U.S. state capitals see few protesters after bracing for violent demonstrations

[wwest5829]

3 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Has Trump Made America Great Again???

Well, a case can be made it has been ... by his leaving the White House. Bit of irony there ...

[wwest5829]

I'm thinking many are seeing the reality of the public and law enforcement reactions and recognizing all the bravado has come to bite many participants on the butt. Add to that the stepped up security and ... hmm, maybe better to stay home.

[Eric Loh]

39 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

 

Do you think they'll let their guns gather rust? Gun sales are at an all time high.

 

 

It’s an unsettling time in US thanks to Trump. People are buying more guns for host of reasons including self protection. 
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/pandemic-pushes-u-s-gun-sales-all-time-high-n1176451

[placeholder]

44 minutes ago, J Town said:

Unfortunately, I would compare them to Jehovah Witnesses (JW). This is NOT a slam of the religion, I'm merely comparing numbers of diehard followers. The JW's have repeatedly projected the actual date of the end of the world. The date comes, the date goes, they pick a new date and membership numbers stay the same.

 

It staggers the imagination that some Qanon crazies are now lawmakers. I understand how people like AOC are afraid for their lives, these nutcases are wanting to pack heat into the chambers.

You should look up Leon Festinger. He's the psychologist who coined the phrase "cognitive dissonance" in a study he did of how members of a doomsday cult coped with the failure of the prediction. Most of them explained it away and their faith was, if anything, actually strengthened. We can expect the same from those who predicted Biden's win will somehow be undone.

[J Town]

49 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

Apparently he's raking in a bit selling pardons, the next few days will be interesting to see who the donors/recipients are.

Damn!

In Trump’s final days at White House, presidential pardons reportedly up for grabs for the right price (msn.com)

[onthedarkside]

A series of off-topic posts re Russia and its politics have been removed, along with an inflammatory trolling post.

[Stargeezr]

I just hope that all of the people who broke into the Capital building will have a long visit

from the FBI. I also hope that the US government take this opportunity to go after 

all the groups involved and totally shut them down for good.  Does the USA need another

one of these kinds of visit from any group like the ones involved?  Go after them all and

jail a bunch of them. No Mercy or Pardons.. akkowed.

Geezer

[bendejo]

3 hours ago, J Town said:

Those are, at this point, alleged. I heard Giuliani trying to negotiate a $2 million pardon, but I suspect that's a bridge too far for even his sycophant Republican Senators to swallow (unless maybe they get a taste?). Yes, counting down the minutes to see where all this tragedy goes.

 

Maybe this hitting the press revealed that Rudy was sandbagging da boss: the price was $1M, but Giuli was pocketing the rest.   He ain't gonna like that, no sir . . .

 

 

[spidermike007]

Good, good. I guess the extremist wing of his devotees are capable of learning. Or, they are afraid of prison. Regardless, this is a good thing. I may be wrong. But, his base has been dwindling since the election. Alot of conservative friends and family I have been speaking with, agree Biden won, and the fraud thing is a bit much, and a sure sign of a sore loser. I think the DC fiasco backfired for sure, and he lost alot of his "middle of the road, sensible, hard working, decent people" base. In addition to nearly the entire GOP establishment, which he had wrapped around his finger. It was an enormous miscalculation, and an act of sheer desperation by an unhinged madman. Now, with the permanent ban on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, he is almost a 305lb. zero. Almost. I predict his influence will continue to wane, once he is ingloriously ushered out of the white house in humiliation. 

It is an astonishing thing, to witness a man who was already psychologically unstable, completely come unhinged. He is rambling and incoherent in his speech now, utterly desperate, and increasingly dangerous. There should be some national security laws in place, that allow Trump to be locked up in jail, until the 20th. He is a dangerous man, and a threat to the nation. And as far as charging his rioters with sedition, I have no issue with that. But, only a small percentage of the ones who broke into the capital building were arrested. 

