BC TRUMP
Saved by @jacobhtml

Oh huh. Trump's defense isn't going to address the impeachment case (and seems to ignore his demands of Mike Pence again).

 Michael Van der Veen pretending that 61 losses is normal.

And, again, note that he didn't address Trump's unconstitutional request of Mike Pence.
Van der Veen lies about who asked for recounts in 2016.

And lies about Hillary's claims about Russia.
Trump's video is made in the style of propaganda, taken out of context.
Van der Veen now trying to make much of tweets Trump didn't send until hours too late.
"There had never been mob-like behavior" at Trump's earlier rallies?

Has this guy ever met Corey Lewandowski?
So when Trump is prosecuted we should expect Van Der Veen to back a 20 year sentence for Trump?

Again, Van Der Veen is not addressing the actual case.
Van Der Veen is now blaming someone who's not the Commander in Chief from protecting the country.

And he's misrepresenting the requests from LE.
The press should use Van der Veen's invocation of known provocateur John Sullivan and his false claim he's Antifa to ask why his brother, James Sullivan, a guy with ties to Proud Boy who was coordinating with Rudy, hasn't been arrested.
Note: To the extent that this was planned by Trump, it is actually very damning. I've been wondering if Kash Patel planned to use his failure to respond to the riot by referring back to June. This suggests that's the case.
Cancel culture! Drink!
Trump's lawyer lies about how many people voted for Trump.
Can we agree that the use of word "unity" here is sickly fascist?
That's it! They're not going to address:
1) Anything before January 6
2) Anything involving Mike Pence
3) Why Trump didn't do anything ON January 6

There's your headline. They have no response to the facts.
Reminder: John Sullivan's brother James APPEARS to have been in direct contact with Rudy, and he set up that false flag Antifa attack then.
BREAKING: Trump's lawyers say they can't trust the integrity of Trump's tweets!
David Schoen now trying to start a false conspiracy theory about SEKURITY VIDEO WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?
David Schoen making the case that Trump should be called as a witness.
Any bets on how many times Trump's people are going to replay these clips? I think this makes 3 now.
Congratulations to @tedcruz, @SenMikeLee, and @LindseyGrahamSC who have so little self-respect they think this is an appropriate way to treat their own body.
Folks, don't get distracted by this false equivalency.

Remember: they're playing this to avoid talking about why Trump ordered Mike Pence to do something unconstitutional, and spent 4 months setting up the riot.
Apparently Schoen doesn't think an insurrection is a dire threat.
Again, Schoen is comparing a lie about an inappropriate blow job to launching an insurrection and refusing to protect the country.

Schoen doesn't believe defending the country is a constitutional imperative.
Van der Veen:

Democrats hate Trump so I won't address all the Trump supporters who said that Trump incited a riot.
Van der Veen complaining that Dems didn't spend more time talking about 1A, but thus far no Trump lawyer has addressed the facts presented. Any of them.
Again, don't be gaslit by this: This is NOT the total of what Trump is being impeached for.

They're simply ignoring all the other things that aren't speech, or aren't legal speech. He ordered Pence to do something unconstitutional. He did nothing while the Capitol was attacked.
1:15 hour in and Trump's lawyers have not addressed any of the facts presented by the managers, save a blue check.
Is this the third or fourth playing of this?
Didn't this fella promise us precedent?

Also, has he addressed the unconstitutional demand Trump made of Mike Pence?
Finally!

1:31 in, we're at an argument.
"Just like Mr. Trump has done here."

Uh. Explain how it's on point? You're just gonna leave it there?
Does this dude know about Take Care clause?
Van der Veen: Trump's actions for an entire year leading up to his riot are irrelevant.

Van der Veen: But Raskin should be impeached for a single legal challenge.
Van der Veen is claiming the managers focused on Fight--that's false. That's what THEIR defense did. The Managers focused on far more.
Interesting defense strategy, showing Trump insulting Republicans.
Dear Senate Republicans: HIS DEFENSE IS TO CALL YOU WEAK.
Again: Trump's own defense cited Mike Pence's observation that that request, just now, was an unconstitutional request.
AGAIN: The impeachment managers didn't focus on fight. Trump's defense did. It's a distraction technique, from the other allegations which they're simply not addressing.
Congratulations, again, to @tedcruz, @SenMikeLee, and @LindseyGrahamSC, who have such little self-respect they think this is a valid defense.
There are a slew of arguments that Trump's team hasn't addressed.

A key one, though is that he did nothing as the Capitol was attacked by terrorists.

https://t.co/pSo4P2EV9a
Remember: Van der Veen said the entire lead-up to the attack was irrelevant.

