I just received the first dose of the COVID vaccine at 7:07 AM.
I’m marking this period of my life as B.V. — before the vaccine — and A.V. — after the vaccine.
This dose should be about 85% effective in 14 days, according to a study in Israel.
Looking forward to many more cups of hot tea with sugar in my A.V. era.
It’s clearly winter in Phoenix. Spring will start around March 1st. In the meantime, some plants flower during the winter into the spring. At the same time, a tree like the Cottonwood lost its leaves for the winter and won’t regain them for awhile. Cottonwoods are the only native plants that lose their leaves before winter as they do everywhere. The first picture is of a Cottonwood near where I live.
The following shrub is a Senna. It has started flowering while last year’s seed pods are still on the plant.
These Brittlebushes flower from late winter into early summer. The first is on the edge of private property. The second is on an empty lot. While the first may receive irrigated water, the second doesn’t and yet it’s flowering.
I’m glad that I have pictures of the following Senna because the homeowners’ association just cut it down. It had self-seeded next to a hedge of Oleanders that screen the property from the parking lot next door. It’s been crowding out the Oleander bush behind it. I dislike Oleanders because they are overplanted — especially in places where they’re out of scale. They’ll grow 15 feet high if left alone where the conditions are right. They’re the only thing that grows here that is able to screen property from neighbors or the street, though. The Oleanders are to the right and left of the more compact Senna in this photo.
The following two articles speak to how U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is out of touch with his constituents during a winter weather disaster. The articles speak for themselves. I’ve only written this post because the event happened just as I was posting the previous entry, “Cheap atonement“.
(Texas, among other states, is experiencing winter weather conditions that they’re not prepared for. Millions have been without power and large numbers have lost access to clean water.)
“‘Obviously a mistake’: Cruz returns from Cancun after uproar,” AP, February 18, 2021.
“Opinion: Ted Cruz wants to be a populist. But he can’t get it right.” The Washington Post, February 20, 2021.
Right now, hot tea with sugar is impossible for millions of Texans.
Convicted criminals often apologize and say that they’re sorry. Politicians also get called out on some indiscretion and say that they’re sorry. Do you believe criminals and politicians? (A few politicians actually are criminals, too.)
Consider U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. She’s apologized for ill-advised posts to social media from before she was elected to Congress. She was removed from her committee assignments because she expressed extremist views.
She says, “I’m sorry for saying all those things that are wrong and offensive, and I sincerely mean that.” Sincere?
Do you believe her? Like criminals, is she sorry for what she did or just sorry she got called out or is suffering unfortunate consequences?
(See The Washington Post for its reporting this story — “After losing committee assignments, Marjorie Taylor Greene says she has been ‘freed’ to push the GOP further right,”February 5, 2021.)
Then consider Neera Tanden. She’s a nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget in U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration.
Tanden has maligned progressives in the Democratic Party on social media. “Ms. Tanden apologized for hurting anyone’s feelings and promised to take a radically different approach to communicating if confirmed as budget director,” according to The New York Times (“Neera Tanden Grilled Again Over Statements, This Time by Bernie Sanders,” February 10, 2021). She also deleted more than 1,000 posts to Twitter shortly after the November 2020 presidential election. “Ms. Tanden apologized to that committee and said she had deleted some of her tweets because she regretted her tone” (ibid.).
According to The Washington Post, Tanden said concerning her tweets, “I must have meant them, but I really regret them.” (“Republicans criticized a Biden nominee for her tweets. Democrats see a ‘whole new level of hypocrisy,’” February 10, 2021). Hah! Is this sincere or cheap regrets? She stands to gain by disavowing her previous approach to political speech, so …
Do you have to be a cynic to suspect that such apologies and disavowals by Representative Greene and nominee Tanden are insincere? I think not.
I wonder what language this was translated from.
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Site taste is great? But needs a little salt, eh?
I have a patio garden in the back and three plants near the entrance to my apartment.
Only one of my plants is not a desert plant. The others are cactuses or succulents.
I grew my saguaros (SWAH rohz) from seed, but otherwise I rescued everything else.
These first pictures are of my three small saguaros. These are about 18 years old. The size of the pots limits their growth. In nature, they grow up to twenty feet tall when mature.
