America’s Other Deadly Illness Won’t Be Stopped by Science
The 2022 elections will largely be determined by the state of economy and control of covid, unless another war pops up. Since the GQP has few levers on the economy without control of the executive branch, they’re going to have to settle on options two and three.
Actions by individuals aimed at school boards and city councils considering public health measures aimed at containing COVID-19 are steadily escalating. Cadres brought together by social media are becoming more militant at public rallies aimed at institutions thought to be responsible for depriving them of their ‘freedom.’ And a rally planned to venerate those previously arrested on January 6 has the DC Metropolitan Police Department on high alert for Saturday, September 18.
All of these events past, present, and future are connected by fear of the other, a lack of empathy, and --most of all-- a belief that the government is not legitimate.
This is tricky stuff when you think about it. Of course, the government doesn’t do the right thing on a regular basis. Humans are in charge. If you go back in history, there’s plenty to be disgusted about. That’s different, however, from replacing it with an oligarchy enabled by chaos. Fear of the “other” and the absence of an understanding that we sink or swim together will lead to an undemocratic system every time.
Starting down the political food chain, there’s the Big Lie about Trump having the election stolen from him; further down there are a never ending stream of rumors about elections being compromised. At the bottom there are people who’ve never gotten active until called to do so by the purveyors of conspiracy theories and misinformation. Many of them have never participated in school board or town council meetings, but get a sense of belonging that validates their existence.
This sense of belonging is compelling enough to drive people to embrace fringe and misleading Covid advice, as is happening with a rapid increase in (livestock deworming) ivermectin prescriptions and reports of severe illness by people using ivermectin products. Data from the National Prescription Audit showed a dramatic spike in ivermectin prescriptions in recent weeks — more than nine times pre-pandemic levels.
The recurring news accounts about people who said untrue things about vaccines ending up in ICU wards or dead haven’t stopped this head-banging denial of reality. The pain, the suffering, I’m afraid, is the point. And the most rabid of these folks want to share their predication for misery with the world.
At the top of the list of people likely to get hurt is Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd, who came out of seclusion on Thursday for an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt.
Byrd has been cleared of culpability by the Justice Department and Capitol Police in the January 6 shooting death of San Diegan Ashley Babbitt. His version of events framed his decision to fire one shot around the belief that the lives of 60 to 80 House members and staff would be in danger if rioters made it through the barricade of furniture set up to block the glass doors to the chamber.
Via NBC:
After hearing the radio chatter warning that rioters had breached the building, Byrd said he rushed inside the chamber and instructed the House members to hide under their chairs and stay away from doors and windows.
He said he told them that pipe bombs were found in the vicinity of the building and rioters were using weapons against officers. You need to gather your gas masks, Byrd said he told them.
And he gave one more crucial instruction: he told the House members to take measures to disguise who they were in the event they came face to face with the rioters.
Babbitt’s family and others believe she was “ambushed” as she came through the broken glass on the chamber doors. Her family has signaled its intent to file a civil lawsuit against the Capitol Police.
Former president Donald Trump repeatedly called for Lt. Byrd to be identified, implying there was a coverup in progress or (more likely) giving his followers a (wink, wink) target. Others called out in this manner/tone by the Former Guy suffered through months of death threats and harassment during his term of office.
There’s plenty of video tape of what happened on January 6. The Justice Department disclosed this week they have footage on an estimated 1000 events “that may be characterized as assaults on federal officers”
The Washington Post reported 140 law enforcement officers were injured. On Thursday, seven Capitol Police officers filed a federal civil suit against Donald Trump, key Trump allies. and high-profile Jan 6 defendants for their roles in the US Capitol insurrection.
It’s a doozy of a lawsuit, seventy one pages long, making a very strong case, including "Defendants continue to glorify the attack and minimize the harm they caused, not only to the plaintiffs and other officers, but to the country as a whole."
This brings me to the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. They’ve issued massive requests for documents and other materials attesting to Trump’s direct personal involvement on that day, the months leading up to it, and the weeks following.
https://twitter.com/MaddowBlog/status/1430707077270446088?s=20
Via Politico:
One segment of the request notably seeks "documents and communications related to the mental stability of Donald Trump or his fitness for office."[...]
The committee asked the National Archives for “all documents and communications within the White House” involving a host of Trump World denizens, including Hope Hicks, former national security adviser Robert O’Brien, Trump adviser Peter Navarro, Kayleigh McEnany, Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn, Melania Trump, all Trump’s adult children except Tiffany Trump, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Rudy Giuliani and Roger Stone.[...]
In particular, the committee asks for records on on any potential or actual changes in senior personnel in the period between the election and Inauguration Day, investigations of voter fraud, “all documents and communications involving Mark Meadows, Kurt Olsen, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Joseph diGenova, or Victoria Toensing,” and communications between “any DOJ official and President Trump or any other White House official on January 5–6, 2021.”
Hoo, boy! That’s an impressive list of names.
Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin seems to think the nature of the requests means the House Select Committee is ready to rumble. (We’ll see. Things always move slower in DC than you think they should.)
First, without Republican obstructionists around to stall document requests, the committee — including its two GOP members, Liz Cheney (Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (Ill.) — is moving swiftly. This underscores the wisdom of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to reject two of Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s appointees just as it highlights the foolishness of McCarthy’s choice to yank three Republicans that Pelosi (D-Calif.) was prepared to welcome onto the committee. The notion that McCarthy (R-Calif.) somehow outfoxed her looks even more ridiculous in hindsight.
Second, the Justice Department made a wide-ranging investigation possible when it freed itself and its former employees to provide evidence and testimony. In letters to former officials sent in late July, Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer declared that unraveling the plot to overturn the election was a "compelling interest” that should not be impeded by an assertion of executive privilege "with respect to communications with former president Trump and his advisers and staff.” The Justice Department opened the gate to a broad inquiry, and now the select committee has driven a truck right up to the loading dock to carry off hundreds if not thousands of pages of evidence. [...}
Third, with these government agencies under President Biden’s control, there will be no stonewalling. And if third parties should block access to documents, Biden’s U.S. attorneys will be on hand to enforce subpoenas. This will make a world of difference from the congressional investigations of the prior administration.
The Former Guy is threatening to gum up the works on the House investigation by claiming executive immunity. Except that he is no longer the chief executive and the Biden administration has declared they won’t be helping him use that defense.
Via The Hill:
In a statement issued through his Save America PAC, Trump slammed the "Leftist 'select committee'" for asking for documents and communications from his administration as part of its probe.
"The Leftist 'select committee' has further exposed itself as a partisan sham and waste of taxpayer dollars with a request that's timed to distract Americans from historic and global catastrophes brought on by the failures of Joe Biden and the Democrats," Trump said.
While most of the 600 or so people who’ve been arrested in connection with the January 6 insurrection are not being held in custody, the few considered flight risks by the courts are being hailed as “political prisoners” by individuals across the right side of the political spectrum.
From Vice:
Meanwhile, supporters of the Capitol defendants are rallying around the idea that they’re political prisoners. A Telegram channel dedicated to freeing “illegally imprisoned patriots” has amassed over 12,000 subscribers since it was created on July 22. The moderators of that channel have organized voice chats, in which they record prayers for the various Capitol defendants. They’re promoting a “Justice for J6'' rally, expected to take place at the Capitol in September.
The rally is being organized by a new political nonprofit group called Look Ahead America, which is run by Matt Braynard, the former director of data and strategy for the Trump campaign. Braynard recently joined former Trump adviser Steve Bannon on an episode of “War Room” to talk about the upcoming event. “I gotta ask you about the political prisoner situation,” said Bannon. “Give our audience an assessment of where we stand with the political prisoner situation.”
Braynard likened Look Ahead America to a Russian icebreaker boat, making inroads in “the frozen sea to make room for the giant ships behind them.” In this analogy, members of Congress were the giant ships. Braynard said that members of his group were the first to go down to the DC jail to protest against the alleged treatment of Capitol rioters, and inspired lawmakers to follow suit.
Braynard also touted the plans for the rally in September. “We’re going back to the Capitol, right where it started,” Braynard said. “We’re going to push back against the phony narrative that there was an insurrection…. And demand justice for these political prisoners.”
In terms of the general intentions and lack of respect for institutions, there is no functional difference between the antimaskers, the ReOpen groups, and the Proud Boy types drawn to political controversy by a desire to hurt people.
You don’t have to look very hard to figure out the overlap between America’s Frontline Doctors (Rady Children’s Hospital anti-mask protest) and the January 6th insurrectionists.
https://twitter.com/brooklynmarie/status/1431073781200547844?s=20
I have real questions about the willingness of law enforcement (except the Capitol Police, they seem pissed) to keep these militants from violating the rights of others. There is evidence (lack of willingness to vaccinate, chumminess with individuals obviously looking to do harm) that law enforcement officers see themselves as taking a “side” with people whose outlook is based upon misinformation and prejudice.
There is, I’m told, a significant news story soon to be published with data about the vaxxer sentiment in both the San Diego Police Department and the San Diego Sheriff’s Office. COVID-19 is the leading cause of death among cops in the U.S. since the start of the pandemic.
As is true with pushing back against the purveyors of horse deworming medicine and Hydroxychloroquine, regular, sane citizens need to demand that the institutions of society not acquiesce to the insanity these people seek to impose on us.
What's going on both on the local and national level are symptoms of an illness; a disorder who's point is disorder with the end goal of destroying democracy. And preserving the legacy of white supremacy and patriarchy.
Mayor Todd Gloria and the Board of Supervisors need to exercise their emergency powers if need be to protect the rest of us. The cops don’t want to work? Ask the Governor for the National Guard.
One simple way YOU can help is to make sure to vote NO in the recall election. The people behind this attempt to unseat the governor ARE connected at the hip to the nihilists running amok in America.
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Email me at WritetoDougPorter@Gmail.com