#coup klux klan

[personal-blog243]

Will you add your name to our petition DEMANDING every GOP insurrectionist to be REMOVED from Congress?

[tanadrin]

In Subcontractors of Guilt: Holocaust Memory and Muslim Belonging in Postwar Germany, Esra Özyürek describes the way that German politicians, officials and journalists, now that the far right is in the ascendant, have been cranking up the old mechanism of sanitising Germany by demonising Muslims. In December 2022, German police foiled a coup attempt by Reichsbürger, an extremist group with more than twenty thousand members, which was planning an assault on the Bundestag. Alternative für Deutschland, which has neo-Nazi affiliations, has become the country’s second most popular party, partly in response to economic mismanagement by the coalition led by Olaf Scholz. Yet despite the undisguised antisemitism of even mainstream politicians such as Hubert Aiwanger, the deputy minister-president of Bavaria, ‘white Christian-background Germans’ see themselves ‘as having reached their destination of redemption and re-democratisation’, according to Özyürek. The ‘general German social problem of antisemitism’ is projected onto a minority of Arab immigrants, who are then further stigmatised as ‘the most unrepentant antisemites’ in need of ‘additional education and disciplining’. ...

Netanyahu, too, has learned from Germany’s postwar efforts at whitewashing. In 2015 he claimed that the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem had persuaded Hitler to murder rather than simply expel the Jews. Three years later, after initially criticising a move by the Law and Justice Party in Poland to criminalise references to Polish collaboration, he endorsed the law making such references punishable by a fine. He has since legitimised Shoah revisionism in Lithuania and Hungary, commending both countries for their valiant struggle against antisemitism. (Efraim Zuroff, a historian who has helped bring many former Nazis to trial, compared this to ‘praising the Ku Klux Klan for improving racial relations in the South’.) More recently, Netanyahu accompanied Elon Musk to one of the kibbutzim targeted by Hamas, just days after Musk tweeted in support of an antisemitic conspiracy theory. Since 7 October, he has seemed to be reading from the Eichmann trial script. He regularly announces that he is fighting the ‘new Nazis’ in Gaza in order to save ‘Western civilisation’, while others in his cohort of Jewish supremacists keep up a supporting chorus. The people of Gaza are ‘subhuman’, ‘animals’, ‘Nazis’. ...

In a more unnerving illustration of the postwar German-Israeli symbiosis, the German health minister, Karl Lauterbach, approvingly retweeted a video in which Douglas Murray, a mouthpiece of the English far right, claims that the Nazis were more decent than Hamas. ‘Watch and listen,’ retweeted Karin Prien, deputy chair of the Christian Democratic Union and education minister for Schleswig-Holstein. ‘This is great,’ Jan Fleischhauer, a former contributing editor at Der Spiegel, wrote. ‘Really great,’ echoed Veronika Grimm, a member of the German Council of Economic Experts. The Süddeutsche Zeitung, which in 2021 ‘outed’ five Lebanese and Palestinian journalists at Deutsche Welle as antisemites, with equally flimsy evidence exposed the Indian poet and art historian Ranjit Hoskote as a calumniator of Jews for comparing Zionism with Hindu nationalism. Die Zeit alerted German readers to another moral outrage: ‘Greta Thunberg openly sympathises with the Palestinians.’ An open letter from Adam Tooze, Samuel Moyn and other academics criticising Jürgen Habermas’s statement in support of Israel’s actions provoked an editor at the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung to claim that Jews have an ‘enemy’ at universities in the form of postcolonial studies. Der Spiegel ran a cover picture of Scholz alongside his claim that ‘we need to deport on a grand scale again.’ ... Susan Neiman, who wrote admiringly of Vergangenheitsbewältigung in Learning from the Germans (2020), now says she has changed her mind. ‘German historical reckoning has gone haywire,’ she wrote in October. ‘This philosemitic fury ... has been used to attack Jews in Germany.’ In Never Again: Germans and Genocide after the Holocaust, which examines the German response to mass killings in Cambodia, Rwanda and the Balkans, Andrew Port suggests that their ‘otherwise admirable reckoning with the Holocaust may have unwittingly desensitised Germans. The conviction that they had left the rabid racism of their forebears far behind them may have paradoxically allowed for the unabashed expression of different forms of racism.’

(source)

[dallaswinstonkinnie]

Wait a minute, man

Ayy, check this out, man (let him tell it)

It was this blind man right (man, check it, ayy), it was this blind man right (this fool right here)

He was feelin' his way down the street with his stick right, ayy (yeah)

He walked past this fish market, you know what I'm sayin'? (Fish market?)

He stopped he took a deep breath, he said

Whoa, good morning ladies, hahaha

You like that shit, man? (That was pretty good, that was pretty good)

Ayy man, I got a gang of that shit, man

I'll tell you what

My man on the guitar

Ayy, fool on the drums

Ayy, everybody just crowd around the mic

I'll tell you all these motherfuckin' jokes I got (clap ya hands, man)

But first I'ma start off like that, ayy, help me sing it, homeboy

Come on

Said Colt 45 and two Zig-Zags, baby, that's all we need

We can go to the park, after dark

Smoke that tumbleweed

As the marijuana burn, we can take our turn

Singin' them dirty rap songs

Stop and hit the bong like Cheech and Chong

And sell tapes from here to Hong Kong

So roll, roll, roll my joint, pick out the seeds and stems

Feelin' high as hell flyin' through Palmdale

Skatin' on Dayton rims

So roll, roll, the '83 Cadillac Coupe Deville

If my tapes and my CDs just don't sell, I bet my Caddy will

Well, it was just sundown in small white town

They call it East Side Palmdale (well)

When the Afroman walked through the white land

Houses went up for sale (hell)

Well, I was standing on the corner sellin' rap CDs

When I met a little girl named Jan

I let her ride in my Caddy

'Cause I didn't know her daddy was the leader of the Ku Klux Klan (hahaha)

We fucked on the bed

Fucked on the floor

Fucked so long I grew a fuckin' afro

Then I fucked to the left (left)

Fucked to the right (right)

She sucked my dick 'til the shit turned white

I thought to myself, "Sheeba-sheeba"

Got my ass lookin' like a zebra

I put on my clothes and I was on my way

Until her daddy pulled up in a Chevrolet

So I ran, I jumped out the back window

But her daddy, he was waitin' with a two-by-four

Oh, he beat me to the left

He beat me to the right

The motherfucker whooped my ass all night

But I ain't mad at her prejudiced dad

That's the best damn pussy I ever had

Got a bag of weed and a bottle of wine (woo)

I'm gonna fuck that bitch just one more time

Colt 45 and two Zig-Zags, baby, that's all we need (come on)

