"Toontime: Minority Government by the Asset Trump

credit: K. Siers, Charlotte Observer

It is clear that the GOP is sticking with Brand X come hell or insurrection. What choice do they really have? The Q-Anon lady? The Missouri boy leader of the Sedition Caucus in the Senate? That is why the GOP House Minority Leader went to the 'anti-pope' in Palm Beach for marching orders this week.

Democrats should better use their Senate majority by passing fiscal legislation through the reconciliation process. Non-budget related items such as immigration reform and minimum federal election standards will take alteration of the filibuster rule that requires sixty votes to pass legislation. The structure of the Senate preserves minority rights without the rule, which was an ad hoc creation of Vice President and traitor, Aaron Burr. California’s 39 million residents get two senators in Washington--the same as Wyoming’s 579,000! As the state of play stands [see below], Democrats can muster no more than a handful of conservatives to support their progressive agenda. Joe may see himself as the 'great unifier' and inside-the-beltway player, but the divide between progressives and reactionaries has become too deep and wide for one mortal to cross, or even for a regular guy who drives a boss '67 Stingray. Warnock and Ossoff are not wrong--Democrats must deliver. (Biden to Georgia voters: checks "out the door immediately")

Meanwhile™ a new book publishes explosive allegations by a former KGB operative, Yuri Shvets, that American Fascist, Donald Trump, was cultivated as an espionage asset by the KGB for four decades! Shvets compared him to the infamous "Cambridge Five" who were recruited as students and who later rose to the top ranks of British civil service where they spied for the Soviets. Shvets was a KGB major who worked under cover in the United States as a foreign correspondent for TASS, the Soviet news agency (1985-87). He is now a US citizen and lives in Virginia. Killer first came to the attention of the Soviet spy service in 1977 when he married Czech model Ivanka, his first wife. He bought 200 television sets for his newly opened Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York from Semyon Kislin, a Soviet émigré who co-owned Joy-Lud electronics on Fifth Avenue. Shvets says Kislin was controlled by the KGB, and as an agency talent spotter, he identified Trump as a potential asset. In 1987 Trump and Ivanka visited the Soviet Union where the agency conducted a "charm offensive" in which Trump was encouraged to go into politics and was fed KGB talking points. The KGB had also conducted a personality analysis of Trump, so the agency was equipped to ingratiate itself with the American business promoter who is susceptible to flattery and is vulnerable psychologically. According to Shvets he was "the perfect target" for so-called KGB "active measures".

Shortly after Trump returned to the US, he began exploring entry into national politics, holding a rally in New Hampshire and taking a full page ad out in the New York times addressing allegedly weak US foreign policy. He asked why the US should be paying for the defense of NATO members that do not afford to defend themselves. The KGB in Moscow celebrated this ad as the fruit of a successful cultivation of their new asset. Center for American Progress Action Fund found the Trump campaign and transition team had at least 272 known contacts and at least 38 known meetings with Russia-linked operatives prior and during the 2016 election. The fact that Trump was actually elevated to the White House in 2016 was an unprecedented achievement in the eyes of Kremlin leaders. What happened next in the KGB's campaign to make Trump an asset is now, unfortunately for the Republic,history.

Wackydoodle asks: Is that the USS Kumbaya?

COTW: Pandemic 2.0

More: Winston of San Diego was treated with monoclonal antibodies and is recovering from COVID-19. So what? Well, Winston happens to be an endangered low-land gorilla living at the San Diego Zoo. Winston contracted COVID-19 probably from an asymptomatic keeper. He tested positive for the infection on January 11th. He and a few others in his troop are the first confirmed transmission of the virus by humans to great apes. The infection was identified as the California variant, which is highly contagious. This variant is thought responsible for the surge in California's cases at year's end. Because Winston is elderly, 48, veterinarians examined him under anesthesia. The doctors found he has heart disease and pneumonia. They administered heart medication, antibiotics, and monoclonal antibodies. Winston is recovering from his infection, as did the former wannabe dictator when treated with the antibody therapy. Winston's therapy came from a limited supply reserved for veterinarian use. Winston is considered to be one of the oldest breeding males in captivity and is the leader of his troop. He will be 49 on February 20th. Congratulations, Winston! {25.01.21}This microphotograph is from the Washington state patient identified as the first confirmed case of COVID-19. It clearly shows the SARS-CoV-2 viruses (in blue) A year later, the pathogen has killed almost half a million people in the United States. (~450,000), thanks in part to a pathologically irresponsible political regime. Meanwhile™, the virus is mutating to enhance its survivability by increasing transmissibility. Although two vaccines have been approved for emergency use, with more in process, the logistical problems of mass inoculations are increasingly apparent. Consequently, the virus is expected to kill more than half a million by summer. It is quite possible that SARS-CoV-2 will prove as deadly as the H1N1 virus of 1918 (650 million) before vaccinated immunity overwhelms it. Here are the stats on innoculation so far:

