Categories Government
"The empire needs both faces. Without the murder face, it could not exist as an empire. Without the grinning face, the public would never consent to the murder
The Biden inauguration event is going to be a star-studded celebration spanning an unprecedented five days, a giddy orgy of excitement at a murderous oligarchic empire having a new face behind the front desk after promising wealthy donors that nothing will fundamentally change.

This comes at a time when Americans are now reporting that they trust corporations more than they trust their own government or
when pundits are gleefully proclaiming in The New York Times that “CEOs have become the fourth branch of government” as they pressure the entire political system to smoothly install
\u201cCEOs have become the fourth branch of government,\u201d said Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League. \u201cThey\u2019re trying to hold the country together.\u201d https://t.co/V8x34qbhlh
— Rania Khalek (@RaniaKhalek) January 15, 2021
when the leading contender for the Department of Justice's Antitrust Division is an Obama holdover who went from the administration to working for both Amazon and
The Prospect and The Intercept have learned that Renata Hesse, a former Obama Justice Department official who then went on to work for Google and Amazon, is a leading contender to head up the DoJ Antitrust Division.
— David Dayen (@ddayen) January 15, 2021
Mike Pence @vp @mike_pence is disloyal to @realDonaldTrump. Mike is also a traitor to We The People.
— Lin Wood (@LLinWood) January 4, 2021
Mike is a good friend to CCP. Too good.
I don\u2019t trust Mike Pence at all. Do you?https://t.co/6NTUl3PDeq
2) Today the WH issued a proclamation of commemoration of the 850th anniversary of the death of St. Thomas Beckett.
3) It's quite a document. "Becket’s death serves as a powerful and timeless reminder to every American that our freedom from religious persecution is not a mere luxury or accident of history, but rather an essential element of our liberty...bought with the blood of martyrs."
4) I am reasonably sure that Donald Trump is not a Peter O'Toole fan; and while he and T.S. Eliot would have gotten along in their fascism and antisemitism, I doubt he's read that either. And we can't always just say STEPHEN MILLER! ... can we?
5) Then there was the appointment of Milo's medievalist to a board that oversees cultural exchange and is tasked with stopping illicit artifact trade. Which is an important board but also a weird position.
Of fuck no. pic.twitter.com/VTyLMsYfqI
— David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) December 23, 2020

1. Their stunt on Jan. 6 will fail. What happens after objections are raised to a state's slate of electors in both the House and the Senate, is that they each have to debate the issue and then vote. It can't take more than 2 hours.

The House has a Democratic majority, so there's zero chance that a state's electors will get thrown out. (Both the House and the Senate have to agree.) All this is, is political theatre and as such, it'll get a lot of attention and make Trump happy.

You don't have to take my word on this. Read @Teri_Kanefield's explainer here:
I'll lay the entire process out here, and show why this can't happen. Applicable law: The Electoral Count Act and of course, your favorite document and mine, the Constitution, or, if you prefer cliff notes: https://t.co/cWXMlHiVvd
— Teri Kanefield (@Teri_Kanefield) December 12, 2020
Here's what happens on Jan. 6.
1/ https://t.co/pZziPKR0km
2. So the obvious question is, if this stunt is doomed to fail, why in the world are these Republicans doing this?
Contrary to what this looks like, it's not about their fealty to Trump.

Government virus expert paid £116k by swine flu vaccine manufacturers.
"The 'false' pandemic: Drug firms cashed in on scare over swine flu, claims Euro health chief."
January 2010.
https://t.co/nDs2ifa6jk

The 2016 simulation of a pandemic found holes in the UK’s readiness for such a
November 2018
"Ineffective flu vaccine added to 50,000 extra deaths last winter. Office National Statistics."
"Human suffering and lost lives over winter 'predictable, preventable and