We can go to the park, after dark

Smoke that tumbleweed (uh)

And as the marijuana burn, we can take our turn

Singin' them dirty rap songs

Stop and hit the bong like Cheech and Chong

And sell tapes from here to Hong Kong

So roll, roll, roll my joint, pick out the seeds and stems

Feelin' high as hell flyin' through Palmdale

Skatin' on Dayton rims (come on)

So roll, roll, the '83 Cadillac Coupe Deville

If my tapes and my CDs just don't sell, I bet my Caddy will (uh)

I met this lady in Hollywood

She had green hair, but damn she looked good

I took her to my house 'cause she was fine

But she whooped out a dick that was bigger than mine

I met this lady from Japan

Never made love with an African

I fucked her once, I fucked her twice

I ate that pussy like shrimp-fried rice

Don't be amazed at the stories I tell ya (tell ya)

I met a woman in the heart of Australia

Had a big butt and big titties too

So I hopped in her ass like a Kangaroo

See I met this woman from Hawaii

Stuck it in her ass and she said "aii"

Lips was breakfast, pussy was lunch

Then her titties busted open with Hawaiian Punch

Met Colonel Sanders wife in the state of Kentucky

She said I'd fry some chicken if you'd just fuck me

I came in her mouth, it was a crisis

I gave her my secret blend of herbs' n' spices

Colt 45 and two Zig-Zags, baby, that's all we need (come on)

We can go to the park, after dark

Smoke that tumbleweed (uh)

And as the marijuana burn, we can take our turn

Singin' them dirty rap songs

Stop and hit the bong like Cheech and Chong

(Ayy, wait a minute, man, check this out, man, ayy)

And sell tapes from here to Hong Kong

I met Dolly Parton in Tennessee

Her titties were filled with Hennessy

That country music really drove me crazy

But I rode that ass and said, "Yes, Miss Daisy"

Met this lady in Oklahoma

Put that pussy in a coma

Met this lady in Michigan

I can't wait 'til I fuck that bitch again

Met a real black girl down in South Carolina

Fucked her until she turned to a white albino

Fucked this hooker in Iowa

I fucked her on credit, so I owe her

Fucked this girl down in Georgia

Came in her mouth, man I thought I told ya

Met this beautiful sexy ho

She just ran across the border of Mexico

Fine young thing, said her name's Maria

I wrapped her up just like a hot tortilla

I wanna get married but I can't afford it

I know I'ma cry when she get deported

Colt 45 and two Zig-Zags, baby, that's all we need (come on)

We can go to the park, after dark

Smoke that tumbleweed (uh)

And as the marijuana burn, we can take our turn

Singin' them dirty rap songs

Stop and hit the bong like Cheech and Chong

And sell tapes from here to Hong Kong

So roll, roll, roll my joint, pick out the seeds and stems

Feelin' high as hell flyin' through Palmdale

Skatin' on Dayton rims (come on)

So roll, roll, the '83 Cadillac Coupe Deville

If my tapes and my CDs just don't sell, I bet my Caddy will

<33333

[silvesters-end]

Wait a minute man

Hey check this out man (Tell it!)

It was this blind man right, it was this blind man right

He was feelin' his way down the street with this stick right?

Hey. He walked past this fish market, you know what I'm sayin' (Fish market?)

He stopped he took a deep breath he said:

"Woooo, good morning, ladies!"

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

You like that shit man? (That's pretty good!)

Hey man, I've got a gang of that shit, man.

I'll tell you what, my man on the guitar,

Hey, fool on the drum.

Hey, everybody's crowding around the mic,

I'll tell you all these motherfuckin' jokes I got,

But first I'mma start off like this, hey help me sing it, homeboy

Said Colt 45 and two Zigzags,

Baby, that's all we need

We can go to the park after dark

And smoke that tumbleweed.

As the marijuana burn we can take our turn

Singin' them dirty rap songs

Stop and hit the bong like Cheech and Chong

And sell tapes from here to Hong Kong

So roll, roll, roll my joint,

Pick out the seeds and stems

Feeling high as hell,

Flyin' through Palmdale

Skatin on Dayton rims

So roll, roll, the '83 Cadillac Coupe De Ville

If my tapes and my CDs just don't sell, I bet my cabby will.

Well it was just sundown in small white town

They call it Eastside Palmdale (Well.)

When the Afroman walked through the white land

Houses went up for sale (Sale)

Well, I was standing on the corner sellin' rap CDs

When I met a little girl named Jan (Jan)

I let her ride in my caddy

Because I didn't know her daddy was the leader of the Ku Klux Klan

We fucked on the bed

Fucked on the floor

Fucked so long I grew a fuckin' afro

Then I fucked to the left (left)

Fucked to the right (right)

She sucked my dick 'til the shit turned white

I thought to myself sheeba-sheeba

Got my ass lookin' like a zebra

I put on my clothes and I was on my way

Until her daddy pulled up in a Chevrolet

So I ran - I jumped out the back window

But her daddy he was waitin' with a two-by-four

Oh, he beat me to the left

He beat me to the right

The motherfucker whooped my ass all night

But I ain't mad at her prejudiced dad

That's the best damn pussy I ever had

Got a bag of weed and a bottle of wine

I'mma fuck that bitch just one more time

Colt 45 and two Zigzags,

Baby, that's all we need

We can go to the park after dark

And smoke that tumbleweed.

As the marijuana burn we can take our turn

Singin' them dirty rap songs

Stop and hit the bong like Cheech and Chong

And sell tapes from here to Hong Kong

So roll, roll, roll my joint,

Pick out the seeds and stems

Feeling high as hell,

Flyin' through Palmdale

Skatin on Dayton rims

So roll, roll, the '83 Cadillac Coupe De Ville

If my tapes and my CDs just don't sell, I bet my cabby will.

I met this lady in Hollywood

She had green hair, but damn she looked good

I took her to my house because she was fine

But she whipped out a dick that was bigger than mine

I met this lady from Japan

Never made love with an African

I fucked her once, (once)

I fucked her twice (twice)

I ate that pussy like shrimp-fried rice

Don't be amazed at the stories I tell ya (tell ya)

I met a woman in the heart of Australia

Had a big butt and big titties too

So I hopped in her ass like a kangaroo

See I met this woman from Hawaii

Stuck it in her ass and she said [Aiee!]

Lips was breakfast, pussy was lunch

Then her titties busted open with Hawaiian Punch

I met Colonel Sanders' wife in the state of Kentucky

Said I brought some chicken if you just fuck me

I came in her mouth, it was a crisis

I gave her my secret blend of herbs and spices

Colt 45 and two Zigzags,

Baby, that's all we need

We can go to the park after dark

And smoke that tumbleweed.

