Er, come the 20th...

[johnny9fingers]

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/11/trump-impeachment-house-democrats-charge-president-with-incitement-of-insurrection

"The inauguration will be attended by Barack and Michelle Obama, George and Laura Bush and Bill and Hillary Clinton. Biden, incoming Vice-President Kamala Harris and their families will be joined by the former presidents and their families in a visit to Arlington National Cemetery, ABC reported."

It has "The Day of the Jackal" written all over it. I'd suggest using Trump as a shield. Oh wait, he won't be there. But everyone else will be.

Er.

I wouldn't want to pull that security shift.

I do hope they check for bombs and snipers. And have proper aircraft cover. And known, loyal, properly vetted Special Forces folk. We remember Indira Gandhi, after all.

Am I being just a bit paranoid?

Comments

[ex_flameandsong751]

No, I've said to a couple friends of mine that I think Trump isn't simply not attending the inauguration to be a whiny pissbaby, but to give his ultras the heads up that they can do whatever at the inauguration without having to worry about harm coming to him, and if I were one of Biden's advisors (which I'm not) I would be urging Biden to have the inauguration either at a different location than usual, secret, and with sparse attendants, or break precedent altogether and have a socially distanced inauguration that nobody but the required witnesses attends and is televised and streamed online. I feel like in light of the attempted coup, we really can't be too careful, and with the Clintons *and* Obamas in attendance, that sounds like a free-for-all for the right-wing nuts.

The fact that I was right about the attempted coup, and some other stuff that's gone on the last four years, gives me great pause that I'm worrying re: the inauguration. I absolutely don't want this to be another one of those "I was right" things.

[fridi]

If they cave in to the threat, it means the ultras win a big PR victory. I'd go ahead as planned despite them, with some extra security.

[johnny9fingers]

Nah. Sod the PR loss. Being alive is better than good PR.

Keep safe and break them using Congress, afterwards.

[ex_flameandsong751]

I would normally agree with you but the armed protesters on the 6th got past the security in place. They would need a lot of extra security.

If I were doing PR for Biden I would spin it as "we decided that with the pandemic still happening, it was best not to turn this into a superspreader event". I'm sure that mask protocol and standing X feet away will be enforced at the inauguration but it's still a large gathering and that's the sort of thing we don't really need right now, even if there weren't right-wing nutjobs out there salivating over the prospect of taking out the Bidens, Clintons and Obamas all at once.

[johnny9fingers]

They have 15,000 National Guards.

No doubt all vetted and checked. Or not as the case may be.

[ex_flameandsong751]

Probably not. If even a fraction of them are Trump supporters this could go very badly.

[johnny9fingers]

Indeed.

And I don't think it can be denied that Trump has done this to America; where everyone now is second-guessing the next moves in horror.

[johnny9fingers]

Apparently the inauguration is going to be big:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/extremists-move-secret-line-channels-plan-inauguration-day-d-c-n1253876?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma

It doesn’t make a lot of sense to go with the normal routine. This seems like the Odessa Steps in reverse. Thousands of armed protestors from all over the country amounts to a division or two of military-or-militia-trained extremists. Not sure it’s wise to give them actual, visible targets.

But what do I know?

[johnny9fingers]

It just looks like a target too big for them not to go after. Of course if I were doing that sort of planning I would have sub-contracted the job out to a group whom I could blame completely like the old Black September terrorists. Then lockdown, martial law, etc; and war against the Palestinians/Iranians or whomever I could pin the blame on to unite the nation in loathing for someone else.

I really am becoming paranoid.

[mahnmut]

The Lannisters send their regards.

[johnny9fingers]

Indeed.

The Red Wedding Inauguration.

[asthfghl]

That didn't end well for old Walder & Co.

[johnny9fingers]

Apparently it isn’t going to be called “the red inauguration” but “national popcorn day”.

No doubt the memes will run thick and fast. Or just thick.

I can’t talk. I’ve been drunk or stoned as much as I can manage, responsibilities permitting, since lockdown 3.0 began. I mixed up my Iliad and Odyssey in quotation a few hours ago, and cared so little I just poured another whisky.

The U.K. is fucked atm and in the charge of a bunch of corrupt and venal incompetents. The US may just avoid fascism, but still it’s a close run thing.

Why should I be sober? Morning headaches perhaps.

[dewline]

If paranoid, I'd argue you have just and informed cause to be so.

This worries me too. I've said as much elsewhere, as have many other people. And I pray the people in charge of security for Inauguration 2021 take the concerns to heart and plan accordingly and persuade those to be protected to do likewise at least this once.

[johnny9fingers]

Well, the National Guard has been called out. 15,000 of them

Good job none of those chaps are supporters of Trump, QAnon, or white supremacists.

Oh, hang on a sec...

[mikeyxw]

There are some serious problems in the US. A president who just lost an election refusing to accept the results and sending his supporters to the congress/parliament isn't something we've never seen before, but it is unusual for the US. That said, and I realize I'm going to sound like some old, nostalgic fart here, but US revolutions aren't what they used to be. We used to have the Federalist papers, now we have QAnon and some guy in a furry Viking hat. I'm pretty sure Biden isn't in any more danger than Obama was. The cops didn't take the Trump supporters seriously last time, but they are excellent at preparing themselves for the previous battle.

[johnny9fingers]

Well, someone appears to be on the case:

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/12/politics/congress-briefing-us-capitol-threats/index.html?utm_medium=social&utm_content=2021-01-12T15%3A35%3A05&utm_term=link&utm_source=twCNN

Wherein we find The member added that lawmakers are hoping National Guard troops who are being dispatched to the capital are vetted, because while lawmakers trust most of them, many will be coming in from all over the country.

So it appears all eyes are on the ball.