Benjamin Cole

Meh. The Liberal Redneck guy has not seen the Tucker Carlson three-part series, nor appears to understand the heavy federal asset infiltration of Muslim, or "right-wing" and other non-mainstream groups. At the Intercept, they say the whole Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot would have never happened but for the involvement of federal assets. That is worth pondering. Sure is funny how federal prosecutors have laid off of Stewart Rhodes, top guy at the Oathkeepers. But they threw Mr. Buffalo Horns in jail and left him there. Some suspect Rhodes is a federal asset, as was the Afro-Cuban Enrique Tarrio of the Proud Boys. The only other person I can think of whose films and documentaries are bashed even before they are released is Oliver Stone. The M$M 1.6 narrative is looking dubious. But then, what else is new?

Man, you said it. Right now, groups and individuals affiliate with, indeed worship, narratives, not journalism. The NYT, WaPo, and yes Fox, deliver narratives, and they have their cocooned followers. To be sure, no one is perfect, but head and shoulders above the rest are Matt Taibbi, Glenn Greenwald, and Aaron Mate. Saagar Enjeti is really good too. Krystal Ball is pretty good, and fun to look at. The Hill Rising puts on an interesting show. I still have not seen Tucker Carlson's three-part series on 1.6, so I am withholding judgement. It is getting the Oliver Stone treatment, so it may be worth watching...

Yes. On the other hand, I would expect the vast bulk of the 3,600-officer Capitol Police department to be on duty on Jan. 6--and especially the commander of the civil disturbance unit. (Not that I would want anyone to...oh, you know, do anything extreme like show up outside of their scheduled shift.) The WaPo has been shrieking for months about the tsunami of evidence that trouble was brewing on Jan. 6. Why, WaPo says federal authorities must censor Facebook, so aboveground and obvious was the planning for the Jan. 6 "insurrection." So Jan 6 comes...and the Capitol Police had 10 officers on some entrances to the Capitol (by WaPo reporting). Commanders were making meatloaf in Maryland suburbs on the afternoon of Jan. 6! (And that is by softball WaPo reporting, which has routinely demonized police officers nationwide, but now is lionizing the Capitol officers.) Egads. And where were the 2,300 officers of the DC Metropolitan police? They get a pass too. So...(again by WaPo reporting) phone calls were made to suburban police districts, and the FBI, and they sent some guys down and moved the crowd out the Capitol onto the lawns, an arrested everybody. The national insurrection was thus bravely quelled. Well, interesting story. BTW, I think the 'Phants are just as awful as the Donks. But as of now, the Donks-Deep State-M$M are aligned, while the 'Phants seem to have the WSJ and not much more. Another oddity: No one at WaPo seems to have been at the Capitol on Jan. 6. I keep reading, but not coming across first-person accounts by a WaPo reporter. Maybe I missed it, and I have not read the whole piece. Reminds me of M$M post-JFKA narratives. That is one reason to study the JFKA---to learn how to look for political or authoritarian narratives, as opposed to journalism.

From the WaPo report on 1.6: "About 1:30 p.m., Capt. Carneysha Mendoza, a 19-year veteran of the Capitol Police, was at home in suburban Maryland. She had just pulled meatloaf from the oven and sat down with her 10-year-old son, Christian, before he was to spend the rest of the day with babysitters. The commander for a Capitol Police civil disturbance unit, Mendoza was about to head into work for her shift in the Capitol starting at 3 p.m." Really. On the afternoon of 1.6, the commander of Capitol Police civil disturbance unit was at home making meatloaf. In suburban Maryland. Planned to go into work at 3 pm. Reminder: The 3,600-officer Capitol Police department reports to the legislative Donk-controlled branch, not to the executive branch. Vince Palamara has reported here recently that rooftops were guarded in many cities JFK visited...but not Dallas. Some take that as a sign protection was limited in Dallas, by design. When the commander at the Capitol Police department civil disturbance unit is home cooking on 1.6....what to take away from that? About 1:30 p.murban Maryland. She had just pulled meatloaf from the oven and sat down with her 10-year-old son, Christian, before he was to spend the rest of the day with babysitters. The commander for a Capitol Police civil disturbance unit, Mendoza was about to head into work for her shift in the Capitol starting at 3 p.m.

