Stumbling Through Adulthood

Yesterday on I5, north of the Seattle area: pick up truck with a rear gate that had a custom paint job. In big BRIGHT red on white:

NO JOE - NO HO

Of course, there was a Trump sticker on the rear window.

There are times when I truly wonder if we are ever going to be one country again. Because this doesn't feel like "differences of opinion" This feels like hatred. This feel like a division that nothing can mend.

It used to be, I think that the differences of opinion overlaid a fundamental truth. We all wanted, in a general sort of way, for America to succeed and be the best, right? This hid a bunch of shit (systemic racism) but even with the opinion of some that some Americans were 'better' than other Americans, or that we liked them more, there was still a tentative commonality of purpose. I don't think that exists anymore. The other side doesn't believe -and this started back in the Clinton years, maybe before, but at least then- that Democrats are true Americans. The BIPOC ones among us are even less true Americans, but all of us are suspect.

The divisions grow deeper and more profound with each election, Trump's even more so, as he shattered even the semblance of unity, even the pretense of there being an 'us'.

I'm getting sucked in. Completely.

Raskin was brilliant. Just perfect, hit all the right notes, I think.

Castor? Is a complete flop.

But of course, that's ok. He could go up there, take off his shoes and clip his toe nails on the Senate floor, finish, look up and say "Oh. And acquit Trump!" and all the Republicans would be like "OMG, brilliant defense! I'll vote to acquit!"

God, I hate these people. How can they not see that Trump incited this shit?

And one more 2020 tag!

All dated 21 Jan 2021, all times if I bothered to indicate them are PST unless otherwise indicated.

Watching MSNBC right now.

Going to try to separate comments by event. May be skipping around as things happen at the same time.

Andrews AFB

Looks like the Traitor Tots, or at least some of them, are at Andrews. Needed them and their too numerous spawn to make up the crowd, I guess. Putrid scum. 5:32.

#shallow I love Melania's office. This a first. also, I've never seen such a genuine smile on her.

WTF? They got their zillion gun salute? Sigh. Not as many as I'm sure he'd like.

God, he really thinks he -and the Fed government- had anything to do with the vaccine? WTF?

He worked hard? LOL.

He's not as horrid as he could be. He wished Biden success, even if he credits himself for the success in advance. And why can't he remember that the Spanish Influenza was 1917, not 1918.

And he's done!!!! GONE. AF1 is going to take him away, sadly to Florida rather than jail. I see the traitor tots are scamming a side to Florida with dad.

OMG, LOL. YMCA Macho Man vs Hail to the Chief.

Plane is moving. GO GO GO...... And wheels up! GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Biden to Church

The Biden's, not being monsters, waited for Trump to be done to leave Blair House. Man, Claire McCaskill at 6:22 is like totally talking about the deeper meaning of this.

Wow. Just found out that the reason one of the guys who was talking on MSNBC dropped out was because Biden's motorcade went by and the Secret Service is blocking all signals today when Biden is around.

Oh hello, another #shallow: the color of Kamala's coat is gorgeous, and contrasts beautifully with Jill Biden's. I love that the VP is not a man in a black coat! Also, Nancy Pelosi. Love.

MSNBC chatting

Nicole Wallace, Joy Reid, Brian Williams.

Story of contrast, said Nicole Wallace. To say the least. A decent, kind human being vs a sociopath. Duh.

"A fully grounded individual", as compared to the toddler in chief. God.

Inheriting crises not seen in generations says the MSNBC WH correspondent. No shit.

No, they are not nostalgia candidates. This is BS. Biden may have come from that same white male older demographic but he's well beyond that. Also, we hold the freaking Senate. Stop acting as if McConnell is the other partner in this.

Radical normalcy. And (iirc) reflexive decency. From MSNBC.

Yay, the Surgeon General is resigning. NOBODY connected to the murderous, incompetent, failed response to the pandemic should be left in place. Oooh, MSNBC slamming him. Good. Remember him talking about DJT as some type of fitness god?

Damn, I may not be able to stay with MSNBC. I use RockinRooster to get MSNBC (because no cable) and they tend to flake at times. Fingers crossed that I can stay with them. NBC is being very negative about things.

Tammy Duckworth has her Kamala Harris pearls and her Joe Biden aviator glasses. Love her.

Secret Service says the event is safe. This, in some ways, is reassuring. When I read that they'd had to dismiss some National Guard members from duty, that was chilling.

Capitol

Michelle Obama in a similar shade of red as 2017. Good for her. From the brief glance, she took looked great. Because of course she did. And Hillary Clinton is gorgeous, purple pantsuit and all!

I think this is the first inauguration I've bothered to watch. I was going to watch Bill Clinton in 1993, but the Inauguration Day Storm here in the PacNW meant no power for a few days. That was some storm. I drove the kids to school on Obama's Inauguration, didn't really care. The kids watched as school. AC remembered -and their class discussed- Robert flubbing the oath of office, Linnea Aretha Franklin's hat... actually all three commented on that!

Everyone is there, at the Capitol. And I'm loving it. Klobuchar has a smile to light an inauguration right now.

Lady Gaga. Dh says "Understatement is not in her vocabulary." Even better because of the Marine escorting her in.

