and just in time for New Year’s…we have wild fires in Boulder, Colorado caused by fallen electric lines… grass fires fueled by 110 mph winds…thousands evacuated while over five hundred homes go up in fames, along with a hotel and shopping center…in December…December!…the sky was orange above Boulder…I don’t have to tell you that fires have become more worsened in the last years…as well as extreme weather…we have over half a million people becoming infected with the Omicron in one day…the sky is falling with Omicron spreading quickly as well…and we have another type of infection racing through America…death threats…from Reuters by Peter Eisler, Jason Szep, Linda So and Sam Hart: “Anatomy of a death threat: Trump supporters have waged a campaign of intimidation against the state and local officials who administer U.S. elections. This visual analysis explores hundreds of menacing messages – and explains why they’re difficult to counter.: Reuters has documented more than 850 threatening and hostile messages aimed at election officials and staff related to the 2020 election. Virtually all expressed support for former President Donald Trump or echoed his debunked contention that the election was stolen. The messages spanned 30 jurisdictions in 16 states. They came via emails, voicemails, texts, letters and Internet posts”…from Linda So and Jason Szep: “( This story contains text, images and audio clips with offensive language. ) In Arizona, a stay-at-home dad and part-time Lyft driver told the state’s chief election officer she would hang for treason. In Utah, a youth treatment center staffer warned Colorado’s election chief that he knew where she lived and watched her as she slept.

In Vermont, a man who says he works in construction told workers at the state election office and at Dominion Voting Systems that they were about to die.

“This might be a good time to put a f‑‑‑‑‑‑ pistol in your f‑‑‑‑‑‑ mouth and pull the trigger,” the man shouted at Vermont officials in a thick New England accent last December. “Your days are f‑‑‑‑‑‑ numbered.”

The three had much in common. All described themselves as patriots fighting a conspiracy that robbed Donald Trump of the 2020 election. They are regular consumers of far-right websites that embrace Trump’s stolen-election falsehoods. And none have been charged with a crime by the law enforcement agencies alerted to their threats.

They were among nine people who told Reuters in interviews that they made threats or left other hostile messages to election workers. In all, they are responsible for nearly two dozen harassing communications to six election officials in four states. Seven made threats explicit enough to put a reasonable person in fear of bodily harm or death, the U.S. federal standard for criminal prosecution, according to four legal experts who reviewed their messages at Reuters’ request.

These cases provide a unique perspective into how people with everyday jobs and lives have become radicalized to the point of terrorizing public officials. They are part of a broader campaign of fear waged against frontline workers of American democracy chronicled by Reuters this year. The news organization has documented nearly 800 intimidating messages to election officials in 12 states, including more than 100 that could warrant prosecution, according to legal experts.

The harassers expressed beliefs similar to those voiced by rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, trying to block Democrat Joe Biden’s certification as president. Nearly all of the threateners saw the country deteriorating into a war between good and evil – “patriots” against “communists.” They echoed extremist ideas popularized by QAnon, a collective of baseless conspiracy theories that often cast Trump as a savior figure and Democrats as villains. Some said they were preparing for civil war. Six were in their 50s or older; all but two were men.

They are part of a national phenomenon. America’s federal elections are administered by state and local officials. But the threateners are targeting workers far from home: Seven of the nine harassed officials in other states. Some targeted election officials in states where Trump lost by substantial margins, such as Colorado – or even Vermont, where Biden won by 35 percentage points.

“These people firmly believe in the ‘Big Lie’ that the former president legitimately won the election,” said Chris Krebs, who ran the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at the Department of Homeland Security. Krebs was fired by Trump last year for declaring that the 2020 election had been conducted fairly. By terrorizing election officials, he said, they’re effectively acting as Trump’s “foot soldiers.” 

A Trump spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.”

Others who threatened election officials told Reuters they were directly inspired by Trump or his prominent allies, who have denounced specific election offices nationwide for allowing voter fraud, turning them into targets.”…in a lot of ways, these death threats are like the wild fire in Boulder…burning everyone in its path…and if the fires don’t get you or the omicron doesn’t get you…the “Doomsday Glacier” will…from By ABC7 Chicago Digital Team: “Here’s why scientists are concerned about a so-called ‘doomsday glacier’ as big as Florida: ANTARCTICA (WLS) — Scientists have been warning the public of a so-called “doomsday glacier” that could break within a few years.

The Thwaites glacier in Antarctica is about the size of Florida and is the widest glacier in the world.

Researchers have said that the ice sheets around the glacier are fracturing. Experts said they fear that the fractured sheets around the glacier could shatter within the next three to five years. A breakage of that magnitude would pose the biggest threat for sea-level rise in the 21st century and would put coastal communities and low-lying nations at risk, researchers said.”…Miami would be under water…Long Beach Island ( it’s been threatened forever ) would be under water…Mar-A-Lago would be under water if the Thwaites glacier takes the surrounding glaciers with it…sea level could raise from 2 feet to 10 feet…

at midnight, on Turner Classic Movies, they showed The Last Picture Show…I urged Julia to record it and watch it later…from Wikipedia: “the 1971 American coming-of-age drama film directed and co-written by Peter Bogdanovich, adapted from the semi-autobiographical 1966 novel The Last Picture Show by Larry McMurtry.”…McMurtry died on March 25, 2021…Cloris Leachman died January 27, 2021…”The film stars an ensemble cast that includes Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Ellen Burstyn, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, and Cybill Shepherd” and Eileen Brennan, Clu Gulager and Randy Quaid…”Set in a small town in north Texas from November 1951 to October 1952, it is a story of two high-school seniors and long-time friends, Sonny Crawford (Bottoms) and Duane Jackson (Bridges).”…the film was nominated for 8 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Johnson and Bridges, and Best Supporting Actress for Burstyn and Leachman”…Ben Johnson and Cloris Leachman won the Supporting Actors awards”…a great film in black and white…McMurtry, an American novelist, essayist, bookseller, and screenwriter whose work was predominantly set in either the Old West or contemporary Texas. His novels included Horseman, Pass By (1962), The Last Picture Show (1966), and Terms of Endearment (1975), which were adapted into films. Films adapted from McMurtry’s works earned 34 Oscar nominations (13 wins).

His 1985 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Lonesome Dove, was adapted into a television miniseries that earned 18 Emmy Award nominations (seven wins). The subsequent three novels in his Lonesome Dove series were adapted as three more miniseries, earning eight more Emmy nominations. McMurtry and cowriter Diana Ossana adapted the screenplay for Brokeback Mountain (2005), which earned eight Academy Award nominations with three wins, including McMurtry and Ossana for Best Adapted Screenplay. In 2014, McMurtry received the National Humanities Medal.”…

in the sky is falling theme, on Netflix – Don’t Look Up…a satire on climate change…and literally, the sky is falling as a comet heads straight for Earth, which would completely demolish the planet…from Wikipedia: “the 2021 American satirical science fiction film written, produced, and directed by Adam McKay. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as two astronomers attempting to warn humanity about an approaching comet that will destroy human civilization. Supporting cast include Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Scott Mescudi, Himesh Patel, Melanie Lynskey, with Cate Blanchett and Meryl Streep. The film is a satire of government and media indifference to the climate crisis. Grande and Mescudi also collaborated on the song “Just Look Up” as part of the film’s soundtrack. The film is dedicated to Hal Willner, who died in 2020.”…funny and timely, check it out on Netflix…either way you look at what’s going on in the world today, the sky is falling…everything is closing in on us…we are all Chicken Little…at least I am, running around yelling “the sky is falling”…especially in light of voting rights, the attempted coup and trump in general…yes, the sky is falling…the original Henny Penny…the name of Nancy’s father’s farm…in Ivyland, PA, where she spent the first 8 years of her life…a chicken and egg farm…I think the original sign is with my niece Sally…

U.S. covid cases soar, setting records for daily infections…covid hospital admissions up 14% over last week…Happy Christmas and Happy New Year…cases nearly doubling from the highest numbers last year…putting a strain on the hospitals nationwide…healthcare workers…doctors and nurses coming down with Covid…everyone is worn out…New York sets record with 39,591 new cases today…Happy New Year… it’s also happening in Florida…32,850 new cases were reported last Saturday…meanwhile, Governor DeSantis has been called out by Jerry Demings, the mayor of Orange County…called him “missing in action” as the pandemic spikes in Florida…from the Associated Press: “ORLANDO Fla. (AP) — The mayor of one of Florida’s largest counties on Tuesday blasted Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, saying he has been missing in action during the latest wave of COVID-19, as some counties brought back mask mandates for government workers and other municipalities opened up new testing sites in response to overwhelming demand.

The mayor of Orange County, Jerry Demings, said local governments had been forced to figure out on their own, without help from the state, how to respond to the omicron variant that has rapidly overtaken the delta variant as the dominant strain of the coronavirus in Florida.

Demings said new restrictions placed by DeSantis and the Florida Legislature on actions that can be taken by local governments and private businesses to combat the virus have made fighting the pandemic more difficult.

A new law signed by DeSantis last month prevents businesses from having vaccine mandates unless they allow workers to opt out, bars schools and governments from having vaccine mandates and allows parents to sue schools with masking requirements.

