Afternoon Tea 1.12.21 - Blowback

Editorial: Resign, Senator Cruz. Your lies cost lives. (Houston Chronicle) & Editorial: Hawley should resign. Silent enablers must now publicly condemn Trumpism. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) Couldn’t have happened to a nicer pair of sneering, slimy aspiring fascist hyperdorks.

Yes, It Was a Coup Attempt. Here’s Why (Politico) Not only was it a coup, it’s not even a new kind of coup. It’s a “self-coup” and we’ve been tracking that kind of thing for almost 200 years now.

Japanese lessons for the American coup (Noahpinion) Resident Bloomberg neoliberal reminds us that we’re not unique in attempting to fend off fascists. We went to war over it like five minutes ago.

All the platforms that have banned or restricted Trump so far (Axios) Before you get concerned about censorship, his tarmac speech posted to YouTube by C-SPAN clipped past 500k views around lunch. You can’t keep orange man down.

The President Deliberately Withheld Aid to Combat the Insurrection (Talking Points Memo) The more we learn, the more those who called it purposeful look more and more right. It’s almost as if we’ve seen this playbook before.

At this point, three members of Congress have tested positive because of being forced to share an emergency space with GOP members of Congress who refused to mask.

The Capitol Rioters Weren’t ‘Low Class’ (The Atlantic) Adam Serwer is one of the most relevant and thoughtful writers on American politics and history, always hitting the mark. He reminds us that this is not a populist movement, seeking to be heard. This is a riot of the privileged, increasingly confident in holding on to power by any means necessary.

A Demonstrator’s Guide to Body Armor (CrimeThinc) This is the 3rd in a trio of articles about helmets and masks/goggles. If you’re seriously going to be in these streets during 2021, you better learn from the HK, Malaysia, Eastern European, and Latin American protesters who bled for this knowledge.

The Journey of Ashli Babbitt (Bellingcat) However, this does not mean those of more modest means weren’t swept up. An accounting of how good, honest, exhausted people were radicalized into hardcore libertarianism or fascism by monied interests is needed just as much as a modern day truth & reconciliation council

Snopes: Did Man at Capitol Riot Die After Accidentally Tasing Himself (Snopes) No, the dude didn’t die by tasing himself in the nuts. Stop it. Additionally, our researchers here at the Dispatch haven’t been able to confirm the link between the wife of Clarence Thomas and the 80 buses. So let’s tamp that down, shall we?

Pope Francis changes Catholic Church law: women explicitly allowed as lectors, altar servers (National Catholic Reporter) Unqualified good news, from a recovering Catholic. Let’s dispense with the nonsense and let the community be shepherded by whoever is most dedicated and pious. Something about washing the feet of the poor if I remember correctly.

Less than half of Americans know that alcohol is a carcinogen. Big Booze wants to keep it that way. (The Counter) Alcohol is powerful, creepingly insidious, and something I’ve not always had a perfect handle on in my life. Know that we are given a very shaded picture by those who sell it. Just look at how they managed to carve themselves out of “Alcohol & Drug Abuse” in many textbooks from yesteryear.

NASA Fixes Mars Lander By Telling It to Hit Itself with a Shovel (Futurism) Reassuring to know that the Mars Lander and I have similar problem solving skills.

Song of the Tea: The defensive crouch doesn’t work, stand and fight.

Forget the gaslighting, the emotional abuse, negging, or insane pressure for unity and forgiveness of the abuser. They need your permission to continue to act badly, don’t give it to them. Walk in the light.

Yours,T