unclevlad

But if the point of the effort was to disrupt certification of the electoral college result...and the timing says that was EXACTLY the intent...then it was an effort to prevent the normal transfer of power. That is a coup, by my lights. An extremely cowardly one, too. Also remember that 2 bombs were found in the Capitol. Perhaps they were purely intended to intimidate; perhaps they weren't very well built. Or they were on a timer to go off when Congress had returned. THAT would've almost certainly stopped the proceedings for a considerable time.

A crock pot is a slow, usually wet, cooking process that's great for things like stews where you simmer the ingredients together for an extended period. (A simmer is around 170-180 degrees, IIRC. In a good simmer, there are bubbles breaking the surface every couple of seconds. If there's a steady stream, you're boiling. That's fine too, but it can be TOO fast. A boil can cause the water to evaporate too much if, for example, you're cooking a stock overnight.) Instant Pot is a brand name for a broad line of pressure cookers. A pressure cooker has a tight, locking lid creating an airtight seal. That means that, as any liquid in it boils, it's still trapped, which means it expands and raises the pressure inside the cooking chamber. As you raise the pressure, the temperature at which water boils, also rises, so the piece cooks through faster. So they're kinda the converse of each other. Crock pot pot roast, you'll typically toss everything together right after breakfast, go to work, and come home; it'll be done. Pressure cooker pot roast, you'll toss everything in when you get home from work, then pour yourself the appropriate preprandial libation or two as you kick back and relax.

I don't do chicken breast very often; prefer thighs. Toss each portion (9-10 oz usually for me) with olive oil, soy sauce, and spices of choice (garam masala is wonderful) into a ziploc type storage container. (My preference is the screw-on lid variety, NOT the snap-on. Screw-on is safer.) This sits in the fridge for several days. Spice rub here was baharat (a North African sweet-savory spice blend I adore), salt, garlic powder. Dumped into a bowl, each chunk rolled in it til fully coated. Then seared...I did something that displaced the pot enough that the IP cut off, but it was late enough to not be an issue. Hadda unplug, replug but no big deal. Chicken stock, liquid smoke, worcestershire. 1 hour on high. Literally JUST finished taking it out and pulling it. And of course eating some. YUMMMMMMMmmmmm...... And of course dumped about a cup of the cooking liquid over the pull, cuz it'll get put away...well, after a few more bites...for Saturday and Sunday. Only flaw? No burned ends. One thing I'll have to see about is chicken stock. SHOULD be easy, and a WHOLE lot faster. I make it reasonably regularly, but good stock, simmered in the classic manner, wants time, time, and more time. I'll start it usually night 1, then shut it off when I get up on day 3. I'm hoping it'll be more like, ok, set it up after breakfast and it's done after dinner, if not earlier. archer: I'm single, so once a month on the instant pot would actually be pretty darn regular. I have a good 5, maybe 6 pounds of pulled pork. That's gonna last a while.

One of my Christmas presents to myself was to use Amazon points for an Instant Pot pressure cooker. Only actually opened it last week...not like I didn't know what it was, right? It was in the factory box. But I wasn't ready to use it. Yes, well, 6 playoff games this weekend. If that doesn't spell pulled meat sandwiches of some flavor to you...well, ok, maybe you're a vegetarian. We won't hold that against you. So got it set up, cleaned out the pot, running through a first test run right now. Pork shoulder was broken down into chunks and rubbed on Monday; the big shoulder bone isolated to one chunk so that'll be easy to pull at the end. Get this test run done then sear and cook. I have some balsamic nectar...a thick form of balsamic vinegar that's very good as a sauce for fatty meats...and I'll probably get the goodies for Carolina mustard sauce tomorrow. Hoping it works. I figure to do a lot of beef this way too, if I can get it all dialed in.

So who's the little dog?

And who has done so with ally after ally after ally after ally after ally with ally after ally after ally after ally after ally with ally after ally after ally after ally after ally with ally after ally after ally after ally after ally with ally after ally after ally after ally after ally. The counter? They aren't doing it for Trump. They're doing it for themselves. It might be that some do it out of fear of reprisal but others are choosing to pander to Trump's base. And it was pointed out a few times just how stupid this probably is. The only person who can count on Trump's base is Trump. Perdue couldn't. Loeffler couldn't. IIRC, it was noted that the Republican congressional victories had larger margins than Trump got. OK, I think that was CNN, so...I'd prefer to review the numbers. But the Georgia runoffs showed quite a bit. Even with all that was at stake, backing Trump til the end *did not work.*

He was there, for sure. Several pics of him. We'll see if he gets arrested; it wouldn't surprise me. And I don't think it'd be hard to say he was committing incitement; the little hand-waving at the end is absolutely of the "nudge nudge wink wink know what I mean?" type. The whole "but what else are you gonna do?" makes that "not that I encourage it" a complete crock.