The governor’s office did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.”…and of course DeSantis’ office did not immediately respond for comment on his “missing-in-action” over his new law that he signed…what is up with DeSantis?…living up to his trumpy response to the pandemic and the new strain, Omicron fast overtaking the Delta strain as the dominant strain…Mayor Demings: “Our residents, all Florida residents, should be outraged and they should ask the question, ‘Where is our state? Where is our governor? Where is Ron DeSantis now?’ When is the last time you saw the governor do a press briefing on COVID-19?”…meanwhile, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians has tested positive…staying at home with mild symptoms…Florida has been one of the worst states when it comes to the pandemic…with governors like De Santis, we’ll never have an end to the pandemic…doing all he can to more or less ignore or make it more difficult to “stem the tide”…forget about mask mandates…we need the unvaccinated to get vaccinated…what’s with DeSantis passing laws making it more difficult to fight the pandemic?…I just don’t get it…does DeSantis really think that’s his pathway to re-election…or his path to the presidency?…

Ghislaine Maxwell, in New York, late this afternoon was found guilty on 5 of 6 counts…from CNN by Lauren del Valle, Steve Almasy and Ray Sanchez: “Jury finds Ghislaine Maxwell guilty of sex trafficking a minor for Jeffrey Epstein and four other charges: New York (CNN)A jury in a New York federal court has found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty on five of six counts related to her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of minor girls between 1994 and 2004.

Maxwell, 60, was found guilty of five federal charges: sex trafficking of a minor, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and three related counts of conspiracy.

She was acquitted on the charge of enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts.

Maxwell, who now faces up to 65 years in prison, showed no reaction when the verdicts were read. Judge Alison Nathan did not set a sentencing date.

“The road to justice has been far too long. But, today, justice has been done,” US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement. “I want to commend the bravery of the girls — now grown women — who stepped out of the shadows and into the courtroom. Their courage and willingness to face their abuser made this case, and today’s result, possible.”

The jury, which was made up of six women and six men, deliberated for about 40 hours across parts of six days.

Prosecutors argued Maxwell and Epstein conspired to set up a scheme to lure young girls into sexual relationships with Epstein from 1994 to 2004 in New York, Florida, New Mexico and the US Virgin Islands. Four women testified during the trial that Epstein abused them and that Maxwell facilitated the abuse and sometimes participated in it as well.

Her defense, meanwhile, said she was a “scapegoat” for Epstein’s actions and attacked the memories and motivations of the women who say they were sexually abused.

Maxwell’s lawyers are working on an appeal, attorney Bobbi C. Sternheim said.

“We firmly believe in Ghislaine’s innocence. Obviously, we are very disappointed with the verdict,” Sternheim said, adding her team believes Maxwell still will be vindicated.

The trial, which began November 29, alternated between disturbing testimony from sexual abuse victims and illuminating testimony about some of Epstein’s connections to some high-profile celebrities.

Annie Farmer, one of four accusers who testified, said Wednesday she hopes the verdicts bring solace to the victims.

“I am so relieved and grateful that the jury recognized the pattern of predatory behavior that Maxwell engaged in for years and found her guilty of these crimes,” she said. “She has caused hurt to many more women than the few of us who had the chance to testify in the courtroom.”

Epstein, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to state prostitution charges, was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019 but died by suicide in prison a month later. Maxwell, his confidante and former girlfriend, was arrested a year afterward and has been held in jail since.

It remains to be seen whether others will be prosecuted. CNN legal analyst Elie Honig, a former prosecutor in the district where Maxwell was tried, said this was not a two-person operation.

He pointed to civil lawsuits that link others to the abuse. “I think prosecutors have a real obligation to dig all the way down to the bottom, and bring anyone else who may have been part of this to justice,” he said.

Maxwell also faces two pending perjury charges related to a 2016 civil deposition.” ( that perjury is related to statements she made before the United States District Court for the Southern District in New York in 2016 )…

“Prosecutors sought to closely link Maxwell and Epstein and said her actions normalizing sexual massages were crucial to his international abuse scheme at his properties in New York, Florida, New Mexico and the US Virgin Islands.”…Maxwell was arrested in July 2020…she was arrested by FBI agents at her “compound”…a 156 acre compound in Bradford, New Hampshire…she was considered a flight risk and was denied bail…she remained in jail all this time…she now faces 60-70 years in prison…remember Jeffrey Epstein was convicted of felony charge of solicitation of prostitution involving a minor in 2018… he served time, a kind of house arrest but was able to go to work…a sweetheart deal made with Alexander Acosta, trump’s Secretary of Labor…another one of trump’s corrupt appointment…who later resigned…from Wikipedia: “In July 2006, the FBI began its own investigation of Epstein, nicknamed “Operation Leap Year”. It resulted in a 53-page indictment in June 2007. Alexander Acosta, then the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, agreed to a plea deal, which Alan Dershowitz helped to negotiate, to grant immunity from all federal criminal charges to Epstein, along with four named co-conspirators and any unnamed “potential co-conspirators”. According to the Miami Herald, the non-prosecution agreement “essentially shut down an ongoing FBI probe into whether there were more victims and other powerful people who took part in Epstein’s sex crimes”. At the time, this halted the investigation and sealed the indictment. The Miami Herald said: “Acosta agreed, despite a federal law to the contrary, that the deal would be kept from the victims.”

Acosta later said he offered a lenient plea deal because he was told that Epstein “belonged to intelligence”, was “above his pay grade” and to “leave it alone”. Epstein agreed to plead guilty in Florida state court to two felony prostitution charges, serve 18 months in prison, register as a sex offender, and pay restitution to three dozen victims identified by the FBI. The plea deal was later described as a “sweetheart deal“

A federal judge later found that the prosecutors had violated the victims’ rights in that they had concealed the agreement from the victims and instead urged them to have “patience”.

According to an internal review conducted by the Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility, which was released in November 2020, Acosta showed “poor judgment” in granting Epstein a non-prosecution agreement and failing to notify Epstein’s alleged victims about this agreement.

Conviction and sentencing (2008–2011)

On June 30, 2008, after Epstein pleaded guilty to a state charge (one of two) of procuring for prostitution a girl below age 18, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison. While most convicted sex offenders in Florida are sent to state prison, Epstein was instead housed in a private wing of the Palm Beach County Stockade and, according to the sheriff’s office, was after 3+¹⁄₂ months allowed to leave the jail on “work release” for up to 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. This contravened the sheriff’s own policies requiring a maximum remaining sentence of 10 months and making sex offenders ineligible for the privilege. He was allowed to come and go outside of specified release hours.

Epstein’s cell door was left unlocked, and he had access to the attorney room where a television was installed for him, before he was moved to the Stockade’s previously unstaffed infirmary. He worked at the office of a foundation he had created shortly before reporting to jail; he dissolved it after he had served his time. The Sheriff’s Office received $128,000 from Epstein’s non-profit to pay for the costs of extra services being provided during his work release. His office was monitored by “permit deputies” whose overtime was paid by Epstein. They were required to wear suits, and checked in “welcomed guests” at the “front desk”. Later the Sheriff’s Office said these guest logs were destroyed per the department’s “records retention” rules (although inexplicably the Stockade visitor logs were not). He was allowed to use his own driver to drive him between jail and his office and other appointments.

Epstein served almost 13 months before being released on July 22, 2009, for a year of probation on house arrest until August 2010. While on probation he was allowed numerous trips on his corporate jet to his residences in Manhattan and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He was allowed long shopping trips and to walk around Palm Beach “for exercise”.

After a contested hearing in January 2011, and an appeal, he stayed registered in New York State as a “level three” (high risk of repeat offense) sex offender, a lifelong designation. At that hearing the Manhattan District Attorney argued unsuccessfully that the level should be reduced to a low-risk “level one” and was chided by the judge. Despite opposition from Epstein’s lawyer that he had a “main” home in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the judge confirmed he personally must check in with the New York Police Department every 90 days. Though Epstein had been a level-three registered sex offender in New York since 2010, the New York Police Department never enforced the 90-day regulation, though non-compliance is a felony.

The immunity agreement and his lenient treatment were the subject of ongoing public dispute. The Palm Beach police chief accused the state of giving him preferential treatment, and the Miami Herald said U.S. Attorney Acosta gave Epstein “the deal of a lifetime”. Following Epstein’s arrest in July 2019, on sex trafficking charges, Acosta resigned as Secretary of Labor effective July 19, 2019.”…there were a number of other “celebrities” linked to Epstein…including trump, Alan Dershowitz, Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Bill Barr, Kenneth Starr, Former Maine Senator George Mitchell, Physicist Lawrence Krauss, Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Financier Glenn Dubin, Modeling Executive Jean-Luc Brunel, Hotelier Thomas Pritzker, and Woody Allen…

that’s the problem with having money…lots of money…you think you can do anything and get away with it…

remember trump holding that Bible ( upside down ) in that photo-op in front of St. John’s Church across from the White House?…of course we do, the infamous clearing of the peaceful protesters by tear gas, clubs, riot shields, smoke canisters, and pepper spray and concussion grenades and police in full riot gear on horseback!…condemned by the Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Episcopal bishop of Washington, among others…remember trump’s answer to name his favorite Bible verse?…he’s told us his favorite book was the Bible, and his close second favorite book, The Art of Deal…he declined to name his favorite verse in August 2015…”too personal to share specifics”…but he loves the Bible…”I wouldn’t want to get into it because to me that’s very personal. You know, when I talk about the Bible, it’s very personal, so I don’t want to get into verses. The Bible means a lot to me, but I don’t want to get into specifics.”…John Heilemann asked him if he was a “Old Testament guy or a New Testament guy”…his answer “Probably equal.”…he was clearly full of baloney…then almost a year later, he decided to name his favorite verse…from CBS News by Rebecca Shabad from April 2016: “Donald Trump names his favorite Bible verse: The Bible verse that really resonates with Donald Trump is “an eye for an eye,” from the Old Testament. ( perfect, huh? )

In a radio interview on WHAM 1180AM, host Bob Lonsberry asked the GOP presidential front-runner if there is a favorite Bible verse or story that has informed his thinking or his character throughout his life.