W.- I keep saying to Tucker Carlson and to The Atlantic, and the rest of M$M: Show some primary evidence, some e-mails, texts or recorded phone calls proving out your case. I have not seen Carlson's show yet. If he has proof that federal agitators caused the 1.6 scrum, I would like to see it. Ditto, if the The Atlantic has proof of Trump Administration officials covertly instigating the occupation of the Capitol, such as texts or recorded phone conversations, then bring it on. Glenn Greenwald is airing programs worth watching and you can see them on Youtube (at least for now, until they get banned too).

Yes, it is "woke" to bash Jim Garrison as a repressed homophobe, and thus the JFKA was as the Warren Commission said. Long's book is beneath contempt. James DiEugenio is made of stronger stuff than I if he can read this M$M tripe without first downing a quart of gin. Garrison was onto something, he knew it, and he couldn't let go. Decades later, someone is still paying money (to Long in this case) to destroy Jim Garrison.

Paul-- Fair questions. Unfortunately, yes, I find M$M and the Deep State-national security state increasingly monolithic. What we saw for 50 years after the JFKA...is now the norm, but on steroids, regarding any news event. The narrative is what matters, not the facts. There are some rare exceptions in journalism, but not in the M$M, such as Matt Taibbi, Glenn Greenwald and Aaron Mate, and, of course, Oliver Stone. On occasion, M$M'er Tucker Carlson takes a potshot at the national security state, but no real reporting. Yes, there was a larger crowd than 600 outside the Capitol on 1.6, and those that remained outside the Capitol were exercising their right to protest, and that is fine. I hope you accept the right of people to protest. Those that entered the Capitol were breaking the law, and should have been arrested and were. The 600 who entered the Capitol might be suspected of trying to foment an insurrection, however meager the chances were that the vast apparatus of the federal government would go along with their lunatic plan. So...the national security state can seize all texts, e-mails and phone records of anybody they want to, and have proven as much by seizing texts of people inside the Capitol sent out on 1.6 (with full and immediate cooperation of the people who run our communication networks). There is no evidence anyone inside the Capitol was operating on instructions from anyone inside the Trump Administration. No texts, no e-mails, no phone records. On the other hand, AG Merrick Garland has refused to answer questions on how many federal agents were in the scrum on 1.6. I would say based on the above, the 1.6 event was a nothingburger. There is "no there there," based on the people arrested inside the Capitol. OK, you have suspicions, and I have suspicions. Our suspicions are...well, only suspicions

Paul- What evidence do you have that the 600 occupants of the Capitol on Jan. 6 were taking instructions from Trump Administration officials or employees? Are there any texts, e-mails or phone calls indicating such? Any primary evidence? Remember, the modern-day national security state is a panopticon. They have all your e-mails, texts and phone calls, and mine too. And of anyone reading this. Yet...not one arrestee charged with cooperating or conspiring with the Trump Administration! Not one! Why is that? Could it be a total lack of evidence?

Yes, but President Abraham Lincoln wanted to bind wounds, not put salt on them. With horrendous carnage everywhere, it was probably the right decision. In contrast today.... We know what actors within federal government think about the 600 people arrested in the Capitol occupation. The occupants are deeply unpopular with the DC establishment. We know the national security state has access to all texts and e-mails, phone calls---a panopticon. But not one Capitol event arrestee has been charged with conspiring with Trump Administration officials or employees. So...where are the connections between the 600 lulus in the Capitol, and the Trump Administration? Can you cite a single text, e-mail or phone call? Any primary evidence?

https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/capitol-breach-cases These are cases against the 600 people arrested either for being inside or near the Capitol building on 1.6. If the federal government wants to charge any of these people with with conspiracy, that is, conspiring with Trump Administration officials, they can. So...where are the charges? Moreover, accusations and charges are not the same as guilt. I prefer the standard "innocent until proven guilty in a court of law."

