HE MADE IT ALL HAPPEN! A Post-(Eighth)January 6th Hearing Acrostic

abuse of power, Acrostic, current events, democracy, insurrection, Jan 6 Committee Hearings, poetry 1 Minute

H ere, for the world to see, is the
E vidence that removes all doubt: The

M AGA-LOW-man-baby sat
A nd watched his worst-laid plan against
D emocracy sputter and wither while he
E njoyed chaos by the cruel/clueless.

I t’s not enough to say “He did nothing
T o stop them”—he did

A ll he could to pump them up,
L ure them to the Capitol,
L augh with delight for three-plus

H ours while they mangled brave cops
A nd dripped bloodlust stalking his VP,
P ropelled by a well-timed tweet.
P eople: Of all or no political stripes,
E xorcise this Destroyer by Shouting
N O! THIS TIME YOU WILL PAY!

Annie

Published by annieasksyou

I've been a nonfiction writer for many years, exploring diverse topics that pique my curiosity, as noted in my first blog posting (Greetings!). I'm seeking dialogue with others committed to joining me in this exploration, sharing my conviction that different views can be exchanged in a respectful, civil discourse where we can learn from one another and be agreeable, even when we disagree. These postings depend for their enrichment on your participation: your ideas, insights, knowledge, opinions, and personal stories.

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45 thoughts on “HE MADE IT ALL HAPPEN! A Post-(Eighth)January 6th Hearing Acrostic”

    1. I believe he will, Fandango. The fact that Pence’s people—Short and Jacob—have already testified before a grand jury investigating Jan 6 suggests things are moving along. The questions are which crimes DOJ will think are strongest and what time frame will be. Not as fast as we’d like; I’m sure of that.

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    2. On July 26th, Heather Cox Richardson wrote: ” There are two possible avenues of criminal prosecutions on the table. One is that Trump participated in the attempt to delay or obstruct an official proceeding, which is the crime for which other participants in the events of January 6 have been indicted. The other is the fraud of setting up the fake electors from the states.”

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      3. Richardson made that statement based on the Washington Post’s reporting, which is an interpretation of DOJ public actions to date. I’ve heard several former prosecutors describe a laundry list of potential indictable offenses, including seditious conspiracy, witness tampering (an easy one to prove), destruction of public records, et al.

        DOJ will make its decision according to what they regard as the most likely route to persuade a jury to convict.

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  2. Well I for one hope it is not true. If it is true he only had to get Mike Pence into a car to have succeeded. His minions repeatedly said out loud, often that it needed to be decided by congress. Two steps, a closed door, the “football” was already in the car! Made me think of Hop-Frog. What a beautiful play!

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  3. Merrick Garland,
    All we ask is that you prosecute the
    Knave for each and
    Every crime he committed.

    It’s not enough to say
    That no one is above the law.

    Heaven help our democracy if
    All Trump’s corrupt machinations are
    Permitted to stand without being
    Punished to the full
    Extent of the law.
    Never again must we come this close to tyranny!

    Liked by 4 people

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  4. I hope he pays, but I fear that the AG doesn’t have the balls to do what needs to be done. I pray each night that Orange #45 will never sit in the Oval Office again. I do not think we can withstand another four years of tyranny. Great poem and post, Annie.

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    1. Thanks, Amy. Garland is known for his courageous convictions of Timothy McVeigh and others in the Oklahoma City bombing—a horrific act by white supremacists. I expect him to show similar courage now..

      I agree, though, that we’re facing potentially scary times if Republicans win. I don’t just worry about trump; DeSantis et al are scary autocrats who are smarter and smoother than trump. The dark money folk seem to be moving toward DeSantis.

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      1. I agree about the other scary Republicans. Top on my list is Ted Cruz, Ron DeSantis, and Marco Rubio. All of them pose a threat of equal quantity to Trump for me.

        Thanks Annie!

        Liked by 2 people

      3. I hope you are right, for sure. I think the not knowing what will happen in November has me overly cautious. Cruz would have a better chance than Rubio or DeSantis, but I never thought Trump would have been president either.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Yes, November is critical.
        Every time I see Cruz, I am reminded of Al Franken’s comment when they served in the Senate together: “I like Ted Cruz more than most of my colleagues like Ted Cruz. And I hate Ted Cruz.”

        Liked by 1 person

    1. For sure! And when you mention his enablers, I was intrigued by the hearing’s inclusion of that little Josh Hawley cameo. I suspect that was a teaser: to be continued…

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  6. Rather than punishment or revenge, I suggest a plea deal: plead guilty to something, agree to retire from politics, and stay out of jail. There is precedent for this in the case of Spiro Agnew.

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    1. whungerford: you’ve mentioned a pardon previously, and I understand the rationale for such thinking.
      But I don’t think either plea deal or pardon is possible because a) he’d renege, stir up people, and cause further havoc; and b) the Jan 6 committee has shown so clearly what he’s done that “no one is above the law” must, I believe, be demonstrated outright for the sake of our judicial system at this wobbly time.

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      1. It should be a priority that TFG should never again run for public office. Almost as importantly, his fanatical followers should not be aroused, as you noted. A plea deal would serve several purposes: the defendant would be assured of no additional sanctions, his disciples would have little cause for complaint, and the public would be assured that he was defanged. A plea deal would come with probation; if he violated the terms he would again be in jeopardy.

