The Reckoning
You could feel the ground shifting Wednesday afternoon. Something was different. Something had changed. Wherever this was going, there was no going back.
There would be consequences. Maybe not the kind we’d like, maybe not as soon as we’d like, but consequences nevertheless. Whatever the future was going to be, it would be something else now. The future would now be something that included this in the past.
The warnings had come true. Warnings for years, decades, generations. Warnings that if you kept looking the other way, kept letting things slide, kept letting them have their heads, kept moving on, this — this! — would happen.
And then it did.
This is what happens when there is no consequence. This is what happens when actions lack reaction. This is what happens when you create a world where anything goes, where excuses and reasons prevail for doing nothing, where civility is used to undermine civil society.
This is what happens when you don’t push back. The bullies just get more bold.
Wednesday afternoon, as our mind was racing to keep up with events, one consequence was clear: If you had not been opposed to all this, opposed from the start, you would be seen as part of it. You would be seen as a conspirator, at the very least an enabler. You let this happen. You didn’t speak up, speak out, speak against. You cheered them on. You should have known better.
2022, 2024, and beyond. You. You you you you you. That was the future that was changing that afternoon, a future where the result of the rhetoric was now clear for all to see, a future where the speakers would be held accountable for what they spoken. Not by everyone — that would be a fantasy — but by enough. You did this.
The mantle of Trump would no longer be something to seek, but something to avoid. The opportunists who had clambered aboard the train were already stampeding off, all of them the kid from the Charlottesville riot, running away and pulling off his identifying shirt when things got too hot. It was no longer a no-risk decision to join in, to cheer on from the podium. You might get blamed for this.
That much was clear Wednesday afternoon, as the Capitol Insurrection — the attempted coup we had been warned about — was taking place. That consequence was set. Other consequences were yet to be revealed. How many shoes would drop? Who would finally take this shit seriously?
We had thought this coming week would be about impeachment, Donald Trump’s second impeachment for actions taken against the Constitution of the United States. We had thought that would be the story, not just some backbenchers bitching, but Nancy and Chuck actually being pissed, taking action, not from political calculation, but from practical necessity.
We had thought that right up until the geeks stepped in.
Facebook, then Twitter, banned Trump from their services. Apple and Google removed Twitter alternative Parler from their app stoes. The killing blow came Saturday night, when Amazon told Parler to get the hell off its cloud. That was the guts of the operation: the database, file storage, programming. Poof! All gone.
Donald Trump, who had relished his follower count in the tens of millions only hours before, was suddenly a man without a megaphone. So were many of his minions, the lackeys and schemers. The geeks had settled all family business.
It’s all still playing out, and will for weeks to come. Weeks, months, years. Shit happened, shit changed, and now we’re seeing the reckoning, the reckoning for years of Trump, the reckoning for decades of conservative lies that led to Trump, that enabled his rise and secured his power for sake of advantage.
Bullshit is being called. Bullshitters are being called out. Where were you when it counted? Where were you when it mattered? What did you do during the war, not after it?
Insurrections Have Consequences, someone brighter than us said last week. It was all fun and games until somebody got hurt. And now there’s no going back.
The PGA is taking its 2022 championship elsewhere. That kind of reckoning. Whatever does or doesn’t happen with impeachment, shit’s going down.
I’ll pay serious $$$$ for the video footage of Miss Lindsay Gray-uhm hopping up on her desk and throwing pens and staples at the terrorists while squealing that she needs $300 to pay the taxes on Tara.
It’s painfully obvious that the Republinazis plan to greet Biden’s calls for unity with the Lincoln Special: Articles of Seccession and a bullet to the head. If he actually thinks that he can work with these illegitimate, lying, homicidal, treasonous fascists, then he’s even crazier than they are.
/seen online/ “Two questions: a. In what other country in the world could a leader mount an unsuccessful coup attempt (in which people died, BTW) and not be arrested or executed the following day? b. In what other country would they not only NOT punish that leader, but allow him to REMAIN IN POWER to try again during the time he has left?”