Whales and Puffins Increase

Two positive wildlife stories have appeared in the press. The first is that North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis), a critically endangered species living in the crowded eastern seaboard, have produced a bumper crop of offspring last year. Florida officials report fourteen new babies in the wintering grounds, with three born to first time mothers. Unfortunately the species suffered an unusual number of fatalities in 2017 with 32 confirmed deaths. Right whales suffer from human encroachment in their waters, often becoming entangled in disgarded fishing gear and collisions with speeding vessels. Records indicate a population of only 356 at the end of 2019.

Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica), a favorite among bird watchers and wildlife lovers because of their bright plumage and waddling walk, are enjoying an increased herring population on the Gulf of Maine coast. Herrings are the birds' favorite food. Herring fishing has been controlled by federal quotas that have allowed the population to increase in the last few years. The US catch fell from more than 200 million pounds in 2014 to less than 25 million pounds in 2019. New restrictions on the herring fishing industry come into effect in February including the prohibition of certain types of gear close inshore where the puffins feed. The puffins nest in the summer on islands such as Eastern Egg Rock off Maine’s mid-coast region, where they are a popular tourism draw. Puffin chicks are fed a steady diet of herring. Parents can often be seen carting several small fish in their beaks back to their nests during breeding season. Humans mostly use herring as a bait fish for lobster pots.

Murder on Fifth Avenue

Majority Leader Schumer announced today that Donald Trump's trial in the Senate will take place beginning the second week in February. That is a good thing because it will give both litigation teams more time to prepare. More evidence is coming out about the attempt of a deranged President, divorced from reality and immersed in his own narcissistic fantasy, to literally murder American democracy by overturning the results of a fair national election that dismissed him from office.

The New York Times is reporting today that his efforts to stay in power were more intense and widespread than previously known. Trump attempted to use the Department of Justice through an acting US Attorney General to pressure Georgia state officials into rejecting the election result in their state that made Joe Biden the winner. Even if the acting official in question complied with his demands, Georgia's sixteen electoral votes would not have been enough to reverse the decision, but if he were successful, it would have breached the system's credibility. That breech could have been exploited in other swing states, hopefully bringing the entire edifice of representative government crashing down around him, and potentially throwing the election into the House of Representatives where his party has a numerical edge in state delegations.

Trump and a DOJ lawyer heading its civil division named Jeffery Clark plotted--that is the accurate descriptor--to remove acting Attorney General Jeffery Rosen from office because he had refused to become involved in efforts to pressure Georgia state officials to cancel the election results favoring Biden. Rosen was summoned to the VWH by a desperate Trump the day after Attorney General Barr resigned. He wanted Rosen to file legal briefs supporting lawsuits brought by his allies alleging massive voter fraud. He also wanted Rosen to appoint special counsel to investigate alleged voter fraud and the voting machines provided by Dominion Voting Systems. Rosen refused. Rosen reiterated what his former boss Barr told Trump: there was no evidence of significant voter fraud. All of Trump's suits--more than sixty--were dismissed by courts across the land for lack of evidence or for procedural irregularities. Dominion is suing Trump's lawyers for defamation.

