January 6th Committee alleges Trump 'criminal conspiracy'

[Moksha]

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died in hospital after being fatally shot in the neck and chest during a political rally.

[Chap]

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died in hospital after being fatally shot in the neck and chest during a political rally.

And there are reasons why such a shooting is extremely rare in Japan:

Abe shooting: why gun violence is so rare in zero-tolerance Japan
Attack on former PM has sent shockwaves through country with one of world’s lowest rates of gun violence

Guardian, 8 July 2022

Japan has close to zero tolerance of gun ownership and one of the lowest rates of gun violence in the world, making the attack on Shinzo Abe a particularly extraordinary act of violence.

A 1958 postwar law on the possession of swords and firearms states: “No one shall possess a firearm or firearms or a sword or swords.”

The pathway to gun ownership in Japan takes 13 steps. First, potential gun owners need to join a hunting or shooting club, they then have to take a firearm class and pass a written exam, before getting a doctor to state they are mentally fit and have no history of drug dependency.

They then have to apply to take a full-day course in how to fire a gun and store it safely.

The police then interview potential gun owners about why they want a firearm and conduct a thorough background check that involves interviewing members of the person’s family, their relationship with their neighbours, employment history and their financial status.

If they pass, they can then apply for a gunpowder permit and get a certificate from a dealer about what sort of gun they want. They then need to buy an ammunition locker and gun safe, which is inspected by police, who then do another background check.

Among the few exceptions are shotguns for hunting and sport. Even then, prospective owners must attend classes and pass written and practical exams. They must then undergo psychological assessments to determine they are fit to own a firearm. Police background checks are exhaustive and even involve questioning the gun owners’ relatives.

Civilian ownership of handguns is banned. The few violations reported in the media usually involve members of the country’s yakuza crime syndicates. According to police, there were 21 arrests for the use of firearms in 2020, with 12 of them gang-related, Nikkei Asia reported.

There were six reported gun deaths in Japan in 2014, according to the National Police Agency, and the number rarely exceeds 10, in a country of 126 million people. In 2006, just two people were killed in gun attacks.

A 2022 report from the University of Washington revealing that, while the US had more than four firearm homicides per 100,000 people in 2019, Japan had almost zero. Comparing high-income countries in the World Bank with the rate of firearm homicide per 100,000 people, the US had 4.2, Australia had 0.18 and Japan 0.02, the report found.

In 2013, the country hit a record high for gun crime – with 40 criminal cases of guns being fired, but has followed a downward trend since – in 2020, there were 21 arrests for the use of firearms, with 12 of them gang-related, Nikkei Asia reported.

There are also strict laws about how many gun shops are allowed to open – in most of the countries’ 47 prefectures, a total of three gun shops can operate in each prefecture.

[honorentheos]

Amazed that no nation has decided they are a soft target and invaded.

[Moksha]

More hearings today showing the extent of collusion/treason planning between Trump and various right-wing paramilitary groups.

[MeDotOrg]

I haven't watched all of the hearings, but it seems like a clearer picture is forming of the different factions that developed after the election. There came a time when the legal challenges ran out. At that point the adults in the administration began to admit defeat. What was left was the bamboo-ballot-Chavez-controls-Dominion crowd. And the great danger was not the paranoid delusions, it was the unconstitutional steps Trumpists were willing to take to hold on to office. January 6th was merely the last gasp of an illegal effort that included secret meeting and fake electors meant to bypass the Constitutional process.

It appears that the die was cast in a meeting the night of December 18th. Sydney Powell, Michael Flynn and Overstock's CEO Patrick Byrne proposed that Trump issue an Executive Order requesting that the United States military seize voting machines, and that Sydney Powell be appointed Special Counsel to oversee the operation. Operation 'Banana Republic', maybe.

When word of the meeting got out, Pat Cipollone, Lyons and Mr. Herschmann rushed to Trump's office. An encounter that was described as "unhinged" and a screaming match ensued. Powell was not appointed Special Counsel, although she thought she was. But it was late that same night that Trump put out his tweet promising a 'wild' January 6th rally.

Trump had a choice to make. He could follow the advice of the adults in the room and admit that he lost the election. But Trump chose to treat what happened not as an election, but as a proxy fight. He looked for loopholes in the country's bylaws that would enable him to usurp the results of the election. And if that didn't work, then march to the Shareholder's Meeting Capitol in January 6th.

The most disturbing thing is not that Trump exists, but that he has so many enablers. American carnage, indeed.

[Binger]

I haven't watched all of the hearings, but it seems like a clearer picture is forming of the different factions that developed after the election. There came a time when the legal challenges ran out. At that point the adults in the administration began to admit defeat. What was left was the bamboo-ballot-Chavez-controls-Dominion crowd. And the great danger was not the paranoid delusions, it was the unconstitutional steps Trumpists were willing to take to hold on to office. January 6th was merely the last gasp of an illegal effort that included secret meeting and fake electors meant to bypass the Constitutional process.

