Roisin Ni Fiachra

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Member since: Mon May 1, 2017, 12:51 AM
Number of posts: 2,088

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The 'deep state' of loyalists Trump is leaving behind for Biden

Donald Trump spent four years railing against a “deep state” of career federal workers he claimed was undermining his administration from the inside.

When Joe Biden takes office next week, he may actually have one.

A higher-than-usual number of Trump administration political appointees — some with highly partisan backgrounds — are currently "burrowing" into career positions throughout the federal government, moving from appointed positions into powerful career civil service roles, which come with job protections that will make it difficult for Biden to fire them.

While this happens to some degree in every presidential transition, and some political appointees make for perfectly capable public servants, Biden aides, lawmakers, labor groups and watchdog organizations are sounding the alarm — warning that in addition to standard burrowing, the Trump administration is leaning on a recent executive order to rush through dozens if not hundreds of these so-called “conversions.” The fear is that, once entrenched in these posts, the Trump bureaucrats could work from the inside to stymie Biden's agenda, much of which depends on agency action.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/19/trump-loyalists-burrowing-biden-460238

Posted by Roisin Ni Fiachra | Tue Jan 19, 2021, 08:19 AM (7 replies)

81 million Biden voters are seething with anger--the burden of 'healing' is on Republicans

The American right seems oblivious to the seething anger that the 81 million Americans who braved a multifaceted voter suppression campaign and a raging pandemic to vote against Donald Trump feel over Republicans' relentless attempts to silence their voices with Donald Trump's ludicrous election fraud conspiracy theories.

This week, many of them sought to weaponize President-elect Joe Biden's campaign theme of bringing the country together after four years of Trump's bomb-throwing. The very same Republican lawmakers who objected to counting the Electoral College votes that gave Joe Biden a resounding victory claimed this week that impeaching Trump would violate Biden's promise to promote healing and seek greater unity. "Rushing this resolution to the floor will do nothing to unify or heal the country," said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) during this week's debate. "These actions, again, will only continue to divide the nation."
...........
At a minimum, that means publicly acknowledging not only that Joe Biden won this election, but also that there were never any serious questions about his victory. After all, making bogus claims of fraud has long been one of Trump's signature moves. When The Amazing Race beat out The Apprentice for an Emmy Award, Trump claimed that the Emmys were rigged; when he lost the Iowa Caucus in 2016, he claimed that Ted Cruz had cheated; he said there had been widespread fraud in the election that he won in 2016 and started claiming that he could only lose in 2020 as a result of fraud back in 2019.
................
Reconciliation is also impossible to contemplate without accountability for at least those who are the most culpable for bringing us to the brink of armed conflict.

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-election-2649962788/

Posted by Roisin Ni Fiachra | Sun Jan 17, 2021, 10:38 AM (61 replies)

The Atlantic: America's Second Worst Scenario

The next time an insurgent mob arrives to sack the Capitol, if one happens to try between now and Inauguration Day, mere strength of numbers will not overwhelm the defenses. In the 10 days since the January 6 assault on Congress, the Secret Service has overseen the establishment of an instant “green zone,” fortified by eight-foot steel barriers and patrolled by some 20,000 National Guardsmen. Those are real bullets in the magazines of their Army-issued M-4 assault rifles, not at all the standard gear for maintaining civic order.

A healthy democracy does not need a division-size force to safeguard the incoming president in its capital. Generals and admirals in a thriving republic do not have to enjoin the troops against “violence, sedition and insurrection” or reaffirm that “there’s no role for the U.S. military in determining the outcome of a U.S. election.” A nation secure in the peaceful transfer of power does not require 10 former defense secretaries to remind their successor that he is “bound by oath, law and precedent to facilitate the entry into office of the incoming administration.”
.............
Here is the nub of our predicament. Donald Trump attempted democracide, and he had help. The victim survived but suffered grievous wounds. American democracy now faces a long convalescence in an environment of ongoing attacks. Trump has not exhausted his malignant powers, and co-conspirators remain at large.