Trump wanted to fire Rosen and replace him with Clark. That did not happen. Department officials convened a conference call where they decided to tell the President that if he did that, they would all resign. Despite being rebuffed by Rosen and his collegues, Trump continued to insist the Department support his efforts to overturn the election by telephone and in person. Because of his intense pressure on Georgia officials, the US Attorney in Atlanta, B.J. Pak, abruptly resigned his office. It took repeated efforts by senior DOJ officials and a White House meeting akin to a scene from Trump's The Apprentice reality-TV show to convince the enraged president to not fire Rosen and replace him with Clark. Clark denies that he was involved in a plot to oust Rosen. Trump's fixation on the Georgia results defies rational behavior and exposes the depth of his psychopathology. What is worse, is that this incident, which was part of the BIG LIE that caused the January 6th Insurrection, may not be the only one in which an out of control chief executive attempted to take down the elected government. The nation has two weeks to find out.

'Toontime: Confronting Domestic Terror

credit: K. Siers, Charlotte Observer; BC Idonwanna sez: He king of monsters!

 

Hopefully, disingenuous partisan calls for "unity" will give way to accountability and rule of law in the new Congress. Senate supporters of the late, ersatz dictator will get their chance to express themselves when they vote on his guilt. Senator Sanders, now chairman of the Senate Budget Committee has asked that Biden's rescue legislation be put to a vote through the budget reconciliation process, which requires only a simple majority. US Person supports this process, although he would prefer the Senate eliminate or heavily modify the current filibuster rule, such as reinstating the "previous question" motion present in its original rule book.  The reconciliation method will allow the administration to avoid the obstructionist "little group of willful men" and allow a handful of moderate Repugnants to support Biden's progressive legislation.*

The Dream shall never die...

 

*Given the dire state of the nation there is no time to waste searching for bipartisanship that is not there. How can the Senate credibly call itself the "world's greatest deliberative body" when a single Senator can object to a bill coming to the floor for a vote using an informal process called a "legislative hold". Serious attention needs to be paid to reforming Senate processes if this nation is to have an effective federal government. Rule by executive fiat is an unsatisfactory substitute for legislative action.

Trump Power Plant Rule Struck Down

Newly inaugurated President Joe Biden took executive action today to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord, as promised during his campaign. The executive order takes effect after a thirty-day notice period expires.  Governments around the world deplored the move by Trump to take the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases out of the international agreement that took years of dedicated diplomacy to reach.  President Biden is set to revoke the border crossing permit of the Keystone XL pipeline that was designed to carry  Alberta tar sands south to US refineries from Canada.  He is also expected to issue a flurry of orders reversing, where legally possible, environmental protection rollbacks instituted by the extraction friendly regime that ended today.

{19.01.21}The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia rejected Trump's Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule intended to replace and weaken his predecessor's clean power plan. His rejected plan would have only lowered power plant emissions by an estimated 11 million tons or less than one percent compared to the 32% reduction called for under the previous plan, which never took effect due to lawsuits by Repugnant attorneys general.

The decision on the last full day of his chaotic term is significant because power plant emissions are the second largest contributor to greenhouse gases warming the plant and causing global climate change. The incoming administration of Joe Biden will have a clean slate to regulate these emissioins that the conservative Supreme Court decided the EPA has the authority to do so under the Clean Air Act (Massachusettes vs. EPA, 2007) The appeals court said the ACE law was based on a fundamental misreading of the Clear Air Act. No surprise there, as political influence always overruled science and even fact during Trump's regime. Trump's ACE law was worse than no regulation at all because it gave incentives to burn more fossil fuels. One study found that the ACE rule would cause model coal plants to spew 28 percent more carbon dioxide by 2030. EPA assessed that extra pollution could cause between 460 and 1400 additional deaths by 2030, while making respiratory illnesses like asthma worse. ACE was but a part of a broader effort to eliminate or relax environmental protection laws during his tenure in office. Significantly, he withdrew the US from the historic Paris climate accord, a deciosion Biden has pledged to reverse.

Trump, The Fascist?