“Well, I think many. I mean, when we get into the Bible, I think many, so many. And some people, look, an eye for an eye, you can almost say that,” Trump said. “That’s not a particularly nice thing. But you know, if you look at what’s happening to our country, I mean, when you see what’s going on with our country, how people are taking advantage of us, and how they scoff at us and laugh at us. And they laugh at our face, and they’re taking our jobs, they’re taking our money, they’re taking the health of our country. And we have to be very firm and have to be very strong. And we can learn a lot from the Bible, that I can tell you.”

Trump did not mention that the Old Testament’s “Eye for an eye” is later renounced in the New Testament in favor of “turn the other cheek,” in Matthew 5:38: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.”

Throughout his campaign, Trump has suggested that he actively practices religion and even showed off a Bible just a day before the Iowa caucuses earlier this year in an effort to court evangelical voters.”… incidentially, the Bible he showed us at his St. John’s photo-op was carried there by Ivanka…and we later find out the whole fiasco was Ivanka’s idea…from Vanity Fair by Bess Levin: “earlier this year, we noted that while the old saying goes, “behind every great man is a great woman,” the more appropriate adage for the Trump era would be, “behind every presidential fuckup is a first daughter and son-in-law who have no idea what they’re doing but nevertheless think they should be advising the leader of the free world.” Obviously, Donald Trump was (and remains!) extremely capable of destroying the country on his own, but as senior advisers, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner frequently helped things along. From not-a-doctor Kushner playing a key role in the government’s pandemic response—a role that reportedly included telling people early in the pandemic that the virus wasn’t a “health reality”—to Princess Purses reportedly demanding her dad deliver an address to the nation on a moment’s notice, which resulted in him telling millions of people, “The risk [of this virus] is very, very low,” wherever there was a screwup, those two could be found. And now, thanks to a new book from someone very familiar with the matter, we know that Ivanka was responsible for one of the most ridiculous, sacrilegious moments of Trump’s time in office.

According to the Religious News Service, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows’s book offers a “detailed account” of the 45th president’s “infamous Bible photo op at St. John’s Church in June 2020,” which, it turns out, was reportedly Ivanka’s idea. For those who need a refresher, in June 2020, at the height of racial-justice protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, Trump, concerned about media coverage of his retreat to a White House bunker, had peaceful protesters tear-gassed so he could make his way to the nearby St. John’s church. There, he held up a Bible and posed for photos while telling reporters, “we have a great country” and vowing he would “make it even greater, and it won’t take long.”

Unlike the Bible, which miraculously didn’t immediately burst into flames, the whole thing completely blew up in the then president’s face. “Tear-gassing peaceful protesters without provocation just so that the president could pose for photos outside a church dishonors every value that faith teaches us,” Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement. “The fascist speech Donald Trump just delivered verged on a declaration of war against American citizens,” Senator Ron Wyden tweeted. “The President used our sacred text as a symbol of division,” episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde of St. John’s wrote. Even some Republicans were critical of the stunt. “We long ago lost sight of normal, but this was a singularly immoral act,” Republican operative Brendan Buck told The Washington Post. “The president used force against American citizens, not to protect property, but to soothe his own insecurities.” A senior White House official told Axios, “I’ve never been more ashamed. I’m really honestly disgusted. I’m sick to my stomach. And they’re all celebrating it. They’re very very proud of themselves.”

One person who presumably was indeed proud of herself? The first daughter.

Ivanka Trump [had] received calls about the fire [that had been set in the basement of the church], according to Meadows. In response, she hatched a plan: She suggested the president “give his address in the Rose Garden as planned, and then lead a group of his closest aides and advisers over to St. John’s Church, where he would deliver a short message to the American people.” Ivanka’s goal, Meadows said, was to signal that “law and order would prevail” and “send a message to people of faith.”

“As I watched President Trump listening to his daughter, I could tell he loved the idea,” Meadows writes. Meadows also writes that Trump’s aides scrambled to find a Bible for the president to use on June 1, pulling ones from their offices and stacking them on a desk outside the Oval Office. Trump, he says, ultimately chose one of the Bibles less because of its appearance and more for “the way it felt in his hands.”

The former congressman writes that Ivanka kept the Bible in her purse until the group arrived at St. John’s. They had expected to enter the church, inspect the damage and possibly say a prayer, but opted for an outside photo shoot upon realizing the sanctuary was boarded up.”

then we have Don jr….from The Intelligencer by Ed Kilgore, December 27, 2021: “Donald Trump Jr. Rejects Christianity’s ‘Turn the Other Cheek’ Teaching: In this season usually characterized by widespread longing for peace, kindness, charity, and reconciliation, Donald Trump Jr. has faithfully reflected his own family tradition of disrespecting such wussy sentiments, as former George W. Bush adviser Peter Wehner reports in The Atlantic:

Trump spoke at a Turning Point USA gathering on December 19. He displayed seething, nearly pathological resentments; playground insults (he led the crowd in “Let’s Go, Brandon” chants); tough guy/average Joe shtick; and a pulsating sense of aggrieved victimhood and persecution, all of it coming from the elitist, extravagantly rich son of a former president.

But there was one short section of Trump’s speech that I thought was particularly revealing. Relatively early in the speech, he said, “If we get together, they cannot cancel us all. Okay? They won’t. And this will be contrary to a lot of our beliefs because — I’d love not to have to participate in cancel culture. I’d love that it didn’t exist. But as long as it does, folks, we better be playing the same game. Okay? We’ve been playing T-ball for half a century while they’re playing hardball and cheating. Right? We’ve turned the other cheek, and I understand, sort of, the biblical reference — I understand the mentality — but it’s gotten us nothing. Okay? It’s gotten us nothing while we’ve ceded ground in every major institution in our country.”

Junior’s rejection of one of the central teachings of Christianity (albeit one that Christians have never been very good at following) is reminiscent of his father’s citation of “an eye for an eye” as his very favorite Bible adage. Indeed, it was by way of repudiating the 45th president’s motto that Jesus articulated the very teaching Trump the Younger dislikes (Matthew 5:38–42):

You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

That “hasn’t worked” for conservatives, so it’s disposable, along with other “soft” Christian teachings like forgiveness (which Trump Sr. once said he didn’t need), equality, the nobility of those suffering from poverty or disabilities, and a holy fear of self-righteousness. We have grown accustomed to the irony of conservative Christians all but idolizing a politician who is the most heathenish public figure of our generation, inordinately proud of his power over women in particular and supposedly lesser beings generally and incapable of confessing a single sin or weakness or defeat. But it’s still a bit jarring to hear this chip off the old block openly calling for an ethic of hatred, resentment, and vengeance against his imagined persecutors.

There is, of course, an ancient tradition in right-wing politics and culture of loudly proclaiming fidelity to Christianity while strategically ignoring its less convenient tenets. The authoritarian tradition of the 20th century, which so many of us fear the MAGA movement emulates, was conspicuous for promoting an extremely un-Christ-like worship of violence and repression in the name of defending “traditional Christian culture.” Adolf Hitler spoke of valuing “positive Christianity,” by which he meant the few teachings of Jesus Christ that did not directly contradict his gospel of racism, nationalism, and total war as a biological necessity. The Trumps aren’t typically articulate enough to promulgate a similar revision of the faith and may not personally subscribe to the crude racism and nationalism they relentlessly and cynically exploit. But it’s clear they appeal to a sort of cafeteria Christianity in which conservatives are encouraged to downplay or simply forget about the Jesus who condemned blood-and-soil loyalties on behalf of a universal ethic of love.

Mock it all you want, and I will, but this distorted Christianity has “worked” pretty well for Donald Trump Sr. and Jr. It has “gotten them” the White House for four years, dominion over of one of America’s two major political parties, and saddest of all, the especially devoted support of so many conservative followers of the Prince of Peace, who are willing to dismiss the savior’s teachings as T-ball and pursue an eye for an eye in order to smite their many enemies. So long as this thirst for holy violence and sanctified score-settling persists, the Trumps and their successors will always have a political base.”

that’s unfortunate, to say the least…”So long as this thirst for holy violence and sanctified score-settling persists, the Trumps and their successors will always have a political base.”…the apples don’t fall far from the tree…

