After watching the presentation by Lynn Cheney last night as she provided an overview of where the detailed evidence will be going, I have these reactions:
- Everyone around the President knew that the Big Lie was “bullshit.” That included not only AG William Barr but also first daughter Ivanka. And, according to them, they shared that view with the President over and over again.
- I had – up to now – bought in to the gaslighting that only a few rogues initiated the violence and everyone else was just carried away. It is now clear that the Proud Boys played the role of shock troops and that between 200-300 of them did not even listen to the inciteful speech but were already positioning themselves to fulfill their mission of breaching the Capitol.
- My view that Mike Pence redeemed his career that day was reinforced. Not only did he not allow himself to be whisked away to safety (or something else), but he also tried to fill the leadership vacuum left by Trump’s refusal to protect the Congress. And, it was chilling to see again the President castigating Pence in front of that rabid crowd as was the Trump reaction to the hang Mike Pence chants that “Maybe our supporters have the right idea, Mike Pence deserves it.”
- I got a better sense of what a running battle it was as the Capitol Police continued to fall back to new defensive lines before finally being overwhelmed by the weight of the onslaught.
- I will be very interested to learn which members of Congress were seeking Presidential Pardons for their roles in the insurrection and what those roles were. I wonder if Jim Jordan was one of them.
- Finally, and most importantly, it is more clear than ever that the violence was not spontaneous, that it was part and parcel of a plan to create a Constitutional crisis from which a Trump victory would emerge. In short, a criminal conspiracy lead by the President of the United States.
Tidewater News and Opinion Forum 
I tried, I really tried.
But it was so boring that I fell back on Netflix to watch. And I generally fond these things interesting.
I’m going to guess that by the 2nd hour, only those consumed by TDS were still watching.
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TDS?
Is that the affliction where your mind turns off rather than absorb truths about Trump that it does not want to know?
Seriously, did you know before last night that the Proud Boys numbered in the hundreds and that they deployed to the Capitol even before the President began his speech. I didn’t.
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There are none so blind than those who CHOOSE not to see.
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RE: “I’m going to guess that by the 2nd hour, only those consumed by TDS were still watching.”
The show was tough to watch. On top of being exceptionally boring, it was painful having to listen to so much empty flag-and-country rhetoric.
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“. . .empty flag-and-country rhetoric.”
Yeah, honest patriotism is so 20th century, so BT (before Trump).
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I didn’t see any honest patriotism in last night’s show, only partisan grandstanding. In fact, honest patriots lament the corruption of constitutional norms this sick circus represents.
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You are incensed by “so much empty flag-and-country rhetoric.” Not many people spoke, so who was the offender offering the offensive empty rhetoric? The black man from Mississippi – a Democrat? The white woman from Wyoming – A Republican? The Capitol Police Officer crushed by the Proud Boy stormtroopers? Surely not the British film maker.
Can you cite a single bit of such “empty flag-and-country rhetoric?”
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RE: “Can you cite a single bit of such ’empty flag-and-country rhetoric?'”
Sure. Two examples that come to mind: (a) Bennie Thompson’s lecture on the oath of office; (b) Officer Carolyn Edwards’ testimony about being “an American.”
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Well, thanks for being specific. Your perceptions and reactions are yours and come from deep within you. There is no arguing with them They are what they are.
I suppose that next you will be telling us that the honest patriots are the Proud Boys and the real hero is Ashli Babbitt?
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Arguing with your fantasies doesn’t interest me.
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Well, are the Proud Boys and other gangs the real Americans in your view? They themselves think they are.
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Honest patriots would be appalled at what is unraveling about 1/6.
As horrible as the actual violence was, and it was truly bad, the plotting and planning before (and after as we are learning every day.) was the real threat to America, it’s citizens, and our exceptionalism as expressed in a Constitution that the ex-president tried so hard to tear apart.
And he may have succeeded unless we come to a reckoning about what it means to be an American.
Watching the hearing it provided an outline of the results of the investigation with corroborating evidence and testimony coming in the next weeks.
I was reminded of Trump statement for the Proud Boys to “stand back and standby” during a debate and it became very clear that this was more than pablum for the gangs. It was an order.
An order the gangs were more than willing to carry out, and they did. Caches of arms were stored to complete the attack on Congress, but did not succeed evidently. More details to come.
Ironically, the 1/6 hearing is our first efforts at de-Nazification right here in America. And hopefully we will succeed.
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“I didn’t see any honest patriotism”…
Right. The police officers who testified to what happened to them are jack-booted thugs who deserved what they got.
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“Arguing with your fantasies doesn’t interest me.”
Nice dodge! But I will give you credit for having enough sense to not share your admiration for the Proud Boys and the “patriots” like Ashli Babbitt hunting down Mike Pence. Your choice to keep that to yourself is a step in the right direction.