OK, US Person does not want to get embroiled in a nit-picking academic argument over whether to describe Trump's homegrown brand of white nationalist authoritarianism, fascism. Some historians and political  scientists are balking at the use of that term. Certainly Trumpism lacks the characteristics of European, historical fascism. Trumpism is not truly revolutionary like Mussolini's replacement of constitutional monarchy, nor has it utilized a paramilitary arm like Hitler's "brown army" to take down an enfeebled, elected government. Killer's supporters are more of a riotous mob who see themselves as restoring elected government--"stop the steal"--not overthrowing it. Killer did not cancel any elections while in power, unlike Hitler and Mussolini who consolidated their totalitarianism.

Regardless of the scholarly distinctions, the current system of politics in America is perilous because it is under attack by right-wing extremists who embrace white supremacy and national rebirth, as in "Make America Great Again". Roger Griffin, an Oxford University professor of history who writes on fascism, defines the term as "a genus of political ideology whose mythic core in its various permutations is a palingenetic* form of populist ultra-nationalism." Trumpism seems to qualify as a species of fascism under that definition since it is an extreme, popular nationalist movement embedded in typical American white supremacy, which has coursed through the veins of this Republic since its founding. Griffin, however disagrees that fascism can accurately be applied to Trumpism while slamming the bona fides of its ersatz Dear Leader. He writes, “Trump is far too pathologically incoherent and intellectually challenged to be a fascist, and suffers from both Attention Deficiency Disorder, lack of self-knowledge, capacity for denial, narcissism and sheer ignorance and lack of either culture or education to a degree that precludes the Machiavellian intelligence and voracious curiosity about and knowledge about contemporary history and politics needed to seize power in the manner of Mussolini and Hitler.” Wow! Killer cannot be a true fascist according to Griffin because a), he is too stupid; or b), suffers from severe personality defects that prevent him from being an effective fascist leader in the mold of Hitler. His carnival midway mob may be a loose collection of deranged racists, but they wanted to hang the Vice President and kill the Speaker of the House. And they are armed to the teeth.  We move on at our peril until there is a reckoning with our history.

So, if according to modern theorists, we cannot accurately call Killer a fascist in its historical sense, what category of politico is he? US Person is comfortable with "neo-fascist" or "modern fascist" to distinguish him from previous, truly revolutionary fascists of history. Killer has not founded a political party. Motivated primarily by corrupt self-interest, he was simply content with overtaking a degenerate political party already part of the crumbling establishment. But his movement is authoritarian to the core; it only pays lip service to constitutional norms. Thus, he tells an elected Georgia secretary of state to "find the votes" to overturn a fair election result. He does not possess a paramilitary or intelligence apparatus pledged to his personal leadership, but he is supported by an admix of armed, racist militias and extreme conspiracy theorists ready to heed his fabulous calls to direct action. We all saw that on January 6th; such plotting has happened in this country's past. The Capitol Insurrection was as pure an autogolpe as ever been seen in the United States, and worthy of any dictator on the planet. Calling Killer the "F" word is NOT alarmist because he does represent a clear danger to constitutional government and the security of the Republic, just as Mussolini and Hitler did to their nations almost a hundred years ago. Too bad that the liberals and academics of those times did not stop their rise to power when they had the chance. The rest is history.

*palingenetic = rebirthing. Racism was not an official feature of Italian fascism until 1938 when Mussolini adopted the Manifesto of Race.  He was concerned with the "white race" being overtaken by non-whites as early as 1919. He also expressed concern with the low birth rate of whites in Italy during the Depression claiming, "the white race is sickly", "morally and physically in ruin", and that, in combination with the "progress in numbers and in expansion of yellow and black races, the civilization of the white man is destined to perish." It was Hitler who took white supremacy and racial purity to its apex through genocide in Europe.

photo credits: GettyImages

'Toontime: Rule of Law

US PERSON needs to clarify thinking about what happened at the Capitol on January 6th. Language matters, especially in matters of national import. There is a difference between the dictionary definition of the word, "sedition", and the federal criminal offense of "seditious conspiracy". Under the dictionary definition of the word sedition, which Webster has as, "incitement of resistance to or insurrection against lawful authority", Killer was out of bounds of acceptable, protected speech during his January 6th rally rant, opinions of celebrity law professors notwithstanding. Several insurrectionists have already admitted they were inspired by his call to action, and even felt "invited" by Dear Leader to storm the Capitol while a joint session was in progress to ratify the election. It is the dictionary sense US employed in his contemporary post headline. This definition is equivalent to the words used in the House to impeach Killer two times, "incitement to insurrection". The House authors chose not to use the word sedition because it could easily be confused with the criminal code definition of the word.

