So as of 1/1/2021, I became the head of my church's Vestry--essentially the board of directors. I didn't expect that my first real duty would be to be involved in crafting a statement on the proper response of individual believers and the institutional Church to an insurrection. Because this statement needed to be affirmed by 11 Vestry Members and around a dozen staff members, it isn't as forceful in some areas as I personally would have liked*, but I do 100% affirm what is stated.

STATEMENT ON EVENTS AT THE CAPITOL

*--Most notably, I pushed for some strong verbiage in the first point on Christian Nationalism. I wanted a sentence there specifically saying that assigning the promises of God to a particular modern nation required unacceptably poor hermeneutics to be applied. In the end, it was handled in a way that said poor exegesis is certainly implied, though not expressly stated as I'd like.

Good for you and your church. I know our new pastor is planning on addressing the events in a short statement today. I expect something a little less formal, but with the same basic message.

I read most of it and agree with what I read


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I saw several facebook posts wondering where "all the money came from". Who bought all the flags and plane tickets and such. I thought nothing of it. Those nuts will shell out 50 bucks for a flag, a few hundred for plane ticket and hotel stay. Heck ticket prices are superlow now. So I didn't really think there was "money" coming donated to that cause.

Then I saw this...

Alabama AG leads nonprofit that helped organize march at Capitol

It may be just me but it seems like gun sales have been skyrocketing every month and every year for about 20 years now.

This is the statement signed by the National Council of Churches (including my ELCA Presiding Bishop, Elizabeth Eaton):

OPEN LETTER TO VICE PRESIDENT PENCE, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, AND THE CABINET CALLING FOR THE REMOVAL OF PRESIDENT TRUMP FROM OFFICE

It calls for Trump's removal.

Presiding Bishop Eaton has spoken out against White Supremacy and Christian Nationalism - and those Facebook comments are something else...

So, this story's not quite as nice as it seems on the surface.

“IT DID NOT HELP ME.” - Nibo

UPDATE: Victim of infamous mace attack by Trumpers in DTLA, Berlinda Nibo, has given a new details on the story in brand new interview with @buzzfeednews. She says that she believed (past tense) white supremacist Roy Ball was trying to help her. pic.twitter.com/kuL8bftY7X
— Vishal P Singh (@VPS_Reports) January 8, 2021

“It did not help me. It would've helped me more if he had made way for me to move out of there completely."@RaquelNPhoto, the photographer of the images, was also mentioned in the article, noting that LAPD officers were across the street, less than 20 feet away from the attack.
— Vishal P Singh (@VPS_Reports) January 8, 2021

"The police were there the entire time and didn't move an inch The police were there the entire time and didn't move an inch” - @RaquelNPhoto

Video by @buffalobaff confirms this. The video also confirms that Roy Ball was not helping: he was CHASING the victim with a mob. pic.twitter.com/Jzp4nxfgYY
— Vishal P Singh (@VPS_Reports) January 8, 2021

So... nope. Not a hero. Nazi didn't have a change of heart - he's still bad.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article...ck-black-woman

EDIT: But, hey, some local news outlets were all ready to take the story and run with it without fact checking at all, because "Nazi makes good" is a nice story no matter how false it is
SI

Another updated from the bad news category. Apparently I didn't dream that up after all. It was in a Wall Street Journal article

Biden Says Rioters Who Stormed Capitol Were Domestic Terrorists - WSJ


SI

Admittedly we do not know the sequence of statements, but in my link she said at the end of the reporting ...


So if he really didn't help her, why did she call Ball's employer?

So no word on yours/mine is fake news but based on my link, it does seem the guy helped her.

A monthly firearms sale graphic from Brookings

Lots of Republicans on TV and social media complaining that they have no outlet for their message.

Doesn't the irony of complaining about this on a medium that reaches far more people than twitter or facebook connect with them?

I saw that graph also. It is interesting to match that graph with the explanations that are generally given for the up and downs in sales outside of the spikes also. It looks like guns sales were generally up when it was seem the least likely for the govt. to willing to "take their guns."

I love the communism shit too. Twitter deciding they don't want your business because of your beliefs is the same as turning someone's business away because they're gay. It's a company's right to do business with who they choose, which is what the GOP has been arguing for years. It's capitalism in its most basic form, which the GOP hates.

Alabama man arrested, another dies during insurrection at Capitol

The disconnect some of these people have is staggering.

From the article about the guy who had a heart attack


Then from the guys Parler account

Saw something today that said, for the republicans complaining Twitter is a Christian bakery and Trump is a gay wedding cake.

The disconnect is simply unbelievable. You couldn't make it up if you tried.

PGA will strip Trump Bedminster of 2022 PGA Championship, insider says - nj.com

This one is going to sting.

Amazing how nuclear his brand has become.

From the article:

I am going to wait to see actual legislation, but there really should be a way to charge for domestic terrorism.

I think trying to grab the VP and hang him would qualify.

That's awesome. I think this kind of thing will make him even more mad than losing the presidency....after losing twitter that is

I can't even find words for this.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...rce=reddit.com

This will sting him for sure. You know that prick was so looking forward to being the center of the golf universe that week.

He really has no concept who his base is or what his most ardent defenders are like. The irony of it is they are also too stupid to realize he is disgusted by people like them.

The media has gotten better since the Tea Party days of calling White Supremacy out. But old habits die hard, and the default is still “Area man upset about proposed environmental regulations and worried that they will slow job growth going forward.”

Amash’s Successor Peter Meijer: Trump’s Deceptions Are ‘Rankly Unfit’ – Reason.com

This part here from Rep. Meijer is... wow. This is who we are.

Great letter, Ben. Thanks for sharing.

Thought this was a well done message from Arnold.

Oh man the suggestion that the Dem could wait over ONE HUNDRED DAYS to advance the articles of impeachment sends me into a rage. If Dem leadership manages to fuck this up to that degree I don't even know what to say.

Agreed

Damn that video of the murder of the Capitol policeman is a tough watch. There must be at least a dozen people that participate. It should end all doubt about impeachment, but of course, it won't.

Edit: I was too slow to beat jphillips. FWIW Twitter is saying it was not the officer that ended up dying from his injuries, for better or worse.....it was just another cop being openly beaten by the mob.



I still think it's a mistake to slow-play the impeachment waiting for the perfect moment, but I do imagine that this shit is going to look worse and uglier with every day that passes as more and more pieces fall into place. Initial reporting on the scene was genuinely shocked and hyperbolic as you would expect, and yet with only a few days hindsight it seems like they also managed to put the procession of clowns in front of the genuinely terrifying violence that was going on.

That is what the country needs to hear. Brought a tear to my eye.

Well done, Arnold, well done.

+1

I think I'll watch The Running Man tonight.

Friend of Kennesaw woman killed in Capitol riot recounts her final moments | News | cbs46.com

Conservatives keep saying, "what about reconciliation and unity?" There can be no reconciliation when a large number of their supporters are so disconnected from any tangible reality while those in power continue to promote it.

All we can do is stomp this out before a detached person is in the right place at the worst time.

Or as said here:

https://twitter.com/eliehonig/status...84040418975745

https://mobile.twitter.com/RayRedact...88601118273537

People who stormed the Capitol are finding out that they're on the no-fly list pending the current investigation. Consequences are weird, sometimes.

One of the ways conservatives can help with their divisiveness problem is to start telling supporters to stop showing up at state capitols and governor's mansions armed for war.

They just went to redneck PAX, what's the big deal?

I love the guy saying "they are saying I'm a terrorist" completely not grasping that not all terrorists are brown.

And their convention cooties is going to be COVID

SI

That is hilarious. I wish there was a better closeup so everyone can see and try to identify him.

God, the Dems are a fucking waste of time. Pelosi announced that Mon or Tues they'll vote on a resolution asking Pence to invoke the 25th and if that doesn't happen after at least 24 hours they'll maybe impeach.

Just do the right thing and stop demanding other people do your job. She's doing a tremendous job of keeping the GOP out of a very difficult vote and validating their BS concern trolling at the same time.

In her defense, she knows that the Senate is not going to take up the trial until after Biden is sworn in. The 25th is the only chance to remove him before then.

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..and then maybe 100 days after that they will advance the articles to the Senate. The leadership of both parties really are the worst of their peers at this point.

Then make that demand on Friday. She knows what's going to happen, less than ten GOPers will vote for the resolution and Pence won't abandon the GOP to side with Dems. Impeachment is the only answer. The current plan means they won't start on impeachment until at least Thursday.

Of course, I think they missed the window by not starting on Thursday of last week.

Nice message but I have a nit to pick.

Wasn't an FOFCer recently crushed for comparing the Proud Boys to Nazis and referring to Kristallnacht? Am I misremembering this?