John Madden dies…Harry Reid dies..and my check-up went well…blood pressure good…had to go across the street to Abington Hospital to have blood drawn…having fasted…there used to be a lab on the first floor of the doctors’ office, it closed for no reason, my doctor said…going over to the Hospital took 45 minutes…I spent the better part of the afternoon with this doctor appointment…you gotta do what you gotta do…found 3 shiny pennies and a nickel on my travels…

we thought 2020 was bad…2021was almost as bad…except it wasn’t as bad because we didn’t have trump as president…we didn’t have a scum bag as president…we didn’t have a racist, misogynist, white supremacist as president…we didn’t have the most corrupt president ever…although he’s still pulling the strings on a party that has sold its soul…they had no platform and they will not have any platform in 2022…hoping to take The House back and shut down the Select Committee investigation…hoping they will take back the Senate and give Moscow Mitch his obstruction of any kind of legislation unless it’s more tax breaks for the top 2%…and they’re talking impeachment…of Biden, if they take The House back… on what grounds, I don’t know…just another talking point…this is the second year Covid-19 has screwed up our holidays…travelers have been stranded…God knows why they’re on airplanes anyway…it’s the pilots who are coming down with Covid…the variant Omicron…highly transmissable…doctors pleading with the population to get vaccinated…their hospitals are filled with anti-vaxers…stupid people…Omicron spread pretty quickly…first in California…one case…next day a few more states…then cases popping up in all fifty states…we’re all done with this pandemic…but it doesn’t quit…we don’t have a choice but to stay out of crowds…mask up…with better masks…supposedly, cloth masks aren’t as good as the N-95…so get yourself some N-95s…better safe than sorry…in 2020, when I had Covid…I was in the hospital for 10 days…I was sick for a whole week before my doctor told me to get to the hospital…taken by ambulance… uncomforatable on the gurney…scared…and not able to breathe laying down…that straw that made me go into the hospital…and tired…it took all my energy to stand up and use a urinal…it just wiped me out…I went into the hospital on a Sunday…the following Tuesday I could not breathe…my oxygen level was in the middle 80’s…they want you to be above 90…they put me on heavy duty oxygen…I had that for 24 hours…then they weaned me off for the next week…I feel like I was one of the first to have it…lucky to be alive, although I never thought I would die…but they didn’t know that much about the disease…it’s not great, not being able to breathe…the reason I don’t understand why people refuse to get vaccinated…if they only knew…the only good thing that came out of my hospital stay, I was introduced to MeTV… Memorable TV…all the old TV shows…The Waltons, M*A*S*H, all the old Westerns like Gunsmoke, Rawhide, The Rifleman, Bonanza, and Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcoke Presents, The Twilight Zone…I still watch today… especially Perry Mason…at 11.30…they take me back to my younger days…tonight on The Twilight Zone episode, it starred Jack Carson, he died on January 2, 1963, he was only 52…Jack Ging, just turned 90 on November 30, Arte Johnson, best known as the “very interesting” guy on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In…he died in 2019 at the age of 90…I’ve seen the young Robert Redford…paying his dues to become a Star…I’ve seen Jeanette Nolan play all kinds of parts…she was an underrated actress…she played in over 300 television episodes…I like seeing old actors just starting out…getting those parts because they had that certain something…to end up being the top 10 actors and actresses of all time, so says the American Film Institute…the top 15 male actors: Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, James Stewart, Marlon Brando, Fred Astaine, Henry Fonda, Clark Gable, James Cagney, Spencer Tracy, Charlie Chaplin, Gary Cooper, Gregory Peck, John Wayne, Laurence Olivier, Gene Kelly…the top 15 female actresses: Katherine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Audrey Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford, Barbara Stanwick, Claudette Colbert, Grace Kelly, Ginger Rogers, Mae West…all paid their dues over the years…gave us memorable performances over their lifetime…the reason I love the movies…ever since I could sit up…my parents allowed me to watch movies on our only TV in the living room when I was a kid…by myself…all those old black and white films…and the reason I can watch a movie over and over…never get tired of watching a movie…especially if I love a movie…like The Wizard of Oz or West Stide Story…or The Bishop’s Wife…or Two For The ‘Road…I have a doctor appointment tomorrow…at 2:00 in the afternoon…to hear my GP is quiting the practice and going into another practice where you pay $2000 to join…I don’t think so…I have to get another GP…one of my 2022 resolutions…on top of my usual…drink more water and lose weight…a have four more days to think of others…can’t believe it’s 2022…I’ll be 79…WOW, in two months…time does fly…sometimes I’m sorry I blinked…only four more days left in 2021…and a whole year since trump’s attempted coup…lock him up in 2022…yes!…

today would have been my 55th Anniversary…Nancy and I were married in 1966…the day after Christmas was a Monday in 1966, the holiday because Christmas was a Sunday…there was a major snow storm that Christmas Eve…”Philadelphia’s biggest Christmas Eve snowfall and deepest Christmas Day snow cover on record occurred on December 24-25, 1966, when 12.7″ of snow fell, with 12.4″ coming on Christmas Eve.”…we were digging out the cars on Christmas day…talk about White Christmases!…there was so much snow…foreign to me in San Francisco…it did snow in San Francisco one year when I was a kid…about an inch was left on car roofs…nothing major, but unusual…it hardly ever snows in San Francisco…of course my parents and brothers and sisters came to my wedding…not my older brother… my sister was in the wedding party…she came with her best friends Wanda and Diane…they were 15 at the time…we were to be married at 3:00…reception following at the ceremony at the Warwick Hotel on 17th Street…my parents hadn’t showed up by 3:00…we waited and waited…and finally got married at 3:30…my father finally made it…my Mom came East with a cold…her ears hadn’t “popped”…she was taking medication…in those days she was drinking…and my mother-in-law gave her a tranquiler…she couldn’t stand up…she never made it to my wedding…the San Francisco contingent went to New York City before going home…my mother’s ears popped maybe a week later back in San Francisco…however, it was a grand wedding…I remember Andrew, Nancy’s nephew, was crying when we left…he thought Nancy was going away, and he would never see her again…he was maybe 8 years old at the time…Andrew was the first of Nancy’s Mom’s 11 grandchildren…( Andrew died 2 years ago…on December 22, 2019…he was only 60 )…

I walked to Pam’s to pick up my car this afternoon…to pick up my presents also…one of my gifts was an ancestry and health kit…which I wanted to have Ben or Julia to do for years…I think their ancestry would be amazing…they are walking United Nations…but I’m anxious to do it…they can tell all from you saliva!!!…amazing…right?…previously, Joan had texted me if we could meet a Creekside for a chat…I told her I could in an hour and a half…as I wasn’t dressed yet and I would walking to Pam’s, Creekside on the way…but she was ready to go and said “next time”…on my way to Pam’s she called me…”where are you? she asked…”I’m right by Creekside”…so was she…she walked before she came to Creekside to pick up a Caesar Salad for her dinner…karma…we sat and chatted for a while…then on my way to Pam’s…pick up my car and go home…after playing a game of backgammon with Julia…Pam had driven Ben to Trenton, he was taking the train back to New York…she had just come back…later, Elissa invited me for dinner…her cousins were there, an instant party…took some of my, Doris’s Italian Country pate and a avocado and potato chips and egg nog as my contribution…fun dinner, lots of laughs…thank you Elissa for the invitation…a nice ending to my day…my 55th Anniversary…I hope everyone chilled today…a perfect Sunday chill…

took a picture as I walked to Pam’s…Daddy Long Legs!…

my granddaughter sent me this…male reindeer lose their antlers in Winter and females don’t…therefore, Santa’s sleight is pulled by a team of strong, powerful, underrated women!!! You go, Girls!! I see you!!!!…she also made this for me – Season’s Greetings everyone – God bless us everyone!…

during this time of political strife…a pandemic that has swept the world and continues to for a second holiday…and our democracy is being widdled away, it would seen that it’s not such a wonderful life…but the movie endures…showing us how one person makes a difference…the 1946 movie starred Indiana, Pennsylvania’s own James Stewart as George Bailey…he was a favorite actor of Frank Capra, who directed It’s A Wonderful Life…also a favorite of Alfred Hitchcock…all the talk about the filibuster always cites Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Stewart’s portrayal of an idealized and virtuous man who becomes a senator…who fights a corrupt political system…corrupt politicians…sound familiar?…it was one of the first 25 films selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1989, selected for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”…although It’s A Wonderful Life was not a box office success…over the years it has become a Christmas Classic…it was the first film James Steward starred in after World War II, in which Stewart enlisted in the Army Air Forces…CNN prompted me with the story by Rachael Scott, I thought it was an interesting read…( “Updated 10:15 AM ET, Sat December 25, 2021…This story was originally published in December 2020. It has been updated. ) : “How World War II shaped ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’:  It’s George Bailey’s crucial moment. Disheveled and desperate, he offers up a Hail-Mary prayer to a God he’s not sure is listening: “I’m not a praying man, but if you’re up there and you can hear me, show me the way. I’m at the end of my rope.”

Actor Jimmy Stewarts’ emotion is palpable in this scene, one that acclaimed actress Carol Burnett called one of the finest pieces of acting ever on the screen. What may have escaped audiences watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” — which turned 75 years old this year — is that the tears running down Stewart’s face are real, the actor later shared.

Stewart had just returned home from serving as a flight leader in World War II and this 1946 film was his first movie since witnessing the horrors of war. With this postwar mentality, Stewart and director Frank Capra take a film titled “It’s a Wonderful Life” and antithetically crescendo into a failed suicide attempt.

Throughout the film, George Bailey’s life often seems anything but wonderful. The audience watches as a young man with worldly dreams encounters setback after setback, each one like a nail in his own coffin. Trapped in his hometown, running his late father’s business, the story comes to a climax when George Bailey believes he’s worth more dead than alive.

“It’s a Wonderful Life” addresses real and resonant issues of self-worth and failure. Fresh from the war, Stewart is grappling with these trials himself, as he shapes the deeply relatable character of George Bailey. Without Stewart’s real acquaintance with darkness, the holiday classic’s redefining perspective on life wouldn’t be able to shine so unforgettably bright.

Becoming a classic

When it was first released, “It’s a Wonderful Life” was not intended to be a Christmas movie. It initially flopped at the box office and the film’s copyright was not renewed, according to Turner Classic Movies.This meant that in the 1970’s “It’s a Wonderful Life” was cost-free for broadcasters to air repeatedly. Audiences began to take notice of this less-than-jolly movie that flooded the airways at Christmas time, and thus a holiday tradition was born.

Photo: On the set of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’Actor Jimmy Stewart packs a snowball on the set of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” In the 1946 holiday classic, an angel shows frustrated businessman George Bailey what his community would have been like without him.

NBC, which now owns the rights to the film, broadcasts “It’s a Wonderful Life” on Christmas Eve every year. In 2016, Variety reported that the network’s 42nd Christmas Eve airing of the program brought in 4.5 million viewers.The movie captures a period of American life packed with some of the most landmark historical events in the 20th century, including the Great Depression and World War II.

