Congresswoman Elise Stefanik has a lot of explaining to do for her constituents

About the time Congresswoman Stefanik is criticized by national and her own home state media, he has a lot of explaining to do.😮😬

Elise Stefanik ambitiously wants to be the former guy's choice to run (reported in the The Washington Post)...as vice-president❓ Obviously, Stefanik never learned Mother Lesson 101:  Beware who you choose for friends, because they will define you.

Rep. Elise Stefanik is obsessed with former guy Trump

An opinion published in the Albany, New York newspaper Times Union: No doubt U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York District 21 Schuylerville is basking in the outrageous national outrage over her use of the word “hostages” to express her wrong minded sympathy — even solidarity — with the hundreds of seditionists, police assailants, vandals and other thugs convicted in the January 6, 2021, attack on our democracy. Provoking outrage to generate attention is, of course, the MAGA modus operandi.

January 6th convicted sedition rioter the QAnon Shaman Jacob Chansley

But this is not just the usual hyperbolic blather from another sycophant of Donald Trump. And Americans shrug off such rhetoric at our nation’s peril.

This offense — a perversion of the very meaning of the word “hostage” — is not some mere bit of demagoguery. It’s part of a broad and relentless assault on the foundations of our republic by Mr. Trump and his loyalists.

There was Ms. Stefanik on “Meet the Press” on Sunday, echoing Mr. Trump’s depiction of the Jan. 6 mob as “hostages,” even as she equivocated by insisting she condemns violence. She’s still using the incendiary rhetoric — the big lie that the 2020, presidential election was stolen from Mr. Trump — that incited that violence.

To call the January 6th insurrectionists “hostages” is to turn the word on its head. It demeans and diminishes the plight of the very real hostages being held around the world. The terrorist organization Hamas still holds an estimated 120 of the more than 230 Israelis and other foreign nationals it kidnapped in the brutal Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Russia is said to have taken at least 20,000 Ukrainian children captive in its invasion of Ukraine, though some estimates range into the hundreds of thousands. Russian President Vladimir Putin wantonly imprisons political rivals and critics of his war, and even foreign journalists such as Evan Gershkovich of The Wall Street Journal. Russia and other repressive regimes like Iran and North Korea have held Americans and other foreigners hostage on minor or trumped-up charges as propaganda tools or pawns in foreign policy.

The January 6th rioters aren’t unwitting, innocent victims of a terrorist organization or a rogue regime. They’re criminals who attacked the heart of our republic, the Capitol in which the representatives of the people had gathered to affirm the results of a free and fair election, the very foundation of our representative democracy. They sought to overturn the results of the 2020, election — which President Joe Biden won decisively by more than 7 million votes — and to reinstall Donald Trump as president instead.

Of the more than 1,230 people charged with federal crimes for their role in that attack, about 730 have pleaded guilty and roughly 170 were convicted at trial, according to The Associated Press. 

Two suspects were acquitted. Some of the leaders of armed, violent anti-government groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, fiercely loyal to Mr. Trump, drew long sentences of up to 22 years in prison. Others with lesser involvement were sentenced to terms of months or even days.

It’s worth noting that, according to The Washington Post, the majority of punishments — 67 percent — were below federal sentencing guidelines.

Yet here comes Mr. Trump, calling these thugs “hostages,” and suggesting that he’ll pardon them if he’s elected president. There’s Ms. Stefanik right behind him, parroting his corruption of the word and recklessly speculating that these people have been treated unfairly.

Who is it, we wonder, that Mr. Trump and Ms. Stefanik so sympathize with? Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, perhaps, who drew the longest sentence, whom Judge Amit P. Mehta called “an ongoing threat and a peril to this country, to the republic and the very fabric of our democracy”? Or Christopher Worrell, who was convicted of using pepper spray gel on police officers? Or Jonathan Pollock, who has been on the run for months, accused of punching police officers, pulling one down a set of steps and attacking another with a riot shield? Or Danny Rodriguez, who drove a stun gun into a police officer’s neck? Or Thomas Webster — a retired New York Police Department officer — who used a metal flagpole to assault an officer defending the Capitol that day?

