FRIDAY GRAB BAG: Select Committee Shown 'Only Tip of the Iceberg'. TRUMP: Maybe Baldwin Loaded Gun
THE MOST IMPORTANT COMMISSION and INVESTIGATION SINCE 9/11, PERHAPS MORE SO, PUSHES ON AT AN IMPRESSIVE PACE
The House Select Committee investigating the Post-Election period and January 6th, in particular, is battling both time and history. As I wrote last Sunday (Still available on the main site, (“Garland Must Go”), there is no indication - at all - that law enforcement intends to play any role in what may have been some of the most blatant crimes against this country and our constitution in history. If allowed to continue, it will be a stain on not only Merrick Garland but on the Biden administration. It sure seems as though Merrick Garland violates his oath every day he walks in the door at DOJ.
This brings us back around to the Select Committee, it must understand that any and all investigations now ride on its shoulders. But, whereas the DOJ would otherwise have four years to filter every fact through the FBI’s colander, the House Select Committee may have a little over a year, and very little over a year.
If the Committee has not completed its work by next January 4th and if the Democrats lose the House (as is often the case with respect to the president’s opposition party), the Republicans will cease the investigation, no matter how compelling, shocking, or criminal, as its first order of business.
That committee is fighting time and so many unknowns.
It is also fighting history because all those unknowns may change the course of this country’s direction. There is a populist, anti-democratic, movement in this country as there have been before, though never even close to this serious (Populism, not the Civil War). This extreme type of populism can turn countries autocratic. Perhaps a blast of sunlight on despicable corruption and fierce criminality might awaken some consciences. It is possible.
Thankfully, there are some very hopeful signs today. A quote from Liz Cheney left me stupefied.
“We’ve had, actually, over 150 interviews with a whole range of people connected to the events, connected to understanding what happens, so that just gives you a sense. It is a range of engagements — some formal interviews, some depositions … There really is a huge amount of work underway that is leading to real progress for us.”
— Vice Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) told POLITICO.
Obviously, that is just an astounding number, especially when one considers the fact that a great many of very important witnesses would vastly prefer to remain anonymous. There exists one limit as to who may have already testified, one guy, the one suing to keep all his documents secret, the guy, at the center of all this. Other than that? For all we know, Mike Pence has testified.
As I noted in PoliticusUSA this morning, perhaps the most important witness yet is set to testify today, Jeffery Clark, former head of the DOJ Civil Division and most enthusiastic Trump supporter in DOJ at the time. I wrote the article prior to seeing Cheney’s quote, “One-hundred and fifty,” how the hell would we know who has been “the most important” so far? Perhaps, “Of the people we know, Jeffery Clark is the most important so far…”
But that 150 number has even greater importance. It takes significant time and effort to interview that many people. It demonstrates to us, the public, just how much the committee understands and is fighting the timing they are up against. The pace of their work says it all. Just as is the case with DOJ, we cannot know exactly what is happening within these investigations, but we haven’t heard quotes from DOJ about the existence of any investigation, never mind any progress.
To the extent that we, those of us present here today in society, those of us perhaps able to “do something” about the country’s current situation will ever know the truth about “what happened,” we have one hope. This committee. Historians will likely dig up history. People on their death beds get awfully talkative, but at that point, it will be history - and irrelevant history at that, if the old adage holds true, that history is written by the winners. It could be too late.
It is almost impossible to appreciate the importance of that committee’s assignment. Today, hearing about their pace and their current witness is a good day to place some faith in that all-important group.
TRUMP NEEDS TO STFU: Part 23,854
It is Friday: We are supposed to have three short articles. But the first was too important to not give it the respect and analysis it deserved. This will be the last actual article and it is all too simple.
Today, Trump said this about Alec Baldwin (Keep in mind, Baldwin’s greatest sin was playing a caricature of Trump):
"He's a troubled guy. There's something wrong with him. I've watched him for years. He gets into fistfights with reporters…. "I can't imagine anybody -- as bad as it may have been kept, meaning, you know, the people who take care of the equipment and the guns and everything else, but even if it was loaded, and, you know, that's a weird thing, maybe he loaded it,"
Or, maybe it was reckless negligence by the guys who are supposed to handle the guns and was an accident, and maybe Baldwin wasn’t “pointing” it but sweeping it up to a position you stupid-ass mother fffff!
TIME TO GET TO THE PICK SIX BELOW A PIC
MUCH ADO ABOUT THE FRIDAY PICK SIX
BEST FOOTBALL GAME: #`12 Auburn v. #``13 Texas A&M
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future." John F. Kennedy
SCIENCE VIDEO OF THE WEEK:
MUCH ADO YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO: Stunning, Lady Gaga/Sting
FUNNY DOG TWEET:
Random Thoughts:
Collin Powell’s service is almost as beautiful as his lifetime of service. He cannot be blamed for 2002, he was following orders, always.
If one travels more than 150 miles from Atlanta, does anyone care that the Braves won the World Series?
Living in Alabama, and choosing to cheer for Auburn - because why cheer for the team that never loses - I can assure you, it would be one weird environment here if Auburn beat Alabama. There are a lot of Auburn fans, there are a lot more Alabama fans.
Fairhope Alabama and the Destin to Gulf Shores beaches are one of the most unappreciated beautiful areas of the country… just not satisfying yet to my daughter, who - for reasons passing understanding, suggested “Denver” yesterday.
I cannot possibly be the only person who LOVES fall and the beginning of winter but on January 2nd wants it to be 78 degrees and sunny.
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We are growing, rapidly, though - of course, charging nothing. Someone told me it makes a difference. Regardless, yesterday was our best day by a significant amount. I can attribute it to nothing beyond y’all passing it on. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it. No, we are not huge yet, of course, but there hasn’t been a single day without real growth, and I’ll take that every day. Thank you… and those comments…
jmiciak@yahoo.com and on Twitter @JasonMiciak