After serving in the Army Air Corps, Stewart had been absent from Hollywood for five years when he was offered the role in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” He was initially hesitant to do the film, according to biographer Robert Matzen, but it was his only offer except for a film featuring his war service.

“‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ was a result of Jim’s war experiences because it unlocked this depth of soul in Jimmy … He had to learn to act again and that’s what you’re seeing on screen. It’s like lightning that just got captured in a bottle,” biographer Robert Matzen told CNN.

This is seen in one of the film’s most iconic, unscripted scenes, when George Bailey finds himself at the end of his rope: “I’m not a praying man but if you’re up there and you can hear me, show me the way.”

George Bailey wasn’t scripted to cry, but Jimmy Stewart did.

“As I said those words, I felt the loneliness, the hopelessness of people who had nowhere to turn, and my eyes filled with tears. I broke down sobbing,” Stewart said in an interview in 1987.

This scene, capturing George Bailey’s desperate plea for help, was done in one take. This was due in part to how emotional it was for Stewart, who was still grappling with the life or death pressure of war, Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz explained.

“Jimmy Stewart was following his own experience and using that in his character. That is a very hard thing to do. The audience feels the intensity of that because it was clearly authentic,” Mankiewicz told CNN.

“It’s a Wonderful Life” has become a classic because it connects with the viewer emotionally, Mankiewicz said, and is able to resonate with our everyday lives.

“It’s a movie we watch at Christmas, but the power and emotion the film conveys isn’t any less powerful in June,” Mankiewicz said.

Military service

When Stewart enlisted in the Army in 1941, he had just won an Academy Award for “The Philadelphia Story.” ( another great movie about Philadelphia’s Main Line…and how the other half lives, the other rich half, with Katherine Hepburn as Tracy Lord and Cary Grants as her ex-husband )

Entering the Army Air Corps as a private, he was assigned to the motion pictures unit to make films for the war department. Stewart, who comes from a family steeped in military service, fought the orders and pushed for the chance to serve overseas.

After earning his wings as a pilot, Stewart was finally sent to England as a flight leader in 1943. Matzen described Stewart as an “aerial quarterback,” responsible for calling real-time shots in the air for pilots.Stewart flew 20 physically and mentally challenging combat missions which he rarely talked about after the war.

Through mission reports of Stewart’s combat, Matzen was able to provide a look into the worst mission Stewart led in 1944 over the German city of Gotha. Stewart lost men in his command during this bombing campaign, a devastating cost for a leader who believed he was responsible for each life.

Adding to this, the personal experience Stewart experienced over Gotha was something out of a nightmare. The floor of Stewart’s plane was hit, blowing a hole right below his feet, Matzen explained. His damaged bomber had to limp back to England while Stewart gazed down at enemy territory through the hole in his cabin. Matzen estimated Stewart experienced temperatures of at least 20 degrees below zero.

This mission was “one too many” for Stewart, Matzen said. Ten years over the recommended age for a pilot flying heavy bombers, experiences like this took a tremendous toll on Stewart in his mid-30’s.

“Nobody recognized the Jimmy Stewart that returned home from combat. He had changed so much. He had aged some say ten years, some say 20. He had a lot of the attributes of PTSD,” Matzen said.

These symptoms included the shakes, a short temper and nightmares, according to Matzen. The short temper would lead to mood swings, not unlike the explosive fit where George Bailey destroys part of the family living room, said Matzen.

At the time, veterans returning from war were considered to be experiencing “shell-shock” or “combat fatigue.” Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was not added as a psychological diagnosis until the 1980’s after the Vietnam War.

When asked what the horrors of war meant to Stewart, Matzen said that Stewart’s perfectionism plagued him: every life he lost under his command was a job he could’ve done better.The challenge of overcoming his perceived failure and rediscovering his self-worth as a civilian is where the audience meets postwar Stewart on screen in 1946.

Watching during a pandemic

For two hours, “It’s a Wonderful Life” continues down a dark arch, until there are less than 10 glorious minutes left in the film. A guardian angel and an alternative universe later, George Bailey learns the lesson that makes the movie worth watching: an ordinary life serving others will leave an extraordinary impact on people’s lives.

It’s with a new perspective that every little thing that George Bailey has resented about his life, he now rejoices in.A new perspective on life is no foreign concept during the pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic has taken over 5.4 million lives worldwide and disrupted everyday life, forcing communities into lockdowns and hurting local economies.

“Right now, a lot of us are like George Bailey in a sense because he’s trapped in Bedford Falls and he feels like he’s a failure as a result of that. Right now, being in this state of lockdown since March, I’ve reevaluated what it means to be successful in my life,” film historian Carla Valderrama told CNN.

Valderrama says “It’s a Wonderful Life” is one of the greatest movies ever made because it can change the way one views the world. What this film tells the viewer is that success is not measured in materialism, but how much one gives back.

“I am so grateful for the grocery clerks, the person who shows up to bring my food — how essential. I am so grateful for these front line workers — these people are heroes right now,” Valderrama said.” ( CNN’s Amy Wray and Fernando Alfonso contributed to this report. )”…with performances like Stewart’s George Bailey we understand the American Film Institute’s placing James Steward as the third in the line of The Top Male Actors after Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant…there’s the James Steward Museum in Indiana, Pennsylvania…Steward’s home town…

it is a wonderful life…and life is worth living…we mourn the over 815,000 of our loved ones who have died from the Covid pandemic…and we are still beholden to the front line workers…especially those hospital workers, the nurses and doctors who treat those infected…who we hear are at the end of their rope… seeing so much death, which could have been prevented…let’s honor all the front line workers…we owe them a debt of gratitute…

yes, t’was the night before Christmas, and all through the house, really apartment…the only creature who was stirring was the man of the house…my socks were hung by the laundry basket with care…in hopes that maybe Monday, I would wash the dirty pair…the bacon and sausage were snug on the stove and the oven…the Christmas brunchers, the meat that they’re loving…cooking all day in my slippers and robe, at the same time, wrapping presents I dove…most of the afternoon today, I was making Doris’ Italian Country Pate..although my usual stance, on the sofa I sat…probably taking a little afternoon nap…I find myself without a car…loaned it to Ben, so he could travel not far…to Reading he went…with his girlfriend this Christmas eve he spent…with Omicron spreading far and wide…will we be able to stem the tide?…the news of the day…all of trump’s clatter…will the DOJ, make him pay?…it’s what really does matter…calling the Court to take up his case…trump constantly playing to his base…suing right and then left…with lawyers, with not much deft…then there’s Kim Potter…the policewoman who shot Daunte Wright…found guilty of first and second degree manslaughter…I stayed away from the news stations today…sick and tired of what they would say… instead I watched The Bishop’s Wife…a lovely, favorite movie without any strife…a cheesesteak at Pam’s for dinner…eating Delassandro’s won’t make me thinner…but worth every bite…Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night…

going to bed, to be fresh in the morning…it’s Christmas after all, luckily, only made one trip to mall…again, Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night…

may you be safe and sound as you gather with family and friends…

just in time for Christmas…from Daily Kos from annieli for Today In Heightened Contradictions Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.):

“Manchin-rati runs off the road with GOP talking points – did he betray Dems (and Biden)?

“As hard as it is to believe, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III reportedly blew up negotiations for the Build Back Better bill not over provisions to address climate change or tax proposals affecting wealthy Americans, but over the child tax credit that has lifted millions of children out of poverty. That makes even less sense considering Manchin’s home state of West Virginia is among the poorest states in the country.”

We’re all weary of the jawboning that surrounds Joe Manchin and his holding BBB hostage. As if we all could function with blind trust when dealing with the ever pathetic excuses of “the most reviled man in America”.

Jayapal told me she contacted joe Manchin on Tuesday morning, and asked him to return to the original framework that Biden released in October, which laid out general goals: An expanded child tax credit for one year, ACA subsidies for four years, universal pre-K for six years, half a trillion dollars for climate, and more.

Biden had assured House Democrats that Manchin committed to this framework and that it would win 50 Democratic senators, Jayapal notes. But Manchin now denies that commitment.

So Jayapal told me she asked Manchin to take that framework and line it up next to the BBB that passed the House (which Manchin has rejected). She asked him to say what, specifically, in the House bill doesn’t match up with what Manchin did commit to in the framework (in his discussions with Biden), and to say what specifically in the framework he did not commit to and does not support.

Greg Sargent@ThePlumLineGS NEW: Rep Jayapal reached out to Manchin today, and offered a way forward: She asked him to return to Biden’s BBB framework and specify what he *did not* commit to and what he *cannot* support, Jayapal tells me. She opened the door a crack. Details here: Opinion | Rep. Jayapal on what’s next: Tell us what you support, Sen. ManchinInside the latest effort to figure out what Joe Manchin will support on Build Back Better.

Of course, what’s even worse than Manchin’s betrayal of his fellow Democrats is his disregard for the millions of Americans who would have benefited from BBB and the future generations who are relying on politicians today to deal with the consequences of climate change tomorrow.

As I noted in my MSNBC column yesterday

what is so frustrating about Manchin’s actions are the nonsensical and incoherent explanations he is offering as justification for them.

According to Manchin, “Build Back Better would ‘reshape our society in a way that leaves our country even more vulnerable to the threats we face.’”

What are those threats, you might ask?

• “… a staggering debt of more than $29 trillion and inflation taxes that are real and harmful to every hard-working American.”
• “… COVID-19 cases ris(ing) at rates we have not seen since the height of this pandemic.”
• “… increasing geopolitical uncertainty as tensions rise with both Russia and China.”

