Every  picture tells a Story – Insurrection edition

The Civil War ended in 1865. 

The insurrectionist terrorist thugs who invaded Washington DC on January 6, 2021 need to be tracked down by law enforcement and punished to the full extent of the law.

Listen to Sweet Home Alabama by Lynrd Skynyrd and join the 24,000,000 who have listened to this hymn to the post Civil War South.

The composition is a paean to  the vicious racism which infected the American consciousness during the post Civil War Era of Reconstruction (1865-1877) and continues to flourish in 2021. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is so worried that the unhinged Trump will do something catastrophic as his Downfall approaches she felt compelled to meet with American military authorities.

The Speaker sought assurances that an increasingly desperate Trump is kept far away from the genuine Nuclear option.

Makes me think of the classic dystopian comedy ‘Dr. Strangelove’ (1964) directed by Stanley Kubrick during the Russian-American Cold War.  

I watched it again. The film is just as gripping and predictive of the danger of Nuclear war in 2021 as it was in 1964.

Particularly with Trump in the real life role of General Jack Ripper, portrayed by a cigar chewing Sterling Hayden (pictured below) in the film.

The current Dr. Strangelove and the cinematic version portrayed by Peter Sellers (pictured above and below)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Strangelove

The final scene follows in the attached link.

The events of January 6, 2021 were presaged over 80 years ago.

The documentary “A Night in the Garden” was produced in 2017.  The first year of the Trump presidency. It was nominated for an Academy Award.  Fox News refused to run ads about the film.

Now, over 80 years later, the modern day version of over 20,000 American Nazis rallying in New York City’s historic Madison Square Garden has returned. This time in Washington DC.

Fascist enabler Trump is responsible for this horrific desecration of American Democracy.

A link to film is attached, along with a Wikipedia piece.

https://www.pbs.org/video/pov-shorts-night-at-the-garden-j1njul/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Night_at_the_Garden

Click to access 94680980.pdf

Make no mistake what happened on January 6, 2021 can be compared to what happened in Germany during the Weimar Republic a century ago.

A fractured government led to the rise of the Nationalist Socialist party aka Nazis. Fueled by a weak economy and weak leadership the time was right for the rise of extremists.

American Nazis march in New York City – circa 1930’s

America has a long history of condoning and supporting violent right wing nihilist extremists both at the political and law enforcement level.

In America today the country is infested with  groups such as the Proud Boys,  QAnon and assorted incendiary nihilist insurrectionists. The administration of Trump enabled these groups. The generally vapid reaction by law enforcement to these extreme right wing racist and xenophobic marauders resulted in the shocking scenes of anarchy in Washington, DC.

The only way to deal with these mindless thugs is for the government to expend whatever law enforcement and judicial resources by any means necessary to crush this insurrection now.

Lee Heidhues

It is a horrific and fearful day in American history.  

People will remember it like they do  September 11 or the day of the Kennedy Assassination on November 22, 1963.

America has shamed itself in the eyes of the World. Only in the most fanciful political science fiction did anyone think it could come to this.

It will be Trump’s horrid legacy for all time.

Today is Liz’ birthday. As a momento for the day I created a collague. The pieces below are my contribution to the terrible day.

Lee Heidhues

Rev. Raphael Warnock will be the first black Democrat Senator from the South in American history.

It’s sad it took so long.

Now we wait to learn if Jon Ossoff can maintain his lead and join the Reverend in Washington, giving Democrats control of the Senate for at least the next two years.

Don’t shed any tears for Mitch McMconnell as he moves into minority status.

Excerpted from New York Times 1.6.2021

ATLANTA — Democrats moved a major step closer to capturing control of the Senate on Tuesday night as Georgia voters elected the Rev. Raphael Warnock, the pastor at the storied Ebenezer Baptist Church, in a hard-fought runoff contest that became roiled by President Trump’s false claims of voter fraud in the state.

Mr. Warnock’s victory over the Republican incumbent, Kelly Loeffler, was called by Associated Press early on Wednesday morning. It represented a landmark breakthrough for African-Americans in politics as well as for Georgia: He became the first Black Democrat elected to the Senate from the South.

For Democrats to take the Senate, which is crucial to enacting President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s first-term agenda, they also need to win Georgia’s other Senate runoff held on Tuesday. The votes were still being counted in that race between the Republican candidate, David Perdue, and his Democratic rival, Jon Ossoff.  He is currently ahead by nearly 10,000 votes.

Jon Ossoff awaits in the lead. Awaits the final result.

But turnout in rural, overwhelmingly white counties where Republicans needed a strong showing was lagging without Mr. Trump on the ballot, and many of Georgia’s heavily Black localities saw turnout levels that neared those of the presidential race in November.

While Mr. Warnock’s win was a major gain for his party — he is the first Democrat to be elected to the Senate from Georgia since 2000 — both political parties remained on edge over the unresolved Ossoff-Perdue race and its implications for the next two years in American politics. Whichever party wins that race will control the Senate, with Republicans counting on Mr. Perdue to prevail and give them the ability to constrain Mr. Biden’s policy ambitions.