Whatever new national nightmare awaits us, we can feel confident knowing that it’ll be really fucking stupid.
Off duty cops and firemen from various locales ID’ed at Capitol Riot. Plot thickens.
I’m still unpacking my emotions from Wednesday. I have never been more terrified for my country. I was shaking watching the footage of the Black USCP officer, now identified as Eugene Goodman, all alone facing a mob of white supremacist fascists, and thinking so quickly to use his body as bait to lure the insurrectionists in the opposite direction of the Senate floor, where the entire line of succession and Congressional leaders still were. First fucking thing Biden needs to do on the 20th after taking the oath of office is to turn around on the dais and give that man the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
@ManchuCandidate: Well, of course it was a bunch of off-duty cops and military. They were focused as if they were on a mission, while the yahoos wearing horns and face paint were cannon fodder & designed to distract.
I’m getting into a tussle with an old friend from grad-school days who insists that “insurrection” is hyperbolic when it was just a riot that got out if hand. Reminds me of “it’s not really fascism because” shit. (Or the gag making the rounds about coup d’etat as champagne.)
And I’m thinking, y’know, besides him being wrong, I’m happy to have this remembered as the Capitol Insurrection, because a year from now, five years, ten, people will still need to be reminded what happens when you turn up the gas and light a match.
^^^GOPnazis facing consequences for the first time in their entire miserable lives^^^
They won’t stop. “It’s all fun and games until …” now forever, as someone getting hurt just took it to the next level for them. It was all just bitching planning and preparing their GI-cosplay fantasy. Then when faced with the Capitol doors they knew the world was watching, their blood boiled past playtime, and it was on. Now that they have the taste of that terror-power and its guilt they will be back. It validates all the subversion of any moral conflict that might remain in them, and exalts their righteous anger at the lost cause, which they know they have lost. But that loss will not stop them, and hasn’t for 155 years. This new failure and the blowback just adds to the grievance. They will be back.
I’ve been asking for years why Harvard Law and Yale Law keep churning out traitors like Cruz and Hawley trying to destroy the country from the inside. Still waiting for answers.
Now it’s come out that the cop beaten to death by the Tr666p terrorists was himself a Tr666pist all the way through that also wanted to overturn the election. I mean, wow, I can’t even with these psychotic morons.
@¡Andrew!: As an Oregon boy, I’ve never bought the allure of Harvard and Yale in the first place. I’m sure they’re fine institutions, places you’ll get an educational bang for your many bucks, but… that’s it. No mystique. (Note to self: “Mystinque” line of perfume.)
Then again, I was also raised post-JFK, post Best and the Brightest, so maybe that had something to do with it, too.
Stanford? Fun band. That was about it.
/$hitler’s Final Days/
Ooooooooh, the Republinazis are already trying to overthrow the government and murder us all. Better not impeach their Messiah, Prezinazi AntiChrist, or they’ll get reeeeeeallly maaaaadddd.
@¡Andrew!: And Mitch is seeing this as an opportunity for the party to divorce itself from Trump, as if such a thing is possible.
The party is Trump, and Trump is the party. Trump is every dogwhistle they’ve used for decades to seek and hold power, come to life. Trump is every lie, every bad-faith argument they’ve deployed.
They got their tax cuts and judges, but they can’t just discard him now that they’re through with him. He’s bigger than they are, even now, even yet. And there’s millions of Americans, both Trump and anti-Trump, who won’t let them forget.
Who could’ve known that four years of psycho-fascist Tr666p/Republinazi rule would result in mass death, the environment on fire, the economy in total shambles, and a near collapse of the United States government in a domestic terrorist attack except anyone with two brain cells to rub together.
@ nojo, Prezinazi AntiChrist is bigger than Jee-zus for the idolatrous, Evilungelical, Republinazi-voting Despicables. It looks like the GOPtanic is gonna violently split into the regular-crazy kleptocrats and the tongue-talking Tr666pnazi QBelievers. They’re all going down with the shithead.
Well glug glug–you love to see it!!!
My Rep (R) just voted to impeach. She has my vote next year. I hope the locals don’t try to run her out on a rail.
I hope someone has a BOLO for FBI Director Christopher Wray. He should’ve been sacked immediately for allowing the worst attack on our national Capitol in two centuries because the terrorists were screaming far-white Tr666p trash. Srsly—where the fuck is he???
@ JNOV,
Hunnie, no. Friends don’t let friends vote nazi.
Two impeachments… in a year.
Should have been 15 if Donnie Two Times were a regular pol.
Letting hundreds of thousands of people die of ‘Rona should have been enough.
Only a Trump.
@ Manchu,
It’s a sad day for America that this cruel, sociopathic, sleazeball con artist ever got installed in office, and that RepubliKKKans have redefined and perverted this nation’s failures on every level to be their successes.
Can’t wait to read the Bullshitico hawt take on how this is good news for Tr666p and that the Dems are playing right into his tiny hands.
@¡Andrew!: They’re going to primary her with a Nazi. There’s worse out there.
@¡Andrew!: I’m going to tell you about the time Ammon Bundy’s clowns came to town last December.
There’s a restaurant in Olympia (Thurston County) called Farm Boy Drive-in. I’m assuming by the name that you can drive and park, place your order in some sort of talk box, and someone, possibly on roller skates, will bring your food to you while you sit in your car. But I could be wrong.
Well, Farm Boy Drive-in and Spiffy’s in Morton (Lewis County) have been allowing people to come inside and sit down to eat. A judge said, “No. People can order, and they can pick up, but they can’t sit down and eat. And aren’t you a drive-in anyway, Farm Boy?”
Farm Boy said, “Poop on you.”
Our Lewis County Sheriff said, “Don’t be a sheep.” <– that is true
The poor health inspector said, "Er. They're sitting in there."
One of the yelling people doxxed the health inspector, and people protested outside their house.
Yesterday Farm Boy and Spiffy's had their day in court! Except Spiffy's was issued a continuance and is in Lewis County. But Farm Boy? The gavel of Thurston County justice said, "Nope. Not having it. You are in contempt of court, and, hey, aren't you a drive-in anyway?"
Now it's not like Ammon Bundy’s group, People’s Rights, aren't already here in spirit. We've got Patriot Prayer and the Three Percenters out there acting the fool, too.
~One in 34 people in Lewis County has been infected with Covid-19.
We're at about 33 cases per 100,000 residents. WA state is at about 25 cases per 100,000.
But people just gotta eat inside, ya know?
@¡Andrew!: She was on Air Force One with Shithead on the tour of the ahem wall. Was she licking his boots and begging him to resign?
@nojo: Yup! I like it when people vote with their wallets.
And that Charlottesville kid. Thanks for linking to that essay and video. Must be nice to try to code switch your way out of a crowd.
@¡Andrew!: And you have places like Boalt hiring John Yoo. That blew my mind.
SLS has our own fools like Peter Theil and Alex Karp.
This dude was either one or two years ahead of me. I don’t want to give his blog any traffic. I wish I could find the article about him trying to get people at the Stanford Post Office fired. He described one employee as having a pinky fingernail long enough to use as a coke spoon. Bummed that I can’t find most of it, but it was a decade ago.
So today I’m wondering: Is this it? Seems Mitch & Chuck could call the Senate into session if they both wanted to, but Mitch doesn’t feel like it. Are people, on the whole, cool with that? Waiting until after Inauguration to continue?
I’m happy to go with the Mood of the Country on this, but I don’t know what the mood is.
@ nojo, I hope that I live long enough to see this country’s government known for something better than decades of cruelty, insanity, stupidity, and shameless incompetence. It’s not looking good.
@ JNOV, I guess it’s a question of strategy in voting for the least worst choice. I’d still vote for the Democrat though, since there has to be some kind of impetus for improvement over Jaime Hellacious Buttgrabber. It really sux that Carolyn Long wasn’t elected; she would’ve been a great rep.
