Americans and the law enforcement community are questioning how the pro-Trump demonstrators who gained access to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 succeeded in getting that far, and that scrutiny has led to indications that they had some help from members or former members of the police and military.
Most people want answers to make sure such incidents will not happen again, particularly today when Joe Biden gets inaugurated as the next president of the United States — but they apparently don’t want those answers to come from the news media.
Multiple Facebook posts have complained about the media coverage of the FBI’s decision to remove 12 National Guardsmen from duty because of questions that arose during the agency’s screening of those who planned to help provide security during the inauguration. A spokesman said their names came up during the vetting, but he added, “we’re not saying all 12 have ties … to extremists or militias.”
The complaints on social media allege that, by reporting on a few soldiers who were removed from the security detail, the media are painting all National Guardsmen as extremists — despite the reporters’ care in pointing out that the removals are for a range of reasons.
“The American people should have confidence in the National Guard, they should have confidence in the law enforcement team that are planning for this inauguration,” the spokesman is quoted as saying.
Facebook posts take issue with the media for reporting the information, saying it’s not news at all.
Stimulus
The same sort of criticism falls on those who believe the only way to keep the economy from falling deeper into trouble is by bold actions. Jane Yellen, Joe Biden’s choice for Treasury secretary, told lawmakers during her confirmation hearing that she would face a “dual mission” — getting Americans through the pandemic, and “rebuild[ing] our economy so that it creates more prosperity for more people and ensures that American workers can compete in an increasingly competitive global economy.”
Some fiscal conservatives, both Republican and Democrat, are concerned that the national debt, which at $21.6 trillion exceeds the annual output of the U.S. economy, will not recover from more deficit spending. Most economists, however, believe that, by injecting money into the economy, the country will recover more quickly and that a growing economy will more than cover the expenses of today — although perhaps with higher taxes being part of the equation. Biden’s talk of higher taxes remains focused on increased taxation for most wealthy to provide benefits for the middle and lower classes.
Progressives note that Republican leaders have supported years of tax cuts for the wealthy and profligate spending, only now talking about the deficit. They say the time has come to wield the power they have to help people, not Wall Street executives and defense contractors. If that doesn’t happen, they say, “a new right-wing authoritarian will likely ride another wave of anger at the continued inequality, destitution, and dysfunction — and that next menace is likely to be even more dangerous than Trump.”
A Child and Its Dog
Political leadership rises and falls, but people’s love for animals remains a constant, as a recent discovery in France illustrates. The Guardian reports that archaeologists have found a 2,000-year-old grave in what at the time was Roman Gaul, with the remains of a canine buried outside a child’s coffin. There was an iron ring attached to a bent metal rod between the legs of the dog, and it wore a collar with a bell and bronze decorations.
The child is believed to have been about a year old when it died. It was buried with terracotta vases, half a pig, and two headless chickens, as well as pots believed to have contained oils and medicines.
Week 4
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