Ms. Loeffler had rebranded herself as a hard-line Trump loyalist to fend off a challenge from the right in the first round of voting. In recent weeks, she continued to embrace the president, even using an election-eve rally with Mr. Trump in northwest Georgia to proudly declare that she would oppose certifying his loss to Mr. Biden when Congress meets on Wednesday.

Mr. Warnock and Mr. Ossoff ran as a virtual package deal, as did the two Republicans, often appearing at events together and crafting similar messages about the stark consequences for the nation if the other side won.

The Judge at the Old Bailey ruled the American authorities have proven their argument that Julian Assange violated American law when he released documents about American involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The documentation, thousands of pages and one particularly horrid video of American soldiers murdering journalists in Iraq, were published in Wikileaks in 2010.

Regrettably the Judge agreed with American prosecutors who want Assange tried in the USA for violating the draconian Espionage Act.

Instead, the Judge ruled that the American penal system is so onerous that Julian Assange, given his frail condition, would likely perish in an American prison.

Why does it take a Judge in England to state publicly what Americans with any sense of justice realize?

The American penal system is horrific and not fit for human consumption

It is not designed for rehabilitation.

It sole mission is punitive punishment.

Deutsche Welle 1.4.2021

A court in London has ruled against the extradition of the WikiLeaks founder, citing mental health grounds. In the US, he faces up to 175 years, for multiple espionage charges for releasing sensitive military documents.

A UK judge on Monday refused a US request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on espionage charges.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser gave the decision during the morning, saying it would be “oppressive” because of his mental health.

Assange was likely to commit suicide if sent to the US, Baraitser said.

Assange faces 18 charges in the US relating to the 2010 release by WikiLeaks of 500,000 secret files detailing aspects of military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.

If convicted in the US, Assange would be jailed for up to 175 years.

US prosecutors have indicated they will appeal against the ruling.

Lawyer Edward Fitzgerald said he would apply for bail for Assange on Wednesday, pending that appeal.

Baraitser rejected claims by the defense that Assange was protected by free-speech guarantees. His “conduct, if proved, would therefore amount to offenses in this jurisdiction that would not be protected by his right to freedom of speech,” Baraitser said.

But she said Assange suffered from clinical depression that would be exacerbated by the “severely restrictive detention conditions designed to remove physical contact” in US prison.

Assange had the “intellect and determination” to circumvent any suicide prevention measures the authorities could take, the judge said.

The Judicial Office tweeted a link to the full judgement in the Assange case.

Assange, who sat in the dock for the ruling, wiped his brow as the decision was announced. His partner Stella Moris, with whom he has two young children, wept, reported news agency AP.

Supporters of Assange celebrated outside court after the result was announced.

https://www.dw.com/en/uk-judge-blocks-julian-assange-extradition/a-56122295

The only way anyone would believe this is to hear the tape. Well, the Washington Post obtained a copy of Trump’s frantic plea with Georgia election officials.

The reality that this wannabe Despot will be gone in 17 days is beyond fantastic.

Excerpted from Washington Post 1.3.2021

President Trump urged fellow Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to “find” enough votes to overturn his defeat in an extraordinary one-hour phone call Saturday that election experts said raised legal questions.

The California Department of Corrections and the San Francisco District Attorney are being excoriated after a parolee driving a stolen vehicle ran down and killed two women in downtown San Francisco on New Year’s Eve.

The political knives are out in full force in San Francisco.

Put the knives back in the drawer. The sad reality is that two women are dead. No amount of over heated rhetoic will change that reality.

San Francisco Chronicle 1.2.2021

Hanako Abe seemed excited about what the new year might bring.

“#PeaceOut2020. Physically apart, yet closer than EVER to family and friends this year,” the Japanese-born San Francisco resident wrote New Year’s Eve on her Instagram page, accompanied by a selfie with a beaming, wide smile. “Also taught me so much of perseverance, gratitude and self-love. We are resilient.”

But Abe, 27, would not live to see the new year. Later that day, she was one of two people who were fatally struck and killed walking in San Francisco. Also killed was Elizabeth Platt, 60.

Authorities said the driver of the car that hit Platt and Abe, 45-year-old Troy Ramon McAlister, was intoxicated and driving a stolen gray Honda when he hit the two women on Mission Street about 4 p.m. Thursday. He fled the scene and was arrested by police who found him hiding in a nearby commercial building, authorities said.

McAlister declined to be interviewed at a San Francisco jail, where he is being held on charges including manslaughter, hit and run, burglary, resisting arrest and driving under the influence.

The deaths of Platt and Abe ignited a furor directed at San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, whom critics have accused of not holding criminals accountable.

Scene of two New Year’s Eve deaths at Second and Market Streets in San Francisco

McAlister was on parole for robbery at the time of the crash, having been released from state prison in April. In the months between his release and the crash, McAlister was arrested several times, on charges including suspicion of car theft, possession of burglary tools and violating the terms of his parole. But he remained free rather than being sent back to prison.

Just before the crash, police said, McAlister committed a burglary nearby.

The tragedy has led to finger-pointing among law enforcement agencies. Boudin said his office referred those cases to state parole agents instead of charging McAlister — but conceded Friday that it “was a mistake to think parole supervision would be adequate.”

