There's battle lines being drawn.
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong.
Young people speaking their minds
getting so much resistance from behind

Monday, January 11, 2021

Linkee-poo there's something happening here

How do we know 2021 will be a wild year? The Browns won last night.

"Thousands more people will receive a Covid-19 vaccine this week as seven mass centres open across England… NHS England said hundreds more GP-led and hospital services would also open later this week."

"Another weird thing about 2020: The planet sped up… The planet's rotational speed often drifts around slightly, depending on changes in wind, ocean currents, or the sloshing around of the Earth's molten core. But for the last few decades, generally this produced a microscopic slowing of the rotation. The upshot of that is that every year and a half (or so), we've needed to add a 'leap second' to the atomic clock."

"In some hospitals, health centers and pharmacies in the United States, there are vials of Covid-19 vaccines that aren't making it into arms… Out of the more than 22 million doses of vaccine that have been distributed to hospitals and pharmacies so far in the United States, only about 6.7 million people have received their first dose, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

"Most patients who had been hospitalized with Covid-19 still suffered a variety of symptoms -- including fatigue and sleep difficulties -- six months after infection, a Chinese study has found… The study of more than 1,700 patients treated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the original epicenter of the pandemic, shows 76% suffered at least one symptom months after they were discharged from hospital." Jazz-hands!

"Parler, the alternative social media platform favored by conservatives, now finds itself virtually homeless on the internet as Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOGL) have all booted it from their platforms in a span of a little more than 24 hours."

Of course this is on Bullshit Mountain… "Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., called for a racketeering investigation on Sunday following Amazon, Apple and Google’s decisions to suspend the alternative social media platform Parler after Wednesday's U.S. Capitol riot." Guess you should have supported Net Neutrality, Devin. Complain to the Cow. How does this brain-damaged guy remembers to wipe his own ass is beyond me.

"EU and British officials have raised new questions on the regulation of Big Tech after some major social media platforms banned the accounts of President Donald Trump." I just want to clarify that the president could, at any time he wished, walk a few office doors down into the briefing room and hold a news conference that would be covered (in some manner) by all the major news outlets. Saying his ability to communicate with "the people" is seriously hampered by being removed from his social media accounts is very hyperbolic. However the EU has stronger internet regulations that the US.

"U.S. Attorney’s Office of Middle Tennessee spokesman David Boling confirmed the searches included the homes of former GOP House Speaker Glen Casada, state Rep. Robin Smith and Casada’s former chief of staff, Cade Cothren. The office of Republican Rep. Todd Warner also was searched, according to House Speaker Cameron Sexton."

"BuzzFeed News spoke to two Black officers who described a harrowing day in which they were forced to endure racist abuse — including repeatedly being called the n-word — as they tried to do their job of protecting the Capitol building, and by extension the very functioning of American democracy. The officers said they were wrong footed, fighting off an invading force that their managers had downplayed, and not prepared them for. They had all been issued gas masks, for example, but management didn’t tell them to bring them in on the day. Capitol Police did not respond to BuzzFeed News’s request for comment about the allegations made by officers."

"A Capitol Police officer is being hailed as a hero for drawing an angry mob away from the entrance to the Senate floor Wednesday as rioters smashed their way into the U.S. Capitol."

"A video is circulating online alongside the claim that it shows a man admitting far-left movement Antifa stormed the US Capitol. But the man -- who says in the clip it was Donald Trump’s supporters who broke into the building where Congress meets -- told AFP he is a backer of the president, and that he is receiving a flood of death threats." Reading and listening comprehension isn't the strong point of the whackaloon right.

"The insurrectionist mob that showed up at the president’s behest and stormed the U.S. Capitol was overwhelmingly made up of longtime Trump supporters, including Republican Party officials, GOP political donors, far-right militants, white supremacists, and adherents of the QAnon myth that the government is secretly controlled by a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophile cannibals. Records show that some were heavily armed and included convicted criminals, such as a Florida man recently released from prison for attempted murder."

"Fact Check: Did Trump Call in the National Guard After Rioters Stormed the Capitol?" About the best you can say is he didn't stand in the way of the final request that brought them in.

"In the aftermath of American far-right extremists storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, video evidence surfaced online allegedly depicting a U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officer posing for a 'selfie' photograph with a member of the pro-Trump mob that vandalized and occupied the building."

"The claim: Images show police presence during Black Lives Matter demonstrations compared to Capitol riot."

"One particularly disturbing incident was recounted by Reuters photographer Jim Bourg, who said that he heard at least three different rioters say that they were hoping to find U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and hang him as a traitor."

"On Jan. 3, the Washington Post broke the news of an hourlong call in which Trump attempted to persuade Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to recalculate the state's vote in his favor." The president is a tyrant.

"President Donald Trump has been active across different social media platforms but it was never a secret which was his favorite. Trump often credited his Twitter account for his popularity and even said that his political future would have been very different without the site… So it came as little surprise that the commander in chief did not take it well when Twitter decided to permanently ban him from its service 'due to the risk of further incitement of violence.' It seems there was pandemonium over at the White House when Twitter announced its decision Friday night. Trump went 'ballistic,' a senior administration official told Politico, noting the president 'was scrambling to figure out what his options are.'"