@JNOV, and the Boalt/John Yoo bromance has always mystified me. It speaks to a total void of ethics more than anything else. I can’t believe the UC Berkeley protestors ever gave that torturing fuckface a moment’s peace.
@nojo: Are they still talking about bifurcating the day with half dedicated to the trial and the other half going to legislating.
@¡Andrew!: I’ve voted for the D the last two times we’ve run one. Usually she’s unopposed. The thing is that the folks who have been harassing the poor food inspector, those trying to break into Inslee’s house are going to be paying a visit to her. And they’re going to run some Qanon looney who may very well win.
In 2012 I was called PNW smug because I voted for the socialist presidential candidate. I was just really fucking happy to no longer live in a swing state. Trust me – I’d rather vote for Long. Her campaign was also a shitshow. I couldn’t even volunteer because they never got back to me.
Unless a D with buckets loads of cash and who also appeals to neo Nazis runs for her seat, we could end up with our half literate Don’t Be A Sheep sheriff running.
@JNOV: Half-days are last I heard, but in our infinite timespan, that was ages ago.
@nojo: True. Did I miss anything? Besides Olympian NeoNazis?
@nojo: Tell me what you think about Sen. Lankford’s apology to his “Black friends” re: signing on to challenge the election.
I’ll look up the stats later (I’m supposed to be doing that work thing), but IIRC, there is a large minority population in OK. Besides Tulsa, there are a bunch of Rezes there as well as LatinX. Assuming minority populations turned out for a D, maybe he could be beaten in 2022.
@JNOV: Haven’t heard anything new, except that new Georgia senators may be sworn in before the trial starts.
Regarding Lankford: Nice White Boy me defers to informed opinion. Especially regarding Tulsa.
@JNOV:
Black Utahan claimed as Antifa except he’s basically an inept Proud Boy infiltrator.
@ManchuCandidate: Shut. Up. Link? I want to post it to the exmormon board.
@nojo: Heh. Oh – hey. They’re talking about the 1898 coup in Wilmington, NC. We think that’s why some of my ancestors on my father’s side came to Philly. We still have family there, and maybe a low-income housing development named for our Great Whatever Cousin a million times removed.
@ManchuCandidate: Thanks, Manchu :-)
@ManchuCandidate: Holy shit! They are a mess!
Re: NRA bankruptcy. Not a lawyer, but it sounds totally legal to launder Ru$$ian munnie and steal donations from stupid assholes, then just declare “bankruptcy,” and open up shop in a different state. Hope everyone enjoyed Infrastructure Week!
As the last person to see Hamilton, let me state that it was worth the wait.
FLYINGCHAINSAW • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! Sen. sENEMA has a career ahead of her in giving designer psychedelic enemas to trust-fund…
MANCHUCANDIDATE • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! @¡Andrew!: She thought three's company. Nope.
¡ANDREW! • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! Gawd hates SIN, specifically Kyrsten SINema.
¡ANDREW! • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! So long, Senatard Glitter-trash. I hope she knows how much everyone H8s her :0)
¡ANDREW! • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! The racist kleptocratic MSM is really gonna have to crank up the bread and circuses now that their…
FLYINGCHAINSAW • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! @¡Andrew!: Ted Kazinski Sec of Interior Only the DEAD are extreme enough to serve in DONNIE…
¡ANDREW! • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! @FlyingChainSaw: Department of Health & Human Services: Charles Manson Defense Secretary:…
FLYINGCHAINSAW • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! @¡Andrew!: Right, the administration's all star line up: Pres: Trump VP: Ted Kaczynski…
FLYINGCHAINSAW • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! @FlyingChainSaw: Actually, FDLE would be the first to admit it. The state banks on it with 'sue me…
¡ANDREW! • TRUMP: MACHINE GUNNING ORPHANAGES AND CONVENTS BY ME IS CONSTITUTIONAL AND SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME ERECT WITHOUT PHARMACEUTICAL ASSISTANCE! I cannot wait for the Republinazi MAGAt trash to DEMAND that $hitler be allowed to be president…