DC Unrest Megathread

[Ferguson97]

https://twitter.com/HotlineJosh/status/1349844554539806721

And whose fault is that, Nancy? You can't brainwash people and act shocked when they do crazy things.

[Ferguson97]

This whole thing just continues to get progressively more horrifying as time goes on.

https://twitter.com/bradheath/status/1349965432070012933

Wow, what gave it away? Was it the "hang Mike Pence" chants?

[Ferguson97]

What would happen if “several” lawmakers were indicted or convicted? They stay congresspeople, sure... I guess they vote by proxy if need be? They wouldn’t be able to campaign.

It's very likely that the House would vote to expel any members that were convicted of crimes related to the attack.  It requires a 2/3 vote of the members.

I doubt it, you'd see all but like 15 Republicans call it a witchunt.

[Ferguson97]

Have many Trump supporters been around since Trump attempted a coup?

I’ve only seen Del Tachi post a few times, and have yet to hear from Fuzzy Bear or SirWoodbury.


I hopeful that they now see they were wrong to support him but I also kinda doubt it.

Fuzzy made a post suggesting Trump should resign. He's been very quiet though.

Woodbury is probably in federal custody.

SN posts occasionally and seems to be in complete denial.

Pretty sure Buzz completely disavowed Trump as well.

[Ferguson97]

https://twitter.com/axios/status/1350527307614625792

[Ferguson97]

Not normal

https://twitter.com/ZekeJMiller/status/1350993259603095556?s=20

Thisisfine.png

[Ferguson97]

A rioter from Texas threatened to shoot his children if they told the FBI that he participated in the riots at the Capitol.

A Texas man with ties to a right-wing extremist group threatened to shoot his children if they told the FBI he traveled to Washington to storm the Capitol with other President Trump supporters, according to court documents.

Guy Reffitt threatened his daughter and son while arguing with them about his role in the Capitol siege, his wife told an FBI agent, according to the court papers filed in Washington, DC.

“If you turn me in, you’re a traitor and you know what happens to traitors … traitors get shot,” Reffitt allegedly said to his kids.

I give you the pro-life, pro-family party, ladies and gents.

"Killing my kids to own the libs! Who needs kids when I can have four more years of President Trump!?"

Nothing unhinged or irrational about that.

The motivation there has nothing to do with Trump or "owning the libs."   It's unbridled rage at the prospect of betrayal from a family member.  It is sadly entirely predictable that some people would react in such a way.

Jesus, you will defend Trump and these terrorists at every turn

[Ferguson97]

A rioter from Texas threatened to shoot his children if they told the FBI that he participated in the riots at the Capitol.

A Texas man with ties to a right-wing extremist group threatened to shoot his children if they told the FBI he traveled to Washington to storm the Capitol with other President Trump supporters, according to court documents.

Guy Reffitt threatened his daughter and son while arguing with them about his role in the Capitol siege, his wife told an FBI agent, according to the court papers filed in Washington, DC.

“If you turn me in, you’re a traitor and you know what happens to traitors … traitors get shot,” Reffitt allegedly said to his kids.

I give you the pro-life, pro-family party, ladies and gents.

"Killing my kids to own the libs! Who needs kids when I can have four more years of President Trump!?"

Nothing unhinged or irrational about that.

The motivation there has nothing to do with Trump or "owning the libs."   It's unbridled rage at the prospect of betrayal from a family member.  It is sadly entirely predictable that some people would react in such a way.

Jesus, you will defend Trump and these terrorists at every turn

I think it's actually worth understanding social dynamics beyond merely whether something is good or bad.  That really annoys people for some reason but it's important if you ever want to solve things or even just keep things from getting worse.

People right now are being encouraged to turn in their family members.  If you support that, you need to at least recognize that some people won't have the character to respond in a healthy way when it happens to them.

Okay then they can go to jail for murdering their cousin.

What is your endgame here?

[Ferguson97]

Lol, why the hell would we go easy on a felony criminal because they are threatening to murder their children? I find it impossible to believe that someone would seriously make the argument that a person wanting to murder their own children is evidence that the law shouldn't pursue that person.

Yes, it would definitely be weird if someone was arguing that.

No one here has any idea what you are trying to argue, shua, and I suspect that includes yourself.

