Well - it has been a day. The good news is that Rev. Warnock and Mr. Ossoff both won their races for the senate and Chuck Schumer is now the majority leader in the senate. Way to go gentlemen! Their vote counts were large enough that no recount is required by Georgia law.
We left to go ride about 12:45 today. Just as we left Jim hollered out that the terrorists had breached the Capitol doors. There was an armed standoff at the front of the House chamber. Did you ever think you would read those words? Protesting terrorists climbed up the Capitol, broke out the windows and stormed in, pretty much unimpeded by the Capitol police. Where was their backup, you wonder?
Recall this photo from the Black Lives Matter protests. They were peaceful, but somehow they managed to put this many National Guard troops on the steps of the Capitol.
At 2:57 Mountain time, this tweet was put up.
It took two hours to call for backup. Two hours. This was not an accident, the orange ectoplasm wanted this chaos.
From the WAPO article (no paywall) we learn the following.
In the weeks leading up to the chaos at the Capitol, federal law enforcement officials said they did not plan to have a large visible buildup in personnel and vehicles on D.C. streets. That stands in contrast to their response in June, when phalanxes of heavily armed agents from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Prisons, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives flooded the nation’s capital to dispel civil unrest over police conduct.
Ahead of Wednesday’s events, several law enforcement officials said they did not want to overreact to the planned protest, and that street clashes are primarily the responsibility of D.C. police and the U.S. Capitol Police. But on Wednesday, after angry Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, officials scrambled to pull in resources to take back control of the building.
As of 4:26 Mountain time, the Capitol has been secured, and the terrorists are being nudged away from the area. They're in violation of curfew, but they're being treated very gently by law enforcement. The BLM protestors were beaten, gassed and carried away in buses. I haven't seen mass arrests of people being carried away to jail.
This was the scene at the armed stand off. They had to barricade the doors to keep the terrorists out.
Paul Gosar, a wingnut Arizona representative from a wingnut area of the state, said these people looked like Antifa to him. Every time he speaks we better understand why his family divorced him.
Then there was this.
This is just horrific. The next 14 days are terrifying me. I wish the 25th amendment would be invoked and get him the hell out of the White House.
House and Senate members expect to reconvene by 8:00 Eastern to count the electoral college votes. One hopes that the Jim Crow caucus will drop their stupid objections to Biden's win. It's late, people are tired. Their effort is doomed, give it up. Update to post: Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz pursued their objections, forced a vote and kept people in the Capitol until 4 am.)
I walked out of my studio, plopped down in my chair for an afternoon of knitting and TV, and....
ReplyDeleteI made myself not cry, and paid close attention. I believe Twitter suspended Trump's account.
We must let him finish his term, somehow. Else the followers will think he was ripped from the womb, or something. But Congress had better spend the next term also figuring out how to produce a vote that cannot look to be subverted.
He's suspended for 12 hours. They also deleted two of his tweets. It's not enough.
DeleteI agree. Twitter should shut him down through Jan. 20 if not ban him altogether.
DeleteI have no more words. I'm wrung out. But thank you for bearing witness, and for sharing that stunning sunset, and for being with me on twitter today. xo
ReplyDeleteTerrible disgusting scenes. Interesting that it took 2 hours to get back up. The man is clearly not fit to be in post.
ReplyDeleteO feel like 37paddington. Wrung out and no more words. However I want to know what was going on with the police backup. Why did they let these thugs desecrate our capital with no repercussions. I am angry and so very very sad.
ReplyDeleteThe role of the police has to be determined. I can understand them wanting to de-escalate, knowing that mobs of Trumpers are likely to be heavily armed (unlike BLM protesters). But they can't just open the doors and let the thugs walk the halls! There must be consequences, for law enforcement (I hesitate to even USE that term) and for Trump, who of course bears ultimate responsibility.
ReplyDeleteYesterday's happenings have left me without words other than - I don't understand. Why, when it turned from a protest to a riot, nobody did anything. Why someone allowed that video of trump loving the terrorists out on Twitter or even allowed it to be made, to be released. A lot of people need to be arrested for actions supporting terrorism and sedition including the president.
ReplyDeleteIt's mind boggling, isn't it? I can't begin to wrap my mind around the thinking of these people/terrorists. Those images of the police turnout for the BLM protests is shocking. Good to know we will have a much stronger justice department in a few weeks and maybe they can get to the bottom of decisions made about security. I heard the Capitol police refused two offers of assistance.
ReplyDeleteOh, and that guy with the furry headdress on is from Arizona. Nothing to be proud of for sure.
ReplyDeletethis was all coordinated with the White House. Trump knew this was going to happen and encouraged it, helped it by refusing to allow the police to be prepared and ordered the DoD not to send the National Guard. regardless of what happens to Trump in the next week, they plan another attack, and are very open and vocal about it, for the inauguration (no wonder Trump won't be there) and this one they claim will be bigger and with weapons. they had every intention of grabbing Pence, Pelosi, and Schumer shouting where are they while people inside the Capitol directed them to the appropriate offices including the office of the Parliamentarian which they trashed expecting to find the EC votes to destroy them.
ReplyDeleteThis was a day that will live in infamy. The silver lining in all this awfulness is that it may well spell the fracturing of Trumpism. He will always have his "very good people" whom he "loves", but some of the more moderate members of his coalition are finally denouncing him (Lindsey Graham and others). And one hopes that his more moderate voters are waking up as well. He has done a lot of awful, unlawful, crazy, unforgiveable things over the past four years, but an assault on the US Capitol may finally wake up some of the less deranged Republicans. I pray he will be impeached and never allowed to run for public office again.
ReplyDelete