It appears that the die was cast in a meeting the night of December 18th. Sydney Powell, Michael Flynn and Overstock's CEO Patrick Byrne proposed that Trump issue an Executive Order requesting that the United States military seize voting machines, and that Sydney Powell be appointed Special Counsel to oversee the operation. Operation 'Banana Republic', maybe.

When word of the meeting got out, Pat Cipollone, Lyons and Mr. Herschmann rushed to Trump's office. An encounter that was described as "unhinged" and a screaming match ensued. Powell was not appointed Special Counsel, although she thought she was. But it was late that same night that Trump put out his tweet promising a 'wild' January 6th rally.

Trump had a choice to make. He could follow the advice of the adults in the room and admit that he lost the election. But Trump chose to treat what happened not as an election, but as a proxy fight. He looked for loopholes in the country's bylaws that would enable him to usurp the results of the election. And if that didn't work, then march to the Shareholder's Meeting Capitol in January 6th.

The most disturbing thing is not that Trump exists, but that he has so many enablers. American carnage, indeed.

Do you by chance know what day Ray Epps testified to the J6 Committee and when he will be questioned by other members of congress? It looks like all the propaganda around this guy is muddied by conspiracies that he may not be involved since he was only there to encourage trespassing and violence at the Capital.

[Jersey Girl]

Do you by chance know what day Ray Epps testified to the J6 Committee and when he will be questioned by other members of congress? It looks like all the propaganda around this guy is muddied by conspiracies that he may not be involved since he was only there to encourage trespassing and violence at the Capital.

What do we look like? Your personal Google?

[Jersey Girl]

I haven't watched all of the hearings, but it seems like a clearer picture is forming of the different factions that developed after the election. There came a time when the legal challenges ran out. At that point the adults in the administration began to admit defeat. What was left was the bamboo-ballot-Chavez-controls-Dominion crowd. And the great danger was not the paranoid delusions, it was the unconstitutional steps Trumpists were willing to take to hold on to office. January 6th was merely the last gasp of an illegal effort that included secret meeting and fake electors meant to bypass the Constitutional process.

It appears that the die was cast in a meeting the night of December 18th. Sydney Powell, Michael Flynn and Overstock's CEO Patrick Byrne proposed that Trump issue an Executive Order requesting that the United States military seize voting machines, and that Sydney Powell be appointed Special Counsel to oversee the operation. Operation 'Banana Republic', maybe.

When word of the meeting got out, Pat Cipollone, Lyons and Mr. Herschmann rushed to Trump's office. An encounter that was described as "unhinged" and a screaming match ensued. Powell was not appointed Special Counsel, although she thought she was. But it was late that same night that Trump put out his tweet promising a 'wild' January 6th rally.

Trump had a choice to make. He could follow the advice of the adults in the room and admit that he lost the election. But Trump chose to treat what happened not as an election, but as a proxy fight. He looked for loopholes in the country's bylaws that would enable him to usurp the results of the election. And if that didn't work, then march to the Shareholder's Meeting Capitol in January 6th.

The most disturbing thing is not that Trump exists, but that he has so many enablers. American carnage, indeed.

I've watched every single second of the hearings. It's disturbing and also infuriating, but well worth the watch. Takes time to let it all sink it. But when it does, you want to wring his neck good and proper, and then wring all the necks that enabled him.

I will be surprised if he's not indicted.

[Vēritās]

‘Chilling audio’: Ex-Trump White House Press Secretary on new Bannon tape

Former Trump White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham reacts to audio of Steve Bannon discussing Trump's plan to declare victory in the 2020 election regardless of the outcome, three days before election day.

Bannon said Trump was going to declare victory no matter what the outcome. He also goes on to say Democrats will be losing the election early in the day because most of the mail in ballots will come later and that trump will use this to his advantage by saying it was rigged.

It was all an orchestrated incident and Bannon spoke to Trump twice on the phone that day, once in the morning and then at night. In the afternoon that same day Bannon tells his radio audience that all hell is going to break loose.

[Res Ipsa]

Do you by chance know what day Ray Epps testified to the J6 Committee and when he will be questioned by other members of congress? It looks like all the propaganda around this guy is muddied by conspiracies that he may not be involved since he was only there to encourage trespassing and violence at the Capital.

What do we look like? Your personal Google?

Ah, Ray Epps. The Trump supporter who the right wing conspiracy machine completely threw under the bus. They completely ruined this Trump supporter's life to promote the lie that he incited the riot on behalf of the FBI. Truly a shameful incident that should result in a full investigation of those who spread the lie that ruined this man's life.