On the right you’re looking at a Buckhorn Cholla (CHOE yah). I found it uprooted by a sidewalk. There was no disturbance of soil to indicate that it had simply toppled over. I left it where it was and only took it the next day. No one else was likely to retrieve it at that point. The plant on the left is a Firestick. Neighbors were pruning theirs and would have thrown away the branches. Two more branches took root, but they died during this past brutal, record-setting summer. The branches turn red, hence the name Firestick.
These two Agaves (ah GAH vayz) were bulbils hanging from a flower stalk. Bulbils fall off, and some lucky ones take root. The mother plant was growing near my patio. Landscapers have since removed the mature plant since it only flowers once, when it’s a couple dozen years old. Agaves are commonly called Century Plants. People claimed that they flowered only when they were 100 years old, a myth. They were probably called Sentry Plants. The tall, upright flower stalks — taller than a person — seemed as though they were standing guard. People heard ‘sentry’ and thought that the word was ‘century’, giving birth to its common name. See earlier posts about Agaves.
This next picture is of a barrel cactus. The Compass Barrel cactus is named Ferocactus cylindraceus. Ferocactus wislizeni, Fishhook Barrel cactus, looks the same to me. My sister found this cactus growing next to a wall on her property. It wasn’t a good place for it, so she had me take it home to be potted. This was about a year and a half ago. It would seem to have sprouted from seed.
The following cactus is a Beavertail Prickly Pear. Young prickles on the pads feel like fuzz and don’t penetrate the skin. This is not the case with the better known Prickly Pear (next). I’ve never seen fruits on a Beavertail. This one probably grew from seed. It was growing alongside a wall next to my parking lot — no place for any plant. Birds figure into seeding new plants. They eat fruits, seeds fail to digest, and come out in droppings. So where do you find bird droppings? Where the birds perch, such as on a wall or fence. If I hadn’t rescued this plant, landscapers would have discarded it if they noticed it.
I found a small detached pad from a Prickly Pear alongside its mother plant near my front yard. It would have also been discarded by landscapers if I hadn’t rescued it. I soaked it in water, and roots began to grow. I tucked the pad into soil, it took, and you see its new growth. It may not be able to grown larger in this small pot. We’ll see. Notice its vicious thorns.
I don’t know the identity of the following two plants. Both are succulents and are also growing near my front door. I believe that I water these too much. I may be killing the first one.
This Red Cedar stands out. Of the plants that I have, this is the only one that doesn’t belong in Phoenix’s climate. The realtor who sold us the condo gave it to us as a rooted slip. It was about four inches tall.
So now let me sit on the patio and sip a cup of hot tea with sugar. When summer comes, it might be iced tea.
Insurrectionists mobbed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, while Congress was in joint session to formally count the votes of the Electoral College. All of our elected federal officials except the president were in one room together at one time, but fortunately none of them was a victim of the mob’s violence — a miracle.
There were a few casualties — five people died including one police officer and one insurrectionist. About 140 police officers were injured in the line of duty, some grievously. Since the insurrection, two police officers took their lives, presumably because of what happened January 6th.
Then at former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, we discovered that some members of the mob were intent on assassinating former Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Both escaped unharmed as did Pence’s family.
It could have been a blood bath, but no Congressperson or staffer was hurt. They were understandably shaken up and traumatized, which leaves a long-term wound, but able to go about the Congress’s Constitutional business several hours later and ever since.
Real miracles. It’s as if a Biblical cloud descended over the officials to protect them. To my thinking, this salvation was Divine intervention.
Credit is also to the laws of Washington, D.C., against carrying guns in the District. Imagine the carnage that guns can do.
To my way of thinking, January 6th warrants being declared a national day of thanksgiving for the many miracles that America was favored with that day.
On June 23, 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump addressed young people in Phoenix, Arizona. Charlie Kirk introduced the president.
The last sentence in the introduction was:
“Now is the time for us to say … that our country is the greatest country ever to exist in the history of the world.”
Kirk is founder and executive director of Turning Point USA, a right-wing political action organization. The campaign rally was hosted by Turning Point USA in the Dream City Church in Phoenix, but they were not sponsors of the event.