Nearly anything with Trump's name on it, and his association with it, fails. And that will be even more so, after he leaves the White House. I am convinced his name will remain radioactive, the the rest of his life, and the mini empire will continue to dwindle. He lost 17 major businesses. He lost 19 merchandising deals, since being elected. He lost the trade war with China, and the negotiations with Kim. What part of being a loser don't his supporters understand? 

 

And one last point. How could the Capital building, with a joint session congress happening, not be considered a far greater security threat, than a nearly empty government building, or a retail store, during the BLM and police violence protests several months earlier? Something smells fishy here. No doubt the capital police failed miserably. But, was it a deliberate failure? And if so, should they be charged with a crime? Was the participation of many policemen, firemen, and other security people in the demonstration and the riots part of the reason these people were greatly so mildly? I do know if the crowd was more brown, and had more people of color, the result would have been a massacre of historic proportions, and many in the crowd would be dead and maimed. They would never have been allowed to break into the Capital building. 

 

Nearly 30 sworn police officers from a dozen departments attended the pro-Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol last week, and several stormed the building with rioters and are facing federal criminal charges as well as possible expulsion or other discipline. 

The officers are from departments large and small. There was veteran officer in Houston, the nation's eighth-largest department; a sergeant in the small town of Rocky Mount, Va., and a group of Philadelphia transit officers.

 

https://www.npr.org/2021/01/15/956896923/police-officers-across-nation-face-federal-charges-for-involvement-in-capitol-ri

 

From off-duty police to firefighters, state lawmakers, teachers, municipal workers and at least one active-duty military officer, dozens of public servants from across the United States joined the protests in Washington that turned into a siege on the U.S. Capitol. The mob’s violent effort aimed to block Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s election as president.

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-protest-officials-insight/off-duty-cops-other-officials-face-reckoning-after-rallying-for-trump-in-d-c-idUSKBN29I315

[Sujo]

And the right had the audacity to call the left snowflakes. 

 

The way to really get trump annoyed is to start arresting his family and work the way up. He deserves that pain for the way he has left the US in tatters both domestic and international.

 

Biden is the only one with the experience to get US back on track, then turn it over to someone much younger.

[earlinclaifornia]

Americans I believe you need to watch 60 Minutes to have a realistic understanding of what really is going on.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/united-states-capitol-riots-60-minutes-2021-01-17/

[GrandPapillon]

well, the over reaction by US officials is quite revealing of their paranoid state of mind

 

hopefully, this will not get unnoticed by the "average person", and start to realize the anti-Trump crowd are politically motivated and revengeful, and really are not bringing a real solution to stop the division in US society

 

fly-over states are not stupid, they see the games being played, and they will vote for Trump again in 2024 when they realize that the Dems have no real solution to their problems

Edited January 18, 2021 by GrandPapillon

[earlinclaifornia]

7 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Trump supporters fading away is no surprise at all to participants on these pages, his ardent supporters of six months ago can of late barely muster an emoji.

 

 I wish them all the best on their difficult journey back to reality and will of course offer encouraging and comforting words of support as and when needed.

 

 

I do not think they have the intelligence to reflect on whom they have become. I wish you were right but all of them will continue as long as they have the leadership BS ing them daily. 

[earlinclaifornia]

7 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

But he's got that big bag of cash he collected from his clueless supporters to help "Stop the Steal!". And he can spend it however he wants.

Repeat

Edited January 18, 2021 by earlinclaifornia

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

 

Army reservist with security-level clearance among the latest charged in connection with Capitol riot

 

(CNN)An Army reservist who federal investigators say has secret-level security clearance and a long record of posting his extremist views online was among the latest wave of rioters charged by federal prosecutors in connection with the January 6 Capitol insurrection.

...

Federal investigators said the Army reservist — Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, of Colts Neck, New Jersey — was described by an informant as "an avowed White supremacist and Nazi sympathizer."

 

According to court documents, in a phone call with the informant on Thursday that was recorded by law enforcement, Hale-Cusanelli can be heard saying that he encouraged members of the mob to "advance" through the Capitol and gave directions "via both voice and hand signals." It's not clear if he's been arrested."