        That no one is above the law is a shaky precept. Neither Nixon nor Agnew were punished. Michael Cohen went to jail, but his co-conspirator hasn’t. TFG has a long record of eluding the sheriff; the worst outcome is for him, once again, to use the office of president as cover for past and future crimes.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. whungerford: That’s one imperative; the other is to show he can’t shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it. Nixon and Agnew, as corrupt as they were, both resigned. Trump can’t even acknowledge the election is over. Very different.

        And I think you misjudge his disciples, who are a very mixed bag. I don’t want to get too dark here, but the most hardcore used him just as he used them—and their plans don’t depend on him.

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      3. Yes, there are many eager to step into TFG’s shoes, and many are ready to support them. In his resignation speech, the best RMN could do was this: “I would say only that if some of my judgments were wrong, and some were wrong, they were made in what I believed at the time to be the best interest of the nation.” After Nixon, Republicans redoubled their efforts to regain power. Whatever stench Nixon left on their brand was soon forgotten.
        https://www.pbs.org/newshour/spc/character/links/nixon_speech.html

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Thanks, whungerford. I don’t think I’d ever read the speech in its entirety before. Of course, it took another two years before Nixon would acknowledge he’d “let the country down” in extraordinary interviews by David Frost. Here’s a back story by James Reston, who was involved in that effort, and goes beyond it to the subsequent theatrical depictions. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/frost-nixon-and-me-99350263/

        But to your main point, it’s been all downhill for the Republicans since then. “Tricky Dick” pales in comparison to what we now see.

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    2. “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.” – Proverbs 13:24
      Fred obviously hated the lad thus he spoiled. There are no biblical nor secular reasons for waving consequences. We are here because bankers, oil executives, cigarette and opiate peddlers, heck anybody with a skin tone above dark tan skates by with a buck and a sorry. But it will be for the best just this one more time.

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  7. Excellent acrostic, Annie. Like other commentators, I fervently hope that Garland steps up to the plate and at least hits a triple (a home run might be too much to hope for). It is indeed worrisome that the Republican bullpen contains DeSantis and Abbott, but first things first—see that Trump pays for his crimes and is never allowed to run for office again. (Sorry for all the baseball metaphors. It’s that time of the year.)

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    1. Thanks so much, Gail. The baseball metaphors are apt: I like them. And you’re right about first things first!

      I read someone quoting Yogi Berra about the missing Secret Service info: it’s a coincidence that there are no coincidences…or something like that.

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      1. The 14th Amendment issue could end up in the Supreme Court—which brings me back to an earlier post: we need to elect large enough Democratic majorities in House and Senate to expand the Court—before 2024!

        Liked by 1 person

  8. If “no one is above the law” is a shaky precept, it’s not because the precept is faulty. It’s only shaky when those charged with upholding it are too “shaky” to proceed in cases where ‘making it happen’ is warranted.

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    1. I’m sure you saw that Washington Post reporting that DOJ is ramping up. I wish they’d moved faster too, but I’ve wondered for a while whether they hadn’t acted on Jan 6 Committee subpoena to Mark Meadows bc they—DOJ—are working on or with him. He is, of course, key to trump—more so than anyone else. Now turns out they’ve had Meadows’ phone records since April! That’s months before the Jan 6 Committee hearings began.

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  9. I’d been slowly coming to the conclusion that Merrick Garland WILL criminally prosecute Trump and his co-conspirators, and Garland’s interview with NBC’s Lester Holt the other day solidified my belief. I only hope he proceeds with urgency and gets convictions before the 2024 election, otherwise I think Trump will run for and possibly become president again.

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  10. You do have a talent for these acrostics! Yes, let us hope that this time justice doesn’t cower before the man with the critter living atop his head, the pocky face, and the tiny hands. He must … MUST … be held to account, for failure to do so will result in … something none of us can even imagine.

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    1. TFG is the least likely to be punished: even if charged and convicted, delays and appeals will keep him out of jail indefinitely. However, we could vote out the guilty parties still in Congress this November, if we have the will to do so.

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  12. I really hope he gets justice, Annie. Intsrested to hear your thoughts on the classified docs development this week and whether it will sway the political needle any. I worry that if you’ve stuck with him thus far, this development won’t persuade you otherwise.

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    1. Hi, Matthew. I’ve been thinking about you; good to hear from you!

      I share that worry, but I’m grateful for Garland, whose courage in handling the Oklahoma City bombing makes him the right person for this moment. (A bit of humor: someone tweeted this morning that Mitch McConnell has decided to let the vote proceed to confirm Garland as a Supreme Court Justice.)

      I’m hearing about some cracks among the Republican leadership since the potential of espionage charges has become known. But the full-throated condemnation of vilification of the FBI and Justice Dept is needed, pronto, and I don’t expect that. I did see a snippet of Ron DeSantis, who terrifies me in general, telling Hannity and Lara Bush on Fox to stop spreading misinformation. Self-serving on his part, of course, but better than his adding his voice to the chaos.

      [Update: Seems the alleged Hannity/DeSantis interview was doctored by a guy who assumed most Democrats would be instantaneously aware it was a fake—unlike yours truly.]

      Hope you and family are well.

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      1. Thanks Annie. Blogging has been inconsistent for me recently but hoping to get back in the groove.

        I really hope that fracturing comes to pass, and that this IS the juncture at which he begins to lose the support of his base.

        I wouldn’t put it past Mitch McConnell btw! 😄

        Liked by 1 person

      2. That would be wonderful! Unfortunately, it’s clear now that trumpism is stronger than trump. And his most violent adherents have been using him just as he uses them.

        But still we hope—and we try to encourage voters to appreciate all that Biden and the Dems have accomplished, and what they can accomplish with larger majorities in November.

        Liked by 1 person

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