Steve Thomas

It's moving day at the White House. Reuters photographer Erin Scott captured a truckload of unfolded boxes arriving at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House, presumably to be filled with stuff as Trump staffers make their exists: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-white-house-boxes_n_5fffbe22c5b691806c4f2e58 Steve Thomas

Someone pointed out the irony of Donald Trump's presidency ending the way it began, with a reference to female genitalia. It started out with him claiming he could grab women's (female genitalia) whenever he wanted and he's ending it by telling Mike Pence that he could go down in history as either a hero or a (female genitalia). Poor Donald. Brought down by his own sexual obsessions. Steve Thomas

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ushome/index.html "Republican House members are raging about the newly-installed metal detector they need to pass to get onto the chamber floor after being warned not to bring firearms with them when they come to vote. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who has bragged about her desire to carry her glock pistol into the Capitol, got into a standoff with police and wouldn't let them search her bag after she set off the security alarm. Boebert, who supports QAnon theories and made a name for herself carrying her fire arm on the campaign trail, walked through the screening process with her bag, which set off the magnetometer. She refused to hand the bag over to be searched. Capitol Police eventually let her in the House chamber and it appears her bag was not searched before they did so. 'I am legally permitted to carry my firearm in Washington, D.C. and within the Capitol complex,' Boebert tweeted (inset) after the incident. 'Metal detectors outside of the House would not have stopped the violence we saw last week — it’s just another political stunt by Speaker Pelosi.' Congresswoman Debbie Lasko tweeted: ‘For members of Congress to enter the floor of the U.S. House, we now have to go through intense security measures, on top of the security we already go through. These new provisions include searches and being wanded like criminals. We now live in Pelosi’s communist America!’ Pictured above top right speaker Pelosi is seen going through the metal detectors when she entered the House floor. She, too, set them off but stopped for Capitol Police to wand her. " Boebert was the one who was tweeting out Nancy Pelosi's location to the mobsters. Steve Thomas

Trump-supporting Christian leaders and their Sunday messages MARIAM FAM, ELANA SCHOR, and DAVID CRARY 1/10/21 https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-brian-gibson-capitol-siege-d6db3d71658bfad778f3cc4be1b5f984 OWENSBORO, Kentucky Brian Gibson, pastor and founder of HIS Church, spoke to his Christian congregation and online viewers ““So now I know some, some bad actors went in and I believe potentially there were antifa up there. I think more and more I know there were antifa up there, insiders up there that started that action.” SACRAMENTO, California The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, the president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference who delivered a prayer at Trump’s inauguration and has also advised him, told his congregation Sunday that America needs to hear a message of repentance. ““We must repent for making the person who occupies the White House more important than the one who occupies our hearts. We must repent for permitting the donkey and the elephant to divide what the Lamb died for on the cross,”” SAN ANTONIO The Rev. John Hagee of Cornerstone Church, a staunch supporter of Trump, did not mention the president by name but criticized the assault on Congress by what he called “a rebellious mob.” “This is what happens when you mob the police. This is what happens when you fire the police.” “This is what happens when you watch a policeman shot and belittle his sacrifice for the public,” he continued. “Wake up, America! America and democracy cannot function without the rule of law. We back the blue.” COEUR, D’ALENE, Idaho The Rev. Tim Remington, the conservative Christian pastor of The Altar church, avoided specific references to Trump and the attack on the Capitol, but offered plenty of politically charged warnings. “He targeted the media in particular for criticism. “I rebuke the news in the name of Jesus,” Remington said. “We ask that this false garbage come to an end. ... It’s the lies, communism, socialism. I don’t know how we’ve put up with it this long.”” CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio The Rev. Darrell Scott, the Black senior pastor of New Spirit Revival Center, did not mention the events in Washington. Steve Thomas

Joseph, I would like to know who knew. and how, and why. Steve Thomas

Justice Department warns of national security fallout from Capitol Hill insurrection By NATASHA BERTRAND 01/07/2021 https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/07/capitol-hill-riots-doj-456178 ““We have to do a full review of what was taken, or copied, or even left behind in terms of bugs and listening devices, etc.,” said Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), raising the possibility that foreign adversaries could have easily infiltrated the crowd that encircled the Capitol.” Steve Thomas