 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/17/politics/capitol-riot-latest-charged-army-reservist/index.html

 

"Prosecutors in the nation's capital have charged about 100 cases related to the riot, and there are more than 275 open investigations into potential criminal activity on that day, acting US Attorney Michael Sherwin said on Friday."

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Terrifying scope of Capitol attack becoming clearer as Washington locks down for Biden's inauguration

 

Washington (CNN)Federal authorities are piecing together a chilling picture of the January 6 insurrection that reveals major security and intelligence failures, underscores profound fissures in American society and hints at the political challenges ahead for President-elect Joe Biden, even as they race to ensure the safety of US leaders and next week's inauguration.

 

Emerging details paint an even grimmer picture than the shocking images of violence broadcast live around the world last week. Evidence suggests planning by the insurrectionists, and there are concerns that they may have received support from some Capitol Police, current and former members of the military, and even some members of Congress.

 

As rioters broke into the Capitol building and some chanted "hang Mike Pence," the seditious mob ripped through the "thin blue line" many claim to revere, kicking and beating police with their own batons, spraying them with chemical irritants, threatening to kill them. One policeman and four others died that day.

 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/16/politics/insurrection-investigation-washington-lockdown/index.html

 

Edited January 18, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

And... one of the emerging defense claims of those being charged with offenses relating to the attempted insurrection -- they were just following what Trump told them to do:

 

‘Trump said to do so’: Accounts of rioters who say the president spurred them to rush the Capitol could be pivotal testimony

...

"The accounts of people who said they were inspired by the president to take part in the melee inside the Capitol vividly show the impact of Trump’s months-long attack on the integrity of the 2020 election and his exhortations to supporters to “fight” the results.

 

Some have said they felt called to Washington by Trump and his false message that the election had been stolen, as well as by his efforts to pressure Congress and Vice President Pence to overturn the result.

 

But others drew an even more direct link — telling the FBI or news organizations that they headed to the Capitol on what they believed were direct orders from the president issued at a rally that day."

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-rioters-testimony/2021/01/16/01b3d5c6-575b-11eb-a931-5b162d0d033d_story.html

 

Edited January 18, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[earlinclaifornia]

20 minutes ago, GrandPapillon said:

well, the over reaction by US officials is quite revealing of their paranoid state of mind

 

hopefully, this will not get unnoticed by the "average person", and start to realize the anti-Trump crowd are politically motivated and revengeful, and really are not bringing a real solution to stop the division in US society

 

fly-over states are not stupid, they see the games being played, and they will vote for Trump again in 2024 when they realize that the Dems have no real solution to their problems

No, they won't. They like trump are cowards and will hover at home in hopes life will get better. Losers like them are never going to have anything to help themselves out of there own misery. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

And why should the authorities be legitimately concerned about the prospect of future violence and insurrection?

 

Capitol rioters included highly trained ex-military and cops

 

WASHINGTON — As President Donald Trump’s supporters massed outside the Capitol last week and sang the national anthem, a line of men wearing olive-drab helmets and body armor trudged purposefully up the marble stairs in a single-file line, each man holding the jacket collar of the one ahead.

 

The formation, known as “Ranger File,” is standard operating procedure for a combat team that is “stacking up” to breach a building — instantly recognizable to any U.S. soldier or Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was a chilling sign that many at the vanguard of the mob that stormed the seat of American democracy either had military training or were trained by those who did.

 

An Associated Press review of public records, social media posts and videos shows at least 22 current or former members of the U.S. military or law enforcement have been identified as being at or near the Capitol riot, with more than a dozen others under investigation but not yet named. In many cases, those who stormed the Capitol appeared to employ tactics, body armor and technology such as two-way radio headsets that were similar to those of the very police they were confronting.

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/capitol-rioters-included-highly-trained-ex-military-and-cops/2021/01/15/05858910-56f7-11eb-acc5-92d2819a1ccb_story.html

 

And with the garden variety right wing armed extremists:

 

"Separately, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn filed a weapons charge against a self-described Proud Boys member who apparently did not travel to Washington but allegedly posted threatening statements on the social network Parler on and around Jan. 6 regarding Democratic Sen.-elect Raphael Warnock of Georgia and the Capitol insurrection.