Seditious conspiracy under 18 USC 2384 requires an agreement between two or more persons to use force to "....delay the execution of any law of the United States" Whether there is admissible evidence of an agreement to forcefully act among the piles of electronic messages, witness statements, and video footage remains to be seen. Certainly from what the public knows now, it appears that such an agreement exists and is widespread among the extremists, and who may have even been supported by sympathetic lawmakers. Democrats must move quickly towards a Senate trial if they hope to convict Killer of his high crime before the outrage among senators dissipates and partisan retrenchment begins.

credit: K. Siers, Charlotte Observe;, Wackydoodle sez: American carnage, you bet'cha!

US COVID Deaths (est.):  410,762

*Crimes of sedition have a long and complex history in the United States going back to 1798 and the Adams administration. The Alien and Sedition Act was eventually passed by a federalist Congress, but was not popular. Under the broad terms of this Act, which basically made it a crime to criticize the federal government, twenty Democratic-Republican newspaper editors were charged and some imprisoned. Since judicial review by the Supreme Court had not yet been invented by Chief Justice Marshall, opposition to the laws centered in the states. Notably Virginia and Kentucky passed laws to reject the federal statute. The statue was allowed to expire when Jefferson came into power. However, parts of it were still inforce at the time of WWII (Alien Enemies Act) and were used to imprison suspected "dangerous enemy aliens". 

In 1918 Congress passed the Sedition Act that was orchestrated by Wilson's reactionary attorney general, A. Mitchel Palmer. He was also responsible for the infamous "Palmer Raids" directed at pacifists, socialists, and anti-war activists. Wilson consider the law crucial to the war effort. The most famous prosecution under this act, which prohibited speech interfering with the war effort, was the conviction of Eugene Debs, a prominent socialist labor leader and pacifist. His conviction for violating the act was upheld by the Supreme Court, but his sentence commuted when the law was repealed in 1921.

The law prohibiting seditious conspiracies has its roots in the Civil War. It makes conspiracies to use force to overthrow or interfere with the government of the US a felony. The most prominent prosecutions under this law were against Puerto Rican nationalists. The first was Pedro Albizu Campos, who along with nine accomplices, were convicted in 1937 and sentenced to ten years imprisonment. Other cases against Puerto Rican nationalists followed including one in 1954 against Lolita Lebron and three others. They shot thirty pistol rounds into the House chamber from the gallery, wounding five legislators. Given long prison sentences, Jimmy Carter commuted their sentences in 1978 and 1979. They returned to Puerto Rico. 

In 2010 nine members of a militia group known at the "Hutaree" were charged with seditious conspiracy in an effort to kill law enforcement officers. They were acquitted by a judge in 2012, due to insufficient evidence. Given the history of sedition prosecutions against leftists, aliens, and minorities, it is remarkable that charges of sedition are being considered by the Department of Justice for the right-wing insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol at the invitation of the President.

Our Rivers are Dying

Scientist tell us that we can determine the state of a waterway by its color. Color is closely linked to water quality, indicating the amount of dissolved carbon, pollution, sediment and algae. The bad news is that 56% of the rivers observed by satelite (67,000 miles) have turned from a healthy blue color to green or yellow according to a study published in Geophysical Research Letters. Only 6% were found to be blue. 55% of the rivers did not exhibit an long term trend in color change. Steady color change was found mostly in the central US and lower Mississippi River Basin. [see chart].

