1 hour ago, transam said:

"Plotting for weeks", so why were the FBI etc not ready for it...?

Let's see, the FBI is under the Executive, meaning Trump...obviously Trump is a member of Antifa and one of the provocateurs responsible for the mob storming the Capitol building.

42 minutes ago, ExpatOK said:

A fraternity prank gone awry.  Agree the lawmakers, ie the elitists, feared for their lives because they are gutless wonders with no sense of humor. There was a similar scene in "Animal House"

A fraternity prank in which one of the Capitol police was killed.  What fraternity did you belong to?

3 hours ago, transam said:

Well, where I come from I think I would call them fruit cakes, but we all know what oddballs mean....????

You tell me, as you refer to these fruit cakes as terrorists, how many were tooled up, how many were found with bombs, how many ended up in McDonald's bragging about stealing Government toilet rolls...?

I’ll leave to the FBI to answer that question by means of investigation.

 

For my part, one terrorist with a pipe bomb or Molotov Cocktail is one terrorist too many.

3 hours ago, transam said:

You get that in any gathering.....UK has the same...????

This wasn’t a ‘gathering’ it was an orchestrated attack on the US Capitol.

 

Your consistent attempts to play it down as something less than a violent attempted coup are noted.

3 hours ago, transam said:

Bit off topic there chap, but did one go off at this gathering, did I miss something...?

What’s ‘off topic’ about it, pipe bombs were found and deactivate by security services.

 

Your obfuscation on s serious matter of a terrorist attack continues.

 

 

3 hours ago, transam said:

Not really, an unhappy crowd that did not cause a bloodbath, did not blow the place up, and the lack of enforcement allowed it....???? 

But they did plant bombs and a cop was killed, Blue Lives Matter and all that.

 

 

2 hours ago, transam said:

"Plotting for weeks", so why were the FBI etc not ready for it...?

 

Investigations are under way. it will be interesting to see whether police / security agency people, as has been alleged, were in fact aiding some of the people involved with the Capital Hill attack and other security lapses. e.g. a police officer allegedly murdered by 'mob' members at Capital Hill. One could label the investigation as whether there is a trump supporter 'deep state' embedded within government, especially due to the number of trump politically appointed people as 'acting' thereby avoiding scrutiny - how's that for a theory?

1 hour ago, ExpatOK said:

I bet your frat was Lambchops.  Am I right?

Far from it.  But thanks for the troll post. ????

What I find most disturbing about all of this, was why were these thugs escorted out of the building?

 

They had all of these people trapped in the Capitol. The Paddy Wagons should have been lined up outside and they should have been 'escorted' straight into them, rather than allowed to go back to their hotels!

 

Now we have the spectacle of the FBI posting images captured on social media trying to identify them. THEY HAD THEM for God's sake!

 

Now as an Hispanic American, I guarantee you if that had been a mob of hispanics, protesting whatever, the local jails would have been full within a couple of hours.

 

The cynical side of me tells me that most of those, they actually do get identified will get charged with some low level misdemeanor, and few will get charged under the Trump executive order of vandalism of Federal property, which would be 10 years, let alone a sedition charge

6 hours ago, transam said:

Not really, an unhappy crowd that did not cause a bloodbath, did not blow the place up, and the lack of enforcement allowed it....???? 

what do you call 5 people dead....how many had to die for you to qualify it as "a bloodbath"? And what part is not totally serious about people breaching and vandalizing the capital, injuring police and having the Vice President, The Speaker of the House and the American congress having to be evacuated to safety during an election being certified...and at the incitement of the outgoing President of the United States, these people physically tried to stop that process with force? 

 

Sorry if it was not Hollywood enough and did accompany an Avengers End Game level of destruction for you.

I have just watched TV footage showing armed protestors in Minneapolis - the photo below is actually from Minnesota last year but the content is much the same.

 

How can this be?  This is legal in the US?

