Roxanne Tellier – There’s A Riot Going On

Ahead of the mob violence on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, there had been weeks of incendiary rhetoric and planning in plain sight, on Facebook, Twitter, and on far-right websites like Parler, Gab, TheDonald, and MeWe.  There had been a virtual landslide of conspiracy theories, disinformation, and lies about fraudulent voting, often coming directly from the POTUS and his favoured minions.

Prior to the insurrection, Advance Democracy had found more than 1,480 posts on Twitter from QAnon-related accounts, promoting violence. When it became clear that VP Pence was unable to overturn the results of the election, and unwilling to ‘try’ to do so, right-wing extremists began to plan the murder by hanging of Pence, whom they believed to be committing a traitorous refusal to act.

Roxanne Tellier – The TrumpCamps

” If you knew of a child who was being forced by a parent or guardian to sleep on a cold concrete floor, in overcrowded surroundings, with screaming lights always on overhead that made it hard to sleep, had limited access to a bathroom, no way to brush their teeth, no soap and no towel — would you do something? ”

That’s the question NPR‘s Scott Simon asked in his latest column. For many Americans under Trump’s spell – the answer is ‘no.’

Roxanne Tellier: Bits and Pieces

I’m In lunch bag let-down mode. Had too much fun in May, what with all the activities and gigs, and June has so far been one of the worst clunkers of the year, weather wise. I even apparently missed the biggest (ooh!) sports news this week when LeBron James accidentally flashed 18.5 million viewers during the NBA Finals.

Darrell Vickers: A Tux on Both Their Houses

Danny Kaye once musically opined (in the movie White Christmas), “The theater.  The Theater.  What’s happened to the Theater?”  Now, he was expressing disappointment in his beloved Broadway’s movement towards artsy-fartsy choreography and away from “Chaps who did taps.”  But, if he were around today and got a glimpse of what the current Great White Way had to offer, he’d be on 24-hour-a-day suicide watch.

How I Know This: