Thread by @FreedomFriesInc

(1) My view on this: If true then, great.

Everyone with certain info should be an informant for law enforcement. It can save lives.

I'm really looking forward to the 1/6 court trials. Because I #BackTheBlue and some of those people caused the deaths of at least two cops.

(2) I said "at least" two cops to allow for more deaths to be reported in future.

Then while checking the spelling of a name, I found a THIRD cop is now dead.

Brian Sicknick was fatally assaulted. Howard Liebengood suicided. Jeffery Smith did too, 9 days after 1/6.

RIP.

(3) I anticipate we will eventually learn what evidence suggested that these two officers suicided because of serving at the capitol on 1/6.

Tragically, LEOs in general have a higher suicide rate than the public. So do doctors, veterinarians, firefighters, & military.

(4) The known death toll from 1/6 now stands at 7:

1 LEO killing
2 LEO suicides
1 rioter killed
3 protesters died of natural causes

Re the latter group, I don't buy the line that it's a normal number of deaths at a large gathering.

(5) I have read about the 3 natural causes deaths. They had cardiac risk factors eg age, weight, gender, comorbidities... perhaps the heightened emotions of the event contributed. Perhaps the cold weather did.

I said beforehand no one should go to the rally because:

(6) Essentially, no good would come from the rally on 1/6. I said:

>the left would bait Trump supporters & conspire to have them accused of crimes
>the idea of pressuring congress during the session would backfire politically
>a big, hyped up crowd can be unpredictable

(7) I also said that if some at the rally became violent, not even Trump himself would be able to call them off. Pretty sure that by the time Trump starting trying that via Twitter & a video that was rapidly banned, none of the rioters were gonna turn back based on that.

(8) Trump's responses once the riot began were too little, too late. His next video message calling for peace came a full SEVEN days later. As such, it was an insult to folk on all sides. Made his position worse, not better.

I read the transcripts of all Trump speeches in Jan.

(9) At no time did I see Trump taking an optimal approach concerning 1/6 or the related issues.

If there were competent advisers, he must have ignored their advice.

If his advisers were incompetent, that's on him, too.

He had access to the BEST advice in the world, 24/7.

(10) Which brings me to another central issue concerning 1/6.

Clearly, Trump and Pence were operating under legal advice that was not the same as the other man's legal advice.

Both men had a duty to seek the best advice & make a wise call on the way forward.

(11) I would love to know what legal advice Trump had, if any, leading him to think Pence really could send the matter back to the contested states. Pence's letter dated 1/6 made it clear to me that such action was outside his powers as VP/Chair of that type of Joint Session.

(12) There was a legal context and a political context.

Politically, Trump's actions and omissions on and around that day were disastrous for him, Pence, the administration, the GOP, and ultimately, the American people.

Many of us see this fact. We're largely silent though.

(13) I'm not ashamed of supporting the Trump-Pence campaigns and administration.

I'm disappointed beyond words in what Trump did and didn't do when it mattered most.

Talking about it attracts "I told you so" from our political opponents.

I don't care. But others do.

(14) At a time that's extremely challenging for most people bc of the pandemic & other national-level problems, who has the spare emotional energy for a political fight that is much lower in priority? It's like it's a "first world problem."

Trump's comfortable rn. Are you?

(15) At the moment I'm wandering in and out of Twitter as I get a much needed break from thinking about international politics. I'm here most days, to read DMs from great e-friends, as I call them.

I haven't disappeared. I'm just working on things I need to do irl.