I do not mean to be taken figuratively. The president of the United States lost an election and really did try with all his might to keep the winner from replacing him. He did his level best to overthrow our system of government, and tens of millions of Americans marched behind him. But a coup d’état in America had seemed so unlikely a thing, and it was so buffoonishly attempted, that the political establishment had trouble taking it seriously. That was a big mistake.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/how-close-did-us-come-successful-coup/617709/

Posted by Roisin Ni Fiachra | Sat Jan 16, 2021, 10:10 AM (24 replies)

The Case Against Donald Trump - Simplified

The Law is Clear

Impeachable conduct – “Treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors” – encompasses a defeated presidential candidate’s attempted coup d’etat against the legitimate constitutional government of the United States. Constitutional scholars across the political spectrum have echoed Prof. Michael Stokes Parkman’s view: “If Trump’s misconduct is not impeachable, nothing is.”

Proof of a crime is not required for impeachment, but Trump probably committed several federal felonies. “Seditious conspiracy” is an agreement by at least two people to hinder the execution of federal law or to seize federal property. The agreement need not be express and can be inferred by willful participation in the unlawful plan with intent to further it. Conviction can lead to imprisonment for up to 20 years. “Inciting rebellion or insurrection” against the authority of the United States can result a 10-year prison term.

The felony-murder rule might even apply. In some circumstances, a person who engages in a violent felony can be held responsible for deaths that occur during the course of that crime. For example, suppose two people try to rob a bank and a bank security guard pulls out a gun and kills one robber while the other is waiting in the getaway car. The driver of the getaway car could be held liable for the death of his fellow robber. Trump’s incitement led to five deaths, including the mob’s murder of a Capitol Police officer.
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Without accountability for subverting the nation’s political system, unity is impossible. That requires a common understanding and acceptance of facts. America’s body politic cannot heal without first ridding itself of the infection that Trump’s lies have caused. Impeachment is a necessary first step in that cleansing process.

https://billmoyers.com/story/the-case-against-donald-trump-simplified/

Posted by Roisin Ni Fiachra | Sat Jan 16, 2021, 08:10 AM (0 replies)

Lincoln Project's Steve Schmidt: Trump's 'fascist' movement 'must be crushed' and 'annihilated'

"Before we can talk about reconciliation, we have to talk about accountability," Schmidt told "Morning Joe" hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough — a former GOP congressman and fellow Never Trump conservative. Scarborough has described Trump as a "fascist" many times, and Schmidt wholeheartedly agrees with that description of the outgoing president.

According to Schmidt, Trump is a "fascist" who "incited violence against the people of the United States as the Capitol of the United States fell to a seditious mob" on January 6. And the "fascist" movement that Trump has promoted, Schmidt warned, won't be going away after Trump leaves office on January 20.

Schmidt told Scarborough and Brzezinski, "This threat must be crushed. It must be annihilated. This threat must be met head on…. We are in for a long fight…. It will last years."

https://www.alternet.org/2021/01/steve-schmidt/

Yes.

Posted by Roisin Ni Fiachra | Fri Jan 15, 2021, 12:23 PM (9 replies)

US police three times as likely to use force against leftwing protesters, data finds

Police in the United States are three times more likely to use force against leftwing protesters than rightwing protesters, according to new data from a non-profit that monitors political violence around the world.

In the past 10 months, US law enforcement agencies have used teargas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and beatings at a much higher percentage at Black Lives Matter demonstrations than at pro-Trump or other rightwing protests.

Law enforcement officers were also more likely to use force against leftwing demonstrators, whether the protests remained peaceful or not.

The statistics, based on law enforcement responses to more than 13,000 protests across the United States since April 2020, show a clear disparity in how agencies have responded to the historic wave of Black Lives Matter protests against police violence, compared with demonstrations organized by Trump supporters.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/13/us-police-use-of-force-protests-black-lives-matter-far-right

Posted by Roisin Ni Fiachra | Fri Jan 15, 2021, 08:20 AM (1 replies)

Texas Pastor Tells Followers to Stock Supplies, Keep Guns Loaded Before Biden Inauguration

A Texas pastor has told his congregation they have an "executive order" from God to keep Donald Trump in office and advised them to keep their guns loaded ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.

Brandon Burden, the pastor at KingdomLife in Frisco, who is also a member of the Frisco Conservative Coalition and a realtor, spoke in tongues in front of his followers on Sunday. He claimed "prophetic voices" said Trump would be president for another eight years.