And as the marijuana burn we can take our turn

Singin' them dirty rap songs

Stop and hit the bong like Cheech and Chong (Hey wait a minute, man, check this out...)

And sell tapes from here to Hong Kong

I met Dolly Parton in Tennessee

Her titties were filled with Hennessy

That country music really drove me crazy

But I rode that ass and said "Yes, Miss Daisy!"

Met this lady in Oklahoma

Put that pussy in a coma

Met this lady in Michigan

I can't wait 'til I fuck that bitch again

Met a real black girl down in South Carolina

Fucked her until she turned into a white albina

Fucked this hooker in Iowa

I fucked her on credit, so I owe her

Fucked this girl down in Georgia

Came in her mouth, man I thought I told ya

Met this beautiful sexy hoe

She just ran across the border of Mexico

Fine young thing said her name's Maria

I wrapped her up just like a hot tortilla

I wanna get married but I can't afford it

I know I'm gonna cry when she get deported

Colt 45 and two Zigzags,

Baby, that's all we need

We can go to the park after dark

And smoke that tumbleweed.

And as the marijuana burn we can take our turn

Singin' them dirty rap songs

Stop and hit the bong like Cheech and Chong

(Hey wait a minute man, hey fuck that shit)

And sell tapes from here to Hong Kong

Have you ever went over a girls south to front

But the pussy just ain't no good (Say what?!?)

I mean you gettin' upset because you cant get her wet

Plus you in the wrong neighborhood

So you try to play it off and eat the pussy

But it take her so long to come (Say what?!?)

Then a dude walk in that's her big boyfriend

And he asks you where you from

So you wipe your mouth and you try to explain

You start talkin' real fast

But he already mad cause you fuckin' his wife

So he start beatin' on yo' ass

Now your clothes all muddy

Your nose all bloody

Your dick was hard but now its soft (What?)

You thought you had a girl to rock your world

Now you still gotta go jack off

Said Colt 45 and two Zigzags,

Baby, that's all we need

We can go to the park...

[mckitterick]

Coup Klux Klan

Oh India KNOWS how to write a headline

tweet source: X

[the-demure-abstract]

Oh, SHIT!

The COUP Klux Klan! 🤣

[latihanbahasaindonesia]

India Beritahu Kerusuhan AS Melakukan Coups Klux Klan

15 Januari 2021 R. L. Hughes Protes yang berakibat kerusuhan terlihat di ibu kota AS hari Rabu, 6 Januari, minggu lalu. Pendukung presiden 45 AS, Donald Trump, mengambilalih gedung putih pada hari yang sama Kongres memperkenankan hak memilih warga untuk presiden selanjutnya, Joe Biden. Protes mulai seperti barisan, tetapi makin lama pemrotes berkumpul mereka makin agresif. 

Proses pemilihan presiden baru di AS punya beberapa langkah. Langkah pertama, pada bulan November, warga memilih calon yang mereka mau. Langkah yang kedua, pada bulan Desember, the Electoral College (lembaga pemilih) memilih calon--biasanya pilihannya sejajar dengan pilihan warga, tetapi tidak selalu. Langkah yang ketiga, pada bulan Januari, Kongres mengesahkan calon yang menang dalam pemilihan. Anggota Kongres bertemu dan meninjau kembali pilihan warga dan EC di ruang kongres di Washington D. C. 

Kerusuhan minggu lalu disebut percobaan kudeta oleh teroris domestik. Seorang teroris ditembak dan meninggal di rumah sakit. Tiga orang yang lain juga meninggal. Setidaknya, empat belas petugas polisi terluka. 

Ada video petugas polisi gedung putih membuka barikade ke halaman gedung putih jadi teroris bisa masuk. Senator dan orang kongres dievakuasi polisi capitol yang lain ke tempat rahasia dan aman sesudah mendengar senjata ditembakkan di luar ruang kongres. 

Beberapa hari sebelum percobaan kudeta, audio dari panggilan Presiden Trump diterbitkan, beliau minta pejabat pemilihan Georgia menemukan atau membuat suara tambahan, dengan harapan memproklamasikan diri sendiri sebagai pemenang pemilu 2020. Sehari sebelum percobaan kudeta, negara bagian Georgia berbalik biru, dengan partai demokrat menang semua kursi di Senat. Ini dipicu ketidakpuasan para teroris misoginistik dan rasis yang sudah ada di AS. Banyak faktor membantu pemberontakan, tetapi katalis kebenarannya adalah sebuah tweet oleh Presiden Trump yang mengecam wakil presiden Pence. Pada hari percobaan kudeta, tali dan tiang bendera ditemukan di halaman Barat Gedung Putih. 

Teroris domestik tersebut didorong oleh President Trump, dan terorganisir dan terencana dalam beberapa platform medsos. Serangan ini telah dibangun selama empat tahun terakhir, dan anggota kelompok ekstremisme telah mengancam sampai waktu Trump menjabat kursi presiden. Banyak teroris domestik tidak memakai masker, walaupun AS masih punya isu besar dengan COVID-19. Dulu, waktu protes Black Lives Matter, seorang pemrotes telah diidentifikasi dan dilokasikan lewat toko Etsynya. Sekarang, pejabat telah meminta bantuan untuk mengidentifikasi dan melokasikan teroris, meskipun muka teroris terbuka dan mereka berkomunikasi di area publik secara daring. 

Ibut kota negara bagian yang lain juga mengalami demo mengklaim bahwa hasil pemilu itu mencurangi Trump. Diantaranya adalah Los Angeles, California; Des Moines, Iowa; Lansing, Michigan; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Phoenix, Arazona; Tallahassee, Florida; Linclon, Nebraska; Albany, New York; dan Atlanta, Georgia. Tidak satupun dari kota-kota ini mengalami kekerasan seperti dengan ibu kota Washington D. C. 

Walikota Washington D. C., Muriel Bowser, melaksanakan jam malam mulai waktu senja, untuk mendorong teroris pulang. Jam malam itu tidak efektif dan tidak dipaksakan. Presiden Trump akhirnya minta teroris berhenti mengeroyok ibu kota, dan itu tampak berfungsi lebih baik, tetapi beliau bilan, “Kami mencintai kamu, kamu istimewa sekali.” Dia sejak itu menyetujui transisi kekuasaan yang teratur dari diri sendiri ke pemilihan presiden terpilih, Biden. 

Wakil negara-negara yang lain sudah mengecam peristiwa hari Rabu terakhir, dan memberikan kritik ata tanggapan Amerika terhadap protes kekerasan dan kudeta di negara mereka sendiri. Diantaranya adalah Cina, Jepang, India, Nepal, Selandia Baru, Pakistan, Korea Selatan, Taiwan, dan Iran. 