A spokesperson for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, though, said the agency’s parole office “followed all procedures after these incidents, including conducting investigations and making appropriate referrals for the individual.”

“None of the parolee’s arrests following his 2020 release have yet to result in the filing of criminal charges by the district attorney,” the corrections spokesperson said.

Without mentioning Boudin or the District Attorney’s Office by name, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said in a statement that “we must all be held equally accountable for the decisions we make, because they can have serious implications for the safety of those we serve.”

“San Franciscans deserve nothing less,” Scott said, “and that’s what they’re demanding from all of us in the criminal justice system.”

Abe had worked as an analyst for commercial real estate firm JLL since 2018, according to her LinkedIn page. She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and previously attended Campbellsville University in Kentucky.

She volunteered frequently, including at the Arkansas Foodbank, as a referee at robotics competitions and as a judge for youth art competitions, her LinkedIn page said.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/Victims-of-fatal-S-F-hit-and-run-crash-identified-15841967.php

The WSJ is to be commended for this editorial. I can hardly wait until Messrs. Ossoff and Warnock are victorious. Progressive economic and social policies will be implemented. Competent and progressive cabinet members and appointees will be in place. Congress will look after the People. Progressive Judges will join the Bench. I hope the WSJ is proven correct in its prediction. It will be a fantastic political and economic 2021 for the 99 percent. Yes!!!!!

By Wall Street Journal Editorial Board 1.1.2021

What’s at Stake in Georgia

Here’s the difference between a Democratic and Republican Senate this year.

What’s the difference in policy between a Senate run by Chuck Schumer with 50 Democrats and one run by Mitch McConnell with 51 or 52 Republicans? That’s the question that matters for the next two years, so it’s worth explaining the stakes with realistic specificity in Tuesday’s Georgia Senate runoffs.

Start with control of committees, which would shift markedly leftward. Republicans would lose their ability to investigate issues like FBI abuse and Hunter Biden’s China dealings. A GOP Senate is likely to approve most of Mr. Biden’s cabinet picks, but Democrats would whisk through even controversial nominees like Neera Tanden at the White House budget office or Xavier Becerra at HHS. There would be no check on judicial nominees.

Georgia voters

Democratic chairmen would include Bernie Sanders, who would try to gut the Pentagon at the Budget Committee. Sherrod Brown at Banking and Elizabeth Warren on the financial institutions subcommittee would try to change rules to steer lending and capital to their priorities and punish lending to fossil-fuel companies.

Ron Wyden, who would run the tax-writing Finance Committee, wants to tax gains in capital assets each year even if they aren’t sold. The Judiciary Committee would go to Dick Durbin, who after having deposed Dianne Feinstein would target conservative nonprofits and think tanks for political attack.

Congress needs only a simple majority to repeal Trump Administration regulations under the Congressional Review Act. Say goodbye to the new rule speeding environmental reviews on public works. A 50-vote Senate (with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking ties) also guarantees a huge tax increase since current rules allow a simple majority to pass a budget.

That probably means an increase in the corporate tax rate to 28% from 21%, plus higher rates on individuals, capital gains and dividends. Democrats will need the money to finance the trillions of dollars in additional spending they want. Buoyant financial markets don’t seem to have discounted this possibility, and the tax increases are sure to be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2021. Forget about extending the temporary provisions of the 2017 tax reform.

Some of our friends think Democrats couldn’t blow up the 60-vote legislative filibuster rule with a mere 50 votes. Their confidence hangs on West Virginia’s Joe Manchin, who says he supports the filibuster. But imagine the political and media pressure on Mr. Manchin if Republicans use the filibuster to block Joe Biden’s agenda. He’s always been a loyal party man when it really matters.

If the filibuster stays, Mr. Biden will need to compromise to get GOP votes for an infrastructure bill, new ObamaCare subsidies or repealing Section 230 on tech liability. A public option on health care is probably out of reach, as would be much of his climate agenda.

But if the filibuster goes, so do bipartisan restraints. Statehood for the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico become possible, with four new Senate seats to cement a Democratic majority. Mr. Biden’s aggressive union agenda has a chance, including overtime pay mandates and easier organizing of franchise chains. So do nationwide mandates for ballot harvesting and mail-in voting, a ban on arbitration in business contracts, price controls on drugs, huge subsidies for green energy and perhaps a carbon tax. We could go on.

Nancy Pelosi’s narrower majority in the House might constrain some of this. But she proved in 2010 with ObamaCare that she is willing to sacrifice swing-district Members to pass progressive priorities. She has also suggested this will be her last term as Speaker, which means she’ll care more about her legislative legacy than keeping the House in 2022.

All of this is what the candidates should be debating in Georgia. But President Trump has obscured the stakes with his claims of November vote fraud and demand for $2,000 Covid checks. The irony is that if Democrats take the Senate, Mr. Trump will have made it much easier for Mr. Biden and Mrs. Pelosi to repeal the President’s achievements. The consequences would echo far into the future.

Top photo – Democrat Senate candidate Jon Ossoff