19 thoughts on “Weekend Open Thread”

1. Today (Saturday) is National Fig Newton Day.

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2. This made my Saturday, and it’s not even daybreak yet: https://www.someecards.com/life/lifestyle/women-catching-capitol-rioters-on-dating-apps/

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   1. In the hacker world this is called a 'honeypot'.

      The rioters are about as dumb as the fly on Pence's head.

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      1. And now, Washington Post has a whole story about rioters being turned in by family or friends.

         In relationships already strained or severed, last week’s violent spectacle of democracy under siege has pushed some people to take a drastic new step: warning law enforcement. Anguished Americans are turning in friends and family for their alleged involvement in the Capitol riots, contributing to more than 100,000 tips submitted to the FBI and playing a role in at least one high-profile arrest.

         For months — sometimes years — the informants say they have watched helplessly as loved ones embraced far-right ideology and latched onto conspiracy theories, from QAnon to viral-video claims of a coronavirus “Plandemic.”

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         1. And good cops turning in dirty cops.

            Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, … accepted the resignation of an 18-year veteran in his department due to his involvement in the riot

            In Rocky Mount, Va., the presence of two officers in the riot, which included displays of the Confederate battle flag, came to light after a colleague and another city official leaked photos of them inside the Capitol to an area activist. The president of the local Black Lives Matter chapter posted them on her Facebook page and one of the officers quickly defended himself and threatened future violence.

            at least 29 current and former officers attended the Jan. 6 rally

            Of those, at least 13 officers are under investigation for possible participation in the rioting, as well more than a dozen Capitol Police officers who may have assisted the mob that seized the Capitol.

            National Association of Police Organizations last summer deeming him “the most pro-law enforcement president we’ve ever had.”

            Brian Levin, a former police officer and director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism in California, said white supremacy and far-right-wing groups are successfully recruiting local law enforcement officers. They also encourage their young members to enter law enforcement, he said.

             

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3. The MyPillow Guy, a woman beating junkie, is advising Trump on weighty matters such as using the Insurrection Act to stay in office. We didn't really need another example of how easily trash rises to the top in this nation, but we certainly have one in this p.o.s.

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   1. A former crackhead, pillow guy once beat his girl friend with a four-foot dowel, according to court documents.

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4. Reading around today …

   Crowd estimations are difficult, at best. But even at the organizers’ high numbers, the guess is
   30,000 rallied near the White House.

   The remainder of January 6 is still chaotic, but I’ve seen guesses:
   * 6,000 or so marched down to the Capitol
   * 1-2,000 may have been inside the Capitol at some point.
   * Perhaps half of those who went in looked around for a while and went back out without aggression or violence.

   Today’s FBI guesses & numbers:
   * More than 140,000 pieces of digital media have been obtained by the FBI.
   * “Over 250” people identified. FBI opened up 275 cases.
   * “more than 100” arrests made. Over half are already on felony charges. Others may have felony charges added as the investigations continue.

   And, when arrested — “We’re not cutting deals with anyone. Even if people are self-reporting, they will be held accountable,” DC US Attorney Michael Sherwin said.

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   1. yeah…to think that there are few crimes specifically spelled out in the Constitution…and one of them is Sedition….that could be a clue as to how we should treat these fuckers….

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5. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday is Monday. The MLK Marade, charity work, and discussions will be virtual this year, due to COVID concerns. Also, organizers have received threats from certain individuals like this wannabe murderer from Iowa. 
   The theme will be “Good Trouble”. Here are links to participate in the day’s events, sponsored by the Colorado Dr. MLK, Jr Holiday Commission. 

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6. Duplicate deleted

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7. Good piece by Ben Sasse in The Atlantic

   QAnon Is Destroying the GOP From Within

   Until last week, too many in the Republican Party thought they could preach the Constitution and wink at QAnon. They can’t.

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   1. Now if we can just get the QAnonites to start reading The Atlantic or anything that Sasse writes …. he could try Guns & Ammo maybe.

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   2. Dunno’ Ben . . .

      We can be the party of Eisenhower, or the party of the conspiracist Alex Jones. . . . We cannot do both.

      . . . you really sure you wanna’ be giving these people — Fluffy, Q-bie, and all the rest of today’s Ttumper GOPers — that choice?

      That vote seems kinda’ unlikely to go Ben’s way.  But, then, this might be just the perfect time for practicing some good ‘ol Republican-value voter suppression  . . . 

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8. Today (Sunday) is Cable Car Day.

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9. As you might expect, Trump has his "For Sale" sign hanging in the Oval Office.

   Prospect of Pardons in Final Days Fuels Market to Buy Access to Trump

   The president’s allies have collected tens of thousands of dollars — and potentially much more — from people seeking pardons.

   But in an interesting twist, now that the House has voted to impeach him once again, that freezes any chance he had for issuing a self-pardon, or to anyone that might be connected to the Jan. 6th coup.

   The Constitution makes clear that the president has the power to grant pardons, “except in cases of impeachment.” 

   We and other legal scholars understand the clause to mean something different — that the president cannot pardon himself or others in matters directly associated with his own impeachment. Under this view, Trump could issue no pardon for himself or the insurrectionists for criminal charges related to the events of last week. Recently, other scholars, including Lawrence Friedman and Kim Wehle, have adopted this view, which we developed at length here and here.

   The key point is this: Even though the pardon power for federal crimes is virtually unlimited, Congress may still vote to impeach and remove a president for abusing the pardon power. Among legal scholars, this is not a controversial point. If a president issues terrible pardons, impeachment and removal is the mechanism to hold that president accountable.

    

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   1. @harrydoby: let us all join hands in great anticipation; sip a glass of wine or your favorite beverage.

      For on January 21, Trump's time for "real action" will be at hand. He will no longer have protections from the NY State AG, the Manhattan DA, the government of Scotland, and maybe also the DA in Atlanta.

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10. Pols,

    Still having to login often.
    I like to vote often, but not login often.

    ,dave

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11. Interview of the day: Stelter with Chris Krebs and Alex Stamos on the misinformation campaigns of extremist groups (3 parts):

    https://edition.cnn.com/videos/business/2021/01/17/stelter-biden-denial-is-a-mainstream-gop-view.cnn/video/playlists/reliable-sources-highlights/

    https://edition.cnn.com/videos/business/2021/01/17/how-to-cover-the-information-crisis–and-curb-it.cnn/video/playlists/reliable-sources-highlights/

    https://edition.cnn.com/videos/business/2021/01/17/extremist-groups-media-alex-stamos-rs-stelter-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/reliable-sources-highlights/

     

    Bottom line: these groups (III %ers, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, etc) will have to be handled on the internet like ISIS recruiters.

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