Of all these lame excuses, the increase in the national debt seems to be Manchin’s biggest concern. It’s why he’s demanding that every provision of the bill have permanent funding and insisting that it reduce the deficit. In Manchin’s view, America’s ability to “quickly and effectively respond to these pending threats” will be more difficult if America’s debt burden continues to rise.

Kyle Griffin@kylegriffin1 Reminder: Manchin’s family biz has made millions by taking waste coal from abandoned mines and selling it to a power plant that emits air pollution at a higher rate than any other in the state. Manchin cites a blind trust, but much income isn’t covered.

ken olin@kenolin1 “West Virginians! Demand @Sen_JoeManchin tell you why he chose his boat & Maserati over lowering your price of insulin to $35, feeding your hungry children, making sure you have clean H2O to drink, that you drive across sturdy bridges, and have more jobs. You have a right to know.”

Paul Cogan@PaulCogan “FUN FACT: Manchin’s daughter, Heather Bresch, is the CEO of Mylan, makers of EpiPen. In 2017, Mylan was fined $465 million for ripping off Medicaid. In 2012, Gayle Manchin ( Joe’s wife ) took over the National Association of State Boards of Education & forced schools to buy EpiPens.”

the Child Tax Credit will run out at the end of the year…it lifted millions of children out of poverty, this money, Manchin says, is spent on drugs rather than food, clothing, rent, etc., because it will lapse, 10 million children will fall back into proverty…consider the military budget…billions of dollars every year… every year…”For Fiscal Year 2021 (FY2021), the Department of Defense’s discretionary budget authority is approximately $705.39 billion ($705,390,000,000). Mandatory spending of $10.77 billion, the Department of Energy and defense-related spending of $37.335 billion added up to the total FY2021 Defense budget of $753.5 billion.”…need I say more?…

Senator Bernie Sanders slammed Joe Manchin…saying how Manchin’s arrogance is unacceptable…that he’s turning his back on the people of West Virginia and the people of America…while Manchin is telling people that his contituents in West Virginia take the child tax credit and buy drugs and his people would use the paid leave to go hunting…Republican talking points…right out of the paybook…no wonder Moscow Mitch is like Drew Carey on The Price Is Right…come on down to the GOP, the party of Gas and Oil…and I can be the Senate Majority leader again…and kill any and all legislation, any and all appointments to the courts, and obstruct any and all everything…Senator Sanders on Rachel Maddow said to Rachel and us – “This is the enormously important bill and the American people have got to stand up and demand that every member of the Democratic caucus — and it is pretty pathetic, I got to say, that there’s not one Republican who has the guts to stand up to the drug companies or the insurance companies or the fossil fuel industry. The last point that I would make on this, Rachel, is in the caucus, as everybody knows, there’s a wide diversity of opinion from progressive to pretty conservative. But what is troubling to me is that you have two senators who are not just prepared to fight for their ideas but they have said, ‘It’s my way or the highway. If you don’t do what I want, Mr. President or members of the Democratic caucus, I’m walking away from here.’ And that is an arrogance I think is unacceptable.”

from The National Review by Philip Klein: “Joe Manchin May Have Just Killed Transformational Liberalism for a Decade: Senator Joe Manchin (D., W. Va.) says he’s done with President Biden’s Build Back Better legislation. And if saying so on Fox News wasn’t enough, he added an explanation point in a statement released shortly after his appearance, in which he declared: “My Democratic colleagues in Washington are determined to dramatically reshape our society in a way that leaves our country even more vulnerable to the threats we face. I cannot take that risk.”

It is, of course, possible that once they stare into the abyss of defeat, Biden and Democrats may decide to finally cave and give Manchin everything he wants. For instance, he has indicated a willingness to vote for up to $1.75 trillion in spending, and said that he’s more open to picking one priority and fully funding it for a decade rather than starting lots of new programs, funding them for a few years, and hoping they get renewed. So there’s some reason for conservatives to keep the champagne on ice.

But realistically, this approach would require blowing up the bill that had been carefully negotiated for months just to squeak through the House, and getting progressives to swallow whatever Manchin wants whole. The expanded child tax credit that has resulted in monthly payments to families will expire at the end of the year. So trying to pass it next year — which would require every penny of the bill if fully paid for over a decade — would essentially mean creating a new program rather than extending one that’s already on the books.

Either way, even if something reemerges from the rubble, it is not going to be anything along the lines of the “transformational” type of legislation liberals envisioned earlier in the year. The idea was to augment the role of government in every aspect of individuals’ lives — with subsidized child care, a government takeover of preschool, more financing for college, a more generous Obamacare, and an expanded Medicare. Not to mention hundreds of billions of dollars in investments toward the Green New Deal. That magnitude of legislation is no longer in the cards, even if Manchin warms up to passing something.What’s important to realize is that this doesn’t merely foreclose the chances of Democrats getting something transformational passed this year, but it likely blocks them from doing so for the rest of the Biden presidency, and perhaps for the rest of the decade. That is, Republicans are almost certain to retake control of at least the House next year given the historical performance of the party in power during midterms and Biden’s low approval ratings. So that means the earliest shot Democrats would have to unify control of Washington and have another go at it would be in 2025. However, traditionally, liberals have been able to pass transformational legislation with massive majorities (think of the New Deal and Great Society) and after multiple wave elections (see Obamacare). It’s going to be difficult for Democrats not only to get Biden reelected (or Vice President Kamala Harris) but to do so in convincing enough fashion to pass the sort of sweeping legislation that they want to. And obviously, that won’t be possible if Republicans win in 2024. Furthermore, if a Republican who wins in 2025 were to get reelected, it could be 2033 before Democrats get another opportunity to pass something as sweeping as they tried to this year.

Obviously, it’s hard to predict so many elections ahead of time. But there is a reason why liberals were reaching so high in 2021, attempting to pass historically massive legislation with historically narrow majorities. The reason is that they knew it could be their last opportunity to enact something game-changing for quite a while.”…

it all hinges on voting rights now…voting rights and then resurrecting Build Back Better…perhaps “Joe Manchin-rati, the most reviled man in America” will come around…?…?…?…

all day I was running around, for one thing, I got my refund on the Fresh Express bagged salad…Acme credited my credit card…one, two, three…no problem…also, bought a couple of turkey legs again…the ones I bought a few days ago, I slept through them being in the oven too long…talk about crispy?…almost all the way to the bone…this time I kept my eye on them and roasted them to perfection…aside from that, got some more provisions for the next week…Pam texted me “are u up?”…yes I was, there was a holiday party at Jim’s brother-in-law’s sister…everyone had to be vaccinated…one person lied…and came to the party…and worst, he wasn’t feeling well…turns out he infected a few people at the party…Barbara was there, Jim’s Mom…and we were going there for Christmas dinner…not any more…cancelled…the Omicron variant is extremely transmissable…and has now spread in all 50 states…lines everywhere to get tested or get a test kit…Merry Christmas…don’t know what Plan B will be for Christmas…Barbara and John, I hope you’re okay…that was the bummer news of today…Mary Kay Scanlon, Congresswoman was carjacked at gunpoint in Philadelphia…she was not hurt, except for her pysche…also, Michael “lock him up” Flynn has lost, in short order, his bid to deny the Select Committee his phone records…plus, holding off having to appear before the Committee…this court ruled quickly…it only took one day for the Florida Federal Court to deny Flynn request for a restraining order…to Flynn’s attempt to delay, delay, delay…and Jim Jordan, the always trumper, who lied about knowing the Ohio State atheletes were being sexually abused by the team doctor, has been shown on TV hemming and hawing about whether or not he talked to trump on January 6…obviously lying…from CNN by  Zachary Cohen and Annie Grayer: “The House select committee investigating January 6 has asked Rep. Jim Jordan, one of former President Donald Trump’s top congressional allies, to voluntarily meet with the panel as it zeroes in on Republican lawmakers who may have significant knowledge of events leading up to the US Capitol attack.

Jordan previously warned the committee that targeting GOP lawmakers in any capacity would be met with political retribution if Republicans retake the House after next year’s midterm elections.

Jordan was originally selected by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to be one of five GOP members serving on the committee back in July, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected McCarthy’s selection of Jordan, along with GOP Rep. Jim Banks, because she said their appointments could impact the “integrity of the investigation.”

Pelosi’s decision led McCarthy to pull all five of his members, which further soured the willingness between the two parties to work together, and led Pelosi to select which Republicans should serve on the panel.

The Ohio Republican is the second ally of Trump to receive an interview request this week. Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania has already declined the committee’s request to voluntarily sit down with investigators — vowing instead to continue fighting “the failures of the radical Left.”

Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, who chairs the committee, says in the letter to Jordan that the panel wants to learn more about communications with Trump on January 6.

“We understand that you had at least one and possibly multiple communications with President Trump on January 6th. We would like to discuss each such communication with you in detail,” Thompson wrote.

The panel says in its letter that it has documents on file that show Trump was watching television coverage of the January 6 attack from his private dining room next to the Oval Office and that Trump, through his legal team, was trying to delay or impede the electoral count even after the crowd had dispersed.

“And we also wish to inquire about any communications you had on January 5th or 6th with those in the Willard War Room, the Trump legal team, White House personnel or others involved in organizing or planning the actions and strategies for January 6th,” the letter states, referencing in part an election-related “command center” for Trump allies at the Willard InterContinental hotel in Washington around January 6.

