Category Archives: Video

The January 6 Video Tapes

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Republicans are having hysterical conniption fits about the thousands of hours of January 6 security tapes recently released. They seem to have three main claims:

    1. The FBI infiltrated the mob that desecrated the Capitol [https://tinyurl.com/56ydb6hf], and
    2. The Capitol Police welcomed the mob and facilitated their entry into the Capitol, and
    3. The Capitol Police and others defending the Capitol were mean to the desecrators attacking them – they “beat them” bigly, according to, among others, Donald Trump

I have a few observations to offer those Republicans.

First, regarding the FBI, if it’s true that there were many FBI agents on the scene, wonderful. That means they expected trouble and when it came, they were on the scene doing their job. Now, to be sure, I don’t know whether the tapes actually establish that FBI agents were in the mob, or how the tapes could possibly do so, but the FBI certainly should have been there. The claim is there were at least 200, but all of this appears to be based on an unverified suspicion, without evidence, that FBI agents sent “ghost buses” full of agents dressed as Trump supporters, that the FBI “infiltrated” websites, social media accounts, and online chat groups “related to people who discussed “objections to COVID oppression.” Further, again without evidence,

when you track the text threads and the communications within those groups, and find the origins of suggestions of potential violence or an act of occupation of the Capitol on January 6, you’ll find that those messages were led by members of the groups and ended up to be the FBI agents that had infiltrated the group.

These are the ravings of Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) in a private “news” site under the name, American Military News, reporting on an interview Higgins gave to Newsmax, a cable news outlet so far right it fell off the flat earth. They ignore entirely the speech Trump gave on January 6 and his thoroughly documented refusal to call off the mob and stop the violence. Many of the convicted desecrators testified they believed they were simply answering the call and direction of their leader, Donald Trump, whose every word they believed.

Second, the Day of Rage video from the New York Times (https://tinyurl.com/242urbtu) and many others make clear that the attack started at the outer perimeter of the Capitol, that the mob attacked and overwhelmed the under-staffed and under-prepared Capitol Police before they approached, entered and desecrated the Capitol building.

Third, there are indications of Capitol Police, in most cases individuals facing massive numbers of violent intruders, failing to fight the mob inside the building. To the extent those officers failed to do their duty, they should be appropriately disciplined. But it’s likely that they decided resistance at that point was futile and that a more passive approach might be more effective than fighting a losing battle against an overwhelming and angry mob. This issue has, I believe, been addressed within the force, as it should be. It is no excuse for the behavior of the mob. The Republican claim amounts to, “the attack was the police’s fault because they didn’t fight back hard enough.”

Fourth, every member of the mob had the option at almost any time to turn around and walk away. The excuse of “I was swept up in the passion of the moment” is a child’s excuse. Any thinking adult could have seen the obvious: the mob was out of control, violence was occurring everywhere, police were being attacked (“support the Blue? Sure, but not today). Note also the conflict between “the Capitol Police welcomed the intruders” and “the Capitol Police violently beat the intruders.” I have commented before on the ability of Republicans to believe as simultaneously true two inconsistent concepts.

Fifth, the Republican hysteria fails to account for the role of the Proud Boys and other right-wing groups, many of whom were armed (Trump knew this and was furious that his instruction to remove the security apparatus to keep armed people away from his speech stage) and the massive evidence of what actually happened on January 6.

Sixth, and finally, the multitude of convictions resulting from trials and guilty pleas by mob participants so far (“More than 1,202 defendants have been charged in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia”), are conclusive evidence that many violent crimes were committed by the mob. You can see the latest data here: https://tinyurl.com/yry4jn2t

So, Republicans, you can continue whining about how the big bad police beat up on your band of fools or you could try, just once, facing reality. Trump incited an insurrection to overturn the 2020 election. Those who attacked the Capitol on his behalf deserve everything that is happening to them. And Trump belongs in prison. The End.

Everyone Should Watch This

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 I recently decided that I had to cull my old emails. There are more than 9,000 in my inbox alone. Many remain from the horrors of the pandemic in New York City. I accumulated them with the idea that, at some point, I would find time and inspiration to write about them. I still aspire to do that, but realistically it seems improbable.

In any case, in the course of reviewing them, and deleting as many as possible, I came across this: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/aocs-speech-about-ted-yohos-apology-was-a-comeback-for-the-ages/2020/07/23/524e689a-cb90-11ea-91f1-28aca4d833a0_story.html?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most

I don’t recall many things about our year in the epicenter of the COVID pandemic and I do not recall watching this. But I watched it today. Standing alone, it is remarkable in many ways. But it doesn’t stand alone. It is an exemplar, I believe, of the core problem that faces our country and indeed the world. That problem, our curse as a species, is the dehumanization of the “other” with whom I/you/we disagree about something/many things/everything. It is the problem that Donald Trump did not create but that he authenticated, that he promoted, that he legitimized in the minds of many.

AOC, you will observe, was not reading a speech, not following closely a long set of notes, not reading from a teleprompter. This one came from the heart.

A Great Spirit Has Left/Entered the Building

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Today I read with sadness about the death of Thich Nhat Hahn, the great Zen Master. At 95 he had lived a long life during which he contributed much to our understanding of mindfulness and how to live a full life despite its inevitable disappointments and injuries.

I first encountered his writings many years ago, bought a book of his poems, and was particularly moved by his, Please Call Me By My True Names. For me, this poem expresses the essence of what Thich Nhat Hahn, and the Dalai Lama as well, represent. It is one of my favorite poems of all time, one to which I have returned from time to time for years when in need of grounding, I commend it to your attention. You can hear it spoken here by the Zen Master himself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JADWkoUpXbQ

When you attend carefully to the words, you will understand the title of this post. And perhaps everything else.

Peace.

January 6 Video: Capitol Under Siege

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The New York Times has published a video covering the events of January 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol Building. There is nothing to add to this at the moment, except to wish that the government arrests, convicts and sends to long prison terms the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and other white supremacist groups that planned their attack, along with those who joined them in a lunatic rampage of violence and desecration. I also urge everyone to subscribe to the New York Times. You may not agree with everything the publish (I don’t) but their comprehensive coverage and analysis is unparalleled in journalism.

Here is the link to the video: https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000007606996/capitol-riot-trump-supporters.html?

 

Kids Like Me Book Drive — Smash Success

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Thank you for your support of the Kids Like Me Book Drive. It was a phenomenal success and the donations keep on coming! Nearly 1,200 books have been donated so far.  The Reading Is Fundamental Team sent this video of the books starting to arrive at RIF Headquarters. I cannot thank you all enough for all your generosity.

You can still donate. Use this link https://tinyurl.com/kidslikemebookdrive to select the book/s you wish to donate directly to RIF.

  • If you are already signed up for Amazon Smile, the link will take you directly to the RIF Wish List.
  • If you are not signed up for Amazon Smile, you will need to search the Charity List for Reading Is Fundamental.
  • After you add the book/books to your cart and go to checkout, be sure to select Reading Is Fundamental as the shipping address so that they go directly to RIF.

The site provides plenty of books to choose from, starting at less than at $7.00. If you do decide to participate, I would love for you to share the link on your social media pages and invite others to donate.

#DayofService #ReadingisFundamental #KidsLikeMeBookDrive