Scientists are not sure about explanations for the color shifts.  They point out that rivers and lakes connected by water projects become sediment traps and promote the growth of algae which in turn reduces oxygen levels in the water bodies. Among rivers within the top 25 percentile of rates (for example, faster rates of change), 45% are near a dam (< 25 km upstream or downstream) and 22% are located within urban areas. Among rivers within the bottom 25 percentile of rates, only 12% are near a dam and 7% within urban areas. They also suggest that climate changes plays a role as rivers flow through regions of increased aridity. They elaborate on their findings, “Fragmentation and transitions in color along rivers are important because the color is likely linked to ecological function. The observed spatial patterns in color may be indicative of primary productivity regimes, suspended sediment, as well as light availability for photo-degradation.” 

No Home For You!

Killer's vengeance knows no bounds--even innocent wildlife is subjected to his wrath! His minions at the Fish and Wildlife Service decided to slash millions of forest acres from protection for the threatened spotted owl which is loosing population at four percent a year. The tiny owl has become the bête noir of the timber industry after the federal government halted logging in millions of acres of old growth forests when the bird was protected in 1990. The owl prefers to nest in old-growth Douglas firs that are valuable for their wood. The decision to reduce habitat protection by more than a third in the last days of the regime is seen by conservationists as a parting gift to timber interests that supported the worst president in US history. The 3.4 million acres (1.4 million hectares) removed from federal protections Wednesday includes all (>2 million acres) of Oregon’s so-called O&C lands, which spread over eighteen counties in western Oregon. Timber interests say the decision will right an economic wrong done to rural communities that depend on the timber industry. The decision will take effect in sixty days, if not reversed

More Lies at the Border

After the failure of his autogolpe on January 6th, Killer went to the border yesterday to spew more lies and claims of victory, but as usual the facts dispell his lies. The chart here shows that detentions doubled over 2018, but the drop in detentions is attributed to the pandemic, not the wall:

Another fact is that the barrier is far from complete, sea to sea. [map below] His regime only managed to complete 80 miles of new barrier where none existed before. The rest of the $15 billion he has spent has gone toward upgrading existing barriers extending approximately 450 miles. Mexico did not pay a dime for his wall, despite his promises that 'Mexico would pay for it." In fact Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto told Killer to get lost, in polite terms of course. As critics have said the wall is mostly a wasteful PR stunt intended to satisfy his nativist supporters, not solve the problem of illegal immigration. Biden has said his administration would not continue erecting barriers, but what will be done with existing construction contracts is not yet clear. Cancellations could cost the governement additional millions.

COTW: The Corona Intersection

This chart is posted for readers who are Venn fans or have a little German at their command:

Some people say that if you wear a red hat with MAGA lettered on it, you will be fine, but this chart indicates more death to come:

The US set a record for COVID daily deaths on Tuesday at 4,327 says John Hopkins University.

US COVID DEATHS (est.): 399,645

 

Stunning Video of the Insurrection in Progress

Perhaps the best video of the Insurrection of January 6th was taken by a foreign news service, Britain's ITN. It shows the anger, victimization, and delusion motivating the mob, detailed with interviews of maskless rioters. [Warning: the killing of a rioter by a Capitol police officer is shown] Killer's incendiary speech on the Ellipse prior to the armed assault on the Capitol is excerpted where he lies that this election was, "stolen by embolden, radical left Democrats", and "We will never give up, we will never concede". The video link is posted here for more widespread attention from the FBI and Congresspersons as they move to consider his impeachment for sedition: https://youtu.be/UBp42536IhE

US Person wants to know: do you still think it a good idea to have personalized the 2nd Amendment? (US v. Heller 2008) Capitol police have informed House Democrats on Monday that right-wing extremists are planning the "largest armed protest ever to take place on American soil" in the coming days in Washington. Censure of the insane person occupying the VWH while formeting rebellion is not nearly enough.

'Toontime: Carpe Momentum

credit: Ed Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune

There is nothing humorous about the insurrection that took place on January 6, 2021 as Congress convened to count and ratify the Electoral College votes. Five died in the chaos, and it is a miracle more were not injured or killed given the expressed intent by some anarchists to do harm to legislators. Several rioters were armed and tactically equipped. Whether some on the Capitol Police force were sympathetic to the rioters is an open question given disturbing videos of police standing down and taking "selfies" with the insurrectionists.