Here is most of what Kirk said:
“It’s incredible to be in the state of Arizona with a man who is fighting for every single one of you in this room…. This man represents not the kingdom of Washington, D.C., not the ruling class, but the people, us, and we’re not going to take it anymore. There is a very important cultural moment happening in our country. Our history is being deleted, our statues are being taken down…. Now is the time for courage. Now is the time for all of our young students out there to fight like we have never fought before. Now is the time for us to say, not one more inch. That our country is the greatest country ever to exist in the history of the world.” (Minutes 1 and 2 in the video from C-SPAN)
From: “President Trump Delivers Remarks at Student Convention.” C-SPAN. Introduction. June 23, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2021, from https://www.c-span.org/video/?473331-1/president-trump-comments-protestors-taking-statues-repeats-nicknames-covid-19.
In his inaugural address January 20, 2021, U.S President Joseph R. Biden shared a definition of a nation:
“Many centuries ago, Saint Augustine, a saint of my church, wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love.” See: whitehouse.gov’s Briefing Room.
Several years before, Jon Meacham, one of America’s leading historians, had brought his insight to a commencement address for the 2017 graduates of Middlebury College. The author of The Soul of America referred to St. Augustine who defined a nation as “a multitude of rational beings united by the common objects of [their] love.”
My thoughts:
Note the phrase “rational beings.”
Who was Augustine thinking about? When and where have there been a multitude of rational humans?
Think about the United States. Millions here believe any number of conspiracy theories. Some are so illogical that they could never be true. Some have been debunked more than once and yet some Americans believe them anyway.
Consider the idea that there’s a wide-ranging pedophile ring of Democrats. Secrets can’t be kept. How is it that there’s never been a whistleblower? I could go on, but I’d be wasting your time and mine.
Then consider the American 2020 presidential election. In certain circles, accusations fly that Democrats stole the vote — “it was rigged.” Time and again, there’s been no evidence. And these firm believers are rational human beings?
Regardless, some or most Americans seem to have common objects that they love. These Americans seem to predominate, also.
Many have called attention to how religious Americans are — a majority anyway. Americans stand out in this regard compared to Europeans. Even so, there are a proliferation of religious denominations in the United States. Several have tens of millions of adherents. Some are much smaller. So many Americans love religion. Nevertheless, the belief systems are different. Some denominations consider others to be nothing less than heresy. So does unity predominate or diversity?
Most Americans acknowledge the Thanksgiving holiday. Family and friends try to get together. The traditional foods are popular. So, Americans are united in their love for Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, business enterprises keep their stores open all afternoon. They love money more than the welfare of those who work for them.
Football is a beloved pastime. I am writing this on Super Bowl Sunday when millions of Americans are watching the game. But some Americans — Latinos in particular — prefer soccer. Are they not also Americans?
Most Americans say that they love the Constitution. At least they prefer it to systems of government elsewhere. They have different interpretations of parts of it from one extreme to another, though.
But neither love of religion or of the Constitution, for instance, are rational. Over the years, the Constitution has shown defects that had to be corrected. Some of the corrections — the amendments — violate the spirit of what the Founders intended.
The Founders didn’t trust most men to vote rationally, so they advocated that only “men of substance” be allowed to vote — property owners. The Founders feared the mass of Americans, that they were susceptible to following a demagogue. They didn’t trust women at all.
Senators weren’t elected by popular vote originally. They were chosen by state legislatures. The Founders didn’t even trust each state’s men of substance to vote in favor of the interests of their own state. Supposedly, legislators in the states would be more rational than the men who elected them.
President Biden’s paraphrase of Augustine is more apt to the contemporary American situation. As president, he wants to unite a fractured nation, many of us who are not rational. So, it’s sensible for him to have edited Augustine’s definition. However, I think that he is naive if he fully believes what he is saying.
What brings Americans together is an enemy. It was communism and Russia from the 1950s until the fall of the Berlin War. There was a burst of unity during the short Gulf War. Then an interlude until 9/11. Terrorists became the enemy to unite us. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan started to become unpopular as they petered out in the nation’s consciousness. Then only one side of the divide developed an enemy: for the Right, President Obama was the arch-enemy.
For the Trump era, people on the Right saw migrants, asylum seekers, and illegal aliens as well as Muslims as the enemy. The Left, for its part only had Trump as their enemy and derision of his followers.