Now they're going to claim there was no lead-up.
We're to a pounding table stage.
They're back to claiming that Trump sent his rioters to talk primary challenges with MoCs.
Castor says he feels like he was under oath but he has accused the rioters of being leftists.
BREAKING: CAstor emphasizes that Trump knew protestors were at the Capitol by 2:30 but did nothing ... but tweet.
BREAKING: Castor admits that the Commander in Chief did nothing to fend off terrorists.
Castor now calls the Proud Boys -- Stand back and Stand by -- violent criminals.

More from emptywheel

Dr. emptywheel
Dr. emptywheel
@emptywheel
Since everyone is writing abt Julian Assange today, some posts:

The Growing WikiLeaks Conspiracy [Indictment]

https://t.co/i3dNE6lnl7

This talks about the superseding CFAA charge that Assange boosters are generally silent or worse about.

Three Inconvenient Truths about a Hypothetical Trump Pardon for Julian Assange

https://t.co/FDl2KMJV8x

1) It may not work
2) It would have to pardon other crimes
3) That would include Trump's own corruption

Rat-Fucker Rashomon: Getting the "Highest Level of Government" to Free Julian Assange

https://t.co/oNr8YgXbhk

On the pardon discussions with Trump that WikiLeaks doesn't want you to know about.

The Minh Quang Pham Precedent to the Julian Assange Extradition

https://t.co/1i7yErl0sC

The UK extradited a guy whose primary crime (at the time) was doing graphic design for AQAP.

Julian Assange's First Witness, Journalism Professor Mark Feldstein, Professes to Be Unfamiliar with the Public Record on Assange

https://t.co/sl0sasWgeu

WikiLeaks boosters are lying, cynically, abt what changed between 2013 and 2017.
SOCIETY
emptywheel
emptywheel
@emptywheel
Updated my table again:

Added one more classified folder plus the laptop for Trump
Changed Pence to possible "trophy"
Added zeros to make docs/year more obvious
CATEGORY PDFMAKERAPP GRAB PDFMAKERAPP GRAB THIS READWISEIO SAVE READWISEIO SAVE THREAD THREADER COMPILE SUMMARIZE THREADREADERAPP UNROLL PLEASE TTTTREADS UNROLL UNROLLTHREADCOM SAVETOBOOKMARKS
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emptywheel
emptywheel
@emptywheel
Breaking: Not only does John Solomon continue to include more and more false claims in his propaganda, but after 4 years of "reporting" on FISA he still doesn't know what FBI Director signs to on FISA.


In reality, this is what John Solomon's "SMOKING GUN" says:

Steele was considered reliable (true!), his sources were in a position to report on what they reported on (true!), the reporting corroborated stuff in the report [that, btw, is mostly classified]


This paragraph, for example, includes 3 lies and one exaggeration: First, CIA informed FBI that until 2011, they asked Page questions about the RU intelligence officers trying to recruit him.


That does NOT cover the most alarming thing he did in 2015 or one RU intelligence officer that Page did not tell the CIA about while still an approved contact.

USG had gotten opinions about Steele that weren't entirely favorable (but unsurprising for operations officer), but this is before questions abt source network.
SOCIETY
Dr. emptywheel
Dr. emptywheel
@emptywheel
gonna live tweet this.

Mark Meadows explains at the beginning that Cleta is not attorney of record but she's been involved.


Trump (who lied abt his inauguration size) says he knows he won bc of rally size.

Trump starts by describing that current margin is what "everyone agrees on."

Trump repeatedly claims that people went to vote but weren't allowed to bc a ballot already cast.

Maybe ... they had already voted? I think he just narced out a bunch of people trying to double vote.

Trump accuses "Ruby Freeman" of being a vote hustler.
GOVERNMENT
emptywheel
emptywheel
@emptywheel
Tuning into the McCabe hearing.

Lindsey Graham is still boasting that CIA unmasked Hillary long before they unmasked Mike Flynn. He's legit complaining that Hillary ran a campaign and the CIA didn't

Whitehouse now explaining to Lindsey Graham that tying an opponent to a foreign country is not a criminal act. "If you look at CI investigation, obvious difference is that there were contacts bt RU intel operatives and campaign operatives."

"I don't think the FBI has any business interfering into that kind of campaign debate, you would be besides yourself with anger if FBI investigated Trump for trying to tie Biden to China."

Now Graham is talking about how Coffee Boy said working with Russia would be treason which 1) means that he thinks Roger Stone committed treason and 2) he demonstrably lied in that interview.

Now Lindsey claiming that the dossier created the impression that Trump was in bed with Russia, and not his open requests for Russian help.
POLITICS

More from Trump

KB
KB
@TheKBTweets
Will Trump play the #PenceCard December 23 (today)?
Thread: Absolutely not. The assertion that he will hurts our credibility and the cause because people who trust some accounts pushing it will be demoralized when it doesn’t happen. Let me explain:

2/ For this thread again, we will assume the Electoral Count Act of 1887 is Constitutional and binding. It very well may not be, but it doesn’t appear we have any court that will ever say so.