W.-- I just do not see any connections between the 600-odd people arrested for being inside the Capitol and the Trump Administration. Those arrested appear to be lulus, largely. This I get from reading primary materials and arrest reports, and prosecutions, and real-time texts and NOT reading M$M, including that fount of disinformation (see the JFKA) the WaPo. Not one arrestee has said they were taking covert orders from anyone in the Trump Administration. Some arrestees have pled they took encouragement from statements made in public by President Trump. But Trump also advised people to protest peacefully on Jan. 6. On the other hand, there is mounting evidence there were many, many federal infiltrators in Oathkeepers, the Patriot Boys and in the "Wolverine Watchman," the group that plotted (we are told by federal informants and assets, who were the majority of the group) to kidnap Governor Whitmer and "storm the (Michigan) Capitol." That rhymes, no? Have you some primary-material type evidence of covert instructions between the 600 arrestees and Trump? I am open to read any and all primary materials. In terms of PR, 1.6.21 was a huge coup for the Deep State-media blob, much like 9.11. Trump was the loser from 1.6. I cry not for the detestable Trump, but that the M$M is so deeply corrupted by the national security-Deep State. Remember, Brian Sicknick was bashed in the head with a fire extinguisher and murdered by racist Trump supporters, who were also heavily armed. (Actually, only one of those arrested on 1.6 carried a firearm...and who mysteriously was released on his own recognizance on 1.7, and prosecution against him appears to have been stopped or seriously stalled. That is Christopher Alberts. Read the primary materials and please explain this situation to me. A federal plant? However, I will read the archived copy you suggest, and keep an open mind...as I recommend to all. And I recommend reading primary materials, rather than press accounts. Think about the JFKA---would you read primary materials or watch the CBS Special for info?

I dearly hope the GOP finds a candidate with some of Trump's virtues---his takes on China, "free trade" and illegal immigration control---but minus Trump's awful personality and character. BTW, in the US they keep talking about "labor shortages"---a wonderful thing for anyone who works for a living. It's a positive, not a negative, for 90% of the workforce. Under Biden, illegal immigration has soared. Keep in mind, the most aggressive immigrationists in US history were...the slavers. That's the new Donk Party. Tight with Silicon Valley, the globalists, the national security-Deep State, Wall Street and media. They want more cheap labor in the US. It is possible to have three truths: Trump was a bad president, the Donks and 'Phants are completely corrupted by money, and the 1.6.21 narrative is hyperbole on steroids shot to the moon.

11.22.63 was an insurrection, but the M$M said it was a lone nut. 1.6.21 was some nuts, but the M$M said it was an insurrection.

Paul- Hello. I guess you mean me. To soon to tell. Keep in mind that WaPo is deeply embedded into the Deep State and the Donk Party. And the GOP is no better. 1. Theory No 1: Just a scrum, got out of hand. Capitol Police, Metro Police, and National Guard, despite huge forces, just bady, badly bungled the response, and seemed to stand down. Some Trumpers may have made phone calls or had meetings, but so what. You are talking about 600 lulus in the Capitol. This was a takeover of the federal government? Within hours the occupiers are moved to the Capitol lawn and arrested. In real life, a nothingburger. But great narratives for the Deep State to promulgate---remember, always be afraid of domestic subversives and foreign invaders-interlopers. The FBI says they have uncovered no plots. The NYT says embedded assets say there were no plots. So where are the plots? Theory No. 2. The reason the FBI nows says it uncovered no plots is because federal assets were the prime movers behind the small number of semi-organized groups that did show up--Oathkeepers and Patriot Boys, in particular. It was federal instigators that prompted the occupation of the Capitol, as they had tried to do with the Michigan Capitol. A replay of the Governor Whitmer kidnap narrative. This follows the same pattern as FBI assets arresting halfwit Muslims in plots fabricated by the FBI, and saying they were terrorists. 3. Some Trumpers may have been stupid enough to think they could somehow halt the election and transfer of power to the Donks. They tried various ineffectual machinations, but if they though a bunch of halfwits inside the Capitol would do the trick...they were pretty deluded. In any event, no one arrested at the Capitol yet has said they were taking covert instructions from the Trump camp. Not one shred of evidence in that regard. Some occupiers say they interpreted Trump's speech as encouragement to occupy the Capitol--but not one person has said, "Yeah, I took orders from Bannon, and he said mass at the East gate. Check my phone if you don't believe me." Not one. So...where is the plot, the conspiracy? Of course, a mix is possible---some Trumpers may have egged on some in the scrum (no evidence so far), while FBI assets were doing the same (some evidence so far). I still puzzle how 6,000 armed and trained police could not prevent 600 lulus from occupying the Capitol, many of whom texted they "were let in" in real time. My best guess is Jan. 6 is a nothingburger, but a great PR narrative. Side note: The WaPo says they have devoted 75---75!---reporters to the Jan. 6 story. When Jefferson Morley worked at the WaPo, he told his editors he would like to look into the JFKA as part of his beat. They told him no. So...the WaPo put 75 reporters onto Jan. 6 narrative, and never even one onto the JFKA story. But hey, the WaPo is woke. The Jan. 6 story belongs in National Aquarium, or a Star Kist tuna plant. Fishy.