 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, ExpatOK said:

A fraternity prank gone awry.  Agree the lawmakers, ie the elitists, feared for their lives because they are gutless wonders with no sense of humor. There was a similar scene in "Animal House"

 

 

When was the last time an angry mob showed up at your job and smashed the menu board and PA system of the drive through you take orders from? 

14 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

I have just watched TV footage showing armed protestors in Minneapolis - the photo below is actually from Minnesota last year but the content is much the same.

 

How can this be?  This is legal in the US?

 

 

 

 

If you're white.

3 hours ago, ExpatOK said:

A fraternity prank gone awry.  Agree the lawmakers, ie the elitists, feared for their lives because they are gutless wonders with no sense of humor. There was a similar scene in "Animal House"

Sure. Paranoid loons carrying loaded weapons and zipties who subscribe bizarre conspiracy theories and tweeted openly about killing various legislators and Mike Pence. Pipe bombs are a kind of practical joke. Funny. A police officer killed with a fire extinguisher. I guess you'll never look at a fire extinguisher again without laughing.

3 hours ago, ExpatOK said:

A fraternity prank gone awry.  Agree the lawmakers, ie the elitists, feared for their lives because they are gutless wonders with no sense of humor. There was a similar scene in "Animal House"

 

 

Amazing.  You keep bringing up Animal House.  Allow me to point out that ANIMAL HOUSE WAS A MOVIE.  IT'S NOT REAL.  IT'S MADE-UP.  Just sayin. 

1 hour ago, GinBoy2 said:

The cynical side of me tells me that most of those, they actually do get identified will get charged with some low level misdemeanor, and few will get charged under the Trump executive order of vandalism of Federal property, which would be 10 years, let alone a sedition charge

 

Below is the list of federal charges against the Qanon tshirt guy heading the mob chasing the black cop up the stairs. Where is the charge relating to that incident? He wasn't obstructing the cop, he was chasing him up the stairs. Had his fellow cops not shown up, what would had become of the black cop, where the mob would have advanced to and what would have transpired further up or down the stairs?

 

Remember Trump MO is take care of the optics: "you (prez Zelinski) don't have to do the investigation, I only want you to announce you are going to do it" (concerning investigating Hunter Biden). Now on the same page, "you don't really have to prosecute (to the full extent of the law) just make up some charges." While folks are satisfied to hear that  the FBI or DofJ are prosecuting these insurgents (as opposed to "rioters") they really need to look into what kind of charges have been doled out. The majority of them fall into the category of "unlawful entry,"  with minor "ornaments" attached (see list.) Storming the Capitol, attacking cops, defacing the people's house, ransacking wherever they went, carrying ammo, bombs, flexi cuffs, and other objects of murder and destruction in search of members of congress whom they have tweeted about as targets, none of that seems to be in the jurisdiction and concern of the federal authorities. 

6 hours ago, cyril sneer said:

why do BLM and Antifa get off scot-free when they perform similar actions?

Similar? Granted there was violence at some BLM protests and I think most people condemn that but:

 

The protests were sparked by KILLINGS.

 

They did not try to take over a government building.

 

They didn't threaten the life of government officials.

 

They were not seeking to change the result of a national election by force.

 

As far as I know, a considerable number of BLM protestors and Antifa extremists did not get off scot free, please quote the source of your claim that they did.  Conversely, many of the perpatrators of the violence last week WILL get off 'scot free'.

I guess it's now official, the Trump agrees with ExpatOK that an attack on the Capitol that leaves several people dead, including a police officer, is no big deal.  Just another fraternity prank gone wrong.  I'd still like to know what fraternity he belonged to.

 

Trump has not ordered flags flown at half-mast over federal buildings to honor the police officer killed in the ransacking of the Capitol

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-not-ordered-flags-flown-104757961.html

52 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

If you're white.

Well, I'm aware that the US is possibly the most racist western country so that would not surprise me but that's not really my point.

 

The US is supposed to be the 'leader of the free world', a beacon. a defender of democracy.  The vast majority of western nations do not allow guns to be carried in public and many have total bans on the sale of guns - full stop.

