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With the courts and Congress now having moved, affirmatively and by default, towards confirming Joe Biden as America's 46th President, the Left — Democrats, the Mainstream Media, Hollywood, Academia — have less than a fortnight to disseminate Big Lies about President Donald Trump. The riot in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, January 6, afforded them such an opportunity, perhaps their last great chance during this first Trump presidential term. And so Big Lie #Infinity: Donald Trump incited an insurrection aimed at a coup.
It is a Lie. A Big Lie. And like all Big Lies, it nevertheless will continue, as has the Charlottesville Big Lie, as has the AOC Big Lie that the earth will end in exactly ten years. Such Big Lies continue until, somehow, they finally disappear.
The media are already spinning a narrative around the events in Washington DC. One that bears no resemblance to reality, does not hold up to any kind of scrutiny and will have massive, far-reaching consequences for all of us.
They're calling it "one of the darkest days in our nation's history", a day that will "live in infamy". It will likely be memed into a shorthand date - 1/6/21, like 9/11 and 7/7. It will be the day "American democracy was attacked and prevailed", the day the nation nearly fell to "fascists".
It will become just one more grand sweeping illusion upon which the teetering structures of US Imperial power are built.
Best of the Web: Worrisome signs the capitol breach was planned to discredit Trump supporters: An eyewitness account
According to the website "wildprotest.com," the original plan was to gather at the Whitehouse Ellipse from 9am to 12pm, then gather at the North lawn of the Capitol building at 1 pm. As you may well know, not only did it not happen this way, but the aforementioned website went blank. Did they take it down to make it harder for Trump supporters to show that storming the building was never part of the initial plan?
My group boarded a D.C. Metro train at 10:30am. Upon arrival to the next station, I saw three young white men board the train with dark clothes and skeleton face masks. My immediate concern was that these were Antifa thugs who would give us trouble as soon as they saw us get off the train with our signs. As I watched them from the corner of my eye, I noticed that one of them wore a cape with the American Revolution snake "Join or die." Were these Trump supporters? Something did not seem quite right. As the train approached our destination, other rally participants started to fill our coach and we arrived at the Ellipse with no incident.
Best of the Web: The purge begins: Trump permanently banned from Twitter, along with Flynn, Powell and others - Google/Apple give Parler ultimatum to comply
© Getty Images / ullstein bild Dtl.Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin
"After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence," the company announced in a blog post on Friday evening.
As the offending tweets that triggered the ban, Twitter cited Trump saying he would not go to the inauguration of Joe Biden, and that the 75 million American patriots who voted for him "will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!"
These tweets "must be read in the context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President's statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behavior from this account in recent weeks," Twitter said, saying they decided these messages amount to "glorification of violence."
Comment: Twitter will determine the context.
Trump's refusal to attend the inauguration "may also serve as encouragement to those potentially considering violent acts that the Inauguration would be a 'safe' target, as he will not be attending," Twitter said.
© Francois Walschaerts/Pool via REUTERSEuropean Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen holds a news conference on vaccine strategy in Brussels, Belgium, January 8, 2021
Speaking on Friday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU had ordered more than enough doses for everyone in the EU, as Brussels announced its purchase of another 300 million doses of the Pfizer jab.
Von der Leyen took the opportunity to warn member states against making their own side deals with vaccine producers.
Comment: These experimental vaccines, the majority of which needed to be pushed through under 'emergency' legislation, amount to the biggest and most dangerous experiment on humanity ever known: COVID Mass Vaccination Experiment: Prepare For The Worst With This Health Protocol
© REUTERS/Toby Melville; inset Pool via REUTERS / Tolga AkmenTrafalgar Square is seen amidst a COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in London
In Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1935 film adaptation of 'The 39 Steps', Richard Hannay (played by Robert Donat) tells seemingly 'respectable citizen' Professor Jordan (Godfrey Tearle) that the dastardly criminal mastermind he is after has the top joint of the little finger of his left hand missing. "Sure it's not this one?" says Prof Jordan, raising his right hand.
I thought of that famous scene on Monday when Boris Johnson made his latest 'address to the nation'. That we were going into a new national lockdown, so soon in the New Year, was absolutely unsurprising. In fact, in a tweet on December 18, I predicted the exact date (January 4) when Johnson would make his announcement.
Comment: RT reports on some of the latest, baseless, fearmongering coming out of the capital:
'Virus out of control': London mayor declares 'major incident' over rapid Covid-19 spreadThe UK is not struggling with coronavirus hospitalizations - even the official channels can't deny that - the NHS is struggling because of 20 years of budget cuts, staff shortages, and mismanagement by Pathocrats:A "major incident" has been declared in the UK capital over a surge in coronavirus numbers. Announcing the move, Mayor Sadiq Khan described the situation as "critical," admitting the viral spread "was out of control".© Global Look Press via ZUMA Press / Omar MarquesSadiq Khan
London is at serious risk of seeing its healthcare system completely overwhelmed by the flow of coronavirus patients, Khan warned on Friday, as he announced the drastic measure.
