Nothing says a good nights sleep like martial law. Civil liberties are suspended, a curfew is enacted, troops and tanks rolling down the street, and the next thing you know a person can lay their head down and drift into sweet dreams of freedom. But you gotta have the right pillow. It’s gotta be a martial law pillow.
The Guardian is reporting that My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell, more than a huge Trump supporter, was at the White House today and may have been encouraging Trump to consider declaring martial law.
And why wouldn’t Trump listen to him? If you can sell America a pillow surely you must know something about the United States Constitution and federal and state election law? If you weren’t an expert in these things how in the hell would you know how to sell America a pillow? Think about it people!
At what point do high profile Republican supporters of Trump admit that this is turning into the most savagely ridiculous and virulently dangerous bunch of unadulterated bullshit they’ve ever seen? How do they sleep at night without denouncing this madness? Ahhhh……. it’s gotta be the martial law pillow!
It’s going to be really nice to have a president who’s willing to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic head on…
President-elect Joe Biden introduced a $1.9 trillion spending package Thursday that aims to speed distribution of the coronavirus vaccines and provide economic relief caused by the pandemic.
The package proposal includes investing $20 billion in a national vaccination program, $1,400 stimulus checks and expanding unemployment insurance supplements to $400 per week.
“During this pandemic, millions of Americans through no fault of their own, have lost the dignity and respect that comes with a job and a paycheck,” Biden said during a nearly 25-minute speech Thursday. “There is real pain, overwhelming the real economy.”
“There’s no time to waste. We have to act, and we have to act now,” he said.
- $170 billion to help reopen schools, as well as provide financial relief to students
- President-elect Biden’s COVID-19 relief plan includes the following provisions:
- Expand to 14 weeks paid sick and family and medical leave
- $25 billion in rental assistance and an additional $5 billion to cover home energy and water costs
- Extending the 15 percent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits increase to September 2021
- $15 billion for grants to more than 1 million small businesses
- A $20 billion investment to Indian Country to support tribal governments’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour
While many Republicans will likely reflexively oppose the Biden COVID-19 relief plan I’m hoping there are many who will understand while the financial cost of implementing the Biden plan is steep, the human and economic cost of half-measures and piecemeal “solutions” may be even greater.
It’s time for real leadership – not the ineptitude, selfishness, idiocy of the soon to be prior administration.
A couple of months ago I wrote on my personal Facebook page that it appeared the two most dangerous jobs in Trump’s America were public health official and election official. Dr. Anthony Fauci and his family have received death threats simply because Fauci is trying his damndest to contain a viral pandemic worse than anything America has seen in 100 years. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger ( a Republican) and his family have received death threats, simply for presiding over a free and fair election in Georgia. And these two examples are among a great many nationwide of people, of regional or statewide prominence, or previous relative obscurity and local in both public health and election work, who’ve endured something similar to varying degrees. One would think that this development alone would give pause to any American genuinely interested in the welfare of the country to decide that things have obviously gone way too far. Way too far. Well, one would be wrong.
We can now add a third category to the most dangerous jobs in Trump’s America, congressional representative.
Freshman GOP congressman from Michigan Peter Meijer, who voted to impeach President Trump, told MSNBC host Hallie Jackson just this morning that some members of Congress are purchasing body armor ( which he notes is a reimbursable expense) because, in his words, ” our expectation is that someone may try to kill us”.
I’m not in a position to tell Wisconsin media outlets what to do, but isn’t this something they should follow up on? How about a question to Scott Fitzgerald? Maybe it would go something like this?
Media ” Hey, ,Representative Fitzgerald, whattya think about that guy from Michigan, you know, the one who voted to impeach Trump, saying that he’s buying body armor through his congressional expense account because his expectation is that someone may try to kill him? And democrats are buying it too.”
Fitzgerald responds: ” Taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for body armor! The deficit is already ballooning and kevlar vest purchases will only add to the financial burden our children and grand children will have to pay back simply because some congressional members are worried about getting shot!”
I don’t know, is this how it would go? Obviously I’m being facetious in the tradition of genuine gallows humor, but what do Representatives Scott Fitzgerald, Mike Gallagher, Glenn Grothman, Bryan Steil, Tom Tiffany and Senator Ron Johnson think about this? Any comment on the fact that your colleagues are buying body armor? Any comment on the fact that you guys don’t feel the need to buy body armor? Any comment on what that says about you guys?
Media outlets across Wisconsin need to get on this story immediately and get every Wisconsin congressional Rep on record. It’s a simple question: ” what do you think about some members of Congress, your colleagues, feeling the need to buy body armor?”
It feels like it’s been a million years since I’ve shared some of my favorite music with you all…..here’s what’s caught my ear this week.