And no, that's not because anyone here lacks your self-perceived Galaxy brain level of analysis, but because you have crossed the border from your usual status of inscrutable to being outright incomprehensible.

I don't know what the point of comments like this are.  If you have a specific question about something I said, feel free to present it!

I have a question, albeit a broad one.

Don't you think it's a little weird that, in the wake of a mob storming the seat of American democracy, interrupting the discharging of the duties of Congress, and very nearly resulting in serious bodily harm for elected officials, the entirety of your comments seem to be about defending the people who perpetrated this attack or who appear to have (to be generous) inspired it? Like, even if all your claims were 100% correct, don't you think it's a little curious that this seems to be your sole focus? What do you think it might say about you that your priority seems to be playing defense for people aligned with the side that did this (again, whether or not the specific points you bring up in their defense are accurate or not) rather than condemning it?

I don't see any danger here that their actions aren't being condemned enough.  I do see a great deal of danger in promoting the dehumanization of all those in attendance (and extended by association to large swaths of the American population).

Hiding behind other people's condemnations is a dodge. The point is not whether the Sum Total of Condemnation is sufficiently high or not. Who f**king cares? It's not like any of us condemning it has any impact of what happens. The point is whether YOU, Shua, are interested at all in condemning it. Not out of some grand utilitarian calculus, but just because condemning it is the right thing to do, because it would show that you actually care about broader values beyond the standard partisan back and forth.

It's just difficult to believe that you even care about what happened to the Capitol, when none of your posts contain even the slightest hint of a negative emotional reaction to them. I don't know if in your heart of hearts you believe they were right or wrong to do it, and I don't even think that's the point. I think you've just decided that, right or wrong, they're part of "your" team and you have to stand by them, and this is more important to you than standing by democracy itself. I keep hoping to be proven wrong.

I've never understood uttering the words "I condemn this" as an intrinsic and necessary good in itself, and I'm not going to be bullied or shamed into the ritual.

And that's fine. If you did it solely out of peer pressure it would mean less than nothing.

It's just very telling that you didn't feel the need to express any kind of negative sentiment about this of your own initiative. It'd be great if you seriously reflected on this, but I get that owning the libs is much more fun.

How about you send me a poll with a "how much do you disapprove of this on a scale of 1-10" every time there's an event you'd like me to express my sentiments on.  Would that satisfy you?

You’re weird

[Ferguson97]

Pennsylvania social studies teacher Jason Moorehead was suspended for attending the protest. He and his lawyer speak with CNN's Michael Smerconish.

Watch video here ... https://us.cnn.com/videos/tv/2021/01/23/teacher-suspended-for-attending-capitol-stop-the-steal-rally.cnn

What do you guys think about this particular incident regarding this social studies teacher.
I have mixed feelings, but I do feel it strange that someone knowing (or should know) so much about politics/government, would fall for trump's antics about all the "election fraud" hogwash?

It's shocking, but not too surprising, if you give additional consideration to it. As I've alluded to myself before, and as has been noted by other posters on this forum, many genuinely intelligent people, who have substantive academic credentials and legitimate professional careers, have allowed themselves to be suckered in by Trump and by the crazy conspiracy theories which have been circulating. Humans seem to have a mechanism by which they allow their emotions to dominate over reasonable and logical thought.

Indeed, just look at Fuzzy Bear.  

That is correct. Fuzzy Bear persists in his belief that the election was stolen, in spite of the mountains of evidence he's been provided which rebut that belief. And it's especially perplexing given that he is very well-versed about 20th century American history, and doesn't seem to be able to understand how the events of the past influenced those of the present.

This entire experience we have had with Donald Trump's presidency does give you a window, though, into how fascist dictators like Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler managed to hoodwink entire populations (including those you'd think would know better) into following them into the abyss.    

It isn't a hoodwink. He's just no a very good person.

[Ferguson97]

https://twitter.com/theconnorlynch/status/1359673322062024705

Did Trump tweet this under the belief that Pence was dead, given Tuberville's phrasing? "They just took the Vice President out."

And then Trump's tweet: "Mike Pence didn't have..."

[Ferguson97]

Brave hero who killed the terrorist known as Ashli Babbitt will NOT be charged

https://twitter.com/AP/status/1382386689532956682

[Ferguson97]

https://twitter.com/jsrailton/status/1392893097806344192