Artikel Asli The Diplomat, 8 Januari 2021 BBC, 7 Januari 2021 The Kansas City Star, 6 Januari 2021 KTLA, 6 Januari 2021 Fortune, 6 January 2021 Tempo, 12 Januari 2021 Kepala Berita India

[theburialofstrawberries]

taking a break from our own fascist to sympathise with people living under another is the 21st century pastime

[vergilsama922]

Hello Everyone.

Today I came across a particularly frustrating piece of information and I want to signal boost it to whoever is reading this. I SINCERELY hope you stick with me and read through this.

Texas Republicans are trying to pass a bill that prevents teachers from teaching about "Critical Race Theory". If you're educated on the subject you know republicans don't comprehend the thing they are critiquing which seems to be the norm these days.

Regardless this is what I wanted to bring to light. This Bill is called: H.B.ANo.A3979 or you can google Texas Senate Bill 3

In short, republicans want to remove ANYTHING and EVERYTHING related to slavery, minority history, women's rights, labor rights and discussion of the holocaust, white supremacist groups, and injustices in our history. Here's some proof.

What is being dropped from Texas social studies curriculum in the Senate bill?

The history of Native Americans

Sally Hemmings (enslaved by Thomas Jefferson)

Oney Judge (enslaved by George Washington)

Frederick Douglas’s North Star

Pushpin The Book of Negroes

Pushpin The Fugitive Slave Acts

Pushpin The Indian Removal Act

Pushpin Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists

Pushpin William Still’s Underground Railroad Records

Topics cut:

Pushpin Institution of Slavery

Pushpin Eugenics Movement

Pushpin Ku Klux Klan

Pushpin The Ways in Which White Supremacy is Morally Wrong

Emancipation Proclamation

Martin Luther King "I have a dream speech" and "Letter from the Birmingham jail"

THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT!!!!!!!

Caesar Chavez

Frederick Douglass

Woman Suffrage

Even More, Topics cut:

Abigail Adams’s letter "Remember the Ladies"

the life and works of Dr. Hector P. Garcia

the League of United Latin American Citizens

Hernandez v. Texas (1954)

And for a bonus, teachers aren't allowed to take a side on whether or not things like slavery, genocide, or the holocaust are bad.

So what is the conclusion? I'm going to be blunt. I'm done coddling the republican party. These lunatics not only got on my bad side because of their attempted coup in January but now they're trying to actively remove history. But the question is why?

Simple. You can present race-neutral racism. By creating a curriculum where you don't teach about how racism and genocide have devastated people of color economically you can then promote meritocracy and skew it towards caucasian by showing the glories of America and how awesome America is but then when you look at minorities you can simply say "They didn't work hard" or "It's their culture" by removing any evidence that contradicts you.

I was skeptical about how people on the left were calling the right fascist but holy shit, this is seriously bad. Republicans at this point CAN NOT be engaged within good faith. They simply want to make things worse and if enabled they would absolutely roll back the civil rights act and re-instate Jim Crow. I hope you share these documents with people and get the word out.

We can NOT allow these scumbags the opportunity to hide behind patriotism or crying about CRT when in reality they want to remove history. These people ARE dangerous to America and would rather pass a historical revolutionism bill than fix infrastructure or get out vaccinations.

I'm asking all people. Whether you're Asian or Hispanic or Native American or Arabic or East Indian or Black or White. Whether you're LBGTQIA+ or Hetero. We NEED to push back against this or get this attention. They are trying to remove ALL of our history and the struggles we've gone through in this country. America is not a country for white people, it's a country for ALL people regardless of Gender, Sexual Orientation, Religion, or Race and republicans are trying to destroy what makes America actually amazing.

[hazardous-waste-containment]

In fascism, nothing can be higher than the ingroup. The monarchy, the church, the class, and the individual are idolatrous in that sense.

Which is not to say fascism is always republican and secular! It often is, but look at Imperial Japan for fascist monarchism, and at Falangism or Christian Identity or Kahanism for clerical fascism.

The key, though, is that for the Japanese fascists, Hirohito was the nation in human form, his divinity was Japan's divinity, emperor-worship was ingroup-worship because the emperor was identified spiritually with the nation-state. When Mishima led a coup to restore the Emperor, he wasn't restoring the literal physical emperor - who was very much still on the throne - he was restoring the Emperor spiritually, and thus renewing the Japanese nation from postwar degeneracy. The Emperor himself was the archetypal fascist "New Man," which I think is what allowed the Japanese bureaucratic elite in the 1930s to build fascism gradually even while the specific administrations rotated.

And in the cases of clerical fascism, the particular religion (Catholicism, Protestantism, and Judaism in the examples above, but there is also Buddhist fascism, Muslim fascism, Hindu fascism, etc) is seen as so profoundly intertwined with the biological or spiritual existence of the nation or race that, like Hirohito, religion is inseparable from the fascist ingroup and is to be restored in the coming fascist revolution against weakness and decay.

In Griffin's words:

In Spain, the Falange was bent on creating a new Spain, both objectively through structural change and subjectively thought [sic] the generation of a new ethos. Its leading ideologues such as Giménez Caballero and José Antonio Primo de Rivera were motivated by a powerful form of regenerationist nationalism, one so saturated with uniquely Spanish cultural and historical elements that Catholicism itself was embraced, not for its rôle as a source of metaphysical certainties and religious truths, but as a reservoir of populist palingenetic myth.

That's the difference between Mussolini's eventual embrace of the monarchy and clergy (which was necessary for an alliance with Italian conservatism, and was out of touch with the original ultra-futurist principles of Italian Fascism) and Japanese fascists' embrace of the divine emperor or the Ku Klux Klan's embrace of American Protestantism, both of which were radical ideological moves rather than just logistical ones. The Emperor was in symbiosis with the Japanese nation, and Protestantism was thought to be an essential and eternal heritage of the white race.

[alexar60]

Veux-tu connaitre la fin du film?

Il n’y avait plus personne dans le wagon lorsque je découvris sur une banquette une cassette vidéo. C’était une de ces vieilles VHS qui ne s’utilise plus et sur laquelle on pouvait enregistrer. Par curiosité, je pris la cassette et la rangeai dans mon sac à dos. Puis, je quittai le métro, remontant à la surface par l’escalator de service. Malgré l’heure, le soleil brillait encore dans le ciel, éclairant une rue toujours animée. J’avançai entre les piétons pressés et ceux qui profitaient du beau temps pour faire du lèche-vitrine. Une fois dans mon appartement, je pouvais souffler.