 

According to an affidavit, Eduard Florea, of Queens, responded to a post about Warnock writing, “Dead men can’t pass . . . laws” and later added, “The time for peace and civility is over. . . . Guns cleaned loaded . . . got a bunch of guys all armed and ready to deploy . . . we are just waiting for the word.”

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/camp-auschwitz-sweatshirt-arrest/2021/01/13/9f98c1ae-55b0-11eb-a08b-f1381ef3d207_story.html

 

That's the kind of people the feds and other authorities have plenty of good reason to be on guard against in the lead-up to the inauguration and thereafter.

 

Edited January 18, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[heybruce]

30 minutes ago, GrandPapillon said:

well, the over reaction by US officials is quite revealing of their paranoid state of mind

 

hopefully, this will not get unnoticed by the "average person", and start to realize the anti-Trump crowd are politically motivated and revengeful, and really are not bringing a real solution to stop the division in US society

 

fly-over states are not stupid, they see the games being played, and they will vote for Trump again in 2024 when they realize that the Dems have no real solution to their problems

This weekend was not an over reaction.  The storming of the Capitol on the 6th would not have happened if there had been proper security in place.  It might have happened again this weekend if there hadn't been proper security. 

 

Having a Trump fan call "anti-Trump" people "politically motivated and revengeful, and really are not bringing a real solution to stop the division in US society" is hilarious.  You really do project your faults on the other side.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

And then as Reuters recently reported, some of those arrested in connection with the attempted insurrection, all Trump supporters, have their own serious mental issues, equally cause for concern by law enforcement. Examples:

 

"Mark Leffingwell of Seattle, who faces charges for assaulting a police officer, is an Iraq war veteran who suffers from PTSD and traumatic brain injury, his lawyer told a judge."

 

"Richard Barnett, photographed sitting in U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, told the judge he has a history of depressive disorder."

 

"Lonnie Coffman, a 70-year-old Alabama man arrested for having explosives in his truck, takes multiple drugs for mental illness, his lawyer told the judge in a hearing this week."

 

And regarding another arrested suspect, prosecutors described Cleveland Meredith as “a clearly disturbed, deranged, and dangerous individual that fantasizes about committing horrific acts of violence and takes countless steps to carry them out” and said he appeared ready to act on “extreme political and racial animus.”

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-protest-cases-insight/arrested-capitol-rioters-had-guns-and-bombs-everyday-careers-and-olympic-medals-idUSKBN29J2V8

 

Beginning to get the picture? Delusion, denial of reality, mental illness, armed with weapons, following a leader who has campaigned for months of an assortment of flat-out lies.  What could possibly go wrong?

 

 

 

 

[spidermike007]

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Army reservist with security-level clearance among the latest charged in connection with Capitol riot

 

(CNN)An Army reservist who federal investigators say has secret-level security clearance and a long record of posting his extremist views online was among the latest wave of rioters charged by federal prosecutors in connection with the January 6 Capitol insurrection.

...

Federal investigators said the Army reservist — Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, of Colts Neck, New Jersey — was described by an informant as "an avowed White supremacist and Nazi sympathizer."

 

According to court documents, in a phone call with the informant on Thursday that was recorded by law enforcement, Hale-Cusanelli can be heard saying that he encouraged members of the mob to "advance" through the Capitol and gave directions "via both voice and hand signals." It's not clear if he's been arrested."

 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/17/politics/capitol-riot-latest-charged-army-reservist/index.html

 

"Prosecutors in the nation's capital have charged about 100 cases related to the riot, and there are more than 275 open investigations into potential criminal activity on that day, acting US Attorney Michael Sherwin said on Friday."

 

 

Immediately remove his security clearance, and fire him from his job. He should have known better. The security clearance he swore an oath to, likely had provisions within it, where he would sacrifice the clearance if he was guilty of moral turpitude, or certain crimes. He is guilty of sedition. Lock him up. 