3/ The ECA is found in 3 USC 1-21. In secs 12 & 13, it requires that on the 4th Wed of Dec (that’s today) the President of the Senate (that’s Pence) to notify the states if he/she (or the Archivist) has not received a “certificate of vote and list” mentioned in sections 9 & 11.

4/ Sections 9 & 10 are merely administrative. Sec9 says that electors from the state make & sign six certificates of the votes w/ a lists for Pres & VP & attach a list of electors. Sec10 requires the electors to seal up the certificates & certify that the list of votes are inside

5/ The Pence Card is the idea that today, the VP can review & decide that the dem electors sent by AZ/NV/GA/PA/MI/WI don't meet the reqs of the ECA and/or the Const so, in effect, the VP hasn't received proper electors from the states & has a duty to notify them of that fact.
TRUMP
oriJONal
oriJONal
@orijonal
Need some good news?

Here’s a list of all the reasons I believe there’s still hope!

Follow along and let me know if I missed anything!

👇🏻👇🏻

1: We knew Trump would be banned on Twitter.

The fact that it happened verifies drips.

Yeah it sucks to not have him here (and losing a bunch of friends in the purge sucks) but it’s proof positive that it’s part of the plan.

2: The fact that you and I are being censored proves that we’re a threat.

You don’t see flat-earthers and UFO accounts banned - it’s not because they’re wrong it’s because they’re not a threat.

3: They’re setting up NEW barriers in DC.

This tells me that someone still fee threatened, enough to go to great lengths and expense to protect themselves.

Thing is - MAGA is gone from DC. Who are they afraid of?

4: The National Guard in DC will soon be carrying guns.

Up until now they haven’t been allowed to, and now that the “fight is over” they ARE armed?

Doesn’t add up. There’s another chapter in this story.
TRUMP
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Pasquale "Pat" Scopelliti
Pasquale "Pat" Scopell...
@ThyConsigliori
25 January 2021 #MAGAanalysis #MythicalTrump

“If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.”

Yeah. I watched the original Star Wars movie in the theaters when it came out, and I can't tell you how many times I
TRUMP
Freddy Atton \U0001f637 I HATE TRUMP!
Freddy Atton 😷 I HATE ...
@freddyatton
FIFTEEEN DAYS

You & I would've been arrested 15 days ago if we did what Trump did;

— incited a riot that escalated into a lethal terrorist attack on our nation's Capitol

You & I would have been arrested 15 days ago.

Denial of reality is unacceptable. T is a terrorist threat.
TRUMP
The More You Know
The More You Know
@Nixit1Wills
First off; “We The People” need those who have sworn an oath to protect Us and the constitution to read this article...NOW, not tomorrow! We are at war for this country! @USMarshalsHQ @USMC @usairforce @USArmy @SpaceForceDoD

We know so much more than this. Since 2015, Donald J Trump running for Office of the President has thrown a wrench in the plans that very bad traitors had for us. For decades, elected officials have infiltrated ideological people into ALL aspects of OUR agencies to do their

bidding! The cia, nsc, doj, fbi, cdc, nsa, just to name a few, have perpetrated a series of lies to “frame” Donald Trump before during and now after his presidency! Google; Pelosi, “Wrap up smear”! ALL of which was knowingly false just to stop DJT from getting in their way!

You and I both know this absolutely was a coordinated effort which proves conspiracy! The media as well is not just bought, they have proven time and again by their own reporting, foreknowledge of many of the falsehoods. These evil ppl have pulled out ALL the stops to what they

won’t do! With this new (false) administration, they are telling Us, up is down, black is white, and left is right, and if you don’t STFU and obey, we will send you to re-education camps. This is NOT a Dems v Reps operation, as we have proof that there are only a handful from
TRUMP

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Christina Warren
Christina Warren
@film_girl
A brief thread on Jovan Hutton Pulitzer, the crazy con man who is now claiming to have hacked into the Georgia voting machines in Fulton County. 90s kids and tech aficionados might remember Jovan as the inventor of the CueCat, the dumbest gadget of all time.

Also, for anyone who wants to claim that Jovan Hutton Pulitzer (not his given name, but one he changed legally after the CueCat debacle) invented QR Codes: he did not. Like that other right-wing crazy man who claimed to have invented email, Jovan didn’t invent QR Codes.

He did invent the CueCat, a product that somehow raised $185 million dollars for a tethered barcode scanner for magazines and newspapers, so you could get ads from your ads. As I said, the dumbest product of all time. Good backup barcode scanners after they were hacked, however

Oh, that’s another thing. When CueCat was a thing, its systems were hacked. I guess that’s what makes Jovan a security expert. His bankrupt company from 20 years ago was hacked and widely mocked. He’s a genius.