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Oh dear, the word is out. TRUMP DID IT. Ha ha. This lame ass nonsense is nothing but a partisan predetermined outcome to feed the weak minds of left wingers who believe phones and selfies are suitable weapons for an “insurrection”. Non-liberal americans arent stupid like liberals think so this phony stunt will do nothing to dampen the GOP takeover of Congress come November but liberals can revel amongst your fellow minions anyway til then.
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What exactly did you find in Liz Cheney’s Joe Friday Nothing-But-the-Facts presentation to be “lame ass nonsense?” And, FWIIW, Liz Cheney is a “Non-liberal American.”
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How abt yawn, yawn, yawn. Everything proved nothing but sensationalized speculation. In this case, Liz is abt as liberal as one can get. Unfortunately some people like Liz have mental lapses so hope she gets well soon.
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“yawn, yawn, yawn.”
Well, thanks for your – as always – insightful comments.
I would add that this was equivalent to a prosecutor’s opening statement laying out the case that will be made. The detailed evidence of the crimes described will be presented in phases in the days ahead.
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Evidence of criminal activity is boring to those who support said activity. It’s how they deal with their own personal denial of those pesky little things called “facts.”
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Absolutely right – classic defense mechanism when the mind is under assault by unwanted truths – tuning out.
That is the common response among our “conservative” posters. . .
One switched to Netflix in the middle of a historic presentation.
One started to fall asleep – yawn, yawn, yawn
Another found it “exceptionally boring”
I am reminded of Jack Nicholson’s iconic line in “A Few Good Men.”
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Gee, is there going to be any rebuttal? Any at all or just doctored liberal nonsense to supporta predetermined outcome? I think we all know the answer. Its a bunch of twits holding a kangaroo court hoping for political gain. Pathetic really..
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“Gee, is there going to be any rebuttal”
You are confusing this public hearing with a trial. That will come later.
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“Unfortunately some people like Liz have mental lapses so hope she gets well soon.”
As a CONSERVATIVE, Liz is more like you than what you care to believe. Let us know when your mental lapses are healed.
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I bet if you kept a low profile you could have made off with some pretty cool souvenirs.
In some exurban man cave there’s an 18th century bust of George Washington being used as a paperweight.
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Boring? Yawn, yawn, yawn. Netflix. Seriously? I am so disappointed. I expected a better defense. Trump didn’t think it was boring. He took to his personal version of Twitter and ranted about how nothing was his fault, and the election was stolen, and he won, and the attack on the Capitol was all Nancy Pelosi’s fault. Don’t you guys keep up with your fearless leader anymore?
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“I am so disappointed.”
But are you surprised? You shouldn’t be.
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Trump said he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and his supporters would still be with him.
Trump fired a bullet into our nation on 1/6. It was planned, organized and executed by that man who tried to tear us down to soothe his fantasy image of himself.
But it is obvious that the cult following will ignore and excuse because they want a dictator. They want only the “right” people to vote. They want a state church.
They want an American Putin.
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“Trump said he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and his supporters would still be with him.
Trump fired a bullet into our nation on 1/6. It was planned, organized and executed by that man who tried to tear us down to soothe his fantasy image of himself.
Couldn’t have said it any better on my best day.
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A tip for the Trump followers here and elsewhere:
When you stop yelling “la, la, la, …” take your fingers out of your ears carefully so as not pop the eardrums.
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Here is a Libertarian’s take on yesterday’s hearing.
https://reason.com/2022/06/10/the-january-6-hearings-may-be-surprisingly-worthwhile/
And before anyone trues to attack her, here is her professional bio:
https://reason.com/people/elizabeth-nolan-brown/
There is more to the link then Ms. Nolan Brown’s commentary on last night. But most notably she offers an honest look at what was presented and how.
“The House select committee investigating January 6 put on a good show in its first public performance, teasing the major plot points Americans can expect to hear over the coming weeks and offering juicy glimpses of the evidence it has been gathering.”
Last night was an opening argument style presentation for the upcoming hearings. Based on what was presented, the spam could hit the fan pretty hard for some folks.
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Yes. In the words of Homer Simpson, “Borrrrrrrrring”. Lolol. An expensive, self-pleasuring, JOKE!
The Hobgoblins live.
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This hyper-partisan January 6 commission at best is a distraction from the abysmal Biden administration’s record and at worst an apocalyptic liberal cry for tons of prozac to quell the self destructive feeble liberal mind.
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OK, I’m convinced. The insurrection was as real as the COVID-19 epidemic and Biden’s election.
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“OK, I’m convinced . . .”
So, real then?
Just kidding, I know you are trying to make a short pithy shout-out to a couple of your favorite conspiracy theories. You should have included Russian-Trump collusion for a Trifecta.
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Once again you prove how much of a denialist you are.
The unicorns have called and it is time for you to go home.
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