It doesn’t take a mind reader to know that Ms. Stefanik’s concern isn’t on the conviction of these criminals, but on her own political fortunes, which she has chosen to bond with her obsession for Mr. Trump’s.

"How do you measure, Measure a year?" ....since January 6th

Huffington Post by Lee Moran: ‘The Late Show’ Slams ‘Traitorous Scum’ Donald Trump With Spoof ‘Rent’ Number: "Abhor-Rent" is “a surprisingly light look back at one of America’s darkest days," said Stephen Colbert's team.

The parody called out the former guy Donald Trump, who incited the violence, as a “bum,” “traitorous scum” and “like Mussolini but dumb.” His allies and enablers aren’t let off easy, either.

'The Late Show' marks a year since the Capitol riot with darkly hilarious 'Rent' parody-Aptly titled "Abhor-Rent".

JANUARY- Thursday, January 6, 2022, marked one year since rioters stormed Capitol Hill, a haunting moment in recent American history. Members of Congress have shared their harrowing experiences from the day, a prayer vigil was held on Capitol steps, and late night shows commemorated it the best ways they knew how.

The Late Show marks one year since the January 6, 2021 insurrectionist attacks on the U.S. Capitol. 

Watch the video at this site here.

Echo report by Meera Navlakha:  Stephen Colbert and his writers, delivered a parody of the musical "Rent's" most famous song "Seasons of Love" — aptly titled "Abhor-Rent".

The two minute song not only summarized the events of last year, but also offered some lines like: "727 insurrectionists arrested / Who else should be jailed / For this unsuccessful coup? / How about this unsuccessful bum?" Cue a picture of Donald Trump.

This is a relatively light-hearted take on one of America's darkest days. Yet, The Late Show didn't shy away from humor, but still accurately reflected the horror of January 6, visually and lyrically.

"Abhor-Rent", is simply using a Rent track. One YouTube commenter said, "This is heartbreaking and hilarious all at the same time", while another wrote, "Thank you making me laugh, easing (for now) the anger, frustration and anxiety that built up while watching today’s coverage."

Colbert gave a few memorable monologues following the riots last year, furiously calling out the rioters as "terrorists" and decrying the state of democracy in the country.

QAnon shaman Jacob Chansley sentenced to 41 months in prison for January 6, Capitol riot case.  

Arizona Man Sentenced to 41 Months in Prison On Felony Charge in Jan. 6 Capitol Breach. 

Jacob Chansley occupied the Vice President’s Seat in Senate chamber and he used a bullhorn to lead rioters.

WASHINGTON- Jacob Anthony Chansley, a.k.a. Jake Angeli, 34, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced today to 41 months in prison for his criminal conduct during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election. The defendant – wearing a Viking hat and carrying a six-foot spear – was among the first 30 rioters in the building.

According to court documents, Chansley was among the crowd that passed the police line at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. He was shirtless, wearing a Viking hat with fur and horns, covered in red, white, and blue face paint, and carrying an American flag tied to a pole with a sharp object at the tip and a bullhorn. He and others in the crowd passed police lines and entered the scaffolding erected in advance of the Inauguration on top of the staircase heading up to the Lower West Terrace of the building. They then entered the Upper West Terrace at approximately 2:10 p.m., as the certification proceedings were still under way. Chansley continued into the building through a broken door at approximately 2:14 p.m. He kept moving, reaching the Gallery of the Senate and then the Senate floor. He then scaled the Senate dais, taking the seat that Vice President Mike Pence had occupied an hour earlier. Chansley proceeded to take pictures of himself on the dais and refused to vacate the seat when asked to do so by law enforcement. Instead, he stated that “Mike Pence is a f----ing traitor” and wrote a note on available paper on the dais, stating “It’s Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming!” He further called other rioters up to the dais and led them in an incantation over his bullhorn. He was cleared from the Chamber at approximately 3:09 p.m.

