A false flag tactic in the Capitol coup attempt sought to lay blame on Antifa

benfell

Colonization

Negiel Bigpond and Sam Brownback, “It’s long past time for our country to apologize publicly for what it did to Native people,” Washington Post, July 6, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/07/06/native-peoples-an-apology-never-spoken-is-no-apology-all/

Jack Jenkins, “Bishop denounces ‘Doctrine of Discovery,’ used to justify abuse of Indigenous peoples, and suggests Pope Francis do the same,” America: The Jesuit Review, July 6, 2021, https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/07/06/bishop-syracuse-doctrine-discovery-indigenous-240986

Abortion

Darius Tahir, “A hidden abortion crew prepares to confront a post-Roe America,” Politico, July 6, 2021, https://www.politico.com/news/2021/07/06/abortion-rights-supreme-court-states-restrictions-497821

Pandemic

It’s not just places like Virginia and Tennessee as referred to in this article.[1] I had nurses in my car telling me stories like this. There is no fury more righteous.

Courtney Ann Jackson, “Mississippi doctors still urging folks to get vaccinated as Delta variant becomes dominant COVID strain,” WLBT, July 5, 2021, https://www.wlbt.com/2021/07/06/mississippi-doctors-still-urging-folks-get-vaccinated-delta-variant-becomes-dominant-covid-strain/

Philip Bump, “A third of White conservatives refuse to get vaccinated — a refusal shown in polling and the real world,” Washington Post, July 6, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/07/06/third-white-conservatives-refuse-get-vaccine-refusal-shown-both-polling-real-world/

Peter Jamison, “Their neighbors called covid-19 a hoax. Can these ICU nurses forgive them?” Washington Post, July 6, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/07/06/appalachian-covid-deniers-nurses-virginia/

Militia

Fi Duong tried to make the January 6, 2021, coup attempt on the U.S. Capitol a false flag operation, dressing in all black to mimic Antifa.[2]

An undercover officer with the D.C. police first encountered [Fi] Duong at the Capitol on Jan. 6, according to the government. Duong described himself as an “operator” and later explained that he wore all black to look like an anti-fascist activist, the government alleged in court documents. In video later seen by investigators, Duong is identified in court documents as shouting “We’re coming for you Nancy” and pushing a fellow protester toward the doors on the Senate side of the building.[3]

Duong has moved on to forming his own militia group, disguised as a “Bible Study” group. He advocates violent revolution but would prefer that Appalachia secede from the Union.[4] Presumably that would include Pittsburgh, the “Paris of Appalachia,”[5] as well as some of those places making life hell for intensive care unit nurses.[6]

Rachel Weiner and Spencer S. Hsu, “Virginia ‘Bible study’ group was cover for violent militia plans, prosecutors say,” Washington Post, July 6, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/capitol-riot-bible-study-group-militia/2021/07/06/e5e6cd26-de82-11eb-ae31-6b7c5c34f0d6_story.html

Student loans

Josh Mitchell and Joshua Jamerson, “Student-Loan Holders Get Piecemeal Relief From Biden Administration,” Wall Street Journal, July 3, 2021, https://www.wsj.com/articles/student-loan-holders-get-piecemeal-relief-from-biden-administration-11625304600

Donald Trump

There are a few people in this world who are more cynical than I am, but today’s winner is Philip Bump, who argues that Donald Trump’s frivolous lawsuit against social media companies alleging censorship[7] is a fundraising ploy.[8] Well, that and that Trump’s raging narcissism[9] is hungry for attention,[10] especially for his perpetually nurtured grievances.[11] Bump may be more cynical than I am, but first, there’s directly applicable precedent;[12] and second, I think Bump makes a pretty good argument.

The unstated question, of course, is when, if ever, we get to stop litigating the 2020 election as a Pennsylvania state senator pursues a plan to “audit,”[13] a la Arizona,[14] those results.[15] Though Governor Tom Wolf would likely veto the plan, it could well gain traction in the batshit crazy Pennsylvania legislature.[16]

Cameron Joseph, “‘So, So Angry’: Reporters Who Survived the Capitol Riot Are Still Struggling,” Vice, July 6, 2021, https://www.vice.com/en/article/4avqqn/reporters-survived-capitol-riot-struggling

Associated Press, “State Sen. Doug Mastriano opens Pennsylvania election audit plan,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 7, 2021, https://triblive.com/news/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-state-sen-doug-mastriano-opens-election-audit-plan/

Philip Bump, “Why Trump is taking the unusual step of actually filing a lawsuit he had threatened,” Washington Post, July 7, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/07/07/why-trump-is-taking-unusual-step-actually-filing-lawsuit-he-had-threatened/

Jacob Silverman, ”Trump’s Social Media Lawsuit Is Doomed to Fail (and Work Exactly as Planned),” New Republic, July 7, 2021, https://newrepublic.com/article/162917/trump-lawsuit-facebook-twitter-youtube-speech

Cat Zakrzewski and Rachel Lerman, “Trump files class action lawsuits targeting Facebook, Google and Twitter over ‘censorship’ of conservatives,” Washington Post, July 7, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/07/07/trump-lawsuit-social-media/

Joe Biden

William Rivers Pitt, “Mitch McConnell Says Bipartisanship Is ‘Over.’ Believe Him,” Truthout, July 7, 2021, https://truthout.org/articles/mitch-mcconnell-says-bipartisanship-is-over-believe-him/

Whiners

Jonathan Chait, “Should Discrimination Against Trump Supporters Be Illegal?” New York, July 7, 2021, https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/should-discrimination-against-trump-supporters-be-illegal.html

Wilkinsburg

Nearly 1,000 people have signed a petition in favor of exploring the idea. And the Wilkinsburg Community Development Corporation plans to present the petition to an Allegheny county judge. . . .