So do Americans have common objects that they love? Not really enough to make a unified nation. Without a doubt, we have a fractured country and there’s no middle ground. People on the Right who are susceptible to an authoritarian leader are not rational. People in the middle and on the Left are more rational, though. As much as they may want to reason with the Right, it won’t work.
I would like to finish on an optimistic note, but I’m not optimistic.
We Americans have had a storm brewing for awhile, and it looks like more of the same.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump called for his loyalists to rally in Washington, D.C., on the day that Congress was to certify the Electoral Vote count, January 6, 2021. The crowd largely insisted that the November 3rd, 2020, election was stolen from Trump, as he would elaborate during his speech: “It was rigged.” They were demanding that the results be overturned in Trump’s favor. “Stop the steal” they would chant.
Trump whipped up the enthusiasm of the crowd which led to a mob storming the U.S. Capitol. Trump made veiled suggestions that he approved of violence in his cause to overturn the election results.
“You’ll never take back our country with weakness,” Trump said. “You have to show strength and you have to be strong. We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated.
“I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically, make your voices heard today.” [3 hours and 46 minutes into the video]
The event was sponsored by Women for America First, co-founded and chaired by Amy Kremer. The organization is funded by dark money,* as reported by CNBC.
Several days before the rally, Trump took over the planning, and it became an official White House event.*
The rally attendees gathered on The Ellipse. The stage faced the Washington Monument, with the White House visible behind the stage.
At times, Trump seemed to be reading from a teleprompter.
The full video of the rally can be seen on C-SPAN. On this C-SPAN page, you can see a transcript of the President’s remarks taken from closed captioning.
From C-SPAN:
Campaign 2020
President Trump spoke at a rally in Washington, D.C., held to protest the results of the Electoral College, which Congress was set to count later that day. “We will never give up. We will never concede,” he declared. President Trump repeated his unsubstantiated claims of fraud in both the November election and the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff election held the previous night. He railed against Republicans he deemed insufficiently supportive of his efforts to overturn the results and promised to “primary the hell out of the ones that don’t fight.” The president also continued to publicly pressure his vice president, Mike Pence, to reject electoral votes in states that he lost. As the speech was concluding, Vice President Pence issued a statement saying he lacked the constitutional authority to dismiss the votes when the Congress met later that day.Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump enters the stage around 3 hours and 29 minutes into the video. He starts to speak at about 3 hours and 31 minutes. The speech ends with Trump leaving the stage at 4 hours and 43 minutes.
In the early afternoon of Wednesday January 6, 2021, former U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to a rally crowd. It was styled as “March to Save America.”
Here are some gleanings from the speech. I’ve given approximate times into C-SPAN’s video when the quotes can be heard according to the hour and minute.
“The media will not show the magnitude of this crowd.” (3 hours and 31 minutes into the rally)
“We have hundreds of thousands of people here.* [Not true] And I just want them to be recognized by the fake news media…. These people are not going to take it any longer…. They came from all over the world actually [doubtful].” (3:32)
“The media is the biggest problem we have … the single biggest problem. The fake news and the big tech.” (3:32)
“We beat them four years ago. We surprised them. We took them by surprise. And this year, they rigged an election. They rigged it like they’ve never rigged an election before.” (3:32)
“All of us here today do not want to see our election victory stolen by emboldened, radical left Democrats … and stolen by the fake news media.
(3:33)
“We will never give up. We will never concede…. You don’t concede when there’s theft involved.” (3:32)
“Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore.” (3:34)
“We will stop the steal.” (3:34)
“I’ve been in two elections. I won them both, and the second one I won much bigger than the first. Okay? Almost 75 million people voted for our campaign. The most of any incumbent president by far in the history of our country. Twelve million more people than four years ago.” (3:34)
“And they say we lost. We didn’t lose.” (3:35)
“Does anybody believe that Joe had 80 million votes? … He had 80 million computer votes.* [not possible] It’s a disgrace.” (3:35)
“Take third world countries. Their elections are more honest than what we’ve been going through in this country. It’s a disgrace.” (3:35)
“Even when you look at last night …” [in the Georgia election for two Senate seats] (3:35)
“We will not let them silence your voices.” (3:36)
The crowd chants: “Fight for Trump!” (3:36)
The crowd chants: “We love Trump!” (3:39)
“You’re stronger. You’re smarter. You’ve got more going than anybody, and they try and demean everybody having to do with us, and you’re the real people. You’re the people that built this nation. You’re not the people that tore down this nation.” (3:42)
“You have to get your people to fight.” (3:43)
“We’re leading [in the November 3rd voting in the evening], and then in the morning, boom. These explosions of bullshit.” (3:44:25) [The crowd roars with approval, and then the crowd erupts in a rhythmic chant that I haven’t deciphered.]