[J Town]

5 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

 

Immediately remove his security clearance, and fire him from his job. He should have known better. The security clearance he swore an oath to, likely had provisions within it, where he would sacrifice the clearance if he was guilty of moral turpitude, or certain crimes. He is guilty of sedition. Lock him up. 

Make sure he gets no federal pension. He most likely was expecting to retire in comfort. I hope he gets a long stint in a federal prison.

[earlinclaifornia]

Watch this and see if your blood boils. Where are the firearms from the Law?

https://www.newyorker.com/news/video-dept/a-reporters-footage-from-inside-the-capitol-siege

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

So how to assess the domestic right-wing extremist threat that Trump has helped foster and unleash on the U.S.?   Worse than Jihadism as a former Bush DHS secretary says?

 

Capitol riot exposed flaws of Trump's DHS, focused on immigration and not extremists, say ex-officials

...

"Nearly 20 years after the 2001 attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, the U.S. is in what former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson called "the most tense domestic security environment since 9/11," yet most of the department's focus has been on fighting immigration rather than violent extremists.

 

"DHS for the last four years has been used to hammer the president's aggressive border security, anti-immigration agenda, and not much else has been a priority for the agency," said Johnson, who served during the Obama administration."

...

"DHS, along with the FBI and state and local partners, are going to have to more seriously investigate groups behind what happened [on Jan. 6] and what else they may be planning. This threat has been bubbling around for years now. ... It is now a bigger threat than jihadism," said former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, who served during George W. Bush's administration."

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/capitol-riot-exposed-flaws-trump-s-dhs-focused-immigration-not-n1254464

 

Edited January 18, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[ExpatOK]

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Terrifying scope of Capitol attack becoming clearer as Washington locks down for Biden's inauguration

 

Washington (CNN)Federal authorities are piecing together a chilling picture of the January 6 insurrection that reveals major security and intelligence failures, underscores profound fissures in American society and hints at the political challenges ahead for President-elect Joe Biden, even as they race to ensure the safety of US leaders and next week's inauguration.

 

Emerging details paint an even grimmer picture than the shocking images of violence broadcast live around the world last week. Evidence suggests planning by the insurrectionists, and there are concerns that they may have received support from some Capitol Police, current and former members of the military, and even some members of Congress.

 

As rioters broke into the Capitol building and some chanted "hang Mike Pence," the seditious mob ripped through the "thin blue line" many claim to revere, kicking and beating police with their own batons, spraying them with chemical irritants, threatening to kill them. One policeman and four others died that day.

 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/16/politics/insurrection-investigation-washington-lockdown/index.html

 

Generally speaking the installation of a new president when surrounded by an occupying army is the definition of a coup.

[ExpatOK]

57 minutes ago, earlinclaifornia said:

Watch this and see if your blood boils. Where are the firearms from the Law?

https://www.newyorker.com/news/video-dept/a-reporters-footage-from-inside-the-capitol-siege

Next time don't defund he police.

[Chomper Higgot]

5 minutes ago, ExpatOK said:

Generally speaking the installation of a new president when surrounded by an occupying army is the definition of a coup.

Generally speaking, an ‘occupying army’ is one that invaded from a foreign country.

 

Away with you and your nonsense.

[Chomper Higgot]

Just now, ExpatOK said:

Next time don't defund he police.

Don’t beat them to death with a fire extinguisher either.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

These guys at the Michigan state capitol over the weekend have absolutely NO fashion sense!!!  Where are their red MAGA hats???  Just preparing for a peaceful protest, I guess...

 

 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/18/us/inauguration-protests-vigilant/index.html

 

 

Officials remain vigilant ahead of Biden inauguration after small weekend protests

 

(CNN)Demonstrations in state capitols across the United States were muted this weekend after warnings of armed protests, but officials have indicated they'll remain vigilant in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.

 

"We are concerned about the entire week, not just today," Lansing, Michigan, Police Chief Daryl Green said Sunday, after a crowd of protesters and counterprotesters gathered on the grounds of the state Capitol.

 

Few if any protesters were seen in other state capitals, including in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

 

Edited January 18, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK