Questions, Insurrection, Sedition and more

I just watched a Republican member of the House of Representatives say, "Rhetoric Has Consequences."

Truth,

There are many unanswered questions and let's begin with Howard Liebengood.  That is the name of the second member of the Capitol Police Force who has died in the wake of the events of last Wednesday.  There are reports that he took his own life.  Why?

His father, also named Howard Liebengood was formerly the U.S. Senate Sergeant-at-Arms.  He left that post and became an associate of Paul Manafort.  The same Paul Manafort who was pardoned by Donald Trump.  The same Paul Manafort whose firm Event Strategies that produced Trump's rally on January 6th.

Why didn't the Capitol police request support from the Department of Defense prior to the event?

Why did the Capitol police turn down offers of National Guard assistance?

Why did the FBI initially state they had no indication that violence was planned and then a story breaks that says they visited more than a dozen extremists after learning they planned to travel to D.C.?

There are reports that those who violated the law by breaking into the Capitol building had no problem finding the offices they were looking for.  It took only 11 minutes to get to the office of Nancy Pelosi.  The insurrectionists found their way to the office of House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn. It is an office that is not marked.  How did they know where to go?

Did the Capitol police move the barricades aside to allow the insurrectionists access to the grounds, as claimed by the New York Post, or did they retreat due to being outnumbered?

Why were some of them carrying zip-ties if they didn't plan to take hostages?

The man in the helmet is a retired U.S. Air Force pilot.  Larry Brock claimed he found the zip-ties there and was going to give them to police.  Sure he was.

Why did an Alabama man bring 11 firebombs, multiple guns and hundreds of rounds of ammo with him to D.C.?

Why did so many of these insurrectionists post their actions on social media?  Did they think they would be pardoned in the event their attempt at a coup failed?

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Why did the Capitol police refuse assistance prior to the break-in?  

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The investigation need to be thorough.  Everyone with a role in what happened needs to have their part in this tragedy examined in detail.  Congress can and should expel members who were involved.

Donald Trump needs to be impeached, even if the 25th Amendment is invoked.  This will cost him his pension, his Secret Service protection and most importantly; the ability to ever run for federal office again.

The Rapid Spread of Covid-19 - Part II

Aside from the fact it is an excellent information source (and good value), one of the reasons I keep my online subscription to the L.A. Times is the column written by Steve Lopez.  In his latest, he tells the story of a man who got Covid-19, apparently from a client who didn't bother to disclose that he'd tested positive.

The man who tested positive did say this: "I probably shouldn't have been in my office.  I made a mistake"

No shit Dick F'ing Tracy.  You put the lives of others at risk.

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Here in CA we are in the middle of a major surge in Covid-19.  As of this morning (January 2, 2021) 10,552 people have died of Covid-19 in Los Angeles County.  207 of them died on the first day of this year.

Dozens of people opposed to mask mandates forced their way into a Fairfax area market. One of them said, "we just want to shop, we just want to take our own precautions that we've been taking all our lives, and we'll be fine."  The problem with this is that there is no right to shop without a mask in someone else's store. If a store owner wants to require mask wearing, they have the absolute right to do so.

On New Year's Eve, an estimated 2,500 people (most of whom did not wear masks) went to an outdoor concert in Valencia.  Pardon me, a concert/protest, so it would appear to be legal.  

Meanwhile, L.A. Sheriffs broke up 5 different New Year's Eve parties where over 900 people were violating the safer-at-home order; making 90 arrests.

Tennessee state legislator David Byrd appears to be recovering after spending two weeks on a ventilator.  This past June he voted in favor of a TN House Resolution stating ""mainstream media has sensationalized the reporting on COVID-19 in the service of political agendas."  This past November he attended a Republican caucus meeting with nearly 70 other people, where masks were not required.

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Healthcare workers (although apparently few of them are physicians) are reportedly refusing to take the Covid-19 vaccine at rates between 20% and 40%.

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The fact of the matter is that until these people and many others who refuse to take this issue seriously, the death toll will go up and up.