A friend sends me this video, which it seems is making the rounds. It’s long (9+ minutes), and may come prefaced with a commercial (sorry about that), but it’s pretty good.
I wonder, however, whether it will reach its intended audience, and if it does whether it will persuade any of it?
I hope they throw the book at all the people who we think stormed the Capitol. And the people who egged them on. And I hope they get fair trials.
Do I have to explain how bad this is? No trials. No due process. Restrictions on freedom of movement on bare allegations. To the extent we limit it — this time — to persons believed engaged in armed trespass, or even just trespass to the Capitol, that’s different from making it purely political. But it’s moving in that direction. And, recall, that even insurrectionists are to be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The right to travel should not be infringed because someone somewhere who is not accountable puts you on some list that is next to impossible to get off. That applies to all citizens and permanent residents, whether the list-maker thinks you are someone who makes suspicious visits to Muslim-majority countries, whether you are accused but not convicted of a crime, or because they just don’t like you.
I would be OK with a travel restriction (‘don’t go near DC’) for out-of-towners as a condition of their bail after they were arrested and indicted. That’s done by a judge or magistrate, it’s public, and it’s publicly appealable. The no-fly-list is none of those things; there is an appeal process of sorts, but it’s totally opaque.
Update: Retired firefighter, comedian and Chuck Norris falsely accused of being Capitol rioters — this is why we have trials.
I’m sure it speaks badly for me, but I thought this, via Digby, was pretty funny:
‘QAnon Anonymous’: a support group for people addicted to insane conspiracy theories, including … wait for it … #WarOn2020 pic.twitter.com/OE5Hlz8tlH
— The Shovel (@TheShovel) December 17, 2020
For a more serious take, see today’s Krugman.
Washington Post reports that Trump is stiffing Rudy Giuliani on his (inflated?) legal fees after a falling out:
Trump has instructed aides not to pay Giuliani’s legal fees, two officials said, and has demanded that he personally approve any reimbursements for the expenses Giuliani incurred while traveling on the president’s behalf to challenge election results in key states. They said Trump has privately expressed concern with some of Giuliani’s moves and did not appreciate a demand from Giuliani for $20,000 a day in fees for his work attempting to overturn the election.
And why not? Rudy is of no further use at this point, and Trump always stiffs his creditors.
I’d seen a number of commentators mentioning that former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had given a strong statement relating to 1/6 [I like this referencing, it echoes 9/11] and its aftermath, but I only recently viewed it myself, and I think you have to actually see it to get how powerful it is:
Posting may be erratic in the next couple of weeks as I shall be enjoying one of the recent fruits of modern medicine. Nothing to do with COVID, I promise, except that the entire building I’ll be residing in has been closed to all visitors including family.
Apparently, during the first week after treatment I will be monitored for various possible and fairly common complications. And in the second week, I’ll still be monitored even though the chance of complications is then greatly diminished.
“Monitored,” by the way turns, out to be a euphemism for “attached via an unreasonably short cable to an electronic monitor the size of a small TV which is affixed to the wall.” When the doctor said I would be free to move around, I’d envisioned something more wireless.
Jotwell Blenderlaw Dan Froomkin’s Press Watch
