Trump releases single with January 6. insurrectionists

With “Justice for All” Trump makes populist stunt.

Trump released a new version of the US national anthem on Friday. Branding and self-promotion are his hallmarks, but the fact that the single contains an attack on democracy and the judiciary is a matter that is lost in the single’s roaring ending: »U-S-A!, U-S-A!, U-S-A !« writes Desiree Ohrbeck.

They are standing under a huge American flag, slightly overwhelmed by the situation, sharing a microphone. Three girls, about eight years old with small, high-pitched voices. Out of tune, they sing the American national anthem – I’ve never understood why the country chose lyrics and a tune so difficult to sing along to. Meanwhile, parents raise from their seats, remove caps and hats and place a hand over their hearts.

I associate the American national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, with sporting events. At my children’s neighborhood swim team, the youngest swimmers take turns at home meet to sing before the competition. For me, the most beautiful version is Whitney Houston’s interpretation at the Super Bowl in 1991.

“Trump has repeatedly expressed support for the convicted rioters and has promised to overturn their convictions if he is elected the next president of the United States.

Much different is the disturbing emotions I am left with when listening to the single Trump released on Friday. If you click on the single, the video consists of a dark, still image of the American flag. Deep male voices roar-sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The choir is made up of prisoners, convicted after the attempted coup on January 6, 2020, and the profits goes to the prisoners’ families.

A few seconds into the single, Donald Trump’s characteristic voice is heard reciting “The Pledge of Allegiance.” All students, from Kindergarten through High School recite The Pledge of Allegiance every morning with one hand over their heart as they pledge allegiance to the American flag and America.

It is an honor to be invited to the school superintendent’s office to recite “The Pledge” for the whole school. The ritual represents a loyalty oath and an expression of pride in living in the United States.

Mixing the American National Anthem with the patriotic “Pledge of Allegiance” is a genius move. You have to hand it to him, Trump, that he knows how to play his cards to maximum effect. If one has aspirations towards populist national conservatism of the patriotic, not fact-based kind, it strikes a chord with those who think that convicted “freedom fighters” have not been treated with fairness in the justice system. Branding and self-promotion are Trump’s hallmarks. That there is an underlying, decidedly dangerous attack on democracy and the judiciary is a matter that is lost in the single’s roaring ending: “U-S-A!, U-S-A!, U-S-A!”

The single is called “Justice for All,” and is performed by the J6 Prison choir Choir. Trump has repeatedly expressed support for the convicted rioters and has promised to overturn their convictions if he is elected the next president of the United States.

In collaboration with the ultra-right and conspiracy theorists, Trump is the banner-bearer of a trend that views the convictions of the January 6, 2020 attempted coup on Congress as politically motivated and as an orchestrated persecution and an attack by the state on constitutional supporters.

Two minutes and twenty seconds. That’s how long the single is. After this, what does it feel like for parents and sports fans at thousands of sporting events across the country when the national anthem is sung by ordinary democratic-minded Americans who love their country? Will they see themselves as chess pieces in a game they have no desire to play in? I wonder if this summer, as I stand cheering on the side of the pool, ready with my camera, as my kids compete against a neighborhood swim team, I will be able to not let it affect me that yet another unifying American icon has fallen into the hands of those who would rather divide the country than unite it?

Trump udgiver single i samarbejde med fængslede kupmagere

Med singlen “Justice for All” har Trump lavet endnu et populistisk stunt.

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Trump is running for president – but the train wreck that we know seems to be out of steam…

Not even Trump seems to believe in his own victory in the upcoming presidential election

It was expected – in my case, feared. But there was not fanfare, escalators, white dress suits, and roaring shouts of jubilation, like we saw it last time. Even Trump was a toned-down version of himself when he from his Mar-a-Lago golf resort announced his candidacy for the next US presidential election.

And so, the circus begins. We are still waiting for the result to find out if it will be the Democrats or the Republicans who will have the majority in the House of Representatives, but the presidential election has apparently started, too, all though the election is not until two years from now.

A while back, we talked to the kids about our future here in the US. We told them that if the Americans elect Trump again, then our time in the USA is over – we simply cannot go through the drama and the high blood pressure again. Maybe I will be moving, but I doubt it.