Biden is flat-out endorsing the argument that the response to the Capitol incursion would have been completely different had it been black protesters. EDIT: he's making a huge policy speech now, before the inauguration. That's a first, but then, so is just about everything. It's led up to his announcement he'll announce Garland for DoJ. (edit) AG. He's making it clear that restoring the DoJ is going to be a major component of his administration.

The failure to protect the Capitol is going to be put under an electron microscope. There is no doubt in my mind that some high-level people are going to be fired; if they were actively complicit, I think we're talking seditious conspiracy. The footage I saw connected to the shooting clearly showed that the rioters were smashing through the glass. Against guns clearly drawn on the other side. Fresh news: Transportation Sec Elaine Chao is resigning. CNN is bringing a point I've been considering...how does this affect any 25th Amendment effort? They also mention whether an acting Cabinet-level officer can act. And what if Trump starts firing Cabinet officers?

It can equally be argued that he will never get elected again if he doesn't try. It might not work; it's not just Pence who'll make the call in the end.

We made the save. But barely. Problem is, this is a poison save, and you have to save *twice*. That second save still looks dicey.

Yesterday was full of shocking, disgusting events. But the worst, for me, was the parade of House members promoting multiple objections to the election results *after* the invasion. I believe the final count was 137 House Republicans who voted to sustain the objection to the Pennsylvania electors. That's a major warning shot across the bow, to me, saying they'll be as obstinate and obstructionist as the rules of the House allow, through the 2022 election. It's also a major warning that Trumpism isn't going away at all; that's just too much widespread support. In the Senate, I suspect that Cruz and Hawley are likely to be the point men on things like impeding nominees, if nothing else. The fact that most Senate Republicans rejected the push to overturn the election is encouraging, but Cruz and Hawley have shown they'll pander to Trump's base, and there's no reason to think they'll slow down.

3:27. Pence has gaveled the joint session back in. The Pennsylvania objection's gone. 3:30...Pence is forgetting the "Hearing None" part of the formula a few times, but no one cares at this hour I suspect. It has been a very, very long day. 3:32...and with the Vermont votes, Biden now has 271!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And anything from here on out would be totally specious. 5 left. And...I kinda figured it might happen. Wisconsin is the last objection. No Senator signed on. Pence actually handled everything with class and dignity; he completely stuck to form. And with Wyoming, it's done. The count is over. Biden is declared the winner of the election. Pence has called the chaplain of the Senate for a closing prayer. And the joint session is dissolved. I am very happy that this phase is now over. MAJOR NEWS!!!!!! OMG. TRUMP CONCEDES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "There will be an orderly transition on Jan. 20th." He also asserts "greatest first term in history" but that's pure Trump. And hey, he's been known to recant before...but still.... Granted that I think he's lost ALL his supporters, except maybe a few of the House reps. Even the Senators pushing the objections aren't on his side, they're trying to advance their own agenda. EDIT: And with that, I call it a night. About 13 hours of this nightmare, but one I am reasonably glad I followed. Stay well, everyone, and breathe slowly and carefully. The bastards can get you down; don't let them keep you down. Good night, all.

MSNBC correspondent is making a point about the charge of treason. Such a charge requires aiding and abetting a country against which an active declaration of war exists, according to her. And that sounds right to me. So that's why I haven't supported that word. YAY...12:28 here, 2:28 East Coast. Pelosi tries for a voice vote...that was shot down, but that's no surprise. The House, for clear social distancing reasons, cycles through members in groups, so it takes a while. They allot 15 minutes on the clock; the Arizona vote took quite a bit longer. Do we have any other poker fans? Remember the 2018 WSOP Main Event heads-up match? I do. I gave up as it showed no sign of letting up...only to wake up relatively early to see who one. Only to see...IT WAS STILL GOING!!!! Til Tony Miles finally, IMO, lost it...but it was after many, many hours of play, and major fatigue was obvious on both players. That's what this is feeling like.

Those reports go back a few hours, if you've been watching far too long like me. I want evidence on these before I lock into any conclusions. However, the failure of preparation is clearly going to call for serious investigation. The rally was known to happen; having it spill over to a violent breach of the Capitol, perhaps not...but the potential, absolutely so. CNN is skipping most of the House debate altogether; the brief period where MSNBC showed the debate, was a total waste of time, as it was nothing more than the rants that've been spewed and utterly refuted...or repeats of those refutations. Unfortunately, this is giving their talking heads room to rant. I can mostly agree with Don Lemon, but his take is skewed IMO. MSNBC has an anti-FB guy just going off in a very self-serving, circular manner. The debate should be over soon, but there might still be another half hour. THEN the vote...and we'll have to see if that runs quickly, or whether a faction chooses to take their sweet time. Then get the joint session back together. THEN they can finish the roll call.

Ohhhhhhhhhhh no.......... Obviously the news of the day was the events in DC...so many of you might've missed this. From WorldOMeters today: 4100 dead, 260,000 new cases. First time we've exceeded 4000 deaths, only the 3rd time over 250,000 new cases. Both are new daily highs...and the deaths, by a very large margin, I'm very sorry to say. I believer the prior high was about 3750. And the US had a full 1/3 of all new cases in the world.