They've been screeching about the possibilitiy of overwhelmed hospitals for nearly a year now now but it never comes to pass.
Previous "major incidents" have been declared over large-scale emergencies, such as the Grenfell Tower fire or terrorist attacks at Westminster and London Bridges.
The coronavirus situation is already considerably worse than during the first wave of the pandemic, the mayor noted.
"The number of cases in London has increased rapidly, with more than a third more patients being treated in our hospitals now compared to the peak of the pandemic last April," Khan said in a statement.
April isn't flu season. And, even then, the NHS director said herself that those patients in hospital are in for other issues, some of them may have coronavirus, but that's not why they're there.
"The situation in London is now critical, with the spread of the virus out of control."
The city is expected to completely "run out of beds" within the next "couple of weeks," Khan warned, unless the accelerating spread is wrestled under control.
- NHS had 15% LESS patients this December compared to 2019 - Any crisis is due to budget cuts, staff shortages and excessive measures
- Scotland extends TOTAL lockdown into whole month of January despite no rise in hospital admissions
- BBC backtracks and admits children's wards are NOT seeing a surge in severe coronavirus admissions
© Unsplash / Nikita KarimovFILE PHOTO.
Amid a sea of worrying forecasts for the country over the course of the year, the NATO-affiliated Atlantic Council ended December by warning that "Russia is in retreat as the Soviet collapse continues." In a lengthy essay on challenges at home and abroad, it delved in depth into what it termed a "disastrous" period for the country, and for President Vladimir Putin personally. But, the rigidly anti-Moscow lobby group said, the torrid year "fit into a far broader pattern of Russian retreat dating back to 1991."
Over the summer, US state-run broadcaster Radio Free Europe had reported comments from Harvard political scientist Joseph Nye, who also insisted that the country is a "declining state," while admitting that it "has to be taken very seriously." This kind of posture has been dubbed 'Russophrenia' in the past - with the nation being cast both as a deadly villain and a basket case in the same breath.
© Boston GlobeUS President Donald Trump
There had been no indication Trump planned to attend, as up until late Thursday night he had refused to even acknowledge he would no longer be in office on Jan. 20. Advisers expect Trump will travel to Florida instead, and he is reportedly considering doing so a day before the inauguration so he can use Air Force One.
Vice President Pence is expected to attend the event in some capacity, a source said Thursday, though his office maintained he had not been formally invited. A spokesperson for the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies said that the outgoing president and vice president are never "formally invited" to the ceremonies. Sitting presidents have traditionally attended their successors' inaugurations as a display of support for the peaceful transfer of power.
Former President Obama and then-Vice President Biden both attended Trump's inauguration.
Comment: Blame conveniently laid, there is no mention in this article of infiltration by radical, non-Republican groups that instigated destruction and the violent reactions by law enforcement culminating in the death of a woman at the Capitol. The absence of a full and fair disclosure on the riot paints a far different picture than if assigned proper credit. There should be no doubt in any American's mind that these reports are calculated content to shape current events and be recorded as if it is true history. 'Stoking conspiracy'? Trump's warnings were justified because they were the truth.
See also:
- Capitol siege: Four vets give firsthand account on Thursday's protest at US Capitol
- Revenge of the Sith: Feds, media want blood, label Capitol Hill rioters domestic terrorists
- Trump denounces 'heinous attack' on US Capitol, says he is fully committed to 'smooth & orderly' transition
- Color Revolution In DC: Anti-Constitutional Coup Or Democratic Security Movement?
© UnknownUS President Donald Trump • Russian President Vladimir Putin
Under banners reading "Storm of the Capitol" and "Chaos in Washington", Russian state television showed rolling images of mobs of Donald Trump supporters breaking down barricades and swarming the Congress building on Wednesday, as security forces fired tear gas and police drew guns inside.
Congress formally certified Joe Biden as the next president despite the unrest, but many in Moscow said the stunning events had exposed America's democratic failings.
"The electoral system in the United States is archaic, it does not meet modern democratic standards... and the American media have become an instrument of political struggle," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Facebook. "This is largely the reason for the split in society now observed in the United States."
Moscow has long bristled at US criticism of the state of Russian democracy under President Vladimir Putin, accusing Washington of hypocrisy and condescension.
Comment: The rioting in DC has provided Moscow an opportunity to comment, given its quite remarkable restraint until now. Even so, it is fairly measured and conservative in content and observation.
Comment: Covid-19 was just the beginning. And Trump and his allies will not be the last to be completely blacklisted from the public square. Not by a long shot. Welcome to totalitarianism, 2021 style.
The current purge includes General Michael Flynn and Sidney Powell, whom NBC calls "high-profile supporters of President Donald Trump who promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory."
Meanwhile Biden has compared Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley to Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels.
Meanwhile:
UPDATE: Trump was able to make use of his @potus account temporarily, before his posts were immediately memory-holed.