 

I've always known that guns were legal in the US but its only in recent months that I've become aware that those guns can include assault rifles.  I fail to understand why any guns are necessary in the US but allowing members of the public to carry assault rifles is totally beyond my comprehension.

 

Carrying guns perpetuates gun crime, there is no justification for it but they are so entrenched in their 'right to bear arms' that they seem to fail to understand that. Was it included in the constitution in cowboy times?

 

Several sources are forecasting more violence, some say akin to civil war.  If any form of armed protest does kick off in the US, no doubt the authorities will win but there will be a blood bath first with those sort of weapons in play.

6 minutes ago, heybruce said:

I guess it's now official, the Trump agrees with ExpatOK that an attack on the Capitol that leaves several people dead, including a police officer, is no big deal.  Just another fraternity prank gone wrong.  I'd still like to know what fraternity he belonged to.

 

Trump has not ordered flags flown at half-mast over federal buildings to honor the police officer killed in the ransacking of the Capitol

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-not-ordered-flags-flown-104757961.html

Unlike Pence, he hasn't contacted the family of the slain officer either. 

1 hour ago, KhaoYai said:

I have just watched TV footage showing armed protestors in Minneapolis - the photo below is actually from Minnesota last year but the content is much the same.

 

How can this be?  This is legal in the US?

 

 

 

 

Is this legal?

 

Short answer:  Yes.

 

Long answer:  Don't get me, and many others, started.

1 minute ago, heybruce said:

Long answer:  Don't get me, and many others, started.

I wouldn't want to but I think its time the US did and called time on these ridiculous laws.

1 minute ago, KhaoYai said:

I wouldn't want to but I think its time the US did and called time on these ridiculous laws.

It's based on the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution. That said, for most of US history the supreme court had no issue with a strict regulation of gun ownership. It's only with the advent of the extreme right wing court that things have changed.

9 hours ago, cmarshall said:

 

Trump is perfectly capable of activating Article 25 on his own as Bush and Reagan did, but he would have to get a promise of a pardon from Pence to make it worthwhile.  My guess is that Pence has already refused which is why Trump has not hesitated to lambast him.  I certainly hope that is the case since then Trump will be forced to pardon himself which will insure that the Biden DoJ brings charges against him to test the self-pardon.

Self pardons don't have a legal bone spurs bearing leg to stand on. Mr. trump has created his own private hell which he will soon enter January 20. He knows that and it explains his increasing insanity as that day approaches.

Here we go

‘DELIGHTED WITH THE CHAOS’: China’s bold move to exploit US havoc

https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/us-politics/russian-and-chinese-media-are-celebrating-us-capitol-riots/news-story/b125a44d03c393e8141cc5108fde72ab

The question is: will there be an attack on the inauguration?

6 minutes ago, cmarshall said:

The question is: will there be an attack on the inauguration?

The authorities better plan like there will be one. 

We're already in the 22nd century and people are still obsessed with pomps and circumstances. Let Biden and Harris take the oath on zoom and the rest of the world can cheer on line. The anxiety for all concerned (among whom 80+ millions americans) of watching a live inauguration that takes place 2 weeks after Trump's coup is not worth it.

30 minutes ago, watthong said:

We're already in the 22nd century and people are still obsessed with pomps and circumstances. Let Biden and Harris take the oath on zoom and the rest of the world can cheer on line. The anxiety for all concerned (among whom 80+ millions americans) of watching a live inauguration that takes place 2 weeks after Trump's coup is not worth it.

The inauguration of the President of the United States is rich in significance and tradition since 1937. The recitation of oath of office is a sacred aspect of the inauguration but not a constitutional requirement. With the raging pandemic and the tension overhanging after the insurrection, the pomp and fanfare should be held at a later date but the oath ceremony should still be held on the 20/1. It is enormously significant to mark the end of Trump's nightmare. Perhaps that small ceremony can be on line. 

I guess the libs are rethinking their "defund the police" stance after this.