After 9 years of incendiary rhetoric, inciting actual violence, and personally threatening dozens of perceived enemies, TFG has certainly demonstrated that he can dish it out, but sure can’t take it.  He has spent years vilifiying everyone from Haitian immigrants to Dems to Taylor Swift, but when someone starts shooting at him, he’s shocked and appalled when the tables are turned.

Let’s be clear – violence is NEVER appropriate in any instance, political or otherwise.  But this monster of escalating violence has been wholy created by TFG and his sycophants repeating his vicious lies about everything from “the deep state”, to immigrants, and to anyone who happens to disagree with him.  He’s even inciting violence against schoolkids in Springfield, Ohio, FFS.  His social media accounts drip with hate, authoritarian declarations, threats, and lies against millions of people and entire classes of society, fabricated from whole cloth.  He even incited thousands of knuckleheads to attack the US Capitol in an attempt to overthrow the US government.

I find it pretty rich that TFG and Vance are now denouncing the very violence they’ve been inciting, but only because that violence has been turned on him.  If they want a reduction in violence they need to start that at home and turn down the heat, but I’m not expecting any of that.  A little self-awareness would be useful right now.

There are famous lows in our nation’s history. I suppose one would see the signs beforehand, but everything is a lot clearer in the rearview mirror. We could see the signs of Civil War when we look backwards. I wonder what they saw when Charles Sumner was beaten on the Senate floor in 1856.

Will we look back on this latest flap over Rep. Paul Gosar as a blip on the radar or a precursor of things to come? For those that don’t want to go down the rabbit hole, essentially Gosar released a video on Twitter and Instagram of him killing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes and also stabbing President Biden. As always, it is the aftermath of this situation that is so unsettling.

Democratic leadership is at a loss of what to do. On a number of levels I get it. A lot of this has to do with the momentum thing I discussed earlier this week. How much political capital do you want to expend to get rid of a guy that probably has zero political power? It was a lot like dealing with Marjorie Taylor Greene. If you do too much you end up martyring a nobody and giving them more oxygen. If you don’t do enough you encourage the behavior. It’s the no win scenario.

Kevin McCarthy apparently has been neutered for his own protection. He is not willing to stand up to anybody or anything. He’s the kid on the playground that all the bullies hit up for his lunch money. The only question is which bully will get to him first.

AOC is one of the more polarizing members of Congress. She might be the most polarizing member of Congress. Even for Democrats, you feel like you alternately love her and then want to shake some sense into her. That’s what happens when you speak your mind and never self-censor yourself. On some level, it is enviable that someone can go through life like that. On another it is frightening to see someone get that much vitriol for just speaking their mind.

In one of the oddities of this case, Gosar’s sister is one of his most vocal critics. That must be an interesting family come Thanksgiving. I think everyone should keep their head on a swivel lest the gravy bowl wind up on top of their head. However, no one can disagree with a word she says.

Everyone remembers the story of Kathy Griffin and the flap over 45’s severed head. The comedian had a somewhat promising career that went up in smoke. People don’t think that even subtle threats are funny and it doesn’t particularly matter who the subject is. Republicans and Democrats should be able to agree on this much.

That was a B-list comedian doing that. Now it is an actual member of Congress. I suppose there can be no greater illustration of where we are as a country. On one side, fringe entertainers are going a bridge too far or sound crazy. On the other side, actual representatives are going a bridge too far and sound crazy. Unfortunately, some people still don’t see the difference.

In our effort to make sure no one forgets the violence incited by Donald Trump and encouraged by traitorous shitbags like Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar, Lauren Boebert, Mo Brooks, and Andy Biggs (along with others) we will continue to talk about the Qanon Caucus and dangerous rightwing extremists who continue to threaten our democracy.  The NYTimes posted videos today that were presented in court yesterday where more charges were leveled at violent insurrectionists on January 6.  The article and videos can be seen here.  These videos are disturbing where a woman, Rosanne Boyland, was trampled to death in the crush at the West Entrance to the Capitol where major violence occurred.  Now, let’s be frank, here.  She was a protestor, who illegally charged the Capitol with other insurrectionists on that day.  Ironically, she was carrying a “Don’t Tread On Me” flag when she was trampled by the mob she was supporting.  Even though she was breaking the law and threatening Capitol Police, her friend’s cries for help for her are tragic.