The committee proposes meeting with Jordan on January 3, January 4, or the week of January 10 when the House returns to Washington. The committee also proposes holding the interview in Jordan’s district if that were easier for the congressman.Jordan’s office did not respond to CNN’s request for comment. Speaking with Fox News later Wednesday, the congressman said, “We’re going to review the letter.”… ( Jordan is the second of trump’s congressional allies, after Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, to receive a request that he produce records and meet with the Committee to answer questions…)…

Sent text message

Jordan has been identified as one of the lawmakers who sent a text message to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows that the committee has in its possession. The message that Jordan forwarded to Meadows on January 5 outlined a legal theory that then-Vice President Mike Pence had the authority to stand in the way of the certification of the 2020 election.

A portion of that message was read by the January 6 select committee during its contempt report presentation before the full House voted to refer Meadows to the Justice Department to decide on possible criminal contempt charges.

A spokesperson for Jordan previously confirmed to CNN that he forwarded a text to Meadows on January 5 that was sent to him by Joseph Schmitz, a former Department of Defense inspector general. Schmitz’s text included a draft presentation arguing that Pence had the constitutional authority to object to the certification of election results from certain states.

The interview requests to both Perry and Jordan mark a significant step in the investigation and could lead to the committee issuing subpoenas to lawmakers who refuse to cooperate voluntarily, which would dramatically escalate political tensions.

When Perry declined to speak with the committee on Tuesday, the panel condemned his actions but stopped short of saying it would issue a subpoena.

‘I have nothing to hide’

Jordan has long been seen as a target of the committee. In August, Jordan was among a group of Republican lawmakers whose phone records the committee asked various companies to preserve. At the time, Jordan warned the precedent the panel would be setting if it went after sitting members of Congress.

In its letter to Jordan, the committee references the Ohio congressman stating, “I have nothing to hide. I have been straightforward all along” in response to a question about whether he would be willing to share the information he has about the events leading up to January 6.

Seen as next in line to chair the Judiciary Committee if Republicans reclaim the House, Jordan could be in a position to go after Democrats if he feels the committee is overreaching in its requests.

Jordan has provided a megaphone to the narrative that the 2020 election was stolen.

“I don’t know how you can ever convince me that President Trump didn’t actually win this thing based on all the things you see,” Jordan said in an interview on Fox News in December 2020.

One day before the committee released its letter, Jordan and fellow Republican Sen. Mike Lee participated in a phone “briefing” for supporters of the Conservative Political Action Committee, which is led by Trump ally Matt Schlapp, that centered around criticizing the House select committee’s investigation into the January 6 riot, according to a source familiar with the call.

The invitation, sent exclusively to CPAC supporters, touted Jordan’s efforts to “protect Americans from the January 6 committee’s expansive subpoenas and overreach,” according to a copy obtained by CNN.”… yeah, right!…he has nothing to hide…in related articles – “Jim Jordan helped plot the coup. Now he’s in line to be one of the most powerful members of Congress.” and “the January 6 committee finally exposed Trump’s empire of lies“…

the perfect escape this evening…The Kennedy Center Honors…from Wikipedia: “The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees selects the honoree recipients based on excellence in music, dance, theater, opera, motion pictures or television. The selections are typically announced sometime between July and September.”…it was a wonderful celebration of Joni Mitchell, Lorne Michaels, Justino Diaz, Bette Midler and Berry Gordy, hosted by the bearded David Letterman…with Biden and First Lady Jill ( in a fabulous dress ) once again occupied the Presidential Box…from Parade by Kai Green: ““The Kennedy Center Honors celebrates luminaries whose art and creativity have enriched us beyond measure,” Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein said in a statement, and this year’s 44th annual Kennedy Center Honors gala will feature a number of celebrities who will perform, tell anecdotes and pay tribute to this year’s honorees. 

While last year’s Honors were delayed because of COVID-19 (when they ceremony finally was held, it was without an in-person audience), 2021 marks a return to the Center and the Opera House where the gala takes place. However, because the pandemic is still an issue, those inside wore masks and presented proof of vaccination to attend.

Speaking of, President Joe Biden was the first president in four years to attend the Honors festivities, as President Trump did not attend at all during White House tenure. “Our nation is stronger, more dynamic and more vibrant because of you,” Biden said at the White House reception for those being honored. “For this pandemic of profound loss and pain… we’ve seen the power of art in every form to heal, to comfort and recover.”

Big stars like Oprah Winfrey, Adele, Stevie Wonder and Scarlett Johansson and more were on hand earlier this month to celebrate this year’s five honorees: Bette Midler, Justino Diaz, Joni Mitchell, Berry Gordy and Lorne Michaels. Keep reading to see learn everything you want to know about the 2021 Kennedy Center Honors, including how and when you can tune in to watch!”…as usual, it was fabulous, makes you realize what an amazing legacy the honorees have given to us…Joni Mitchell’s songs!…it was said that the first time Joni Mitchell was in Hawaii…from her hotel window she could see the ocean and mountains in the distance, but below was an expansive parking lot…she wrote Big Yellow Taxi…

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

Oh, bop, bop, bop
Oh, bop, bop, bop

They took all the trees, and put em in a tree museum
And they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them
No, no, no
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone
They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot

Oh, bop, bop, bop
Oh, bop, bop, bop

Hey farmer, farmer, put away your DDT
I don’t care about spots on my apples
Leave me the birds and the bees
Please
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Hey now, they paved paradise to put up a parking lot

Oh, bop, bop, bop
Why not?
Oh, bop, bop, bop

Listen, late last night, I heard the screen door slam
And a big yellow taxi took my girl away
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Hey now, now, don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone
They paved paradise to put up a parking lot

Why not?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Hey, hey, hey
Paved paradise and put up a parking lot

Oh, bop, bop, bop
Oh, bop, bop, bop

I don’t wanna give it
Why you wanna give it
Why you wanna giving it all away
Hey, hey, hey
Now you wanna give it
I should wanna give it

‘Cause you’re givin it all away
I don’t wanna give it
Why you wanna give it
Why you wanna giving it all away
Givin, givin it all
Givin it all away

Why do you want me?
Why do you want me?
‘Cause you’re givin it all away
Hey, paved paradise to put up a parking lot

Source: Musixmatch Songwriters: Mitchell JoniBig Yellow Taxi lyrics © Crazy Crow Music

they were all great tributes to the honorees, I was especially looking forward to Bette Midler’s tribute…I am a fan of Bette Midler’s from the beginning…making her Broadway debut in Fidler on the Roof in 1967…to her concert at the Academy of Music in November 1973…Nancy and I were there to see her introduce her music man, Barry Manilow who sang Mandy…but her Clams on the Half Shell Revue at the Erlanger Theater on Market and 21st Street…now demolished…was the best…arriving on a shell, being carried onto the stage…with mermaid tail whirling around in a wheel chair…singing her heart out..that was in April 1973…I did a little research on the Erlanger…from Wikipedia: “The Erlanger Theatre was one of Philadelphia’s most elaborately designed live performance theaters and was considered one of the most magnificent ever built in the United States. It was located at the northwest corner of 21st and Market Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was built by Abraham L. Erlanger, theatrical producer and a founding member of the Theatrical Syndicate. It was demolished in 1978.

The Erlanger, which opened on October 23, 1927, with the musical show Criss Cross, was equipped to facilitate multiple venues for both live theater and motion pictures. It was constructed to replace the entertainment gap left by the original Forrest Theatre (demolished in 1927) that was located about 20 blocks southeast on South Broad Street. Originally, Abraham Lincoln Erlanger and the Shubert Organization were working together, but the two theater operators went their separate ways and the Shubert Organization built a new Forrest Theatre on Walnut Street.

Starting in 1968, the Erlanger Theatre was adapted for reuse as a restaurant, a night club, a venue for rock shows, and used for Broadway theatre productions. The theatre, by then known as Café Erlanger, was successful socially but not financially, and was closed and quickly demolished in 1978. The site remained vacant until 2008, when the Murano, a condominium skyscraper, was built on the site.

Philadelphia theater architects Hoffman-Henon designed the theater. The exterior embodied the Georgian architecture style. The interior had three lobbies, grand stairs, lounges, and a 1,890 seat auditorium. The interior design theme consisted of elaborated decorations, furnished with imported marble, gold leaf, murals, tapestries, crystal chandeliers, crystal mirrors, antique woodwork, hand-wrought ironwork, and elaborate Napoleonic French-inspired furniture. The designated lounge for smoking, known as the Spanish Lounge, was considered to be magnificent.

The Erlanger opened October 23, 1927 with the musical show Criss Cross. The theater was also equipped to show movies. RKO began a lease on September 29, 1929 to show first-run movies. RKO’s first “talkie” motion picture, Street Girl, had its premiere at this theatre. However, the Erlanger was most famous for pre-Broadway musical stage shows such as Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, Man of La Mancha, My Fair Lady and other productions.”…and Clams on the Half Shell Revue in 1973…The Erlanger was magnificent…”they paved paradise to put up a parking lot”…most recently, we saw Bette in D.C….at the MCI Center…Bruce’s brother was a band member…he toured with Bette around the country…six degrees of separation!…haha…she is a powerhouse…born December 1, 1945 in Honolulu…( Obama has that in common with Bette, both born in Hawaii )…she’s 76…and looks great…she is the Divine Miss M…forever and ever…this from USA Today by Edward Segarra: “Bette Midler apologizes to West Virginians after fiery tweet: ‘I’m just seeing red’:

Bette Midler is now singing a different tune after taking a jab at the people of West Virginia on social media.

On Monday, the Grammy-winning singer sent out a tweet slamming Joe Manchin, West Virginia’s Democratic senator, writing: “What #JoeManchin, who represents a population smaller than Brooklyn, has done to the rest of America, who wants to move forward, not backward, like his state, is horrible.”