Perhaps Trump’s relatively calm behavior was strategic, perhaps he meant to appear as dialed down as possible as a reaction to his shrill MAGA candidates that were massively rejected by voters. Maybe that’s why he didn´t spew his hatred and false accusations at us. Maybe he’s depressed that his candidates in the US midterm elections were rejected. Maybe deep down he doesn’t want to announce his candidacy but does it hoping the multiple lawsuits, facing him for his financial blunders, will disappear.

When Trump announced his candidacy, he followed his script, which is unusual for him. He spoke in a low and slow tone and read his speech from cover to cover. It was a bizarre experience, since we are used to seeing his wild gestures, angry outbursts and tirades of nonsense blabber.

One thing, however, was as it usually is – his falsehoods and his conspiracy theories – about the mid-term election results, oil prices, and about the environment.

The news ankers were puzzled. Who is the Donald Trump we saw on our screens tonight? Why did he appear so different?

How will the Republican leadership respond? During the last week, several prominent members of the party have aired thoughts that it is time for a new direction for the party, a direction away from Trump and his political followers. This sentiment echoes the voters in the midterm elections.

Tonight, I am looking forward. I am exhilarated about the midterm elections – Americans showed the world they value their democracy and that what they want are politicians who work together and implement legislation for the benefit of the people.

So, I look forward to the future. Because with the Trump I saw tonight and the election results last week – I don’t think I’ll have to start packing any moving boxes. Maybe we don’t need to fear that Americans will re-elect Trump. But you never know – you should never underestimate neither Donald Trump nor the American people.

____

Så kører Trump-toget igen – men slet ikke med samme damp som sidst…

Ikke engang Trump ser ud til at tro på sin egen sejr ved det kommende præsidentvalg

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I wish the US was as civilized as Denmark, when it comes to respecting the democratic process

Democracy is difficult. The Danish election two days ago shows us that the US could learn from Denmark. Meanwhile we are waiting for the American mid-term elections.

There they were, all eleven heads of the Danish political parties, representing the spectrum in Danish politics. Standing shoulder to shoulder, the very night of the parliamentary election. Traditionally, on election night, after all votes have been tallied, all party leaders participate in a joint session on the Danish public service tv channel DR to answer questions from the media. The atmosphere was civil, no one accusing anyone of cheating. I was completely stunned and quite moved. I must have forgotten how a well-functioning democratic process works.

My daughter and I were watching the live broadcast from Seattle. I explained the Danish political system, which she was somewhat confused about. Denmark has a multi-party system and eleven parties are a lot, even for a Dane, but not least for her, being used to the election being between the Democrats and the Republicans.

So, I explained, which is not as easy as one might think, because the Danish parties are close in their set of values and often overlap each other in their positions on individual topics.

“The red parties in Denmark are on the side of the blue bloc in the USA. But even the most conservative parties in Denmark, which is represented by a blue color, have some areas that are more socialist than the blue parties here in the US. The blue parties in Denmark are often more ´red´ than the blue party color of the American Democratic Party.”

My daughter asked questions about ideology and what it takes to get a mandate. “It’s a very complicated system,” she said, until it dawned on her that every vote cast counts—unlike presidential elections here.

When I heard the head of The Green Left (SF), Pia Olsen Dyhr, say that despite the differences in opinions, the representatives from other parties in Parliament (Folketing) are colleagues she likes and respects, I almost wanted to move back to my beautiful, democracy-loving, safe country of origin, Denmark.

“This is too exciting! I am amazed how quickly they count the votes,’ she said, while we watched the DR hosts try to fill out airtime while waiting for the final votes.

“Far fewer people live in Denmark. And the Danes are good at creating efficient systems and believing in the democratic process,” I replied.

The atmosphere I felt when I watched politicians from The Red/Green Alliance (Enhedslisten) bike ride through the streets of Copenhagen, the warmth I felt, when the cameras panned through various rooms in Parliament covered in confetti, showing Danish flags being waved, and nervous, excited looks glued to the latest election numbers on tv screens. I saw smiles, hugs, and groups of people spontaneously breaking out in song. That atmosphere, the USA could learn from.

Democracy is something to be celebrated. When I heard the head of The Green Left (SF) Pia Olsen Dyhr, say that despite the differences in opinions, the representatives from other parties in Parliament (Folketing) are colleagues she likes and respects, I almost wanted to move back to my beautiful, democracy-loving, safe country of origin, Denmark, where the rhetoric, even during an election campaign, is at a level where the politicians do not fear for their lives.