And....boom. Hawley objects to Pennsylvania. Round 2 of the charade. 12:15 Eastern time. The expectation is, the debate in the Senate will be non-existent. The vote won't take terribly long. BUT, the House probably won't. Even at that, there's just procedural stuff. Because of the pandemic, most of the House members were not on the floor; they were in their offices. So they have to be called back. The Senators have to be gathered too. That's like stopping to refill your tank on a road trip...it doesn't matter that it's literally just at the ramp, it *still* costs you 10 minutes. Presuming no bathroom break or "quick swing" into the quickie mart to get a Slurpee. That's another 10. Oh, and the House vote for the Arizona objection took a good 15 minutes. Oh yeah. Pence calls the Senate to order, they read the objection, Pence recognizes McConnell, McConnell waives his time. BOOM. Straight to roll call. Looks to be the same as Arizona probably. Now we'll have to see what the House does. And then you have the whole procedural issues, and regathering back in the House. So I'm thinking this won't be over til....3 AM or so. A truth here, tho...there's a very good chance, in my mind, that the insurgent intrusion into the Capitol actually did not cost that much time...because it probably did quash the Georgia and Michigan objections and debate. We'd be looking at 3 hours apiece if we were lucky, I think. Sonofa..................... Reports now that 3 people died from medical emergencies during this. I haven't seen details, but this could readily mean that even those who never considered going inside, get more active blame. (They get passive blame for setting up the situation, even if you accept that it wasn't representative of Trump supporters in general. Doesn't absolve them entirely.)

Until we to the next objection...which will happen, it's believed, at Pennsylvania if not earlier... They're following a rigid, totally formalized procedure. Pence makes a set announcement that the cert looks OK...which takes about 15 seconds. Then one of the congressmen reads the results, which takes another 20 seconds. So!!!!! Georgia just came through. 70-odd Representatives tried to object. Rattled off the usual BS. Pence asks, do you have a Senator's signature? Spokesman says, well we did, but they have all withdrawn. BOING!!!!! Round of applause through the chamber. The strict formality is just making sure that every i is properly dotted, every t is crossed, and that there can be no argument about this stage. It's something of a lesson about the nature of serious, consequential legal proceedings, tho. Michigan results objected to...same result. No Senator signed on. EDIT: 55 House members objected to Nevada, for...no real grounds stated. No Senator signed on. This one sounded specious.

Camelot time... I wonder what the king is doing tonight? What merriment is the king pursuing tonight? The candles at the court, they never burned as bright I wonder what the king is upto tonight? It's not candles, it's a bonfire as the House of Trump burns down. Trump. The Anti-Arthur....

I will have to check Trump's approval ratings as this ripples through polls. If this doesn't crash it, nothing will. If you liked McConnell's speech, you should LOVE!!!!! Graham's. It is beautiful. "I disagree with the rulings (about the election laws) but I accept them." And "It is OVER." And last: "Joe Biden is the elected President." OH BOY...debate just closed. Roll call now being called!!!!!!

Word on CNN: some Cabinet members *are* starting to talk about the 25th amendment, probably with grounds of mental instability, on which we've commented extensively. BUT...they talked about the process. It takes a 2/3 vote of each house as well. In the House? I think it's possible, I really do. In the Senate...? Seems unlikely before Inauguration Day, but after today, I can't say inconceivable. It's by no means clear that McConnell would quash it unilaterally.

I've been blithering around with CNN on; actually just put dinner into the oven. I heard Sasse's speech, it was good. But Sasse was never in favor of these objections, IIRC.

The Senate is back in session. Right now, tho, numerous Senators on both sides are having their say. That was a given, and it is completely in the tradition of the Senate. Can't complain about it, but some of em are going overboard. Oh well, that's not new either. This'll go on for a while. Particularly if there's a motion to cl ose debate and have a vote on the Arizona claim soon, and if any other claims get quashed as seems to be likely now. And here's an interesting thought. If these objections have been cut off at the knee by the protests, for the Congressmen who had planned to object but who withdraw their objection...one can expect there may be a fair number of abstentions if not outright reversals of votes...the hard-core Trump sympathizers might...no, not might, *will*...feel totally betrayed, and their anger will not go away. EDIT: from CNN, this should not really surprise anyone...

Believe me, we hear you. You aren't the first on this thread, and I suspect many of us sympathize. Several of his lawyers should face disbarment. This absolutely includes Giuliani, and the woman on the Georgia phone call...she's already gone from her firm, in part because that firm told its people to stay out of the election dispute. I'm also not giving Pence or McConnell *that* much credit for finally saying no; it's way too late for it. But their comeuppance has to be through the political process.

I get it, but I think you're letting your anger and disgust have too much sway. I also think such a move would be very disruptive to the political process, and itself actually damage democracy. It's like, well now that we're in power and Trump isn't, we can punish his supporters for supporting him. Doesn't this feel rather Trumpian in its own right?