Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Last Call For The Coup-Coup Birds Take Flight, Con't

We're in a very scary place right now as a country, as a democracy, as a people. The insurrection today was planned openly, and online, with the goal of making the elector vote counting impossible to complete.

The supporters of President Donald Trump who rioted in the US Capitol building on Wednesday had been openly planning for weeks on both mainstream social media and the pro-Trump internet. On forums like TheDonald, a niche website formed after Reddit banned the subreddit of the same name, they promised violence against lawmakers, police, and journalists if Congress did not reject the results of the 2020 election.

In one interaction four days ago, a person on TheDonald asked, “What if Congress ignores the evidence?”

“Storm the Capitol,” one replied, which received more than 500 upvotes.

“You’re fucking right we do,” another said.

On pro-Trump social media website Parler, chat app Telegram, and other corners of the the far-right internet, people discussed the Capitol Hill rally at which Trump spoke as the catalyst for a violent insurrection. They have been using those forums to plan an uprising in plain sight, one that they executed Wednesday afternoon, forcing Congress to flee its chambers as it met to certify the results of the election.

“Extremists have for weeks repeatedly expressed their intentions to attend the January 6 protests, and unabashedly voiced their desire for chaos and violence online,” said Jared Holt, a visiting research fellow with DFRLab. “What we've witnessed is the manifestation of that violent online rhetoric into real-life danger.”

“The earliest call we got on our radar for today specifically was a militia movement chatroom talking about being ‘ready for blood’ if things didn't start changing for Trump,” Holt said.

Law enforcement, however, appeared unprepared for the scale of the violence on Wednesday. Capitol police were quickly overwhelmed, dramatically outnumbered by Trump supporters. While thousands of National Guard troops were posted throughout Washington, DC, during Black Lives Matter protests, the DC National Guard was not deployed Wednesday until well after the Capitol’s perimeters had been breached.

Hundreds of extremists' posts discussed bringing firearms in violation of Washington, DC, law. Nevertheless, people displayed weapons that they had brought with them.

“All this bullshit about not bringing guns to D.C. needs to stop,” read one post from Tuesday with more than 5,000 upvotes. “This is America. Fuck D.C. it's in the Constitution. Bring your goddamn guns.”


According to Advance Democracy, a nonprofit research organization, all corners of the social web were signaling imminent violence in the days leading up to the riot.

“On TheDonald, more than 50% of the top posts on January 4, 2021, about the January 6th Electoral College certification featured unmoderated calls for violence in the top five responses,” the organization found.

“ARMED WITH RIFLE, HANDGUN, 2 KNIVES AND AS MUCH AMMO AS YOU CAN CARRY,” one post on the website said.

This was also the case on Parler, ADI found. One account, with the name No Trump No Peace #GoTime, posted a GIF with a noose and a caption that said, “Who would you like to see 'dispatched' first? 1) Nancy Pelosi 2) John Roberts 3) Pence 4) other (please name) I was leaning towards Nancy, but it might have to be Pence.” (Two days after that post, a livestream of the violent mob standing outside Congress showed them chanting “Hang Mike Pence.”)
All of this was planned, it was communicated openly, and Capitol Police and the DoD, who would have been in charge of charge of the National Guard on federal grounds, went along with it. The terrorists were allowed to storm the Capitol building. 
 
 
They assisted in this mess. The terrorists streamed their "wacky adventures" live from the Capitol.
 
 
The Capitol Police were taking selfies with the fucking terrorists, guys.

 
They literally looted the Capitol building, taking documents from House and Senate offices, the House and Senate floor, and other things.
 
 
There must be a cost tonight for those who made this insurrection happen.
 
That cost must be paid, or we are lost as a country.
 
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Our Little White Supremacist Domestic Terrorism Problem, Con't

As I feared for and warned you about for years, the bloody Trump brownshirt violence is now fully upon us as armed white supremacist terrorists stormed the US Capitol building as VP Pence was evacuated and lawmakers hid in their offices.

Supporters of President Donald Trump have breached the US Capitol as lawmakers count the Electoral College votes certifying President-elect Joe Biden's win. 
Shortly after 1 p.m. ET hundreds of pro-Trump protesters pushed through barriers set up along the perimeter of the Capitol, where they tussled with officers in full riot gear, some calling the officers "traitors" for doing their jobs. About 90 minutes later, police said demonstrators got into the building and the doors to the House and Senate were being locked. Shortly after, the House floor was evacuated by police. 
Vice President Mike Pence was also evacuated from Capitol, where he was to perform his role in the counting of electoral votes. 
Video from inside the Capitol showed Trump supporters marching through Statuary Hall. The US Capitol Police is asking for additional law enforcement for assistance, including federal authorities, per a source familiar. 
The source says there are several suspicious devices outside the Capitol building. 
The Capitol police officer in the House chamber told lawmakers that they may need to duck under their chairs and informed lawmakers that protesters were in the building's Rotunda. 
While the White House refused to comment on the protests, Trump said on Twitter, "Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement. They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!" 
The protesters have breached exterior security barriers, and video footage shows protesters gathering and some clashing with police near the Capitol building. CNN's team on the ground saw a number of protestors trying to go up the side of the Capitol building. Several loud flash bangs have been heard. 
Protesters could be seen pushing against metal fences and police using the fences to push protesters back, while other officers reached over the top to club people trying to cross their lines. 
Flash bangs could be heard near the steps of the Capitol as smoke filled the air. In some instances officers could be seen deploying pepper spray. Tear gas has been deployed, but it's not clear whether by protesters or police, and people wiped tears from their eyes while coughing. 
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser just announced a citywide curfew from 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday until 6 a.m. ET Thursday. 

Chaos.

This is America. 
 
This. Is. What. Trump. Called. For. 
 
This. Is. What. Trump. Wanted. 
 
This. Is. What. Republican. Cowardice. Enabled. 
 
This is America.
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The Georgia Gambit, Con't

 We did it.


Republicans, who enabled President Trump with their silence and compliance, are privately furious with him for blowing their Senate majority.

Driving the news: Democrat Raphael Warnock was declared victor over Sen. Kelly Loeffler in one of the twin Georgia runoffs at 2 a.m., and will become the Southern state's first Black senator. Democrat Jon Ossoff is on track to beat former Sen. David Perdue in the other runoff, with most of the outstanding votes in Democratic strongholds.

That second victory would mean Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer becomes effective majority leader, taking power from Mitch McConnell. In a 50-50 Senate, Vice President-elect Harris would break ties.

Why it matters: It's a fitting and predictable end to Trump’s reign. The party has now lost the House, Senate and White House on his watch. He leaves Democrats in full control of Washington's agenda, with only the Supreme Court's conservative majority as a counterweight. 
As a curtain call for Trumpism, approximately a dozen senators and 100+ House Republicans today will publicly support an idea that many of them think is idiotic and doomed to fail, as they protest congressional certification of President-elect Biden's victory.

 

We got the Senate back.

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