First up is “Michicant” live at the Sydney Opera House.
Next here’s “Calgary” also live at the Sydney Opera House.
Happy Thursday everyone!
Any Republican member of Congress who is found to have aided or abetted the domestic terrorism that occurred last week at the U.S. Capitol at the hands of extremist right-wing Trump supporters should be removed from office immediately…
A Wisconsin man has been arrested by federal authorities following his participation in the domestic terrorism incident that saw supporters of President Donald Trump siege the United States Capitol, in the process engaging in acts of violence, theft, and vandalism.
A Wisconsin man who posted on Facebook that he was among those wanted for illegally entering the U.S. Capitol during last week’s riot was arrested in Eau Claire Tuesday and faces charges in federal court.
Kevin Daniel Loftus, 52, was scheduled to make an initial appearance Tuesday after being arrested for illegally entering either house of Congress, or adjacent areas, and disorderly conduct on the grounds of the Capitol.
The complaint shows pictures posted on Facebook and other social media sources of the man identified as Loftus holding an American flag and smiling inside the Capitol in the halls of Congress. The complaint shows social media comments by Loftus saying “One of 700 inside” and “That’s right folks some of us are in it to win it.”
I wouldn’t be one bit surprised to see more Wisconsinites among those arrested for their involvement in the domestic terrorism incident at the U.S. Capitol last week, and I hope Mr. Loftus and any of those individuals involved in that criminal behavior are held fully to account for their criminal actions.
As first reported by Dan Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel the main page on the website of the St. Croix Republican Party has a curious message greeting visitors to the site:
“Si vis pacem, para bellum,”
Loosely translated the phrase means, “If you want peace, prepare for war.”
The message that follows encourages “political patriots” to join the “digital battlefield” and it goes on to note “leftist tyrants” at the local and county levels should be removed from office. Here’s a screenshot of the page in question:
While the rhetoric on the St. Croix Republican Party’s website doesn’t specifically call for supporters to engage in actual acts of physical violations, it’s peppered with the kinds of rhetoric that could incite violence, given how violent the target audience for these kinds of messages can be. In light of the violent acts of domestic terrorism perpetrated last week at the United States Capitol by unhinged supporters of President Donald Trump – supporters who were incited by Trump, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Rep. Mo Brooks, this missive from the St. Croix County Republican Party can’t be dismissed as nothing more than harmless rhetoric.
I probably should have announced my return as a contributor to Blogging Blue with this post instead of abruptly posting on various topics as I have in the last couple of hours/days, so here’s the deal.
Zach gave me my start with blogging back in 2011. Up until then I was at the mercy of opinion page editors in main stream newspapers. Zach let me run wild like no other editor ever had. He endured blowback from my posts. It actually cost him money on one occasion, and a heated call from the then chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin on another. And he never wavered in spite of it all. He stuck by me. So when I read that Zach was coming back to Blogging Blue I thought, maybe I should attempt a comeback too?
So expect more posts from me going forward, like it or not. It’s good to have Zach back. It’s good to be back. Brace yourselves.
Dear Representative Steil,
As I was perusing the Wispolitics.com website I happened to see the title of a press release from you that read ” Enough Already”. From within the cloud of my enduring naivete I clicked on it assuming that perhaps you had migrated to the world of the rational and were about to call for Trump’s removal through either the 25th Amendment, impeachment, or resignation, which some sane republicans are calling for . Here’s what I read instead:
Joe Biden must condemn this reckless move. I oppose Pelosi’s efforts to impeach President Trump. Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have already tried and failed to remove President Trump through impeachment. Enough already!
Really? Pelosi and Schumer are enflaming the situation? Joe Biden must condemn this reckless move?
I don’t know if you’ve read the news the last few days, Mr. Steil, but five people died at the capitol building on Wednesday, one of them a police officer, another an Air Force veteran of 14 years. Another young woman appears to have been trampled to death. Pipe bombs, molotov cocktails, firearms and ammunition have been found on capitol grounds or nearby by federal authorities.
Trump cabinet members and aides are resigning in droves. Several republicans, most notably Lisa Murkowski, Adam Kinziger and Ben Sasse have publicly stated their desire to see Trump removed with Murkowski stating “ I want him out”. Editorial boards of major newspapers all over the country are calling for Trump to either be removed through the 25th amendment, impeachment, or voluntary resignation. We all want calm.
Here’s what would calm this situation down. Pick up the telephone, call Donald Trump and tell him you think he should resign for the good of the country. Put America first. Show some courage during this moment when people of courage is exactly what this country needs. Demonstrate the leadership you are exhorting others to show. Stand up to Donald Trump, Mr. Steil. Grow a spine and some decency, sir. Do it now.
Sincerely,
Steve Carlson