It wasn't just Washington DC, "Protesters backing President Donald Trump massed outside statehouses from Georgia to New Mexico on Wednesday, leading some officials to evacuate while cheers rang out at several demonstrations as a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol… There were some scuffles in states like Ohio and California, with some instances of journalists or counterprotesters being pepper-sprayed or punched, but most demonstrations were peaceful — some of them quite small — and only a few arrests were reported."

"The FBI and the New York City Police Department passed information to U.S. Capitol Police about the possibility of violence during the protests Wednesday against the counting of the Electoral College vote, and the FBI even visited more than a dozen extremists already under investigation to urge them not to travel to Washington, senior law enforcement officials said." So much for the "we didn't know" line. The Capital was left undefended.

But whose fault that is has yet to be determined. "The former chief of U.S. Capitol Police says security officials at the House and Senate rebuffed his early requests to call in the National Guard ahead of a demonstration in support of President Trump that turned into a deadly attack on Congress." OF course he could just be trying to cover his ass.

"After a mob stormed the Capitol based on President Donald Trump's election fraud lie, some top Republican allies have called for peace while still leveling the same baseless claims of widespread voter fraud that fanned the flames of violence… In almost the same breath as he condemned the rioters who temporarily disrupted Congress from its normal process of affirming President-elect Joe Biden's win, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., the first Republican to announce his intent to object to the certification, suggested Biden's victory was illegitimate." They still think they can ride that tiger. At this point to call for an investigation into the election is an exercise in saving face. At the end, when the investigation finds nothing, the people who at this point are still saying there was fraud can do a, "Well, we looked into these serious allegations and didn't find anything wrong, but there were enough questions to validate our concern." Fuck them.

"Two men who are believed to have been seen carrying plastic 'zip tie' handcuffs during the deadly riot at the US Capitol – suggesting plans to kidnap lawmakers in an attempt to overturn Donald Trump’s election defeat – were arrested on Sunday."

"Larry Rendall Brock Jr., an Air Force veteran seen brandishing zip tie handcuffs during the pro-Trump siege at the U.S. Capitol, was arrested Sunday in Texas and charged with knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority, according to the Justice Department."

"A rioter who stormed the US Capitol Wednesday wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the phrase 'Camp Auschwitz' has been identified as Robert Keith Packer of Virginia, according to three sources who spoke with CNN."

"Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger shared words of hope Sunday in the aftermath of the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, denouncing President Donald Trump and the 'spinelessness' of his fellow Republicans… Schwarzenegger drew parallels to his upbringing in post-World War II Austria while discussing Wednesday's pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol." Although I would compare it to the Night of Long Knives. Although it would not have been either, if the "rioters" had their way, the result would have been closer to Operation Hummingbird.

"U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told lawmakers late Sunday that they would first vote on a resolution this week calling on Vice President Mike Pence and the cabinet to remove President Donald Trump from office before moving to impeachment."

"Vice President Mike Pence has not ruled out an effort to invoke the 25th Amendment and wants to preserve the option in case President Donald Trump becomes more unstable, a source close to the vice president says." More unstable. I'm going to just go with that Pence is a coward who doesn't want to be known as "that guy." Also, the window is closing on invoking the 25th.

So how's about that "will of the people" thing? "A majority of the country believes President Donald Trump should be removed before President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20 and two-thirds hold him accountable for the violent insurrection on Capitol Hill, according to an ABC News/Ipsos poll released Sunday."

"Republican members of Congress who voted against certifying Joe Biden’s presidential victory, even after a mob broke into the Capitol, are being denounced by critics in their home districts who demand that they resign or be ousted."

"Others are facing similar repercussions at work for their participation in Wednesday’s riot at the U.S. Capitol. Some business owners are being trashed on social media and their establishments boycotted, while rank-and-file employees at other businesses have been fired."

"The 2022 PGA Championship will not be played at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey, according to an announcement from PGA of America President Jim Richerson Sunday night." The PGA, a business that has capitolized on the "sexiness" of it's players, has more moral fiber than the VP.

"Kamala Harris' forthcoming appearance in American Vogue has sparked criticism for appearing casual and "washed out," with the Vice President-elect's team blindsided by the magazine's choice of cover." Well, I didn't have "Brown Suit Controversy" marked down until April, but it's good to see it so soon.

"In a lengthy statement titled 'Our Path Forward' posted Monday morning to the official White House website, Trump, 50, denounced violence and urged Americans to 'rise above what divides us.' She said her 'heart goes out to' both the Capitol Police officers and the pro-Trump rioters who died at or following the riot: 'Ashli Babbit, Benjamin Philips, Kevin Greeson, Rosanne Boyland, and Capitol Police Officers, Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood.'" I see the high-quality of product coming out of this White House is continuing until the very bitter end. Notice in her statement she mentions the rioters first.

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