In that context, the political mood in America is starkly different. Many politicians talk to each other in such a disrespectful way you hardly want your kids to hear it. Many refuse to meet each other for debates. On the political arena and among the population, the atmosphere is so toxic that some fear a civil war.

Last week, a man broke into Speaker of the United States House of Representatives house, Nancy Pelosi. Pelosi was not at home. But her 82-year-old husband ended up with a fractured skull and injuries to his body. He is still recovering in the ER. The perpetrator has since stated that he wanted to smash Nancy Pelosi’s kneecaps so that other politicians would see what was in store for them.

More than 70 per cent of Republicans in the United States believe that the last presidential election was “stolen” from them – a falsehood that has been refuted again and again by various recounts and by countless court verdicts.

In the US, we don’t get the election results as quickly as other countries do. We must wait and wait and wait because one party in particular, the Republican, want the ballots recounted over and over and because they bring the decision to the courts and drag out the results by appealing even when the margin is significant. By law, they have the right to do so. But when the tally is clear, one must ask whether there is a strategy behind what the republicans are doing.

By dragging out the final election results, citizens lose interest and trust in the system. And that is most likely exactly what the republicans want. In its extreme consequence, that is an eerie thought: if you can destroy faith in democracy and make people believe their vote holds no power, that democracy is too difficult, what then is the alternative? – indifference and acceptance of a totalitarian system brought in through the backdoor.

Democracy is hard. But that does not mean that citizens should turn away from voting and participating – because if we do, we can wave goodbye to the democracy America prides itself of on the global world stage. Maybe America should look to Denmark for showing the world how to respect democracy?

___

Tænk, hvis USA var lige så civiliseret, når det kommer til at afholde valg

Demokrati er svært, og USA kunne lære meget af Danmark. Det viste det danske valg, mens vi venter på det amerikanske midtvejsvalg.

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The Danish press is looking into Søren Pape´s, the leader of the Danish Conservative People´s Party, statements and actions – all you have to do is to turn to America to see how bad things can go

Looking into Søren Pape´s behavior is relevant – he might be the next Danish Prime Minister

I am not comparing Søren Pape to Donald Trump one to one; their behavior cannot be compared and Pape´s potential misconduct does not match that of Donald Trump´s. But, the principle of the press investigating the worthiness and suitability of the person who has ambitions to lead the country is the same – and that process is important.

I live in the United States and every day the news bring stories revealing Trump’s abuse of power while he was president – and reveal stories about what he has been willing to do for his dictatorial ambitions. Furthermore, Trump put the country’s security and the citizens´ lives at risk after he was out of office.

And that is the part of the story about the leader of the Danish Conservative People´s Party Søren Pape that is interesting. The public needs to know if he has violated any laws or committed actions within the country´s borders and internationally inconsistent with how one behaves as a publicly elected person. If it turns out he has, it needs to be addressed and dealt with – immediately. If we don´t, all one has to do is look to America to see how bad things can go. The Danish population needs to know who they are potentially voting to be the next leader of Denmark before an election.

“when the press smells blood, you have to be able to provide more than a muffled answer to survive in the highest circles of political life – as the saying goes: when you are a public figure, the press will attend both the wedding and the divorce.

It’s a good thing the press is not intimidated but do the research which leads to providing the public with the information they find. Some findings are irrelevant in relation to Pape’s dreams of becoming the next Danish Prime Minister, others may reveal serious incidents. That’s the process. It’s not pretty, but it’s necessary.

It is crucial that the population has a right to know what kind of candidate they are potentially voting into the Prime Minister’s Office – especially if illegal activities have damaged Denmark’s reputation and put the country´s security at risk.

That Pape is so ill-prepared and handles the shitstorm he’s in so completely unmannerly is another matter. He clearly needs his spin doctor to help him prepare his public responses better. But when spin and emotionally distress intertwine, it is clearly difficult for him to utter anything meaningful to the public. A public person like Pape should know that once the press smells blood, you have to be able to give more than a muffled answer to survive in the highest circles of political life – as the saying goes: the press will attend both the wedding and the divorce.

As we have seen countless times with Trump here in the United States, it creates a ground for conspiracy theories and allows the press to gain the upper hand and run the stories in the direction they want when a politician does not want to answer strait to questions from the press.