“… our election was so corrupt that in the history of this country, we’ve never seen anything like it.” (3:45)
“We don’t have a free and fair press. Our media is not free. It’s not fair. It suppresses thought. It suppresses speech. It’s become the enemy of the people. biggest problem we have in this country.” (3:45)
“We’re going to walk down and I’ll be with you … We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and we’re going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.” (3:46-7)
“… take back our country …” (3:47)
“You’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength. And you have to be strong.” (3:47)
“I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically, make your voices heard.” (3:47)
“Our country has been under siege for a long time; far longer than this four-year period. We’ve set it on a much straighter course.” (3:48)
“We rebuilt the military…. Our military has been totally rebuilt.” (3:48) [Not true. It didn’t need rebuilding.]
“… many people don’t like us because we’ve done [accomplished] too much.” (3:50)
“We were going to sit home and watch a big victory. Everyone had us down for a big victory. Everything was going to be great. And now we’re out here fighting.” (3:50)
“Ten o’clock it was over.” [We were victorious.] (3:51)
“We set a record.” [It wasn’t close. Trump got 75 million popular votes to Joe Biden’s 81 million.] (3:51)
“It was a setup [in Georgia].” (3:52)
“It took them four years to devise [this fraud].” (3:53)
“As you know, the media has constantly asserted the outrageous lie that there was ‘no evidence of widespread fraud …’ You ever see these people? ‘While there’s no evidence of fraud.’ Oh really? Well, I’m going to read you pages … I hope you don’t get bored listening to it. Promise? Don’t get bored listening to it. Promise. Don’t get bored listening to it. All those hundreds of thousands of people back there [points to the back].” [The number is not close to being true as I pointed out before.] (3:56)
“The American people do not believe the corrupt fake news anymore. They have ruined their reputation. But you know, it used to be that they’d argue with me. So I’d fight. I’d fight, they’d fight. You’d believe me. You’d believe them … They had their point of view. I had my point of view. But you’d have an argument. Now what they do is they go silent. It’s called ‘depression’ [suppression?]. And that’s what happens in a communist country. That’s what they do. They suppress. You don’t fight with them anymore. Unless it’s a bad story. They have a little bad story about me, they make it ten times worse, and it’s a major headline.” (3:57)
[Mentions Hunter Biden with allegations of wrong-doing from 3:57:40 through 3:58:40.]
“No, we have a corrupt media. They’ve gone silent [concerning Hunter Biden]. They’ve gone dead.” (3:58)
“We don’t have a fair media anymore. It’s suppression…. And they’ve lost all credibility in this country.” (3:59)
[Recites unsubstantiated incidents of fraud. (4:03 through 4:09; then 4:11 through 4:12)]
[If the electoral ballots are not sent back to the states:] “You will have a president who lost all of these states. Or you will have a president, to put it another way, who was voted on by a bunch of stupid people who lost all of these states. You will have an illegitimate president … and we can’t let that happen.” (4:10)
“Every time I put out a tweet, even if it’s totally correct, totally correct, I get a flag. I get a flag. And they also don’t let you get on…. They don’t let the message get out…. I don’t care about Twitter. Twitter is bad news… If you want to get out a message, and if you want to go through big tech, social media… If you are a conservative, if you’re a Republican, if you have a big voice … they shadow ban you. And it should be illegal.” (4:12)
[So long as social media aren’t liable for the posted content, and they can ban you:] “… That’s going to be the end of the Republican Party as we know it. But it’s never going to be the end of us, never.” (4:13)
“This is a time for strength.” (4:13)
“They also want to indoctrinate your children in school by teaching them things that aren’t so. They want to indoctrinate your children. It’s all part of the comprehensive assault on our democracy, and the American people are finally standing up and saying ‘no’….” (4:13)
“Two months ago we had a massive crowd come down to Washington, and I said, ‘What are they there for?’ ‘Sir, they’re there for you.’” (4:13)
[Speaks disparagingly about Representative Liz Cheney. (4:14)]
“Remember I used to say in the old days, ‘Don’t go in[to] Iraq, but if you go in, keep the oil.’” (4:14)
[Speaks about allegations of election fraud in Wisconsin. (4:15-17)]
[Speaks disparagingly about Georgia’s secretary of state who recorded his conversation with ex-President Trump. (4:15-17)
[See the AP:
[Jeff Amy, Darlene Superville, and Jonathan Lemire. “GA election officials reject Trump call to ‘find’ more votes.” AP. January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021. Contains a link to a transcript of the call. Also see a transcript of the call and listen: “Transcript: President Trump’s Phone Call With Georgia Election Officials.” The New York Times. January 3, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.]