OK, I doubt anyone will change their minds ever on anything, but this discussion may be a good balance for many. The first 20 minutes can be skimmed over, and the discussion bogs down here or there but still well worth listening to. I did not realize, for example, that the majority of the Governor Whitmer plotters were actually federal assets, and that plans had been hatched to "storm the Michigan capitol." That rhymes, no? It appears likely Stewart Rhodes, top man at the Oathkeepers is a federal asset, while the Afro-Cubano leader of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, has been a federal asset in the past, and may still be. Then as heavily infiltrated groups appeared at the Capitol, a few scrums at the gates...and the police melt away. Mr. Buffalo Horns, the penniless Phoenix gadfly who entered the Capitol after defenses had been abandoned, is arrested and put in prison ever since...but Stewart Rhodes has never even been charged, despite the fact that when the federal government charges other Oathkeepers, they cite Rhodes-authored literature as good reason for prosecution. This Jan. 6 story is not a story, it is a narrative. The narrative is getting fishier and fishier, and I smell a rat.

Or coffee.

W.-- Even if what you say here is true...it does not rule out the possibility, now looking like a probability, that federal plants, instigators or provocateurs were in the scrum on Jan. 6. Nor are there answers to who enabled some participants to get to Washington ---who gave Mr Buffalo Horns the $500 to go to DC? And why is Mr. Buffalo Horns still in prison while other individuals, seen in videos exhorting participants to enter the Capitol...are not even prosecuted? Also...why did the Capitol Police abandon their posts? Most protestors inside the Capitol say they were let in, and texted in real time that they entered the Capitol unmolested. That is primary evidence, not M$M narrative. You leave unanswered how the Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police, with 6,000 armed and trained officers, could not prevent an occupation of the Capitol by 600 unarmed, untrained protestors. Both those departments report to Donks. There were even several hundred National Guard already on DC streets on Jan. 6. As my late great Uncle Jerry used to say, "This story gets fishier and fishier, and I smell a rat." This 1/6 M$M scaremongering is looking like another Russiagate hoax. Remember, the Deep State went after Julian Assange...and Carter Page. Trump is a buffoon. But that does not change the nature of the M$M and its lapdog Deep State narratives. You might watch Carlson's presentation first before dismissing it. People treated Oliver Stone's movies the same way. Denigrate and dismiss even before even viewing.

W.--The official-M$M versions of the 9/11 event or the JFKA...are not believable. Now, we have 1/6. I applaud those who seek alternative explanations of events, when there is so much power and overt bias going into constructing official-M$M narratives on 1/6. Also, I assume whatever Liz Cheney says is not the truth. Keep an open mind. Perhaps Carlson's narrative will be biased. Perhaps, like many JFKA alternative narratives, it will get some things right and some things wrong. Or, perhaps it will be fairly accurate. I will wait to watch Carlson's narrative before drawing any conclusions. And even then, drawing conclusions when the news environment is totally poisoned by M$M is a bit of a mug's game.