Søren Pape’s inability to handle the situation is shameful, because his unwillingness to elaborate and answer questions creates uncertainty in relation to his competences as Denmark’s future leader. Hopefully, time will show that he didn´t compromise Denmark’s interests. Time will tell, the press turn every stone and unearth whatever lies below the surface – for the benefit of Denmark and democracy.

Det er ikke kønt, men det er nødvendigt at gå Pape efter i sømmene – se bare på USA, hvor galt det kan gå

Det er relevant, hvad Søren Pape har foretaget sig – han kan stå på tærsklen til at få overdraget nøglerne til Statsministeriet.

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Does Joe Biden fear an American civil war?

Do you want to keep democracy?, Joe Biden asked in his address to the nation.

Sleepy Joe has finally woken up, and that´s in a way that felt like a slap in the face to me and Americans. In his address to the nation yesterday, he said: “We have to be honest. There is too much in the United States that, because of Donald Trump, threatens the foundations of our democracy.”

If that doesn´t snap you out of your haze, I don´t know what will. I myself, reacted by sitting up straight on my couch. And then I got nervous. The speech was, in all its simplicity, about how we must ensure that democracy survives under the pressure of the political violence of extreme national MAGA groupings.

Our time is not the first where the United States has been divided. Historically, when things have been so bad that an American president has addressed the nation, division within the population has led to war and a national identity crisis.

I am obviously not the only one who occasionally loose sleep over the situation in America. Today, the country’s president found it necessary to say that if we are not careful, we risk that our children will not grow up in a democracy with the same freedoms as we have today. “Equality and democracy are under attack. Don’t take our democracy for granted, stand up for it, fight for it,” Joe Biden said.

“As Biden talked about the United States being at a crossroads, I get more nervous. This was not just another political speech from a political leader. This was serious.

It is very rare that Biden mentions Trump by name. But today, he did just that several times. Without sugarcoating his words, he warned that Trump and his MAGA supporters are actively using violence and threats as a tool and that they are willing to use any means to get the results they want. But “you can’t only love the United States when you win,” Biden shouted. “Blind loyalty to one person is fatal for a democracy.”

Several times since the attempted coup on January 6 last year, I have come across ordinary Americans who have expressed a fear that the political mood and Trump’s influence are now so inflamed that it could lead to a civil war.

Biden argued that “that’s not how we are”.

But maybe that is the way Americans are? Maybe they’ve always been that way? Maybe we just haven’t seen it until now, because the hatred has been directed against populations abroad or against African Americans within the country’s borders – and not against ordinary white Americans, whose only “flaws” in the eyes of Trump and his supporters are, that they are democrats?

Biden and Trump are the personification of the choice America faces. Democracy versus autocracy, a dynamic society versus conservative stagnation, inclusion versus exclusion, international orientation versus isolationism.

Joe Biden is a seasoned politician to the core. He believes in the Constitution, the democratic process and has been part of the game in Congress and the White House for decades. He is known for seeking consensus across political party lines, inviting everyone to negotiations and believing in the process. Trump, on the other hand, is a completely different beast with no political experience and with an attitude that he wants things his way – at any cost and by any means. The diplomat against the tyrant, the negotiator against the aggressor.

As Biden talked about the United States being at a crossroads, I got more nervous. This was not just another political speech from a political leader. This was serious. Quiet, whispering Joe stood there under the whir of historic wings and said that we must fight for what we believe in—and that if we don’t, we’ll lose our democracy.

“We are not powerless, we must not stand by. We stand for honesty, decency, democracy,’ he said rather dictatingly. He also said that together we can do anything. Still, I had a knot in my stomach, thinking about how we are going to stop national extremists from intimidating and threatening their way into an agenda and a society far from what I associate with a free democracy, and how democracy might feel after the next election.

Frygter Joe Biden en amerikansk borgerkrig?

Skal vi have demokratiske rettigheder eller ufrihed? spurgte Joe Biden i sin tale til nationen.

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Udmattelsens juridiske maraton er Trumps trumf

Amerikanske nyhedsmedier håber, Trump bliver stillet til regnskab – men en snu rotte som ham finder altid smuthuller.