Je pris le temps de lire mon courrier, de cuisiner, manger et même de nettoyer un peu mon trois-pièces avant de me rappeler la présence de cette cassette. Dès lors, j’ouvris le meuble sous la télévision et, après avoir branché le magnétoscope, j’insérai la vidéo dans le lecteur. Ensuite, je m’assis au bord du canapé au cas où la cassette n’était pas intéressante. Le son grésilla légèrement. Des chiffres furent soudainement lisibles, c’était un chronomètre : cinq, quatre…trois…deux…un. Enfin, je regardai ce qui semblait être un essai artistique.

La couleur en noir et blanc apporta une ambiance pesante au film incompréhensible. C’était d’abord, un couple qui marchait main dans la main dans une ruelle. Ils étaient habillés comme en 1940, la jeune femme avait une permanente au-dessus du crâne tandis que l’homme portait un chapeau à la Humphrey Bogart dans Casablanca. Soudain, l’homme entraina sa compagne dans une ruelle isolée et la collant au mur, il entreprit un langoureux et intense baiser.

Il n’y avait aucune transition entre la première et seconde partie du film. C’était un patchwork de scène de rue, toutes aussi étranges les unes que les autres. Une femme assise sur le trottoir en train de regarder la pluie tomber, un pigeon mort écrasé sur la route, un homme qui marche vite et bouscule les passants, un enfant qui regarde une statue, un bouchon sur un rond-point…Puis on passa directement à la troisième partie dans laquelle j’entendis le vent souffler pendant qu’une porte s’ouvrait sur l’extérieur La caméra avança offrant une incroyable vue de la mer. Au loin, une jeune femme portait sur la tête une couronne de bougies et lançait un filet dans l’océan. Elle se retourna, mais je tressaillis en découvrant qu’elle ne portait pas de visage. Ensuite, la caméra se dirigea vers les vagues qui se transformèrent en un lac puis en une baignoire dans laquelle une jeune femme était allongée. Du sang coulait le long de ses poignets. La caméra quitta la salle de bain par la fenêtre et se dirigea vers l’orée d’une forêt pour suivre trois hommes habillés dans une tenue noire, dont le masque en pointe rappelait le Ku-klux-klan. Ils marchèrent à travers le bois et croisèrent d’abord un couple totalement nu faisant l’amour contre un arbre puis, une femme dans une longue robe noire et aux cheveux noirs. Elle se tenait au-dessus d’un rocher et ne réagit pas à la présence de la caméra dans son dos, jusqu’à ce que le caméraman s’arrête. Alors, elle se retourna, montrant un visage caché par ses cheveux longs. La neige tombait. Elle fixa de ses yeux à peine visibles la caméra avant de dire : « Veux-tu connaitre la fin du film ? » Tout à coup, elle fit un pas en arrière, tombant de la falaise. La caméra resta face au vide puis le film s’arrêta subitement.

Je restai ébahi, un peu mal à l’aise par la projection. Il n’y avait rien de compréhensible. Je sortis la cassette, constatant qu’elle n’était pas à son terme. Alors, je la remis dans le magnétoscope et la visionnai en accéléré. Cependant, il n’y avait que des petites étoiles luisantes sur un écran noir. Dès lors, je sortis de nouveau la cassette pour la ranger dans sa boite et la poser sur la table. Puis, je repris mes occupations habituelles avant d’aller me coucher.

Le lendemain, je réalisai avant de partir que la cassette avait tout bonnement disparu. Je n’eus pas le temps de la rechercher et partis de suite au travail. Si la journée précédente était magnifique, celle-ci annonçait un vrai temps de merde. On pouvait voir au loin des nuages si noirs qu’ils transformaient le jour en nuit. Je rentrai dans mon lieu de travail pour n’en ressortir qu’en fin d’après-midi. Et c’est là qu’arriva quelque-chose d’étrange.

En effet, pendant que je me dirigeais vers la station de métro, je vis sur le bord du trottoir, une jeune femme blonde assise et regardant le ciel. L’éclairci laissa tout à coup place à une averse. Elle restait assise observant les gouttes tomber. A cet instant, une voix m’interpela : « Veux-tu connaitre la fin du film ? ». Juste en haut des escaliers, je découvris une femme habillée d’une longue robe noire comme dans la vidéo. Elle descendit les escaliers, entra dans la station mais elle disparut quand je voulus la rejoindre.

Durant le trajet, je m’interrogeai sur la vision de cette femme ainsi que de celle assise à regarder la pluie. Je trouvai la coïncidence étonnante. Une fois arrivé à destination, je me précipitai dehors afin d’aller au plus vite jusque chez moi. En sortant du métro, un cri me surpris. Une femme venait d’hurler un : « Mon dieu ! » lorsqu’une voiture écrasa un pigeon abruti. L’oiseau gisait sur la route et n’eut pas le temps de souffrir car une autre voiture ne put l’éviter et l’acheva.

Je ne m’arrêtai pas pour regarder l’animal mort. Aussi, j’accélérai le pas, bousculant un peu tout le monde sur mon passage. D’ailleurs, j’entendis étrangement un quidam me crier : « C’est bon, tu vas la voir, la fin de ton film !». Au coin de la rue, je longeai un square et aperçus un jeune garçon qui admirait la statue d’un général de Napoléon. Un dernier rond-point et j’étais arrivé. Je traversai entre les voitures qui ne circulaient pas à cause d’un bête accident. Avant de fermer la porte de l’immeuble, je crus voir entre deux autos garées, la femme en noir. J’eus à l’esprit sa phrase : « Veux-tu voir la fin du film ? »

J’ai cherché partout sans trouver la cassette. Un rapide message me déconcentra. C’était mon meilleur ami qui proposait de prendre un verre le soir. Je ne l’avais pas vu depuis longtemps, alors, j’acceptai. Je pris une douche et sortis le rejoindre. Il n’était pas seul dans le bar. Il était avec sa copine du moment et une jeune femme brune, qu’il se dépêcha de me présenter. Lucie était très jolie malgré son air tristounet. Nous discutâmes longuement au grand bonheur de mon pote. J’appris qu’elle venait d’une ville portuaire, la même que celle de la copine de mon pote. Elle me plaisait beaucoup et cela semblait réciproque. Je ne sais plus comment la discussion dériva sur la religion mais elle expliqua que Sainte Lucie portait une couronne de bougies. Dès lors, je réagis en repensant à la vidéo : La mer, son lieu d’origine et sainte Lucie. J’eus du mal à croire ce que je venais de réaliser ; la cassette semblait annoncer l’avenir. Derrière la vitre, j’eus la sensation de voir cette femme aux cheveux noirs qui demandait si je voulais connaitre la fin du film.