Midler’s remarks were in response to Manchin’s Sunday announcement that he would not support Joe Biden’s Build Back Better bill, the president’s signature domestic policy plan, which includes aims of expanding the social safety net and tackling climate change. 

“I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation,” Manchin said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday. “I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there.” 

Midler vented her frustration on Twitter Monday and also included the senator’s constituency in her rant. “He sold us out,” Midler wrote. “He wants us all to be just like his state, West Virginia. Poor, illiterate and strung out.”

However, less than an hour later, Midler had a change of heart and issued an apology to the “good people” of the Mountain State. 

“I apologize … for my last outburst,” Midler wrote. “I’m just seeing red; #JoeManchin and his whole family are a criminal enterprise. Is he really the best WV has to offer its own citizens?”

Midler added: “Surely there’s someone there who has the state’s interests at heart, not his own!”…clearly, Bette voiced our frustation with Joe Manchin…and clearly, he is not the wind beneath her wings…however Nancy was the wind beneanth my wings…

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
It must have been cold there in my shadow
To never have sunlight on your face
You were content to let me shine, that’s your way
You always walked a step behind

So I was the one with all the glory
While you were the one with all the strength
A beautiful face without a name for so long
A beautiful smile to hide the pain

Did you ever know that you’re my hero
And everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle
For you are the wind beneath my wings

It might have appeared to go unnoticed
But I’ve got it all here in my heart
I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it
I would be nothing without you

Did you ever know that you’re my hero?
You’re everything I wish I could be
I could fly higher than an eagle
For you are the wind beneath my wings

Did I ever tell you you’re my hero?
You’re everything, everything I wish I could be
Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle
For you are the wind beneath my wings
‘Cause you are the wind beneath my wings

Oh, the wind beneath my wings
You, you, you, you are the wind beneath my wings
Fly, fly, fly away, you let me fly so high
Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings
Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings

Fly, fly, fly high against the sky
So high I almost touch the sky
Thank you, thank you
Thank God for you, the wind beneath my wings

Source: LyricFind Songwriters: Jeff Silbar / Larry Henley Wind Beneath My Wings lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc, BMG Rights Management

I found a dime on my outing today…a grimy dime…

Pennsylvania is a swing state, I was devastated when trump won our state and our Electoral College votes in 2016…what the hell!…and I was thankful when Biden won the state in 2020…and we were one of the states, in the background, sinister forces were working to overturn not only our election but the other swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Florida…considered the “Big Five” most likely to decide the Electoral College…add to that Arizona and Georgia in 2020…especially Georgia, who went for the Democrat and delivered their two Senators to become the majority in the Senate…a sliver of a majority… the Democrats have been winning the popular vote in every election but two in the last twenty years… although George W. Bush and trump won the election losing the popular vote…( Under the “Electoral College” system, each state is assigned a certain number of “votes”. … The formula for determining the number of votes for each state is simple: each state gets two votes for its two US Senators, and then one more additional vote for each member it has in the House of Representatives. )…the 50 Democratic Senators represent 56.5% of the U.S. population, whereas the 50 Republican senators represent 43.5% of the U.S. population…the minority ruling the majority…one of the reasons Republicans will never let the District of Columbia become a state, ( or Puerto Rico )…they would both deliver two Democrats to the Senate…even though the population of D.C. surpasses states like Wyoming and Vermont…and comparable to Alaska, North and South Dakota and Delaware…we have the repugnant Republicans playing the waiting game until they take back the House and Senate in 2022, and shut down the Select Committee investigating the 2021 date the will live in infamy…January 6…we’re almost at a year anniversary of that fateful day…when all those repugnant Republicans tried to overturn the election, an attempted coup…which they are now setting themselves up to call the winner of the next elections forever…by suppressing the vote…and putting in their “team” to determine the “winner” if they don’t like the outcome of an election…it’s important and imperative that we pass the two voting rights bills stuck in the Senate…along with other legislation…notably the Build Back Better Bill, which Manchin has said he cannot support…it would cut into his and his families fortune…sad but true…not to mention the racist tool, the filibuster…today, Michael “lock him up” Flynn sued the Select Committee to block them from getting his phone records subpoena…and a Republican representative from Pennsylvania, Scott Perry, of the 10th District, previously the 4th District which includes Harrisbur, York and most of the inner suburbs…Scott Perry was instrumental in trump’s scheme to overturn the election results, he objected to Pennsylvania’s election results hours after the January 6 storming of the Capitol…”on the grounds of multiple constitutional infractions”…Perry was in close contact and co-ordination with Jeffrey Clark in the Justice Department, with Mark Meadows and trump via texts and an encrypted app called Signal…he was invited to speak to the Select Committee yesterday, but today he declined on the grounds that the Committee is “illegitimate, and not duly constituted under the rules of the US House of Representatives”…from CNN by Annie Grayer and Zachary Cohen: “GOP Rep. Scott Perry declines January 6 committee’s request to speak with him: (CNN)Republican Rep. Scott Perry on Tuesday declined the House January 6 committee’s request to speak with him, a move that could set up a showdown between a staunch Trump supporter and the committee.

Perry, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, was the first known lawmaker to whom the panel had reached out to talk for its investigation. His response raises the question of whether the committee will now move to subpoena a fellow House member, a step that would dramatically escalate political tensions between the panel and Republicans who have warned that targeting GOP lawmakers is a bridge too far.

“I stand with immense respect for our Constitution, the Rule of Law, and the Americans I represent who know that this entity is illegitimate, and not duly constituted under the rules of the US House of Representatives,” Perry wrote in a statement posted to Twitter. “I decline this entity’s request and will continue to fight the failures of the radical Left who desperately seek distraction from their abject failures of crushing inflation, a humiliating surrender in Afghanistan, and the horrendous crisis they created at our border.”

In response, the committee condemned Perry but stopped short of saying if it would issue a subpoena to the Republican lawmaker.

“Representative Perry has information directly relevant to our investigation. While he says that he respects the Constitution and Rule of Law, he fails to note that multiple federal courts, acting pursuant to Article 3 of our Constitution, have already rejected the former President’s claims that the committee lacks an appropriate legislative purpose,” a Select Committee spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday, responding to Perry saying he would not agree to a meeting.

“The Select Committee prefers to gather relevant evidence from members cooperatively, but if members with directly relevant information decline to cooperate and instead endeavor to cover up, the Select Committee will consider seeking such information using other tools,” the spokesperson added.

The statement does not explicitly mention whether a subpoena could be coming for Perry but also does not rule out that possibility.

The committee asked the congressman to speak with them voluntarily on Monday.”At this time, the Select Committee seeks your voluntary cooperation,” wrote Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, who chairs the committee.

The letter, released Monday, marks a significant step in the investigation and underscores how the panel is zeroing in on Trump’s closest allies on Capitol Hill.

In the letter, the committee said it wants to discuss Perry’s attempted effort to install former Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark as acting attorney general.

“We have received evidence from multiple witnesses that you had an important role in the efforts to install Mr. Clark as acting Attorney General,” Thompson said in the letter.

Thompson added that then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and then-acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue, who have both been interviewed by the committee, “have provided evidence regarding these issues, and we have received evidence that others who worked with Mr. Clark were aware of these plans.”

The committee in its letter tells Perry that Clark, whom the panel has begun criminal contempt proceedings against but has been given a second chance to come in and plead the Fifth Amendment, is aware that the committee is planning to ask him about his interactions with Perry.

The letter to Perry also states that the committee is aware of “multiple text and other communications” with Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows, including evidence that the pair communicated over the encrypted app called Signal.

Addressing Perry’s role in spreading misinformation about the 2020 presidential election directly, the committee writes in its letter that it is aware that the Pennsylvania lawmaker communicated with the White House about a variety of topics including “allegations that the Dominion voting machines had been corrupted.”

The committee proposed scheduling a meeting with Perry on either December 28, December 29, January 3, January 4 or the week of January 10, when the House returns to session. The committee also suggested this meeting could be held in Perry’s home district if that accommodation works better. In addition to an interview, the committee had also requested that Perry turn over all relevant documents and communication related to January 6.”…it pains me that this guy is from Pennsylvania…thank The Force that we have Democrat, Tom Wolf, as governor these last seven years, to stymie the repugnant Republicans schemes…we’ll have to stay tuned, to see how this turns out…my money is on the Select Committee…

we are in the throws of the holidays, with Christmas this weekend…along with the throws of Omicron, the fast spreading variant of Covid-19…now the dominant strain wreaking havoc on our country…everyone worried about gathering with family and friends in the coming two weeks…meanwhile, Ben came home from New York for the holidays…I was invited for dinner this evening…I volunteered to bring a salad to accompany Pam’s lasagne…yum!…last Sunday, I went food shopping at the Acme…Fresh Express packaged salad stuff was on sale…3 packages for $10…I would usually not buy packaged lettuce, but I did thinking it would take less time to make myself a salad…I had already used one of the packages for my salad on Monday…and used one and half packages for the salad I took to Pam’s…as we were at the end of the meal, I got a prompt from CNN that there was a recall of Fresh Express packaged salad!!!…the potential to be contaminated with the bacteria listeria monocytogenes…which I immediately announced…omg…everyone had finished their salad, Ben on a second helping and I still had a bit left of mine…needless to say, we were all freaked out…packages with the codes Z324 to Z350…when I got home I looked at the bags, the codes were in that range but not the UPC code…you know those black lines that they scan…I called Pam to tell her that…we are okay…I figured we would be sick by now, don’t you think?… so, if Covid doesn’t get you, listeria will… …