So the President held a rally, organized by pro-Trump dark money groups, in front of the White House on Wednesday. The usual suspects were there, his creepy children, his ghoulish lawyer, Chachi I suppose. They riled up the assembled crowd and then…
“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women and we’re probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them,” Trump said at the rally just in front of the White House before the riot started. After the rally, Trump supporters marched to the steps of Congress and broke into the U.S. Capitol building.
At least five people have been pronounced dead, including a police officer. Though the Justice Department has said Trump himself is not expected to be charged, acting D.C. U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin had previously acknowledged he’s “looking at all actors” that had a role in Wednesday’s attack.
Brian Schwartz@SCHWARTZBCNBC
Republicans largely silent about consequences of deadly attack and Trump’s role in inciting it.
Three days after a mob attack on the U.S. Capitol carried out in President Trump’s name, Republican leaders had yet to outline plans to hold anyone accountable or to alter a platform and priorities lashed to the outgoing Republican president.
Trump and some congressional Republicans, meanwhile, stepped up their efforts Saturday to head off Democratic efforts to impeach Trump over what they call his incitement of violence.
By Anne Gearan, Josh Dawsey and Mike DeBonis
That’s not completely true… some of them are blaming the true culprits… ANTIFA!!!
Throughout Wednesday afternoon and evening, pro-Trump commentators and even some elected officials – such as Reps. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., Paul Gosar R-Ariz., and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. – boosted baseless claims that antifascist activists had infiltrated the rally and turned it toward violence. They did so despite the fact that, as BuzzFeed, NBC News and other news outlets have noted, pro-Trump rallygoers had been talking about their plan to storm the Capitol for weeks.
Hannah Gais, SPLC
When Raskin, the congressman from Maryland, rose to address the chamber around 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, he received a bipartisan standing ovation. He peered around the room, patting his heart in gratitude. His fingers lingered over a torn black cloth affixed to the lapel of his gray suit jacket. The day before, Raskin had buried his 25-year-old son, who on New Year’s Eve left his family a note: Please forgive me. My illness won today. Please look after each other, the animals, and the global poor for me. All my love, Tommy.
On the House floor, Raskin quoted Abraham Lincoln, reminding his fellow lawmakers that they were there to carry out the will of the people, not the orders of one man. Minutes later, voices echoed through the Capitol’s marble hallways. Raskin heard what sounded like a battering ram slamming against the door. He and his colleagues were instructed to retrieve their gas masks. Guns appeared. The chaplain led the room in a prayer. Raskin’s mind flashed to Tabitha, 23, who, along with her sister’s husband, Hank, was seated in the second-floor gallery.
JOHN HENDRICKSON, The Atlantic
Don’t shy away from talking to kids about the Capitol riot. They know more than you think.
“As somebody who taught kids for years and writes for them, I feel like being honest with tomorrow’s citizens is really essential,” says Kate Messner, a middle-grade author and former middle school teacher. It was her Twitter thread last night, as I was doomscrolling, that was a bright spot of helpfulness.
By Amy Joyce, Washington Post
What it’s like parenting with ADHD symptoms: ‘It felt like my head was going to explode.’ This one hits home for me
A Cure for the New Year’s Scaries.
We can’t see friends or plan for festivities months in advance, since the vaccine rollouts and virus trajectories are so unclear. “You have this uninterrupted block of time, and you can’t rely on any of the markers of the passing of time that helped you break it up and structure it, so it’s depressing,” Shulevitz said. It sure is!
So how do we get through the next few months without continuing to run into that mental brick wall I find myself hurtling toward each night when I try to fall asleep? Shulevitz suggested communing with the natural world. She started tending a garden for the first time in 2020. “All I can think of is when are my bulb flowers going to come up?” she said. “That’s what I’m looking forward to, that I know is going to happen. It’s the rhythm of the earth.”
By Jessica Grose, New York Times
My Kid Killed Santa With Capitalism. Good Job Kid…
10 Most Questionable Parenting Choices In Grey’s Anatomy. How high is “letting kids watch Grey’s Anatomy?”
I Just Came Out to My Christian Parents as an Atheist. I missed this Care and Feeding question over the summer. Nicole Cliff gives them some great advice on how to navigate these rocky shoals.
One of the things I miss about the Hellions turning into teens and tween on us is reading to them at bedtime. When we moved into our new house a couple years ago The Girl tried to put the collection of Sandra Boynton books in the yard sale pile and I insisted on rescuing them. They are MINE now. Anyways lots of folks put out their best of lists for 2020…
The Ten Best Children’s Books of 2020, Smithsonian Magazine
Best children’s books of 2020 reveal a growing diversity, Washington Post KidsPost
30 Best Children’s Books of 2020, Parents
As a bit of a family palate cleanser, we watched We Can Be Heroes on Netflix. It was DELIGHTFULLY BAD!!! GUPPY FOREVER!!!
Featured Image by Blink O’fanaye, shared with a Creative Commons License on Flickr