Je quittai le groupe un peu avant une heure du matin. Devant mon domicile, je découvris une ambulance. Malgré l’heure tardive, des voisins étaient sortis regardant le véhicule. Une femme pleurait. « Rien de grave, j’espère ? » demandai-je bêtement à ma voisine de palier. « La fille du troisième a tenté de se suicider » murmura-t-elle. L’adolescente avait beaucoup d’affection pour ma voisine si bien qu’elle lui avait laissé un message d’adieu après s’être ouvert les veines dans la baignoire, pendant que ses parents dormaient. Encore une fois, je repensai à la cassette. J’attendis avec ma voisine, cherchant à réconcilier le couple malheureux. Je les laissai aussi suivre l’ambulance, en espérant que la gamine s’en sorte. Il devait être plus de deux heures du matin passé lorsque j’entrai chez moi. Tout à coup, j’entendis : « Veux-tu connaitre la fin du film ? ». La femme en noir était au bout du couloir. Elle me fixait du regard malgré les cheveux qui recouvraient son visage. La lumière s’éteignit brusquement, elle avait disparu quand je rallumai.

Deux jours passèrent avant de recevoir un appel de Lucie. Elle m’invita à passer le weekend dans un manoir pour un jeu de rôle. Nous avions cette passion commune. Quand la voiture s’arrêta devant mon immeuble, je vis mon pote et sa copine en descendre pour fumer une cigarette. Je les rejoignis transportant un sac que je déposai dans le coffre. Mon pote conduisait pendant que j’occupai la place de passager. Quant aux filles, elles prirent leurs aises sur la banquette arrière.

Je fus étonné de découvrir le magnifique château dans lequel nous allions jouer. Il se trouvait en Basse-Normandie du côté de Cabourg. Après avoir déposé nos affaires, nous fûmes invités à écouter les règles du jeu. Il s’agissait d’un scénario à la « Agatha Christie ». Nous avions un temps limité pour trouver le tueur. Autrement, l’un de nous serait zigouillé. Nous tirâmes au sort nos rôles, j’avais celui d’un petit notaire de province qu’on faisait chanter. Dans le jeu, j’avais à la fois un mobile de meurtre mais je pouvais aussi être victime. Les éliminés devaient vêtir une bure pour les différencier. Plus tard, je compris qu’ils jouaient un nouveau rôle.

Je partageais ma chambre avec Lucie. Il m’était difficile de refuser surtout que mon pote et sa copine voulaient rester ensemble. Je conclue qu’ils avaient manigancé l’affaire. Toutefois, notre première nuit fut amicale. Nous apprîmes à nous connaitre et nous apprécier. Nous dormîmes dans le même lit. Cependant, je me surpris à me réveiller lové contre elle. Elle en sembla ravie lorsqu’elle me souhaita le bonjour.

Une partie du jeu eut lieu dans les jardins du manoir. Je suivis une piste m’éloignant vers un petit bois. C’est avant d’entrer dans la forêt que j’entendis marcher et discuter. Plus loin, trois hommes en tenue signalant qu’ils étaient éliminés, avaient décidé de se promener en attendant leur réapparition dans le jeu. Je fus étonné de retrouver la tenue exacte de la cassette, des habits de moine avec une cagoule d’inquisiteur. Aussi, je décidai de les suivre à distance. Ils traversèrent le bois, marchant tranquillement. Soudain, un râle détourna mon attention. Je remarquai des mouvements derrière un arbre. Dès lors, j’avançai et quelle fut ma surprise de voir mon pote et sa copine prendre leur pied en pleine forêt. Leurs vêtements gisaient à même le sol.

Me rappelant soudainement la cassette, je pris une direction qui ressemblait à celle de la caméra. J’avançai sans réaliser que des flocons tombaient sur mes épaules. Je marchai découvrant au bout la fameuse falaise où la femme était tombée. J’approchai mais ne remarquai rien de particulier. Soudain, un vent surgit de nulle part et me poussa légèrement, suffisamment pour que mon pied glisse. Je dévalai la falaise comme une boule à pleine vitesse. Arrivé au sol, je sentis que ça n’allait pas. Et je m’évanouis en découvrant la fracture ouverte de mon tibia.

Lorsque je me réveillai à l’hôpital, Lucie était assise à côté avec mon pote. Je découvris ma mère qui, inquiète, traversa la moitié de la France pour me voir. J’avais été opéré, la jambe en l’air, le bras droit plâtré et un collier cervical autour du cou. Je prononçai quelques mots jusqu’à l’intervention d’une infirmière ; elle demanda de me laisser tranquille. Dès lors, je m’endormis mais un souffle me réveilla aussitôt. Je regardai sur le plateau à roulettes qui sert de table de repas et vis une cassette posée dessus. Une silhouette apparut derrière la fenêtre. Elle avait la forme d’une femme aux cheveux longs et noirs. Elle soupira quelques mots avant de s’évanouir : « Veux-tu connaitre la fin du film ? »

Alex@r60 – août 2021

[artielu]

[Yes, this is long, but it is worth your time to read the whole thing.]

January 6, 2021 (Wednesday)

Today the Confederate flag flew in the United States Capitol.

This morning, results from the Georgia senatorial runoff elections showed that Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff had beaten their Republican opponents—both incumbents—by more than the threshold that would require a recount. The Senate is now split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats, so the position of majority leader goes to a Democrat. Mitch McConnell, who has bent the government to his will since he took over the position of majority leader in 2007, will be replaced.

With the Democrats in control of both Congress and the Executive Branch, it is reasonable to expect we will see voting rights legislation, which will doom the current-day Republican Party, depending as it has on voter suppression to stay in power.

Trump Republicans and McConnell Republicans had just begun to blame each other for the debacle when Congress began to count the certified electoral votes from the states to establish that Democrat Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. The election was not close—Biden won the popular vote by more than 7 million votes and the Electoral College by 306 to 232—but Trump contends that he won the election in a landslide and “fraud” made Biden the winner.

Trump has never had a case. His campaign filed and either lost or had dismissed 62 out of 63 lawsuits because it could produce no evidence for any of its wild accusations. Nonetheless, radical lawmakers courted Trump’s base by echoing Trump’s charges, then tried to argue that the fact voters no longer trusted the vote was reason to contest the certified votes.

More than 100 members of the House announced they would object to counting the votes of certain states. About 13 senators, led by Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), agreed to join them. The move would slow down the count as each chamber would have to debate and take a separate vote on whether to accept the state votes, but the objectors never had anywhere near the votes they needed to make their objections stick.

So Trump turned to pressuring Vice President Mike Pence, who would preside over the counting, to throw out the Biden votes. On Monday, Trump tweeted that “the Vice President has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors.” This would throw the blame for the loss onto Pence, but the vice president has no constitutional power to do any such thing, and this morning he made that clear in a statement. Trump then tweeted that Pence “didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done.”

