Tracker

For anyone who has forgotten, its two weeks for the full effect to kick in,

Male elk have a habit of urinating all over themselves to make themselves more attractive. Seems appropriate.

Rep. Mike Nearman is a traitor -- New video shows him coaching how to breach the Capitol Pro-Trump website 'TheDonald' confirms detailed plans to storm Capitol and kill members of Congress Mike Nearman is the man who let armed protestors into the Oregon Capitol building in December, which led to a violent encounter with the police who were trying to remove them. The protestors attacked the police and used pepper spray. Nearman willfully endangered their lives, along with the lives of his fellow lawmakers and Capitol staff. Although the original video of him letting them in was pretty damning, a new video has emerged that made no doubt that it was planned. The new video shows Nearman walking his constituents through on how to breach the Capitol building, step-by-step, in a scheme called "Operation Hall Pass." He gives instructions on how to text him, where to stand, and how to get in. He knows what he is doing is illegal, which is why he intersperses his instructions with coy language. He says he will deny knowledge of the scheme, and that he will give out a random number---which happened to be his cell phone number. He was speaking to an anti-union group called the Freedom Foundation, which is funded by billionaires such as Charles Koch and the DeVos family. The Democrats in charge of the legislature have already stripped him of his committee assignments, and forced him to give up his badge to access the building. They have asked him to resign, but he has refused. The Oregon GOP is, as expected, deadly silent (complicit)—just as the national Republicans are about January 6th. Nearman also faces criminal charges. Rep. Mike Nearman is a traitor -- New video shows him coaching how to breach the Capitol - Alternet.org Steve Schmidt's dire warning: US just one election away from permanent Trumpian autocratic rule Lincoln Project co-founder and GOP strategist turned Democrat Steve Schmidt, ahead of Donald Trump's speech this weekend to the North Carolina Republican Party issued a dire warning: America is just one election away from permanent autocratic rule from the former president and his allies. In a 512 word Twitter thread Schmidt warns that Republicans have grown even stronger since the January 6 insurrection, and those who think Trump being out of the spotlight and off social media has weakened him are "fools." He also urges the media to stop focusing on the demise of Trump's blog. Trump is the "presumptive nominee" for the 2024 presidential election, Schmidt, a student of history, says, warning that "elected officials of the Republican Party are obedient soldiers in Trump's cult of personality." "His words will surely kill again," Schmidt says. Here's the entire Twitter thread in full (a few minor changes made in capitalization due to the way Schmidt writes his tweets): Steve Schmidt's dire warning: US just one election away from permanent Trumpian autocratic rule - Alternet.org

In all this, there are some valuable learnings. For children (and some adults), there is the lesson that the welfare of all is the responsibility of all, and at times our individual wishes necessarily are subordinate to the well-being of others. It is the price we pay for being in community and being a part of the whole. It has also revealed that there are those among us (and some in positions of power) who are willing to ignore the welfare of others to pursue their individual agendas. In times of crisis, we reveal the true "us", the true selves we keep hidden for good reasons. Power can be a drug that drives selflessness or the worst parts of our egos.

Correct, and that is why we need to keep vigilant over our elected officials and community leaders of all sorts. As Mark Twain said, "Politicians and diapers need to be changed often and for the same reasons."

Expecting all leaders of aboriginal communities to be smarter than, say, Kenney or certain Manitoba cabinet ministers is unrealistic. People are people and some will have brain cramps and some will ignore common-sense rules. Same as police and even clergy.

Unless you are Brian Pallister or Jason Kenney.

This idiot is going to get a lot of people killed to stroke his own ego.

National Review Confirms ‘Startling’ Report On Trump’s Current Grasp Of Reality A conservative writer has confirmed a report that former President Donald Trump is telling associates that he expects to be reinstalled as president this summer. “The scale of Trump’s delusion is quite startling,” National Review senior writer Charles C.W. Cooke wrote on the magazine’s website. Cooke said “an array of different sources” confirmed a report earlier this week by New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman, who said on Twitter that Trump has been sharing the popular new QAnon talking point. But Cooke went even further, saying Trump not only believes he’ll be put back into the Oval Office but also that he will be gifted with a Republican majority in the Senate, believing that two Democrats will be booted from Congress and replaced by the GOP candidates they defeated. He cautioned conservatives against downplaying or dismissing the report. “This is not merely an eccentric interpretation of the facts or an interesting foible, nor is it an irrelevant example of anguished post-presidency chatter,” he wrote. “It is a rejection of reality, a rejection of law, and, ultimately, a rejection of the entire system of American government.” Trump, he wrote, is “so unmoored from the real world that it is hard to know where to begin in attempting to explain him.” Read his full column here.