Confusion is my default state. Although, to quote my late, great Uncle Jerry: "If you are not confused, then maybe you don't understand the situation."

Egads. Funny how the breaks are always against Oliver Stone and his vital, insightful work on JFK.

Kirk-- I am curious about one aspect of your post. Why did you switch typefaces half-way through?

W.-- https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2021/sep/26/fbi-mole-in-crowd-on-jan-6-files-show/ The NYT (see article above, which is NYT copy run by the Arkansas paper, but not behind a paywall) has already run stories to the effect that FBI informants/plants/assets informed the FBI that the right-wing groups had no plans to occupy the Capitol building. The Jan. 6 scrum was evidently spontaneous, or instigated by someone outside of the heavily infiltrated right-wing groups (indeed the Proud Boys leader has been an FBI informant and may still be). It could be federal assets instigated the Jan. 6 scrum. Yes, to your question, the Jan. 6 scrum has become a major PR victory for establishment Donks and 'Phants, and the fear-mongering Deep State. Most of the public believes heavily armed rioters, who were white racist Trump supporters, sacked the Capitol and murdered Brian Sicknick, and planned a takeover of the entire federal government. Interesting parallel: Tucker Carlson plans a special on the Jan. 6 scrum. Establishment types are already calling for Tucker's special to not be broadcast or to be censored, or are denigrating and ridiculing the special before it has even aired. This is what happened to Oliver Stone's "JFK" movie also, as well documented by James DiEugenio. I can tell you from reading primary materials, that people who occupied the Capitol texted in real time they were let in, as confirmed by their arrest reports. Curiously, the one fellow who was arrested carrying a firearm on Capitol grounds, Christopher Alberts, has disappeared off the map. This is what the feds say about Alberts now: "Status conference set for 9/8/21. Defendant remains free on personal recognizance." That's it on Alberts. No word on what happened in the status conference. Another fellow, named Ray Epps, is in several videos exhorting protestors to enter the Capitol. He was on a most-wanted poster for a while, but then the federal government has lost interest in him. Meanwhile...Mr. Buffalo Horns, aka Jacob Angeli, aka Jacob Anthony, the Phoenix gadfly who merely stood inside the Capitol but became iconic, is still in prison. "Plea agreement entered 9/3. Sentencing set for 11/17 at 10 am." Add on: Neocon murderess Liz Cheney says Tucker's show---which again, has not even aired yet---is "lies." Liz Cheney? Cheney is so, so concerned with the truth? You can't go wrong if you assume Cheney is lying, and proceed from that premise....

The "name tag" comment does seem funny, but perhaps it is referring to a caption on a photo (spoken language sometimes hops back and forth among topics). Or maybe to the name "Oswald" in hand-drawn black ink on a helmet to indicate ownership, bunk rights, etc.

Chuck S.-- I share your revulsion of Nezis and others. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kenbensinger/michigan-kidnapping-gretchen-whitmer-fbi-informant But it nows appears the kidnap plot of Whitmer never would have happened except for the involvement of federal provocateurs. This does not mean I think the other "real" members of the Whitmer kidnap party were nice guys. It does mean the whole story needs to be told. Ditto on Jan. 6.

Who knows about the truth, but the Miami Herald, and reporter Nora Torrez, get credit for noting in 1979 the HSCA concluded there was likely a conspiracy to kill JFK. The New York Times does not do as much, instead characterizing JFKA researchers as "conspiracy buffs" and the like. One aspect of the JFKA seems beyond dispute. There were any number of anti-Castro Cuban exiles in the US in 1963, and who knows how many, hundreds, perhaps even thousands, linked as assets to the CIA and military intelligence. The history is the period is well-known, with the Cubans believing they had been betrayed by JFK (possibly due to CIA propaganda), and perhaps even being told LBJ would right matters. The Warren Commission ignored this entire vein, and even the HSCA got sandbagged into Mafia hunts and the like. The Miami office of the CIA, which was also huge, seems to get mentioned time and again. Larry Hancock's "Tipping Point" book has serious insights in this regard.