It is gratifying to know that the US House of Representatives is prepared to act immediately to impeach Killer again. Arguments that there is not enough time for the process, or that another resolution would be divisive are irrelevant and specious. He must be called to account for his dangerous and undemocratic incitement of a violent, anti-democratic mob to attack the Capitol building. There is historical precedent for an impeachment trial after a public official leaves office. Grant's Secretary of War, William Belknap, tearfully handed in his resignation before the House could complete its impeachment process. Nevertheless, his trial in the Senate took place anyway; he was acquitted because the Senate failed to reach a two-thirds majority supporting conviction. That result may reoccur, but the possibility of acquittal is not a reason to allow a president to destroy republican government with digital impunity.

Impeachment is all the more necessary because it is clear the Vice President is not willing to invoke the 25th Amendment, and Killer's public expression of intent to again seek office in 2024. Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment holds that any official having taken the oath to defend the Constitution, who then aids insurrection, shall not be eligible for public office. This bar needs to be applied to Dear Leader for the survival of the Republic. He cannot pardon himself out of an impeachment conviction. The House can act quickly, using a privileged resolution to bring a bill of impeachment directly to the floor for a majority vote. Keep it simple*, and do it now, before it is too late.

credit: Adam Zyglis, Buffalo News; Wackydoodle sez: Fight Like Hell!

*Only two articles come immediately to mind: incitement to insurrection (sedition) and solicitation of electoral fraud. The latter being the telephone call to Georgia's Repugnant Secretary of State demanding he "find the votes" to overturn a fair and free election in that state.

 

gallows on the Mall....

 

Sacrifice of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Update: The sale of oil leases in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge was a failure according to most accounts. The total high bids was only $14 million for eleven tracts of land covering 600,000 acres of the Refuge. “This lease sale was an epic failure for the Trump administration and the Alaska congressional delegation,” said Adam Kolton, executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League. “After years of promising a revenue and jobs bonanza they ended up throwing a party for themselves, with the state being one of the only bidders.” Pro-extraction forces argued the sale could bring $900 million with half going to Alaska. The state's own development corporation, in the absence of competitive bidders, spent $12 million. Big oil steered clear of the sale, knowing the immense public opposition to development of the Refuge, the current glut of oil on the market, and the high costs of drilling in the far north. Only two smaller companies placed bids. The incoming Biden Administration now faces the task of invalidating the leases obtained by the state of Alaska and the two private bidders.

{5.01.21}The deranged occupant of the VWH executed a last FU to environmentalists by holding an ANWR oil lease auction on Wednesday, the same day the Electoral College determines he is a former occupant. Advocates for protecting one of the last pristine wildernesses in the United States can only hope that the current glut of oil and low prices will discourage oil companies from bidding on the offered leases. Fracking has made the US a net exporter of oil and gas. But the industry has pushed for the exploitation of the reserve since it was created by Dwight Eisenhower in 1960s. Oil executives see red when they see wilderness roped off from their rentless exploitation as they struggle for ever greater profit.

Home to polar bears and caribou, the native people, the Gwich’in, have fought to protect ANWR and its wildlife. With their conservation allies, they were successful for decades, but a succession of pro-industry regimes in Washington was the undoing of the lock against exploitation and inevitable degradation of the Arctic Plain habitat.[photo: UK Guardian] Biologists think oil and gas development will result in displacement of wildlife. A former state biologist said, “It’s the core of the Porcupine caribou herd calving area. It’s the major onshore denning place for polar bears in the Beaufort Sea, which is becoming more and more important as the sea ice disappears.” Invalidating any leases obtained by oil companies or the state will be problematic for the incoming Biden administration, if they even attempt to take action to undo the damage done. Two former governors of Alaska encouraged the state to bid for unwanted tracts. A state owned development corporation responded to their call by authorizing up to $20 million in bids.