'Knowingly and willfully': Another Trump ally gets caught by the law in the hush-money case The tabloid publishing company that owns the National Enquirer will be fined $187,500 by FEC for a hush money payment to a woman with whom Donald Trump had an extramarital affair – a transaction which the FEC argues is in clear violation of campaign finance law. The transaction occurred back in 2016, when American Media Inc. (presently known as A360 Media LLC) transferred $150,000 to former model Karen McDougal, who in exchange for the funds, relinquished the rights to tell her story about the affair. The transaction was first made public back in 2018 amid the prosecution of ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty to tax evasion and campaign finance violations. The FEC found that America Media chief executive, David J. Pecker, a Trump ally, "knowingly and willfully" broke campaign finance laws in conjunction with various Trump campaign officials as well as Cohen, who has for years been positioned as Trump's right-hand man in the coverup. American Media has openly admitted that it routed the money to McDougal, though it disputes it broke any campaign finance laws, claiming that "payments for silence are not contributions or expenditures because silence is not a 'thing of value,'" according to the settlement agreement. Though, back in 2018, America Media had already agreed to a non-prosecution deal in which it acknowledged that hush money was intended to influence the results of the 2016 general election. 'Knowingly and willfully': Another Trump ally gets caught by the law in the hush-money case - Alternet.org

This is a very big fish they are looking to reel in. Dejoy has money and power, thus would be able to exploit any weaknesses in indictments, so they must be careful and thorough. Moreover, the GOPers will scream "witch hunt" and "personal vendetta". ALL the tees have to be crossed and ALL the I's must be dotted. 'He's a madman': Conservative confirms Trump believes the 'delusion' he will be reinstalled as president Earlier this week, the New York Times' Maggie Haberman reported that Donald Trump expects to be "reinstated" as president by August — inspiring some Republicans to accuse her of making it up. But conservative journalist Charles C.W. Cooke, in an article for the National Review, reported that Haberman was not fear-mongering and that Trump really does believe he will be returning to the Oval Office this summer. "Haberman's reporting was correct," Cooke writes. "I can attest, from speaking to an array of different sources, that Donald Trump does indeed believe quite genuinely that he — along with former Senators David Perdue and Martha McSally — will be 'reinstated' to office this summer after 'audits' of the 2020 elections in Arizona, Georgia and a handful of other states have been completed. I can attest, too, that Trump is trying hard to recruit journalists, politicians and other influential figures to promulgate this belief — not as a fundraising tool or an infantile bit of trolling or a trial balloon, but as a fact." Republicans, according to Cooke, are making a mistake if they "downplay the enormity of what is being claimed." "The scale of Trump's delusion is quite startling," Cooke writes. "This is not merely an eccentric interpretation of the facts or an interesting foible; nor is it an irrelevant example of anguished post-presidency chatter. It is a rejection of reality, a rejection of law, and, ultimately, a rejection of the entire system of American government. There is no Reinstatement Clause within the United States Constitution. Hell, there is nothing even approximating a Reinstatement Clause within the United States Constitution. The election has been certified, Joe Biden is the president, and, until 2024, that is all there is to it." 'He's a madman': Conservative confirms Trump believes the 'delusion' he will be reinstalled as president - Alternet.org

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy under FBI investigation: report Embattled U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, installed by then-President Donald Trump, is under FBI investigation over possible illegal campaign fundraising activity. The Washington Post, citing sources, reports the campaign fundraising involves his former business. "FBI agents in recent weeks interviewed current and former employees of DeJoy and the business, asking questions about political contributions and company activities," The Post reports. " Prosecutors also issued a subpoena to DeJoy himself for information, one of the people said." DeJoy personally donated over $1 million to the Trump re-election campaign and the RNC, but DeJoy has been accused of strong-arming employees into making donations and then being reimbursed for them, which is highly illegal. In September DeJoy issued a statement expressing "regret" after The Washington Post published a bombshell report revealing that when he was CEO of New Breed Logistics he reimbursed employees for making donations to Republican candidates. In his very specific statement DeJoy's personal spokesperson, Monty Hagler, did not fully deny DeJoy had engaged in the illegal practice. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy under FBI investigation: report - Alternet.org

Well, making groundless allegations has worked splendidly well for Trump and his mindless thralls for the past 6 years, so why not give it a try in court?

Snu-snu?

'Striking, horrific and brutal': Reporter details disturbing accusations against a 1/6 rioter in new filing Pennsylvania resident Ryan Samsel is among the many people facing federal criminal charges in connection with the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol Building. MacFarlane tweets, "WHOA!!! The filing just submitted in the Jan 6 prosecution of Ryan Samsel of Pennsylvania might" include "the most striking, horrific and brutal accusations I've read so far in *any* of these 460+ cases." MacFarlane reports that last week, Samsel asked to be released from the Washington, D.C. jail where he is being held, "citing injuries he allegedly suffered in (a) beating there." The U.S. Department of Justice, in response, has noted Samsel's history of violence. Samsel, MacFarlane reports, has been "accused of knocking over" a female police officer on January 6 and "knocking her unconscious." And MacFarlane adds that according to federal prosecutors, Samsel has a history of "violence against women." The Pennsylvania resident, MacFarlane writes, was "accused of choking & beating his pregnant girlfriend in 2011" and smashing "hot pizza in victim's face, pouring beer over head, throwing her into canal, holding her head under." 'Striking, horrific and brutal': Reporter details disturbing accusations against a 1/6 rioter in new filing (alternet.org)

Fixed that for you.