It seemed clear that the voting would be heated, but it was also clear that most of the lawmakers opposing the count were posturing to court Trump’s base for future elections. Congress would count Biden’s win.

But Trump had urged his supporters for weeks to descend on Washington, D.C., to stop what he insisted was the stealing of the election. They did so and, this morning, began to congregate near the Capitol, where the counting would take place. As he passed them on the east side of the Capitol, Hawley raised a power fist.

In the middle of the day, Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani spoke to the crowd, telling them: “Let’s have trial by combat.” Trump followed, lying that he had won the election and saying “we are going to have to fight much harder.” He warned that Pence had better “come through for us, and if he doesn’t, that will be a sad day for our country.” He warned that Chinese-driven socialists are taking over the country. And he told them to march on Congress to “save our democracy.”

As rioters took Trump at his word, Congress was counting the votes alphabetically by state. When they got to Arizona, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) stood up to echo the rhetoric radicals had been using to discredit the certified votes, saying that public distrust in the election—created out of thin air by Republicans—justified an investigation.

Within an hour, a violent mob stormed the Capitol and Cruz, along with the rest of the lawmakers, was rushed to safety (four quick-thinking staffers brought along the electoral ballots, in their ceremonial boxes). As the rioters broke in, police shot and killed one of them: Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran from San Diego, QAnon believer, and staunch Trump supporter. The insurrectionists broke into the Senate chamber, where one was photographed on the dais of the Senate, shirtless and wearing a bull costume that revealed a Ku Klux Klan tattoo on his abdomen. They roamed the Capitol looking for Pence and other lawmakers they considered enemies. Not finding them, they ransacked offices. One rioter photographed himself sitting at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk with his feet on it.

They carried with them the Confederate flag.

Capitol police provided little obstruction, apparently eager to avoid confrontations that could be used as propaganda on social media. The intruders seemed a little surprised at their success, taking selfies and wandering around like tourists. One stole a lectern.

As the White House, the FBI, the Justice Department, and the Department of Homeland Security all remained silent, President-Elect Joe Biden spoke to cameras urging calm and calling on Trump to tell his supporters to go home. But CNN White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins later reported that she spoke to White House officials who were “genuinely freaked… out” that Trump was “borderline enthusiastic” about the storming of the Capitol because “it meant the certification was being derailed.”

At 4:17, Trump issued his own video, reiterating his false claims that he had been cheated of victory. Only then did he conclude with: “Go home, we love you, you’re very special.” Twitter immediately took the video down. By nighttime Trump’s Twitter feed seemed to blame his enemies for the violence the president had incited (although the rhythm of the words did not sound to me like Trump’s own usual cadence): “These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!”

Twitter took down the tweet and banned the president for at least twelve hours for inciting violence; Facebook and Instagram followed suit.

As the afternoon wore on, police found two pipe bombs near the headquarters of the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C., as well as a truck full of weapons and ammunition, and mobs gathered at statehouses across the country, including in Kansas, Ohio, Minnesota, California, and Georgia.

By 5:00, acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller issued a statement saying he had conferred with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, Vice President Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and had fully activated the D.C. National Guard.

He did not mention the president.

By late evening, Washington, D.C., police chief Robert J. Contee III announced that at least 52 people had been arrested and 14 law enforcement officers injured. A total of four people died, including one who died of a heart attack and one who tased themself.

White House Counsel Pat Cipollone urged people to stay away from Trump to limit their chances of being prosecuted for treason under the Sedition Act. By midnight, four staffers had resigned, as well as Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger, with other, higher level officials also talking about leaving. Even Trump adviser Stephen Miller admitted it was a bad day. Quickly, pro-Trump media began to insist that the attack was a false-flag operation of “Antifa,” despite the selfies and videos posted by known right-wing agitators, and the fact that Trump had invited, incited, and praised them.

Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis laid the blame for today’s attack squarely at the feet of Trump himself: “Today’s violent assault on our Capitol, and effort to subjugate American democracy by mob rule, was fomented by Mr. Trump. His use of the Presidency to destroy trust in our election and to poison our respect for fellow citizens has been enabled by pseudo political leaders whose names will live in infamy as profiles in cowardice.”

The attempted coup drew condemnation from all but the radical Trump supporters in government. Former President George W. Bush issued a statement “on insurrection at the Capitol,” saying “it is a sickening and heartbreaking sight.” “I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election,” he said, and accused such leaders of enflaming the rioters with lies and false hopes. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) was more direct: “What happened here today was an insurrection incited by the President of the United States.”

Across the country tonight are calls for Trump’s removal through the 25th amendment, impeachment, or resignation. The Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have joined the chorus, writing to Pence urging him to invoke the 25th. Angry at Trump’s sabotaging of the Georgia elections in addition to the attack on our democracy, prominent Republicans are rumored to be doing the same.

At 8:00, heavily armed guards escorted the lawmakers back to the Capitol, thoroughly scrubbed by janitors, where the senators and representatives resumed their counting of the certified votes. The events of the afternoon had broken some of the Republicans away from their determination to challenge the votes. Fourteen Republican senators had announced they would object to counting the certified votes from Arizona; in the evening count the number dropped to six: Cruz (R-TX), Hawley (R-MO), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), John Kennedy (R-LA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).

In the House, 121 Republicans, more than half the Republican caucus, voted to throw out Biden’s electors from Arizona. As in the Senate, they lost when 303 Representatives voted in favor.

Six senators and more than half of the House Republicans backed an attempt to overthrow our government, in favor of a man caught on tape just four days ago trying to strong-arm a state election official into falsifying the election results.

Today the Confederate flag flew in the United States Capitol.

[Heather Cox Richardson is a Professor of History at Boston College. She has daily posts on Facebook that summarize the day's political events and puts them in historical context. The Facebook post link's first comment are her citations to sources.]

[clearlyshycherryblossom]

January 6, 2021 (Wednesday)

Today the Confederate flag flew in the United States Capitol.

This morning, results from the Georgia senatorial runoff elections showed that Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff had beaten their Republican opponents—both incumbents—by more than the threshold that would require a recount. The Senate is now split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats, so the position of majority leader goes to a Democrat. Mitch McConnell, who has bent the government to his will since he took over the position of majority leader in 2007, will be replaced.

With the Democrats in control of both Congress and the Executive Branch, it is reasonable to expect we will see voting rights legislation, which will doom the current-day Republican Party, depending as it has on voter suppression to stay in power.

Trump Republicans and McConnell Republicans had just begun to blame each other for the debacle when Congress began to count the certified electoral votes from the states to establish that Democrat Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. The election was not close—Biden won the popular vote by more than 7 million votes and the Electoral College by 306 to 232—but Trump contends that he won the election in a landslide and “fraud” made Biden the winner.

