President Donald Trump was Responsible for the January 6, 2021 Insurrection

Bennie Thompson January 6 committee chairman

The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol has concluded that former President Donald Trump was ultimately responsible for the insurrection, laying out for the public and the Justice Department a trove of evidence for why he should be prosecuted for multiple crimes.

For months, the Jan. 6 committee went back-and-forth over whether it would refer former President Donald Trump to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution. On Monday, the committee didn’t equivocate.

The committee referred Trump to the DOJ on at least four criminal charges, including:

Obstructing an official proceeding
Defrauding the United States
Making false statements
Assisting or aiding an insurrection

It is truly sad that a president did not honor his oath.

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

§2383. Rebellion or insurrection Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.

Will the Department of Justice prosecute Trump? If they do not it will mean that people of influence are not treated like the rest of us.

“I have no doubt that once the investigation proceeds and is concluded, if the evidence is as we presented it, I’m convinced the Justice Department will charge former President Trump,” chairman Bennie Thompson says on CNN.

Thousands of menorahs in Billings, Montana

Billings, Montana is not the home of a large Jewish population. I found there are estimates of 5,000 Jews in all of Montana.

Jews light the menorah during Hanukkah to remember the miraculous triumph of the Maccabee in ancient times, lighting one candle each night for eight nights. Classical Jewish texts recommend placing menorahs in windows of homes to publicize the celebration of a miracle.

“In that way, in a sense, the light will be spread,” says Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism. “The light of understanding, the light of tolerance, the light of Jewish identity, all of those.”

But will a menorah in a window really make a difference in the fight against antisemitism?

It can – and has.

Look no further than the town of Billings, Montana, whose citizens fought back in 1993 after someone launched a brick through the window of then 5-year-old Isaac Schnitzer’s bedroom. A menorah in the window sparked the attack, according to The New York Times. The Billings Gazette published a menorah drawing in response, and thousands hung these makeshift menorahs on their windows. Jews and non-Jews alike.

The Billings Gazette is recreating the full-page menorah ad this year and will ask the community to repeat history and place them in their windows. The move comes after swastikas and threatening messages recently appeared at a local high school.

“It’s important to mark this anniversary because we don’t ever want to forget the power of love,” Cole says. “Common decency is more powerful than hate.”

Billings is working with Shine A Light, a coalition of organizations raising awareness about antisemitism. In addition to engaging several local communities like Billings, the group has partnered with corporations like Google, iHeart Media and Airbnb.

All this begs the question, about 30 years later, “what’s the wider community able to do to make Jewish families and the Jewish community feel more secure, at a very insecure moment?” asks Jacobs.

Menorahs in public spaces this time of year suggests solidarity.

“It’s a statement against antisemitism broadly given what has been happening,” Neufeld says. “It’s a sign of allyship to Jews, that they are not alone, and that these attacks affect everyone. It’s also a deep recognition that antisemitism doesn’t just affect Jews, but affects everybody, that it is part of the conspiratorial glue, that is key to so much of hate in society today.”

Trump- The Superhero

MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough Laughs Out Loud at Trump’s Superhero ‘Major Announcement’ Tease: ‘We Are in Third Grade’

Trump reveals ‘major announcement’ — a digital trading card collection for $99 per card

This is the man many Republicans want to lead the United States. Just what we need. A child leading our country.

A voice of Independence

Arizona Senator Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has changed her registration from Democrat to independent. She wrote her reasons in the Arizona Republic and they were posted to that newspaper’s website. You can read the entire article here but the following are the consequential parts.

I too am registered as an Independent in California. I too am sick of the non stop bickering and one upmanship where making political points is more important than doing the right thing.

“Everyday Americans are increasingly left behind by national parties’ rigid partisanship, which has hardened in recent years. Pressures in both parties pull leaders to the edges, allowing the loudest, most extreme voices to determine their respective parties’ priorities and expecting the rest of us to fall in line.”

“In catering to the fringes, neither party has demonstrated much tolerance for diversity of thought. Bipartisan compromise is seen as a rarely acceptable last resort, rather than the best way to achieve lasting progress. Payback against the opposition party has replaced thoughtful legislating.”

“Americans are told that we have only two choices – Democrat or Republican – and that we must subscribe wholesale to policy views the parties hold, views that have been pulled further and further toward the extremes.”

“Most Arizonans believe this is a false choice, and when I ran for the U.S. House and the Senate, I promised Arizonans something different. I pledged to be independent and work with anyone to achieve lasting results. I committed I would not demonize people I disagreed with, engage in name-calling, or get distracted by political drama.”

“I promised I would never bend to party pressure, and I would stay focused on solving problems and getting things done for everyday Arizonans.” 

“My approach is rare in Washington and has upset partisans in both parties.” 

Could this be the end of the two party system in the United States? Not likely. The most we can hope for is a third party of consequence.

Time Magazine Person of the Year

Trump calls for the termination of the Constitution

A madman dreams of being the supreme leader of the United States. His children and grandchildren would go on to rule this country.

Donald Trump dreams of becoming president for life. No voting is necessary because he believes he is entitled to hold the presidency until the day he dies. The former President Donald Trump on Saturday evening doubled down on his calls to “terminate” the United States Constitution and restore him to power.

Like any dictator he says whatever he wants and he gets it. His admiration for Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong-un is because they have absolute power. Military parades are a sign of power and he wanted one in Washington D.C. but was told the tanks and other military hardware would tear up the streets and so he relented.

Trump’s problem is he seems to really believe that the 2020 election was rigged. He doesn’t know how it was accomplished but really doesn’t care. As a spoiled brat as a child who was given everything he wanted he just can’t accept reality.

There are plenty of adult Republicans who have told him to accept reality and move on but it is not a reality he will accept. Unfortunately there remains a large minority of Republicans who have bought his claims of victory. Kari Lake, the failed GOP candidate for governor of Arizona is the best example of someone who has bought Trump’s nonsense.

Can you imagine if Trump wins the election in 2024. What would happen four years hence? He would want to overturn the Constitution and run for a third term.

Sadly USA Today reports “Republican leaders mostly silent over Donald Trump’s call to suspend the Constitution.”

The success of Jack Smith and Merrick Garland are our best hope of saving this democracy.

Donald Trump “Give me freedom or give me death”

The former leader of the free world lashed out on Thursday at one of the prosecutors investigating alleged misconduct.

“This case should be dismissed immediately, and the large, highly paid and ‘prestigious’ accounting firm that we relied on to do their job, but didn’t, should pay us a fortune in damages,” Trump said.

As he often does, he labeled the investigation “a total witch hunt!”

Two minutes later, he returned to Truth Social to post the quote, “Give me freedom or give me death.”

Let’s give him death if that is required to sustain the American democracy. We could put him on the gallows that was built to hang Mike Pence.

What a delightful way to end Donald Trump’s efforts.

The gallows built to hang Mike Pence