In another significant eleventh-hour blow to conservation, the regime announced it will promulgate rule changes under the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act on Thursday that will allow resource companies and landowners to excape penalties for unintentiional killings of protected birds. The regime claimed the new rules are a return to the original intent of the Act. The MBTA played a significant role in assessing liabiity against British Petroleum for the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The company plead guilty to violating the Act and paid $100 million for habitat restoration as part of the settlement with the government. The Fish and Wildlife Service's own impact assessment of the rule change stated, "Fewer entities would likely implement best practices...resulting in increased bird mortality," Noah Greenwald, endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said it would seek court relief from the "reckless attack on one of America's oldest and most important conservation laws." Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md) issued a statement saying he would work with the Biden administration to swiftly reverse relaxation of penalties under the MBTA.

SEDITION!

Both Democratic leaders of Congress have called for the insurrectionist president to be impeached or removed pursuant to the 25th Amendment. Whether either of these processes can succeed in the next thirteen days of his term is problematic. Both require cooperation from a political party that up until now has acted as an enabling institution under control of a would-be dictator. US Person thinks the attempt to remove him should be made, not only to insure the nation's safety, but as a demonstration to right-wing extremists who follow him that they will not succeed in resting control of government away from popularly elected officials. The “criminal, cruel and traitorous” Dear Leader may soon fade into the lunatic fringe, but the fascistic strain of white supremacy ideology, which can be traced to the founding of this nation and its accommodation of slavery, will NOT.

{06.01.21} MAGAists are inside the US Capitol Building where a joint session of Congress to certify the election results has recessed. Vice President Pence evacuated from Senate floor. Congress has also evacuated. Violent, armed confrontations have occurred between police and mob attempting to overthrow the US government. Tear gas used in rotunda; congresspersons issued gas masks. District-wide curfew imposed beginning at 6pm. Insurrectionists encouraged by their deranged leader at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW to storm the seat of government!

The apologies have already begun for the chaos that descended upon the US Capitol. THERE ARE NO EXCUSES FOR THE OUTRAGEOUS LIES OF DONALD TRUMP! Before the eyes and ears of the entire nation he has instigated, incited, and supported armed insurrection against a legitimate United States government. Trump told the nation that he would not accept the results of an election if he lost before a single ballot was counted on election day. Blood has now been spilled on the Capitol grounds*. THIS IS NOT POLITICAL SPEECH, THIS IS CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR! The repugnant political party that voted against his impeachment bears partial responsibility for this embarrassing riot, which was repeatedly warned against by informed observers. IT DID NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN, but for a partisan reluctance to impose accountability on Donald Trump! [credit: Getty Images]

He has repeatedly demonstrated he is unfit for public office. When will he answer for his malfeasance? This national nightmare will not end until he is barred from ever holding public office again. US Person asks for police restraint as officers work to restore order at the Capitol.

BC Idonwanna sez: Impeach him two times!

 

*Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt of San Diego, was fatally shot by a Capitol police officer.  Another woman was crushed to death in the mob forcing illegal entrance to the House Chamber. A police officer died of his injuries after he was hit in the head by a fire extinguisher.

COTW: World Domination Versus Looney Toons®

Trumpeters do not like foreign aid. In fact one of the proclaimed reasons for opposing NDAA was to reduce the money given to foreign governments. Perhaps this chart will give pause to those neo-isolationists:

China is spending large sums for infrastructure around the globe. With such projects located in developing countries comes influence in those countries affairs. The African continent is a prominent recipient, since it is rich in natural resources China needs. 

Meanwhile®, the desperate radical at the VWH continues to shock and amaze with another recorded phone call seeking to illegally influence an election result. Clearly, he considers himself above the law, emboldened by acquittal in the Senate and a craven caucus of unpatriotic office holders sworn to uphold the Constitution, willing to enable his authoritarian fantasies for perceived political advantage. Their coup will fail just as Pickett's Charge did at Gettysburg, but the Tangerine Menace will not recede until he is held accountable for his crimes, state and federal:

also a crime under Georgia statues....

The lunacy of Tyrant Trump is scary....and criminal:

 

Musical Tribute to 2020

The annus horriblus 2020 is thankfully over. We have lost many significant contributors, including songwriter John Prine, this plague year--Chuck Yeager, Pierre Cardin, Kobe Bryant, Ruth Ginsberg--to name a few. Dire straits lie ahead, quoting the song, "to believe in this living is just a hard way to go." May we all find an angel in our lives....