GOP's Paul Gosar implicated in plot to disrupt Biden's Arizona win using Proud Boys: leaked messages Messages leaked to the Washington Post implicate Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) in a plot to create a so-called "Brooks Brothers Riot" in his home state to block President Joe Biden's victory. Woodrow Johnston, the vice president of political consultancy McShane LLC, told an undercover liberal activist posing as a Trump supporter that Gosar wanted to use the far-right Proud Boys gang to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election in Arizona. GOP's Paul Gosar implicated in plot to disrupt Biden's Arizona win using Proud Boys: leaked messages - Alternet.org

This is literally true. The literacy rate and average education levels have been falling for some 20 years, and this is the result.

A significant drop, thank God.

The Catholic church has participated in several genocides and has never expressed regret or responsibility. I think they just assume that the organization will outlast any criticisms. This has worked very well so far. This is by no means meant to discount what has apparently happened in BC and other Canadian places, but the Catholic church has always considered people expendable utilities for the wealth of the Church. You may wish to look up the Magdalene Laundries in Ireland, the "butterbox babies" in Quebec and its complicity in the mezzo-American wars, not to mention its shielding of Nazi fugitives in 1945-46. The list is long and appalling.

There is a subtext to all this: the MAGA/QAnon/GOPers are saying and demonstrating that they will refuse to acknowledge any president who is not of their choosing. Moreover, they intend to oppose any and all legislative and executive actions initiated by a Democratic regime and reserve the right to use all means to this end- including violence and insurrection. The goal is to overthrow any government they do not like, and voter suppression as well as gerrymandering are all part of their options.

Trump tells followers he 'expects to be reinstated' in August as MAGA extremists call for Myanmar-style coup Four months into Joe Biden's presidency and almost seven months after the 2020 presidential election, some far-right supporters of former President Donald Trump continue to believe that he will be returning to the White House sometime in 2021. According to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, Trump "has been telling a number of people he's in contact with that he expects he will get reinstated by August." And this comes at a time when Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, continues to draw criticism for suggesting that the United States should have a military coup along the lines of Myanmar. Trump tells followers he 'expects to be reinstated' in August as MAGA extremists call for Myanmar-style coup - Alternet.org MAGA heads go berserk over 'incompetent failure' Jenna Ellis after she correctly notes Trump can't be 'reinstated' Jenna Ellis, an attorney who fought to overturn the 2020 presidential election, was blasted by conservatives over the Memorial Day holiday after she insisted that former President Donald Trump cannot be "reinstated." Ellis made the assertion on Twitter after attorney Sidney Powell told a group of people that Trump could "simply be reinstated." "The election was lawless, six states allowed their delegates to vote by false certifications, but the EC process happened," Ellis tweeted. "The Constitution has only one process for removal of a sitting president: impeachment and conviction." "No, President Trump is not going to be 'reinstated,'" she added. "Her [sic] and Rudy failed to take action to prevent the steal in 2019. She was always basking in the limelight and money, while being an incompetent failure. Now she is in her cat box pushing kitty litter over her," one person wrote. "She can shove that statement up her ass," another comment said. MAGA heads go berserk over 'incompetent failure' Jenna Ellis after she correctly notes Trump can't be 'reinstated' - Alternet.org

Mike Flynn:" I did not call for a coup despite what that video shows". Fired former Trump National Security Advisor and retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn is now denying he ever called for a violent Myanmar military-style coup in the U.S., despite numerous reports and video that appear to show or say he did. Flynn reportedly told a QAnon audience in Dallas Sunday night that a deadly Myanmar-style coup "should happen here" in the United States, according to CNN, which carefully said he "appeared to endorse a Myanmar-style coup in the United States on Sunday." The Daily Beast reports Flynn "told a QAnon conference this weekend that he supports a violent military coup in the U.S." Newsweek reports Flynn "said that a Myanmar-like military coup "should happen" in the U.S." An attendee, according to video, had asked Flynn, "I want to know why what happened in Myanmar can't happen here?" "No reason. I mean, it should happen here," Flynn said, as Go Local Prov and others reported. Mike Flynn: I did not call for a coup despite what that video shows - Alternet.org

One of the immediate things that the City of Winnipeg can do is rename Bishop Grandin Boulevard.