"We have an executive order—not from Congress or D.C., but from the desk of the CEO of heaven, the boss of the planet. He said from his desk in heaven, this is my will; Trump will be in for eight years," he claimed.

Burden told church members to carry out the order, saying: "Take down the walls of Jericho. The Lord says your Jericho is Washington, D.C. That's your fortified city."

https://www.newsweek.com/texas-pastor-tells-followers-stock-supplies-keep-guns-loaded-before-biden-inauguration-1561492

"Hello, FBI? We got another one"

Posted by Roisin Ni Fiachra | Thu Jan 14, 2021, 07:30 AM (16 replies)

Our psychopath president has finally imploded: And all this was totally predictable

Donald Trump's attempted coup against our government was predictable. He had it all planned out. He would incite thousands of supporters to attack the Capitol, disrupt the proceedings of the Senate and find a way to maintain his grip on power. He knew full well that his violent insurrectionists had blood on their minds and that Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence were in harm's way. He knew there was a chance that both Pelosi and Pence could be kidnapped or murdered. He did not care one whit. He was partying and celebrating as the attackers formed and began their deadly march. He was inciting an insurrection against the United States for his own personal gain. Democracy and human life were of no concern to him.

But his efforts failed. The Senate was not overtaken. Joe Biden was certified as the next president. Pelosi and Pence were both safe. The attackers are being hunted down one by one and arrested. Trump has now been impeached for the second time, with 10 Republican members of Congress joining with every Democrat. Pence apparently contemplated the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment (although he has now said he will not do so). The majority of Americans believe that Trump should be removed from office immediately for his treasonous behavior.

After last week's insurrection attempt, Trump is now trying to act as if nothing out of the ordinary happened. What is the big deal if some looters swarmed through the Capitol? As he has always done, Trump relies on lies, denials, conspiracy theories and fake bravado to skirt through life and through his presidency. But rhetoric and actions are observable truth. And Trump's clear incitement of insurrection means he is a traitor. It means he disavowed the will of the people and the rule of law. It means his personal gain is more important than the Constitution and his oath of office.

This all makes sense because Donald Trump is a psychopath. He is fueled by his narcissism, his sadism, his paranoia and his antisocial proclivities. We have been eager to ignore these things, but Trump's sadism and violence have been front and center in his psyche the entire time. This is the man who separated young children from their families at the border. This is the man whose inaction has killed 372,000 Americans due to the coronavirus. This is the man who has tried to encourage violence multiple times at his campaign and presidential pep rallies. And this is the man who glorified violence in Charlottesville and in other cities.

https://www.salon.com/2021/01/14/our-psychopath-president-has-finally-imploded-and-all-this-was-totally-predictable/

Posted by Roisin Ni Fiachra | Thu Jan 14, 2021, 07:22 AM (15 replies)

Official confirms it was a Republican Congressman giving a Capitol tour to insurrectionists ahead of

Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) confirmed the account by Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) that insurrectionists were doing a "reconnaissance tour" with a member of Congress the day before the attack.

Rep. Sherrill did a 13-minute video on Facebook Tuesday evening recalling seeing the incident.

"I can confirm that," Rep. Maloney told MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace. "I don't have firsthand knowledge of it, but I spoke to a member who saw it personally, and he described it with some alarm. Some of our new colleagues, the same ones, of course, who believe in conspiracy theories and who want to carry guns into the House chamber, who today, today, have been yelling at Capitol Police, shoving them. Who a week ago were risking their lives to save ours. This conduct is beyond the pale, and it extends to some of this interaction with the very people who attacked the Capitol, and that's why the issue of making sure every member of Congress now goes through a metal detector, which has never happened before, is so important for the security of the inauguration and for our proceedings and it's a sad reality that we find ourselves at a place where the enemy is within, and we cannot trust our own colleagues."

https://www.rawstory.com/republican-capitol-tour-insurrectionist/

Posted by Roisin Ni Fiachra | Wed Jan 13, 2021, 06:58 PM (5 replies)

Does anyone really care what nutjob Republicans say?

It's all just gibberish. They're all loony toons, clueless, mean, nasty, dishonest, and corrupt as the day is long.

Just vote to impeach, and get it over with.

Posted by Roisin Ni Fiachra | Wed Jan 13, 2021, 02:33 PM (12 replies)

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