It still comes down to race

      As more and more studies are done on the mob that broke into the Capitol last week the majority seem to conclude that race was probably a huge contributing factor.  Many of the rioters, 99% plus white appealed to white officers in the Capitol Police to aid them in finding members of congress.   Some of these officers appeared to aid the mob, even taking selfies with rioters.   Meanwhile, newly released footage shows some insurrectionists beating police with flagpoles.

     It is a huge short term challenge, but police forces around the country are going to have examine their officers for racist ideology and fire them.  With the inauguration 8 days away, it is hard to believe there will not be more than a few racists among the forces keeping the peace during the festivities.   This could be a huge security challenge, but it must be tackled expeditiously.

     Enabling racism is one of the tRump administration's most hideous legacies.   From the president* on down to heads of individual departments, officials have turned a blind eye to racism.  It needs to stop.

What is to be done

 Vladimir Lenin's pithy phrase continues to echo down history.   In the wake of a violent insurrection at the US Capitol last Wednesday, so far all the officials in charge of security seem to be able to do is point fingers of blame at each other.

     Members of Congress were hiding under tables in barricaded offices for hours.  It turns out there was an organized effort by the mob to kill Mike Pence and Nancy Pelosi.  Fortunately, due to quick thinking by individual Capitol police officers these and other tragedies were avoided.  Will we be so lucky next time.    

     Social media is full of calls for armed militia members to show up at the inauguration and "Take back our country".   This movement needs to be decapitated.   Anyone advocating the violent overthrow of our government should be brought to justice.  That includes anyone in government who actively plotted last Wednesday's attack or who encouraged it.

Golf and insurrection

      Golf is easily the whitest of sports.  As an avid player, I concede that point and wish it was not so.  The irony that the greatest player in the history of the game is black is lost on many who play the game.   As one commentator has said, if Tiger Woods showed up at a Trump golf property before his era of fame commenced, he would probably have been referred to the groundskeeper's office. 

      It is worth noting John Feinstein, who has chronicled golf for many years, has urged the PGA to move its championship from tRump's golf club in New Jersey after the events of the past couple of days.   If this comes to pass, it will be possibly the most severe rebuke the president* will face in the next 12 days.   Despite the will of Democrats and some Republicans to impeach Cheeto Benito after the clumsy coup attempt on Wednesday at the Capitol,  the fascist wing of the GOP will prevent conviction in the Senate.  The spineless Vice President will not invoke the 25th amendment to remove our would be despot.  

     It will be the little things such as denying tRump a golf tournament on his property that will come to define the punishment he will face.  Somewhere, the Founders weep...

A Blind alley

      Yesterday was a blot on the history of America.   A mob of white supremacists, egged on by a would be dictator took advantage of lax Capitol security overran the House and Senate chambers, taking gleeful selfies.   It was truly a pathetic display on both sides.   Fortunately, only one person was killed in what could easily have become a bloodbath, but the potential of hundreds of deaths was a distinct possibility.  

     The rest of us will have to live with the shame of  being citizens of a failing democracy who have to share a country with a fair number of people who live in a fantasy world where a failed businessman turned reality TV host is to them a national hero.   The roots of this failure go back to our collective inability to agree on basic facts.   One of our national political parties used this confusion to convince Republicans the recent election was a fraud.   This treasonous behavior is being discounted by many as a harmless fantasy.  

     I don't see an easy way forward from the events of yesterday.  

Turning the corner

      Despite the media's reluctance to call Jon Ossoff as the winner in his contest with David Perdue, it seems fairly certain he will join Raphael Warnock as Senator from Georgia.   That will give Democrats a tie in the Senate with 50 members caucusing with them and 50 with Republicans.  Vice President Harris (doesn't that sound good) will provide the tie-breaking vote.   The biggest result of Georgia turning blue is the transfer of power to Chuck Schumer as Majority leader and all committees in the Senate will now be chaired by the Dems.   Change is coming.

So much sadness

      One of the most incisive commentators who appears on MSNBC, Jamie Raskin, lost his son on New Year's Eve to suicide.   Raskin and his wife published a moving obituary chronicling Tommy Raskin's brief life and it is hard to believe how much achievement he stuffed into a 23 year span.   He seemed to be superbly comfortable in his own skin and destined for great things.   He was cut down by depression and begged his parents and siblings to "Please look after each other, the animals and the global poor for me."

      Depression is an insidious disease which robs us of some of our best and brightest each year.  Its origins and progression are mostly unknown and the first inkling many family members have of its effects is a suicide note such as the one Tommy Raskin left for his parents and sisters.   There must be more we can do to combat this life threatening syndrome.

If it quacks like a duck

       Most liberal media and some of the conservative outlets are running with the leaked tape of Cheetolini's conversation with the secretary  of state of Georgia.  In it, the loser of the 2020 presidential election is heard telling Brad Raffensberger he needs to find 11,780 votes for him.  tRump indicates Raffensberger merely needs to "recalculate" the vote in order to find the votes necessary to overturn the election.

      In any sane universe, this is the very definition of election tampering.   tRump should by now be frogmarched into police custody and charged for crimes against the constitution.  Period.