Chansley was arrested Jan. 9, 2021 and has been in custody ever since. He pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia on Sept. 3, 2021, to obstruction of an official proceeding. In addition to the prison term, Judge Royce C. Lamberth ordered him to pay $2,000 in restitution. He also must serve a period of three years of supervised release following completion of his prison term.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Justice Department’s National Security Division prosecuted the case, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona. The FBI’s Washington Field Office investigated the case, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office.

In the ten months since Jan. 6, more than 675, individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 210 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

Save American democracy: Get to the bottom of what happened on January 6th 2021

Opinion echo: If we are to save our democracy, there must be a reckoning for the January. 6 attack

By Eugene Robinson 

One year ago, ours was a nation on the brink. We must never forget!

The first week of 2021, brought an unprecedented rupture in the democratic process that Americans have taken for granted since the election of John Adams in 1796. A sitting president, Donald Trump, was trying desperately to remain in office despite his defeat in a free and fair election. He summoned a mob to Washington as an intimidating show of force, and that violent mob — whipped into a frenzy by Trump and his cronies — stormed the Capitol to prevent Congress from certifying Trump’s loss.

Much has happened since, both domestically and in foreign affairs. Now, as then, the biggest factor in most Americans’ day-to-day lives is the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. And the leadership of the Republican Party dearly wants us to forget that the Jan. 6 insurrection ever took place.

But the nation cannot just “move on” from such an attack on our constitutional order. Not since 1814, when British soldiers marched into Washington, had the Capitol been overrun and pillaged. Not even during the Civil War was the orderly transfer of presidential power disrupted. Never had a defeated presidential candidate — much less a defeated incumbent who had sworn to defend the Constitution — refused to accept the result of an election.

We need to know everything that is knowable about these events. And those who inspired, organized and committed the insurrection need to be brought to justice.

President Biden and Vice President Harris intend to deliver remarks Thursday to mark the anniversary of the failed putsch. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has planned a series of events, beginning with prayer and a moment of silence in the House chamber, where so many of her colleagues sheltered in terror on Jan. 6 as a crush of thugs and zealots tried to smash their way inside.

And because Democrats are in charge of the White House and Congress, most Republicans will do their best to pretend that the commemoration is more about politics than nationhood. Trump is also expected to speak Thursday, and he will surely repeat his lies and gibberish about the election somehow being “stolen” from him and his supporters. He and the GOP — his GOP, make no mistake — have been trying to make the insurrection into a partisan issue. 

Don’t let them do that!

Noose appears near Capitol; protesters seen carrying Confederate flags:  A noose was erected on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon, attached to a wooden beam.

The mob threatened to “hang” Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence, after Pence announced that he would do his constitutional duty and certify Biden’s electoral victory. The senators, House members, staff aides and other Capitol workers forced to flee for their lives or shelter in terror belonged to both parties. And if you surveyed the political beliefs of the scores of police officers who were clubbed, beaten, doused with bear spray and abused with racist slurs by the mob, I wager you’d find as many conservatives as progressives.

What happened last January 6 was much bigger and more important than politics. And holding accountable the perpetrators of this attack on our democracy must take precedence over any political concerns. This is bigger than who wins the midterm elections or who runs for president in 2024. This project of reckoning is about the continuation of the American experiment.

Jacob Chansley, the spear-carrying January 6th rioter, whose horned fur hat, bare chest and face paint made him one of the more recognizable figures in the assault on the Capitol, was sentenced Wednesday to 41 months in prison.

Actually, there are three simultaneous accountability projects whose success the American people must demand.

The House select committee investigating the attack (appointed by Pelosi only after Republicans refused to form a proper blue-ribbon commission) appears to be doing an admirable job of collecting new information, including about Trump’s actions that day. The committee must not let stonewalling by Trump and his inner circle cause delay — a full year has already passed. It is good that the committee plans to issue an interim report this summer but, in the meantime, it should hold public hearings and release as much information as possible. Their work is not just important but also urgent.