[Speaks about alleged illegal votes in Georgia. (4:19-20)]
[Democrats — the radical left — want to steal elections. (4:20)]
“The radical left … knows exactly what they’re doing. They’re ruthless, and it’s time somebody did something about it. And Mike Pence, I hope you’re going to stand up for the good of our Constitution and for the good of our country, and if you’re not, I’m going to be very disappointed in you….” (4:20-21)
[Again speaks about alleged illegal votes in Georgia. (4:21-24)]
“This election was stolen from you, from me, from the country. And not a single swing-state has conducted a comprehensive audit to remove the illegal ballots. This should absolutely occur in every single contested state before the election is certified.” (4:24)
[Speaks about alleged illegal votes in Arizona; then Nevada; then Michigan. (4:24-29)]
[Castigates Dominion voting systems. (4:29-31)]
“I could go on and on about this fraud that took place in every state. And all of these legislatures want this back.” (4:31)
Crowd chants, “We love Trump.” (4:32)
“When you hear, ‘While there is no evidence to prove any wrongdoing …’. This is the most fraudulent thing…. This is a criminal enterprise…. And the press will say, and I’m sure they won’t put any of that on there because that’s no good…. ‘While there is no evidence to back President Trump’s decision …’ I could go on for another hour…. There’s never been anything like it.” (4:32)
[Speaks about alleged illegal votes in Detroit and Pennsylvania. (4:32-33)]
“It’s a disgrace of the United States of America. Tens of millions of people are allowed to go vote without so much as even showing identification. In no state is there any question or effort made to verify the identity, citizenship, residency, or eligibility of the votes cast.” [A dubious allegation] (4:33)
“The Republicans have to get tougher. You’re not going to have a Republican Party if you don’t get tougher. They want to play so straight…. ‘Sure, yes the United States, the Constitution doesn’t allow me to send them back to the states.’ Well, I say yes it does, because the Constitution says you have to protect our country, and you have to protect our Constitution. And you can’t vote on fraud. And fraud breaks up everything, doesn’t it? When you catch somebody in a fraud, you’re allowed to go by very different rules.” (4:33)
“So I hope Mike has the courage to do what he has to do. And I hope he doesn’t listen to the RINOs [Republicans In Name Only] and the stupid people that he’s listening to.” (4:34)
[Speaks about alleged illegal votes. (4:34)]
“We won in a landslide. This was a landslide.” Crowd cheers.