Trump has never had a case. His campaign filed and either lost or had dismissed 62 out of 63 lawsuits because it could produce no evidence for any of its wild accusations. Nonetheless, radical lawmakers courted Trump’s base by echoing Trump’s charges, then tried to argue that the fact voters no longer trusted the vote was reason to contest the certified votes.

More than 100 members of the House announced they would object to counting the votes of certain states. About 13 senators, led by Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), agreed to join them. The move would slow down the count as each chamber would have to debate and take a separate vote on whether to accept the state votes, but the objectors never had anywhere near the votes they needed to make their objections stick.

So Trump turned to pressuring Vice President Mike Pence, who would preside over the counting, to throw out the Biden votes. On Monday, Trump tweeted that “the Vice President has the power to reject fraudulently chosen electors.” This would throw the blame for the loss onto Pence, but the vice president has no constitutional power to do any such thing, and this morning he made that clear in a statement. Trump then tweeted that Pence “didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done.”

It seemed clear that the voting would be heated, but it was also clear that most of the lawmakers opposing the count were posturing to court Trump’s base for future elections. Congress would count Biden’s win.

But Trump had urged his supporters for weeks to descend on Washington, D.C., to stop what he insisted was the stealing of the election. They did so and, this morning, began to congregate near the Capitol, where the counting would take place. As he passed them on the east side of the Capitol, Hawley raised a power fist.

In the middle of the day, Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani spoke to the crowd, telling them: “Let’s have trial by combat.” Trump followed, lying that he had won the election and saying “we are going to have to fight much harder.” He warned that Pence had better “come through for us, and if he doesn’t, that will be a sad day for our country.” He warned that Chinese-driven socialists are taking over the country. And he told them to march on Congress to “save our democracy.”

As rioters took Trump at his word, Congress was counting the votes alphabetically by state. When they got to Arizona, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) stood up to echo the rhetoric radicals had been using to discredit the certified votes, saying that public distrust in the election—created out of thin air by Republicans—justified an investigation.

Within an hour, a violent mob stormed the Capitol and Cruz, along with the rest of the lawmakers, was rushed to safety (four quick-thinking staffers brought along the electoral ballots, in their ceremonial boxes). As the rioters broke in, police shot and killed one of them: Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran from San Diego, QAnon believer, and staunch Trump supporter. The insurrectionists broke into the Senate chamber, where one was photographed on the dais of the Senate, shirtless and wearing a bull costume that revealed a Ku Klux Klan tattoo on his abdomen. They roamed the Capitol looking for Pence and other lawmakers they considered enemies. Not finding them, they ransacked offices. One rioter photographed himself sitting at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s desk with his feet on it.

They carried with them the Confederate flag.

Capitol police provided little obstruction, apparently eager to avoid confrontations that could be used as propaganda on social media. The intruders seemed a little surprised at their success, taking selfies and wandering around like tourists. One stole a lectern.

As the White House, the FBI, the Justice Department, and the Department of Homeland Security all remained silent, President-Elect Joe Biden spoke to cameras urging calm and calling on Trump to tell his supporters to go home. But CNN White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins later reported that she spoke to White House officials who were “genuinely freaked… out” that Trump was “borderline enthusiastic” about the storming of the Capitol because “it meant the certification was being derailed.”

At 4:17, Trump issued his own video, reiterating his false claims that he had been cheated of victory. Only then did he conclude with: “Go home, we love you, you’re very special.” Twitter immediately took the video down. By nighttime Trump’s Twitter feed seemed to blame his enemies for the violence the president had incited (although the rhythm of the words did not sound to me like Trump’s own usual cadence): “These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!”

Twitter took down the tweet and banned the president for at least twelve hours for inciting violence; Facebook and Instagram followed suit.

As the afternoon wore on, police found two pipe bombs near the headquarters of the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C., as well as a truck full of weapons and ammunition, and mobs gathered at statehouses across the country, including in Kansas, Ohio, Minnesota, California, and Georgia.

By 5:00, acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller issued a statement saying he had conferred with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, Vice President Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and had fully activated the D.C. National Guard.

He did not mention the president.

By late evening, Washington, D.C., police chief Robert J. Contee III announced that at least 52 people had been arrested and 14 law enforcement officers injured. A total of four people died, including one who died of a heart attack and one who tased themself.

White House Counsel Pat Cipollone urged people to stay away from Trump to limit their chances of being prosecuted for treason under the Sedition Act. By midnight, four staffers had resigned, as well as Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger, with other, higher level officials also talking about leaving. Even Trump adviser Stephen Miller admitted it was a bad day. Quickly, pro-Trump media began to insist that the attack was a false-flag operation of “Antifa,” despite the selfies and videos posted by known right-wing agitators, and the fact that Trump had invited, incited, and praised them.

Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis laid the blame for today’s attack squarely at the feet of Trump himself: “Today’s violent assault on our Capitol, and effort to subjugate American democracy by mob rule, was fomented by Mr. Trump. His use of the Presidency to destroy trust in our election and to poison our respect for fellow citizens has been enabled by pseudo political leaders whose names will live in infamy as profiles in cowardice.”

The attempted coup drew condemnation from all but the radical Trump supporters in government. Former President George W. Bush issued a statement “on insurrection at the Capitol,” saying “it is a sickening and heartbreaking sight.” “I am appalled by the reckless behavior of some political leaders since the election,” he said, and accused such leaders of enflaming the rioters with lies and false hopes. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) was more direct: “What happened here today was an insurrection incited by the President of the United States.”

Across the country tonight are calls for Trump’s removal through the 25th amendment, impeachment, or resignation. The Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have joined the chorus, writing to Pence urging him to invoke the 25th. Angry at Trump’s sabotaging of the Georgia elections in addition to the attack on our democracy, prominent Republicans are rumored to be doing the same.

At 8:00, heavily armed guards escorted the lawmakers back to the Capitol, thoroughly scrubbed by janitors, where the senators and representatives resumed their counting of the certified votes. The events of the afternoon had broken some of the Republicans away from their determination to challenge the votes. Fourteen Republican senators had announced they would object to counting the certified votes from Arizona; in the evening count the number dropped to six: Cruz (R-TX), Hawley (R-MO), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), John Kennedy (R-LA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).

In the House, 121 Republicans, more than half the Republican caucus, voted to throw out Biden’s electors from Arizona. As in the Senate, they lost when 303 Representatives voted in favor.

Six senators and more than half of the House Republicans backed an attempt to overthrow our government, in favor of a man caught on tape just four days ago trying to strong-arm a state election official into falsifying the election results.

Today the Confederate flag flew in the United States Capitol.