In recent years, Jovan pivoted to being a treasure hunter who was featured on and widely mocked on Curse of Oak Island, because the man is insane.
POLITICS
Jo Luehmann
Jo Luehmann
@JoLuehmann
“Don’t leave the church because of the people who hurt you. Nobody is perfect, only God”

I’ll explain why this comment is not only not helpful at all, but also very harmful.

1/

The comment assumes we can’t tell the difference between people and toxic theology, it assumes our issues are with a few people who are outliers and misrepresented God, and we just seem to think that’s the totality of divinity. Which makes us appear unintelligent and petty.

2/

But, that’s not the case at all. I didn’t leave because a few people hurt me in the name of God, in fact I stayed long enough to get hurt again, and again, and again, and again. Because it’s not a few bad apples hurting people in the name of God what we are dealing with.

3/

Instead we are talking about systemic abuse due to toxic theology that is taught as righteousness.

Go to any white evangelical church today and conduct all the tests you must to ensure only those who are “good Christians,” remain. I guarantee you people will be harmed there.
4/

Not because people just hurt people, not because Christians have good intentions but sometimes make mistakes; instead because the harm is caused due to indoctrination into toxic theology and a belief that their social and theological framework is not only good,

5/
RELIGION
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Jaya_Upadhyaya
Jaya_Upadhyaya
@Jayalko1
AHOBILAM NARASIMHA SWAMY KSHETRAM: KURNOOL (AP)
#andhratemples

Ahobilam is the place where Prabhu appears in his fierce form, called Ugra Narasimha, who is Svayambhu (self-manifest).
Ahobilam is one of the 108 Divya Desams. It has 9 shrines for different forms of Narsimha.


Ahobilam was the exact place where Sri Narasimha appeared and tore apart Hiranyakashipu to save Prahlad. At that moment, all the Devas appeared and praised him as Ahobala (Aho is mighty and bala is strength). So the place came to be called Ahobilam.


Out of the 9 shrines, most famous is the Ahobila Narasimha Swamy where Prabhu is seen as Ugra Narasimha.
In another shrine, Prabhu appears as Malola Narasimha Swamy. Malola means beloved of Lakshmi. Here Prabhu is in peaceful mudra with his consort Ma ChenchuLakshmi.


Jwala Narasimha Swamy shrine is the actual spot where the fierce anger of Prabhu reached its culmination when he tore Hiranyakasipu.

Ugra Stambham is the pillar from which Narasimha appeared with such force that the entire hill split into two.
ALL
Anu Satheesh
Anu Satheesh
@AnuSatheesh5
Puthucode Annapoorneshwari Temple,
Palakkad, Kerala 🚩
#keralatemples
अन्नपूर्णे सदापूर्णे शङ्करप्राणवल्लभे 
ज्ञानवैराग्यसिद्ध्यर्थं भिक्षां देहि च पार्वति 

Temple is also called Puthukode Bhaghavathy Kshetram
Parasurama did Prathishta of Devi here. Temple is one amoung 👇


108 Durga temples
Navarathri festival is celebrated in a grant manner here. Annadanam is done daily on these days. The Idichu pizhinja payasam/ Chathachatayam is the main nivedyam in Annapoorneswari temple during Navarathri.
In the mornings, Devi Mahatmyam and Sundarakandam are


recited here daily.
Sri Godavarma Raja gifted lots of rice fields for the maintenance of the temple.
Annapoorneshwari holds Shanku and Chakra in her hands. Puthucode Annapoorneswari Temple is managed by the Naduvil Madom Devaswom.
🙏🕉🙏
ALL
sriram
sriram
@SriramKannan77
'Treasure Gods' - Sangha Nidhi' and 'Padma Nidhi', Tirumala, Tirupati.

------------------------------------

These are the two guards guarding the Wealth and Treasure of Lord Sri Venkateswara.

They are representatives of two treasures of Kubera, the God of Wealth.


One guard who is holding shangam (conch) on both the hands is known as Shanka Nidhi ('nidhi' means wealth).

On the other side, the guard who is holding Lotus flowers on both the hands is known as Padma nidhi.

Shangu is from the ocean which includes all types of wealth like pearls and corals.

Why shagam in his hand? Because shangam only gives the sound of 'omkaram'.

'Padmam' is the symbol of water sources in land like river, lakes, tanks etc. which is very important for all living beings.

As per the tradition, these guards are installed at the third entrance of the temple.

One enters the holy shrine after saluting the first protection threshold - Sankha Nidhi and Padma Nidhi.
ALL