospital system that serves my hometown is getting overwhelmed by COVID-19. The system is having to consider opening a recently shuttered hospital. It is just unbelievable. I am going home for Thanksgiving. It makes me a little nervous, however, I am making a plan to limit the contact to just my family. That said PCP sent an email indicating the office is limiting in person office visits. My county with a population of 83,000 has an average of 80 cases per day. I am trying to keep the faith and take it one day at a time, however, it is difficult. That said I am firing off an email to my Republican congressman about my disgust over his party's sycophancy.

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