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A judicial marathon of exhaustion is Trump’s strategy card

American news outlets like CNN, MSNBC, BBC and others sound like they think Trump will be held accountable this time – but a cunning rat like him always finds loopholes.

He does it again and again: puts other people’s lives in danger, never his own.

Most people are probably aware that the FBI has removed multiple boxes of top secret documents from Trump’s private golf resort, Maralago. Documents Trump took with him as he hurriedly flew away in a helicopter in the early hours of the same Washington DC morning Joe Biden was sworn in as the next President of the United States.

The documents Trump took, were piled up in closets, in his bedroom, and wherever he could find available space – fully accessible to anyone with access to Trump’s quarters.

“He has always considered himself above the law. He will probably find a loophole. this time, too.

Under the Espionage Act and the Atomic Energy Act, it is illegal to hide or remove top secret documents related to national defense.

It requires a long and rigorous process to gain approval to access top secret documents. Before your approval, you undergo a series of security checks and interviews, as do your neighbors, friends and colleagues.

Once you are handling top secret documents, you can lose your job if you forget to lock your drawer with classified documents – even if it is located in a top secured building.

It is a matter of national security and of the safety of the people who serve the United States. It is crucial that top secret documents are handled with respect and according to strict protocol – anything else is a disgrace to those who put their lives on the line every day for their country.

Of course, it is not legal to remove top secret documents when you are no longer president. The documents belong to the state, not the president. Who knows how many agents’ lives Trump has put on the line in his childish and dangerous need for control and power?

And no, it is also not legal for a former president to change the status of documents with the stroke of a pen, as Trump claims he did.

When I watch the news on CNN and MSNBC, hear the news from the BBC and read the New York Times, I sense hope and excitement that the processes underway will hold Trump accountable for his countless acts of democracy destruction.

But I do not share the optimism. Trump is a seasoned rat who knows the legal game from his mafia-like business practices that have repeatedly brought him into conflict with the New York legal system throughout his life.

He has no respect for the law and no intention of obeying it. He has always considered himself to be above the law. He will probably find a loophole this time, too.

Hvem deltog i kupforsøget i USA for et år siden? Et overraskende billede tegner sig

Helt almindelige amerikanere er villige til at ty til vold.

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Who participated in the insurrection a year ago? The answer might surprise you

Ordinary American citizens are willing to resort to violence.

“What the fuck is going on?” Those were the first words I heard when my Danish friend called me on January 6 last year. We were on opposite sides of the globe and were both watching, paralyzed by the images on our TV screens.

The images on the screen showed thousands of aggressive people, many with Trump flags and in military-like attire, hammering at police officers, smashing windows and doors and forcing their way in to the Capitol building, where the crowed went howling and screaming from corridor to corridor to find prominent politicians’ offices. That day, both civilians and police officers lost their lives.

“It will be ok. The American system is strong,” said my former colleague when I spoke to him a few minutes before the conversation with my friend in Denmark. He is an elderly gentleman, and he served at the University of Washington as a professor of history for more than 30 years. I had called him crying, hoping to hear some calming words from this experienced man – I needed him to say that America would be ok after this.

Who went to Washington DC that day when the situation went crazy and people stormed Congress?

Contrary to what one might think, many of the rioters were citizens without extreme right winged leanings. And that fact is scary.

It turns out that those who behaved most violently on January 6, 2020, were not people on the authorities list of threats. Most have never committed a crime before. They were our neighbors, active in their churches – ordinary Americans. In other words, they do not fit the profile of a typical extremist.

But they believed, were completely convinced, that Trump won the presidential election. Their sense of justice had suffered a setback. And so they felt violence was ok.

If ordinary people feel that they have the right to use and react with violent, anti-democratic methods when their sense of justice is violated, then we are potentially facing a huge problem in the future.

Despite the fact that this feeling of injustice and election fraud was rooted in conspiratorial beliefs, the events on that horrible day in January last year, show us that this or a similar attack on our democracy could happen again if an election result goes against some people´s preference.

How long do we have a democracy if various private individuals feel they have a right to violently oppose democracy – even when there is no, as in absolutely none, zip, zero, evidence for their claim of fraudulence?

Since the attack on democracy a year ago, conspiracy theories have not diminished. On various electronic platforms, multiple outrageous conspiracy theories thrives. In these lonely Corona times it might be understandable that some people can fall into a black hole and be trapped and sucked in to such a universe. After all, we all need a sense of community and on a certain level, these groups offer that – however sick they are in their mindsets. But who bears responsibility and who do we hold accountable for the threat to democracy?