Simultaneously, Congress as a whole must shore up the weaknesses in our transfer-of-power process exposed by the insurrection. The mob’s aim was to halt the official counting of electoral votes — and the mob succeeded, at least for several hours. Even the libertarian Cato Institute agrees that the 1876, Electoral Count Act is “a mess of ambiguities and contradictions” and needs to be reformed. Legislation to do so should begin making its way toward Biden’s desk.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department must continue to press criminal charges against the insurrectionists. It is not enough to prosecute and sentence those who participated bodily in the assault. The puppet masters who assembled the crowd and sent it off to sack the Capitol must be held to account as well.

And no one, including Trump, can be considered above the law.

QAnon Shaman is now the logo of Republican extremism

Opinion echo letter published in The Winchester Star, a newspaper published in Winchester, Virginia.

Maine Writer- In my opinion, this QAnon shamen is now the heinous animalistic logo of of the seditious Republican Party.

Jacob Chansley is the shape shifter symbol of Republican extremism.

'QAnon Shaman' turns on his cult idol: pleads guilty.

Jacob Chansley is the QAnon "shaman". He joined a seditious mob that stormed the US Capitol in a horned bearskin outfit and then pleaded guilty to a felony for obstructing the Electoral College proceedings on January 6

“Stupidity is something unshakable; nothing attacks it without breaking itself against it; it is of the nature of granite, hard and resistant.” — Gustave Flaubert

Recently, one of the most grotesquely colorful and idiotic thugs who attacked the Nation’s Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 pleaded guilty to various crimes and was sentenced to a stretch in federal prison. 

This is Jacob Chansley, the self-styled QAnon Shaman; he of the bare chest, red, white and blue face paint, and horns! It seems that out of a sense of self-survival he has forsworn QAnon and now prefers to be known simply as The Shaman. He has also, it seems, turned on his former idol, The Donald, and now reviles him. Expediency rules the day. This turnaround was no doubt motivated in part by his willingness to renounce Trump out of a sense of self-preservation, but also because he was miffed that Trump did not grant him a pardon while he still could.

As stupid as Chansley clearly is, it turns out that he is the genius of the family. His family was opposed to his pleading guilty to the charges he was convicted of, advising him to hold out until Trump is reinstated in the near future. At that time, their logic goes, Trump would grant him a pardon. This advice is bad on so many levels it simply defies belief anyone could be so stupid as to suggest this course of action. Stupid is as stupid does. Long live stupid on the right!

Michael Rea is a resident of Winchester, Virginia.

Trump cult loyalists are playing a zero sum game

Echo opinion letter published in the Massachusetts 

Daily Hampshire Gazette

This imagery will become the #GQO logo

It’s sad to hear people like Jacob Chansley*, the face-painted, horn-wearing “QAnon Shaman” who played an evil image and grossly colorful part in the Jan. 6th, mob riot in Washington, complain that Donald Trump misled him and then failed to pardon him.

Con artists don’t care about people like Jacob; they can’t afford to feel badly for using and discarding them because it would stand in the way of getting power and money, and those are the only things they care about. Jacob and his fellow deluded insurrectionists are a dime a dozen.

On the other hand, Roger (“Dirty Tricks”) Stone got a pardon because he has special skills that will be valuable to Trump in the future. People who still support Trump need to wake up and accept the truth — they were fed a pack of lies.

(Maine Writer- obviously Republicans are unable to even read the lessons taught by the Peanuts cartoon!  Cult loyalty to Donald Trump is a zero sum game for the extremist Republicans.)

And members of Congress, from both parties, need to stand united, proclaim the truth, and hold Trump accountable. Otherwise, he will continue his con game from his gilded palace in Florida and the victims of his crimes, the American people, will never recover.

Susan Grant

Easthampton, Massachusetts 

*QAnon shaman - Chansley, 32, who had been going by the name Jake Angeli, is an actor and activist who was prominent at conservative protests in Arizona.

Prosecutors said Chansley went into the Capitol carrying a U.S. flag attached to a wooden pole topped with a spear, ignored an officer’s commands to leave, went into the Senate chamber and wrote a threatening note to then-Vice President Mike Pence.

Chansley told investigators he came to the Capitol “at the request of the president that all ‘patriots’ come to D.C. on January 6,” according to court records.