If a judge approves the petition it would then head to Pittsburgh City Council who would have to approve the annexation proposal. Then it would be reviewed by another judge, and if approved it would be put on the ballot as a referendum in Wilkinsburg.[17]

Joe Arena, “Wilkinsburg, Pittsburgh consider merger,” WPXI, July 7, 2021, https://www.wpxi.com/news/top-stories/wilkinsburg-pittsburgh-consider-merger/L4V5FRSEMREM5INDCLWYU7A7GE/

  1. [1]Peter Jamison, “Their neighbors called covid-19 a hoax. Can these ICU nurses forgive them?” Washington Post, July 6, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/07/06/appalachian-covid-deniers-nurses-virginia/↩
  2. [2]Rachel Weiner and Spencer S. Hsu, “Virginia ‘Bible study’ group was cover for violent militia plans, prosecutors say,” Washington Post, July 6, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/capitol-riot-bible-study-group-militia/2021/07/06/e5e6cd26-de82-11eb-ae31-6b7c5c34f0d6_story.html↩
  3. [3]Rachel Weiner and Spencer S. Hsu, “Virginia ‘Bible study’ group was cover for violent militia plans, prosecutors say,” Washington Post, July 6, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/capitol-riot-bible-study-group-militia/2021/07/06/e5e6cd26-de82-11eb-ae31-6b7c5c34f0d6_story.html↩
  4. [4]Rachel Weiner and Spencer S. Hsu, “Virginia ‘Bible study’ group was cover for violent militia plans, prosecutors say,” Washington Post, July 6, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/capitol-riot-bible-study-group-militia/2021/07/06/e5e6cd26-de82-11eb-ae31-6b7c5c34f0d6_story.html↩
  5. [5]Ed Simon, “To Write a History of Pittsburgh is to Write a History of America,” Literary Hub, April 8, 2021, https://lithub.com/to-write-a-history-of-pittsburgh-is-to-write-a-history-of-america/↩
  6. [6]Peter Jamison, “Their neighbors called covid-19 a hoax. Can these ICU nurses forgive them?” Washington Post, July 6, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/07/06/appalachian-covid-deniers-nurses-virginia/↩
  7. [7]Jacob Silverman, ”Trump’s Social Media Lawsuit Is Doomed to Fail (and Work Exactly as Planned),” New Republic, July 7, 2021, https://newrepublic.com/article/162917/trump-lawsuit-facebook-twitter-youtube-speech; Cat Zakrzewski and Rachel Lerman, “Trump files class action lawsuits targeting Facebook, Google and Twitter over ‘censorship’ of conservatives,” Washington Post, July 7, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/07/07/trump-lawsuit-social-media/↩
  8. [8]Philip Bump, “Why Trump is taking the unusual step of actually filing a lawsuit he had threatened,” Washington Post, July 7, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/07/07/why-trump-is-taking-unusual-step-actually-filing-lawsuit-he-had-threatened/↩
  9. [9]George Simon, “Understanding and Dealing with Narcissistic Rage,” Counselling Resource, July 24, 2017, https://counsellingresource.com/features/2017/07/24/understanding-narcissistic-rage/↩
  10. [10]Jacob Silverman, ”Trump’s Social Media Lawsuit Is Doomed to Fail (and Work Exactly as Planned),” New Republic, July 7, 2021, https://newrepublic.com/article/162917/trump-lawsuit-facebook-twitter-youtube-speech↩
  11. [11]James Kimmel, Jr., “What the Science of Addiction Tells Us About Trump,” Politico, December 12, 2020, https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/12/12/trump-grievance-addiction-444570↩
  12. [12]John Cassidy, “Donald Trump’s Latest Grift May Be His Most Cynical Yet,” New Yorker, December 3, 2020, https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/donald-trumps-latest-grift-may-be-his-most-cynical-yet↩
  13. [13]Associated Press, “State Sen. Doug Mastriano opens Pennsylvania election audit plan,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 7, 2021, https://triblive.com/news/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-state-sen-doug-mastriano-opens-election-audit-plan/↩
  14. [14]Jennifer Morrell, “I watched the GOP’s Arizona election audit. It was worse than you think,” Washington Post, May 19, 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/05/19/gop-arizona-election-audit/↩
  15. [15]Associated Press, “State Sen. Doug Mastriano opens Pennsylvania election audit plan,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 7, 2021, https://triblive.com/news/pennsylvania/pennsylvania-state-sen-doug-mastriano-opens-election-audit-plan/↩
  16. [16]Stephen Caruso, “Pa. election audit a ‘very real possibility,’ top Pa. Senate Republican says after meeting activists,” Pennsylvania Capital-Star, June 17, 2021, https://www.penncapital-star.com/government-politics/pa-election-audit-a-very-real-possibility-argall-says-after-meeting-activists/↩
  17. [17]Joe Arena, “Wilkinsburg, Pittsburgh consider merger,” WPXI, July 7, 2021, https://www.wpxi.com/news/top-stories/wilkinsburg-pittsburgh-consider-merger/L4V5FRSEMREM5INDCLWYU7A7GE/↩

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