We can never forget that day, and we must continue to remind the public that many in Congress, including those from our own state, are complicit in this tragedy that forever will be a stain on our country.

There are internet sleuths working to identify the insurrectionists who attacked to Capitol last Wednesday.  Here is a video of a paramilitary team of Oathkeepers moving as a unit up the steps on the east side of the Capitol building.  If you can identify any of these terrorists, please contact @jsrailton through Twitter.

NEW FOOTAGE: a long, disciplined line of men in body armor moves as a unit up the #CapitolBuilding steps.

We need to identify this group.

Grateful to @lehudgins for the find.
Source: https://t.co/1CQlT5Sqa7 pic.twitter.com/Omdva2SiUS

— John Scott-Railton (@jsrailton) January 10, 2021

Jeweler Tennenbaum on Westheimer in Houston had their windows smashed last night.  Today, luxury shopping area River Oaks District is boarded up, and millions of dollars of merchandise has been moved out of the stores.  The Galleria is closed, surrounded by security.  To add insult to injury,

this evening Trump threatened to unleash US troops on Americans, which is illegal.  He yelled at governors today, calling them “weak” and “jerks” like he was night manager at the local Waffle House and the wait staff had taken too long a smoke break out back.  After his speech tonight, he posed in front of St. John’s Chapel across from the WH, waving a Bible that he’s never bent the spine of.

I’m going to pour a cocktail, turn off the television, and dream about how life used to be in the old days, way back in 2015 and 16.

The mass shooting at the Capital Gazette office in Maryland yesterday was the result of the longstanding obsession of a lunatic with the staff of the paper.  His obsession with the paper started in 2011 after he had pleaded guilty to criminal harassment of a former Facebook friend.  The Gazette reported the story.  The shooter, who will remain unnamed, sued the paper for defamation.  The case was dismissed.  He appealed.  The case was dismissed again.  Then the threats started.  On social media and personally, the shooter threatened violence against the staff of the Gazette for SEVEN years.  Yesterday, he carried out those threats by murdering 5 people at their desks.  He’s being described on national media this morning as an “angry person” and an “injustice collector”, perpetually aggrieved about something, but obsessed with the Gazette.

There are two lessons to be learned here, in my view.  First, Trump relentlessly attacks the press,  even calling it the “enemy of the people” as recently as Tuesday in one of his self-worshipping rallies.  He regularly vilifies reporters, creating a hostile environment for members of the 4th estate just doing their jobs of bringing the news to the People.  This toxic rhetoric inspires violence, and is irresponsible coming from anyone, much less the President of the United States.

The second lesson?  How weak gun laws allow someone like this guy access to any firearms. He has threatened people for years.  He pleaded guilty to harassment.  His record of years of threats was well known to police, but didn’t cross the line, because the line is simply too high.  Criminals often plead felonies down to misdemeanors.  Misdemeanors generally don’t disqualify people from buying guns, even though those who are guilty are often dangerous.  Even if misdemeanors did disqualify, the loopholes to buy guns through private sales is gigantic.

These deaths, like tens of thousands a year, were completely preventable.  In a civilized society, there is no excuse for this kind of violence.  None.  Yet, the invertebrates in Congress and state houses all over the country take money from the NRA and bend to a small handful of gun nuts to not do their damn jobs.  I wish that just ONCE that Congressman would show the kind of anger against gun advocates that they showed against the good people of the FBI yesterday.  Just once would be refreshing.

There is a place for anger, and THIS is it.