OMG. We have a woman VP of the United States, a wonderful, spectacular, ethical woman, with brains, and compassion and the ability to be a partner to the thoroughly decent, humane, kind, and competent man who is the President.

Hope.

That was fabulous.

Also, I love Bing.

Monday: taco salad


Tuesday: chicken tikka masala, naan, roasted cauliflower.


Wednesday: meatballs with breadsticks and tomato sauce. Perry.


Thursday: chicken sausage with rice.


Friday: chili with cornbread (Perry has a cast iron skillet...).


Saturday: grilled leg of lamb, roasted potatoes.


Sunday: meatloaf, rice pilaf.

I had zero desire to make menus this week, end result is that a lot of the suggestions come from everyone else. I am planning a fancy breakfast for Wednesday, and maybe even some mimosas. I usually don't drink so that may make the rest of Wednesday less than productive.

The amount of damage Trump has done since the November election is incalculable.

I'm not talking about fomenting insurrection. I'm talking about everything else.

About abandoning the vaccine/covid effort entirely, so Biden comes in to a total mess.

About the shew of horrific environmental decisions: sales made in the Arctic National Wildlife refuge, mining rights all over the West, spotted owl territory open to logging.

About the number of appointments of people to posts for which they have no qualifications (duh, nobody in Trump's orbit is qualified for anything) but who will not be in place, annoying or dangerous rocks for the Biden administration to have to remove or navigate around

About the pardons.

About the destruction of records.

About... you get the idea.

All of this when his people are refusing help and the normal process of transition is being perverted, ignored, demeaned. Biden is walking into an unknown that Trump folks are making worse on a daily basis.

We seriously need to change the timeline here, or the laws. Clearly when the peaceful transition of power and information is based on tradition and doing what is right, the process can be subverted by a malignant actor. Things now need to be written down, and enacted as laws. Things like no new appointments. No non-emergency executive orders. No major sales of public goods to the lowest bidder. I know that also means no last minute national monument declarations, and that sucks, but the danger of what Trump is doing, and another ill-intentioned president could do, outweighs the good things that a Democratic president could enact.

The other thing that needs to change, and I don't know how that would work with the Constitution, but we need to shorten the time from election to inauguration. Even 1 Jan is too late, but it would be better than the current additional 3 weeks in January to destroy the nation.

DC has said they're closing the National Mall for the Inauguration.

Yes I understand that it's safer but OMG, WTF? That man has taken away the only event of this presidential cycle that could still have been enjoyed by people, this time not because of his willful craven malicious stupidity about Covid, but because of fomenting insurrection has the to a concern about a melée on the mall, I expect.

I am so angry at this.

Biden -and Harris- missed the pomp and fun of a big convention. They missed the election or result night parties for a different kind of event. What kind of balls, if any, are planned, so we can see what gorgeous outfit Dr Biden might wear and the VP :) too. All that isn't happening because of covid.

But the one event that still could have happened, the open air inauguration with a masked crowd... has not been cancelled.

I am fucking enraged.

And Trump is probably gloating that he'll have had a bigger crowd than Biden.

This is really a Note to Self.

I've used "current events" for events pertaining to the current news. I added a tag of "2020" back in 2019 to talk about the presidential election.

In a normal world, the 2020 tag would be retired, so to speak, when Joe and Kamala are inaugurated, but I get the strange feeling that the presidential election of 2020 is going to cast a long shadow. Still, that's the goal.

The other shoe that is going to drop in a few weeks is... the spike in Covid-19 infections from all of those unmasked goons screaming and yelling all over DC. They'll bring that disease back to their families and communities.

And, more frightening. Dem lawmakers and staff were in lockdown with their disgusting non-mask-wearing Republican colleagues, and it seems some were sick. How many Dems are going to get sick from this?

Ugh.

There needs to be severe consequences at all levels. I'm glad they're sloooooooooooowly arresting these people. I really want to see the dude who carried a Confederate flag into the US Capitol, arrested and charged with treason.

ETA on 11 Jan Dem lawmaker forced to shelter in place with stupid moronic maskless Rs has tested positive for Covid. That's just within the incubation period. ETA later We really should start calling the anti-masker bioterrorists rather than maskholes.

Linnea found this on instagram.

LOL.

There has been a lot said, some good some bad, about the Capitol Hill Police.

An officer died.

They did not seem prepared enough for this onslaught, especially as Trump rallied his terrorist mob at the White House.

They do not appear to have resisted in a way I'd expect a police force to resist when under attack.

One at least does appear to have posed for a selfie.

But one thing strikes me.

None of their charges were harmed.

Yes, there was vandalism and theft. But every single congresscritter made it out alive and unmolested. Not that they weren't scared, but they were kept safe.

Because even if the mob didn't go there to kill (and it seems like some of them were there to murder), bad things happen with a mob, and them getting their hands on Pelosi, any Black lawmaker, Schumer, AOC, and a few easily recognizable others could have led to a terrible outcomes.

So yeah. There is going to be a lot said, investigation into if they were, in fact, tepid defenders of their building, if they had more sympathy than they should have for the terrorists, but I try to retain some comfort in the fact that no legislator was harmed by said mob.