A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things.
A big day ahead as the House select committee investigating the insurrection holds its first hearing Tuesday. One crucial outstanding question: Will the committee tackle the entirety of the Big Lie-driven conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election, or focus narrowly on the events of Jan. 6?
Iāll repeat what I said in the other thread: This headline is misleading; itās unnecessary fear-mongering for click value. Hereās what House bill H.R.3233 actually says, and it is absolutely intended to look into root causes and not just the events of the day:
Passed House (05/19/2021)
National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex ActThis bill establishes in the legislative branch the National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex.
The commission must (1) conduct an investigation of the relevant facts and circumstances relating to the attack on the Capitol; (2) identify, review, and evaluate the causes of and the lessons learned from this attack; and (3) submit specified reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations to improve the detection, prevention, preparedness for, and response to targeted violence and domestic terrorism and improve the security posture of the U.S. Capitol Complex.
The bill gives the commission specified powers, including the authority to hold hearings, receive evidence, and issue subpoenas. The bill also provides for the composition of the commission and the appointment of staff, and it requires the commission to hold public hearings and meetings to the extent that it is appropriate. The commission must also release public versions of its reports.
Thatās a wide open door.
The select committee should accommodate the wannabe speakerās stated wishes to investigate events of last summer.
Start with the Michigan twats protesting their COVID cancellations of tee times and hair appointments, Mamaās roots were showing, dammit!
Then get serious with residentsā testimony of the neighborhoods where rioting occurred last summer, who all claimed at the time that outside agitators were the ones burning and breaking shit. I want a deep dive into the white kid who was filmed smashing a āVansā store window with his skateboard. Who was really behind the teenaged, white, FIB (Wisconsin-speak for Friendly Illinois Buddy) who shot up Kenosha with a SWAT rifle? Letās hear from Portland residents kidnapped by unmarked, unbadged Feds. Letās review the gassing of the priest out of her own church so that Rump could go get his Bible photo taken.
Those Republican pricks want to play whataboutism I say bring it.
BTW, I realize that the members of the committee might theoretically depart from the intent of the billās text, but considering the current members, I donāt see any reason to speculate that this would happen.
The committee members are immune to political pressure from the other side. Cheney and Kinzinger have made their stand, and the other members are Dems in a Dem majority House. There is nothing McCarthy or any other Republican can do to change how the committee operates. He and the other Rās threw away that option and theyāll have to live with the consequences.
Letās hope the Dems donāt do stupid grandstanding here. Let some of the actual insurrectionists, including violent ones, testify as to why they did what they did. Their words will speak for themselves. The American people need to see the threat these people represent.
This headline is misleading; itās unnecessary fear-mongering for click value
Thank you for that. Thereās way too much of the sky is falling crap everywhere.
āOne crucial outstanding question: Will the committee tackle the entirety of the Big Lie-driven conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election, or focus narrowly on the events of Jan. 6?ā
āit is so dark now with the sadness of
people
they were tricked, they were taught to expect the
ultimate when nothing is
promised
now young girls weep alone in small rooms
old men angrily swing their canes at
visions as
ladies comb their hair as
ants search for survival
history surrounds us
and our lives
slink away
in
shame.ā
ā Charles Bukowski
I want someone to state publicly in so many words: āDonald Trump keeps telling Americans that he is a stable genius. If this is so, why canāt he produce evidence that the election was stolen?ā
I see your problemā¦
I took a wrong turn in logic, didnāt I? 
If this committee doesnāt subpoena and do everything within its power to force Trump to appear as far as Iām concerned itās all a sham dog & pony show. Same goes for Meadows, Giuliani, Ivanka, Pat Cipollone and anyone else that was within 50 feet of Trump before, during and after the insurrection. Pelosi narrowed the scope of her impeachments so much you just knew all manner of shenanigans were left uninspected. If she doesnāt do a thorough deep dive on 1/6 she can go to hell.
He will never appear for the same reason he will never submit to public questioning outside carefully staged moments when he is on his way somewhere or has a podium protecting him from the ārabbleā. That reason is that it is exponentially more difficult to lie and obfuscate when facing real-time, open-ended questioning.
And if nothing else, Donald Trump is the most cowardly politician in history. Hell, he couldnāt even manage a coup to save his sorry ass.
Iām sure there are a raft of issues with compelling him to testify, including executive privilege and all the myriad factors emanating from the office of the Presidency. But to say he wonāt testify because he just doesnāt want to seems to assign him too much ownership over the process. Aside from true legal protections how he feels about testifying, or his personal willingness to do so, is certainly irrelevant.
The Traitors for Trump holding the Trump banner as high as, if not higher, than the Stars and Stripes makes me nauseous every time I see a photo of it.
Iāve tried to keep it in check for many, many years, but the disgust I have for those who morphed into Trump supporters is uncapped.
They let the genie out of the bottle, not people like me and you.
Signed,
A father, husband, son of a WW2 combat vet who fought the fascists, brother, friend, hard worker, military veteran . . .
Definitely irrelevant, but also political suicide for the committee to compel him to appear. Itās not fair or logical, but politics often is neither of those things.
I hadnāt thought of it in quite that way but close.
I was thinking itās completely typical solution in search of a problem stuff.
Or, although this take isnāt usually used to describe news stories, perfect being the enemy of the good.
The headline itself is irritating.
Like if you donāt go big forget the whole thing?
Whatever the arbitrary definition of go big is for the moment.
Ridiculous.
Iād love to see that but I donāt think it will happen, or should happen. He would fight a subpoena tooth and nail, dragging it into a court fight that could take months when the committee has to wrap this up before the end of the year. Or at least before the midterm campaigns get into full gear. Even if he showed up to testify, he could claim executive privilege for any question he doesnāt like, whether it would actually apply or not.
All these efforts that go nowhere would be a huge distraction. It would be the only thing the media would focus on ā will he or wonāt he testify? ā instead of focusing on the facts that will show what he did without his actual participation. Just my opinion.
Polling indicates 2/3 of the citizenry feels what happened on the 6th was an actual insurrection, an assault on the Capitol, and similar numbers want a proper investigation. When you say suicide, how so? Much is made of how Democrats need to quit letting the 30-ish% of the country enslaved to Trump leading everyone else around with a ring in their nose. A maximal approach to the 1/6 investigation is suicidal?
First invite him to testify. When he refuses call him what he is, a coward.