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdb1i4l8w--1XfdJaDEiEgqGClX5u0zsGqIbUh_M1HVD-ypYg/viewform Petition to Disbar Senators Hawley & Cruz As of January 10, 2021 at 4PM ET, over 3,700 lawyers and law students have signed this petition, including Professor Laurence Tribe, Judge H. Lee Sarokin, and Valarie Kaur. ****** We, the undersigned members and students of the legal profession, call on the Missouri, Texas, and District of Columbia Bars to immediately begin disbarment proceedings against Senator Josh Hawley and Senator Ted Cruz. [1] In leading the efforts to undermine the peaceful transition of power after a free and fair election, Senators Hawley and Cruz attacked the foundations of our democracy. Nearly 160 million Americans exercised their right to vote in the November 2020 election. Dozens of courts rejected unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud, and the Electoral College formally ratified President-elect Biden’s victory on December 14, 2020. Despite these clear expressions of the will of the people—and with full knowledge of the implications of their actions—Senators Hawley and Cruz publicly announced their intentions to object to Congress’s certification of the Electoral College’s votes set for January 6, 2021. In doing so, Senators Hawley and Cruz directly incited the January 6th insurrection, repeating dangerous and unsubstantiated statements regarding the election and abetting the lawless behavior of President Trump. A violent mob attacked the U.S. Capitol. Five people have died. The nation and the world watched as rioters took over the very halls and chambers that embody our democracy. Yet after the violence and terror of the day’s events, Senators Hawley and Cruz still chose to stand in the chamber of the U.S. Senate and persist in their baseless objections to the will of the people. These actions prove Senators Hawley and Cruz fundamentally unfit for membership in the legal profession. Both have flagrantly violated some of the most elementary ethics rules governing the legal profession. In inciting and encouraging a violent insurrection against the U.S. government, they have potentially committed “a criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as a lawyer in other respects.” [2] And by fanning the fury of aggrieved constituents through false claims of voter fraud, all for their own political gain, they have engaged in “conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation.” [3] Most importantly, lawyers who betray the very democratic institutions they are charged with protecting and improving as “public citizens” [4] are definitionally unfit for the legal profession. Senators Hawley and Cruz have shown that they have no respect for the courts by deliberately ignoring that judges across the country and the ideological spectrum have rejected President Trump’s efforts to overturn the election. They have shown that they have no respect for the Constitution by violating its words when, as members of Congress, they arguably “engaged in insurrection or rebellion against” the United States. [5] Worst of all, they have shown that they have no respect for the American public and our democracy by working tirelessly to disenfranchise tens of millions of voters. Such egregious breaches of integrity matter. The very existence of our profession is symbiotic with the preservation and furtherance of the American republic. If Senators Hawley and Cruz’s actions do not result in any repercussions for their professional status as lawyers, that silence will send an unmistakable message to the rest of the legal community, to aspiring lawyers, and to the American public: that lawyers cannot be trusted with the task of protecting, let alone improving, our sacred democracy, and that lawyers can denigrate democratic institutions with impunity. The Missouri, Texas, and D.C. Bars must begin disbarment proceedings against Senators Hawley and Cruz and send the message that the legal profession stands firmly in defense of our democratic institutions. They must do so whether or not Senators Hawley and Cruz plan to assume the roles of advocate and counselor ever again, as private or public lawyers. It is the least our profession can do to protect and defend our most cherished ideals and institutions. Steve Thomas

I have been struck by the number of the more virulent insurrectionists who are failures in life, who still live with their mothers. There's a lesson in there somewhere. Steve Thomas

An impeachment trial in the Senate would preclude any other business from taking place. Joe Biden would not be able to get his Cabinet members confirmed. We would not be able to get the vaccines out to people, etc. Congressman, Jim Clyburn has suggested that the House go ahead and impeach Donald Trump, but not send those Articles over to the Senate until after the first 100 days of the Biden Administration have passed. I think that's a good idea. Steve Thomas

"The president should be very careful over the next ten days,"[Republican Senator, Roy] Blunt said. "Now my personal view is that the president touched the hot stove on Wednesday and is unlikely to touch it again." He must have been talking to Susan Collins - "The President has learned his lesson" Steve Thomas