“They said it’s not American to challenge the election. This is the most corrupt election in the history, maybe, of the world.” (4:35)
“… it’s so egregious, it’s so bad, that a lot of people don’t even believe it. It’s so crazy that people don’t even believe it. It can’t be true. So they don’t believe it. This is not just a matter of domestic politics. This is a matter of national security.” (4:35)
“So today, in addition to challenging the certification of the election, I’m calling on Congress and the state legislatures to quickly pass sweeping election reform. And you better do it before we have no country left.” (4:35)
“Today is not the end. It’s just the beginning. With your help over the last four years, we built the greatest political movement in the history of our country, and nobody even challenges that. I say that over and over, and I never get challenged by the fake news, and they challenge almost everything we say.” (4:35-6)
“But our fight against the big donors,* big media, big tech, and others is just getting started. This is the greatest in history. There’s never been a movement like that. You look back there, all the way to the Washington Monument,* it’s hard to believe. We must stop the steal, and then we must endure, that such outrageous election fraud never happens again, can never be allowed to happen again. But we’re going forward, we’ll take care of going forward. We gotta take care of going back.” (4:36)
“With your help we will finally pass powerful requirements for voter ID.* You need an ID to cash a check. You need an ID to go to a bank, to buy alcohol, to drive a car. Every person should need to show an ID in order to cast your most important thing, a vote. We will also require proof of American citizenship in order to vote in American elections…. We will ban ballot harvesting and prohibit the use of unsecured drop boxes to commit rampant fraud. These drop boxes are fraudulent…. They disappear; then they all of a sudden show up. It’s fraudulent. We will stop the practice of universal unsolicited mail-in balloting. We will clean up the voter rolls and insure that every single person who casts a vote is a citizen of our country, a resident of the state in which they vote, and their vote is cast in a lawful and honest manner. We will restore the vital civic tradition of in-person voting on election day, so that voters can be fully informed when they make their choice.” (4:36-8)
“We will finally hold big tech accountable, and if these people had courage and guts, they would get rid of section 230,* something that no other company, no other person in America, in the world has. All of these tech monopolies are going to abuse their power and interfere in our elections. And it has to be stopped, and the Republicans have to get a lot tougher, and so should the Democrats. They should be regulated, investigated, and brought to justice under the fullest extent of the law. They’re totally breaking the law.” (4:38)
“Together we will * drain the Washington swamp, and we will clean up corruption in our nation’s capital. We have done a big job on it, but … You think it’s a dirty business? It’s a dirty business. You have a lot of bad people out there.” (4:38)
“Despite everything we’ve been through, looking out, all over this country, and seeing fantastic crowds (although this, I think, is our all time record). I think you have 250,000 people,* 250,000! Looking out at all the amazing patriots here today, I have never been more confident in our nation’s future. Well, I have to say, we have to be a little bit careful. It’s a nice statement, but we have to be a little careful of this statement. If we allow this group of people to illegally take over our country, because it’s illegal, when the votes are illegal. When the way they got there is illegal. When the states that vote are given false and fraudulent information.” (4:39)
“We are the greatest country on earth, and we are headed and were headed in the right direction. You know, the wall is built. We’re doing record numbers at the wall. Now they want to take down the wall. Let’s let everybody flow in. Let’s let everybody flow in. We did a great job on the wall. Remember the wall? They said it could never be done. One of the largest infrastructure projects we’ve ever had in this country, and it’s had a tremendous impact, and we got rid of tax relief [?] and we got rid of all the stuff we had to live with.” (4:39-40)
“But now … the caravans are forming again. They want to come in again and rip off our country. We can’t let it happen.” (4:40)
“As this enormous crowd shows, we have truth and justice on our side. We have a deep and enduring love for America in our hearts. We love our country. We have overwhelming pride in this great country. We have it deep in our souls. Together we are determined to defend and preserve government of the people, by the people, and for the people. [Crowd cheers] Our brightest days are before us. Our greatest achievements still wait. I think one of our great achievements will be election security. Because nobody until I came along had any idea how corrupt our election was. And again, most people would stand there at nine o’clock [on election night] in the evening and say ‘I want to thank you very much,’ and they’d go off to some other life. But, I said, ‘something’s wrong here. Something’s really wrong. It can’t have happened.’ And we fight, we fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” (4:40-1)
“Our exciting adventures and boldest endeavors have not yet begun. My fellow Americans, for our movement, for our children, and for our beloved country — and I say this despite all that’s happened — the best is yet to come. [Crowd cheers] So we’re going to … walk down Pennsylvania Avenue … and we’re going to the Capitol, and we’re going to try and give … our Republicans, the weak ones, because the strong ones don’t need any of our help. We’re going to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country. So let’s walk down Pennsylvania Avenue.” (4:41-2)
“I want to thank you all. G-d bless you. And G-d bless America. Thank you all for being here. This is incredible. Thank you very much.” (4:42)
Nathaniel’s notes:
See some short excerpts from Trump’s speech in The Washington Post: “Trump issued a call to arms. Then he urged his followers ‘to remember this day forever!’” By Anne Gearan and Josh Dawsey, January 6, 2021.
Hot Tea with Sugar 