[Congressman Jim] "Jordan pleaded with President-elect Joe Biden to give a speech defending Trump. "Let's bring the country together and move forward, and return to being this America, the greatest nation ever," he remarked. "That's where we need to focus." "For the good of the country, I think it makes sense for Vice President Biden to do that," the Ohio Republican said." Are you insane? Are you stark raving mad bonkers? Maybe you'd like Biden to be waving the Confederate Flag too while he's at it. Steve Thomas

GOP staffers threatening to quit if their bosses don't impeach Trump: report January 09, 2021 Matthew Chapman https://www.rawstory.com/republicans-trump-impeachment/ "And I've been speaking with Republicans and what you are hearing is sheer rage. One of the quotes I heard from a House staffer who has been a Trump supporter from day one, says 'I'm burning my MAGA hat.' They are upset." "I am even hearing that they are — some Republican staffers are threatening to quit their job if their boss, if their Republican does not support impeachment, and I'm also hearing that some have even quit their positions," said Beavers. "I know of at least two House staffers who have quit their positions because of how their boss voted with the objections on Wednesday about the election certification. So you are really kind of seeing the entire Capitol Hill having this awakening moment and Republicans, while they might not be saying publicly where they are, we are looking at a few maybe moderate Republicans who might be joining."" Steve Thomas

Ron. According to the Dispatch Tapes, George Lumpkin had arrived at the TSBD by 12:49 PM http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/dpdtapes/ 15 (Captain C.E. Talbert): “15 is at the scene. We... the building's the Old Purse Company on the east side of Houston. Somebody cut off the back side, will you? Make sure nobody leaves there.” Dispatcher: “10-4, 15” 15: “15's in charge down here. Correction 5's (Deputy Chief Lumpkin) in charge.” (It appears that Talbert had the wrong building in mind). The after-action report fled by Batchelor, Stevenson and Lumpkin matches exactly what Postal Inspector, Harry Holmes wrote in his Report of Oswald's interrogation on Sunday, November 24th. See Warren Report, Appendix XI page 636 https://www.maryferrell.org/showDoc.html?docId=946#relPageId=660&tab=page Steve Thomas

Jim, These are good suppositions except for a couple of things: a) there is no indication that employees were required to show any ID to Kaminsky; and, b) even if Oswald had shown his library card as ID, there was nothing on it that would lead the police to Beckley. c) the idea that Kaminsky saw Oswald's library car upside down is pure speculation - there's no way for us to know. It was Kaminsky who Deputy Chief Lumpkin had positioned at the front door of the TSBD. Portal to Texas History [Report from Charles Batchelor to Chief J. E. Curry, November 30, 1963] Page: 43 of 70 https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth338584/m1/43/?q=Stevenson pp21-22. Steve Thomas

Liberty University the lone holdout after every other college strips Trump of honorary degrees By Bob Brigham January 09, 2021 https://www.rawstory.com/falwell-trump/ "Donald Trump has been granted five honorary degrees in his lifetime - from Lehigh University in 1988, from Wagner College in 2004, from Robert Gordon University in Scotland in 2010, and from Liberty University, which granted honorary degrees to Mr. Trump on two occasions - 2012 and 2017," Forbes reported Saturday. "But as of today, only one of those institutions - Liberty University - has not revoked the honorary degrees originally granted to Mr. Trump." "Robert Gordon rescinded the degree it awarded in 2015, after determining that Trump had "made a number of statements that are wholly incompatible with the ethos and values of the university," Forbes noted. "Yesterday, both Lehigh and Wagner followed suit, after the storming and siege at the nation's Capitol on Wednesday which followed a speech by the president that many saw as inciting the violence." Steve Thomas

Doug, More than the U.S. Capitol, I fear for the State Capitols. On January 6th, the State Capitols in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington were attacked and shut down and/or evacuated. What happened in Washington, D.C was not an isolated incident. Steve Thomas

- Parler's Chief Policy Officer Amy Peikoff - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9128295/Google-suspends-Parler-social-networking-app-Play-Store-Apple-gives-24-hour-warning.html “‘Amazon is also raising some problems, and I'm not sure how serious that is, because I've yet to speak to them. I will later today. You know, they provide the server for us,’ she said. ‘And if they were to remove their services, then we would be down. As it is, we are having some difficulties now with the uptick in traffic, that if they took their service away, we'd be gone.’” Steve Thomas

By Elaine Shannon https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-capitol-riot-is-over-but-the-search-for-booby-traps-could-take-weeks?ref=home "The U.S. Capitol is not safe. It’s safer than it was Wednesday, when a mob stormed it shortly after 1 p.m. The Capitol complex was declared secured by the police by 5:40 p.m. And it’s safer after U.S. Capitol Police discovered a red GMC Sierra 1500 pickup parked near the Capitol which, according to an affidavit filed by a U.S. Capitol policeman, contained a handgun, an M4 carbine assault rifle, magazines of ammunition and 11 mason jars filled with a gasoline-Styrofoam mix, that, when detonated, would act like napalm, sticking to and ferociously burning any surface or human body where it landed. At 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 6, after the rioters had dispersed, the truck’s registered owner, Lonnie Leroy Coffman of Falkland, Alabama, showed up, packing a 9 mm Smith & Wesson and a .22 caliber derringer. He told the officers he was trying to leave the area and asked if they “had located the bombs.” (He later amended his statement to say that by “bombs,” he meant “perimeter.” Go figure.) He was arrested and charged with firearms violations." Steve Thomas

Richard, This is just a rhetorical question... What if Trump gets some drunken judge to administer him the Oath of Office on January 20th starts going around claiming that he is really the legitimate President of the U.S. ? It wouldn't be official, of course, but what if he then calls on his followers to "Come to me my children", or whatever? Steve Thomas

Donald Trump announced that he will not be attending Joe Biden's inauguration. Steve Thomas

W., It struck me earlier today that on Wednesday, the Legislative Branch of our Government and the Vice President of the U.S. were gathered in one place at the same time. The Legislative Branch, who would handle any moves to impeach Trump; and the Vice President, who would be in charge of any moves to invoke the 25th Amendment. With those two bodies out of the way, there would have been no one to stop Trump from completely taking over the government. Several weeks ago, Trump fired the head of the Pentagon and several other high-ranking members of the Pentagon and replaced them with flunkies who were uniquely unqualified. At the time, no one could figure out why. When the Capitol was being overrun and desperate calls went out to the Pentagon to send in the DC National Guard, those calls were ignored. Now, I think we know why. I think Wednesday had been planned for a long time. That's why we can't afford to leave Trump in office one more day. As one person put it, Congress has to treat Trump's removal as a life-threatening visit to the emergency room, and not as a visit to the doctor's office for a routine checkup. Pelosi has already spoken to General Milley about ignoring any orders from Trump for a nuclear strike anywhere in the world. Michael Cohen said that he expects Trump to set fire to the White House. Things are serious. Steve Thomas

We can't leave Trump alone to plot and scheme. We have to put him on the defensive. We can't sit around and wait to see what he is going to do next. Whether it's someone showing up and his office with an arrest warrant, or filing new Articles of Impeachment, or whatever. We have to make him react to us and not the other way around. He needs to be hounded and harried from pillar to post and not give him time to lay his own plans. Steve Thomas

The polar vortex may be on its way By Allison Chinchar, CNN meteorologist January 7, 2021 https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/07/weather/polar-vortex-shifts-arctic-air-south/index.html “The polar vortex appears to be on the move. That's because stratospheric warming is occurring at high altitudes above the North Pole, resulting in a spike in temperatures. That, in turn, could result in bitter cold air pushing southward into the United States within a couple of weeks, though where exactly that Arctic air will swoop down -- and for how long -- remains uncertain.” Oh, that's just f'ing great. Steve Thomas

‘He screwed the country’: Trump loyalty disintegrates By GABBY ORR, ANITA KUMAR and MERIDITH MCGRAW 01/06/2021 https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/06/trump-loyalty-capitol-attack-455667 “Pence spokesperson Devin O'Malley said the vice president would return to the Senate chamber Wednesday night to resume the certification process, after congressional leaders announced plans to reconvene at 8 p.m. "VP was in regular contact [with] House & Senate leadership, Cap Police, DOJ & DoD to facilitate efforts to secure the Capitol & reconvene Congress. And now we will finish the people's business," O'Malley wrote, notably omitting any contact between Pence and Trump.” At a time of crisis, the President of the United States was nowhere to be found. Steve Thomas

Joe, I don't know if you read this, but the guy on the right-hand side of the picture wearing the blue sweatshirt and red ball cap was an employee of Navistar Direct Marketing. That thing hanging around his neck is his employee ID badge. He got fired yesterday. Duck Dynasty indeed. Steve Thomas