In the United States, economic means create power. At the same time, political decision-making processes moves at a snail’s pace. Meanwhile, social platforms are making money, and the conspiracy theories people are willing to believe in are becoming more and more insane.

To put it mildly, it has been an uncommonly ugly sight to see politicians compromise on democratic principles instead of showing the people that they are working to make the democracy they claim to be fighting for stronger and make sure nothing like we saw last year will ever happen again.

Whether it’s a right-wing Trump extremist, a hard-working UPS worker, or a young man looking for an adrenaline rush that took part in the terrorist attack on Congress and US democracy last year, the fact is that they need to be prosecuted – every single one of them.

Because everyone has an individual responsibility, and one should be held accountable for one’s actions – even if one regrets or was caught in the moment and did things one would otherwise never have done.

The investigation process is underway, but it is moving far too slow, and it is important for the surrounding community’s belief in the system to get a feeling that the justice system and democracy work – preferably before the next presidential election.

We cannot forget, however, that the main culprit for the attack on the US election process is Donald Trump – and he must be held responsible for having used ordinary citizens as puppets in his attempt to overthrow democracy in God’s own country.

Ups! Når man vil ramme sin modstander, men skyder sig selv i foden

Floridas republikanere laver valgrestriktioner, der rammer egne vælgere.

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Oops! When you want to hit your opponent, but it backfires

Florida Republicans are making election restrictions that hit their own voters.

You probably remember how Trump thundered against the fact that the Americans voted by mail in the last presidential election – and how the outcome, due to postal votes, benefited the Democrats?

And what do you do when you have a hard time winning? Well , if you are a Republican, then you are cheating on the scales and introducing rules that make it harder for your opponent’s supporters to vote. Obviously, democratic rights and ” liberty and justice for all” still do not mean much when it comes down to it.

The state of Georgia has already introduced austerity measures to make it harder to vote by mail. Texas and Arizona are also on the move with new initiatives. Each state has its own characteristics. Common to the legislation is that it seeks to target non-Republican groups. It is undemocratic and unethical.

What do the changes consist of? There are many new initiatives, but here are a few examples:

The identification requirements of the individual voter are tightened. If you move around a lot, as many people with connections to the military do, then there may be a discrepancy between driving licenses and other documents, e.g. your current address and you will not be allowed to cast your vote.

You must also, within a certain period of time, ask to vote by mail at each election and will not automatically receive a ballot paper. If you do not apply to vote by post according to carefully specified rules, you will not receive a ballot paper and thus lose the opportunity to cast your vote.

In Florida, one wants to please Trump. Therefore, new restrictive rules have been urgently considered to cast votes in the upcoming elections. There’s just one monkey there.

Because in Florida, it was precisely postal votes that in its time meant that the balance of power changed, so it is now the Republicans who are in power.

Unlike other states, Republicans have been actively pursuing a strategic program for the past 40 years to promote the ability to vote by mail. But why now?

Florida has a large population of past and present military people, and the state is also known for its large population of retirees. These groups traditionally vote Republican.

In the case of military personnel, they often move around a lot and are posted, which makes it easier to vote by mail, and in the case of pensioners, leaving home is not always easy. Both groups are crucial in the election for Republicans.

But now Florida intends to introduce restrictions that make it harder to vote, and which in particular make it harder to vote by mail. Among other things. there are plans to set up fewer mailboxes where people can send their ballot papers from. If you are elderly and have difficulty walking, then your ballot paper may be on the table at home after an election. You never left, the trip was too long and arduous.

Rumor has it that Republican lawmakers too late came to mind that the legislation they were in the process of mashing through was likely to hit their own supporters harder than their political opponents. Despite this foot error, Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced that he will probably sign when the bills land on his desk – one is probably a loyal Trump soldier.

Thus, Florida’s Republican lawmakers are most likely to suppress their own votes when they hit the groups that traditionally vote Republican.

How will Republican lawmakers stumble out of having shot themselves in the foot after the next election result?

Before we get the answer to that, one can only lament the hundreds of austerity measures that Republican lawmakers and many swing states are introducing these months to keep certain groups away from the ballot box.

(Google translate)

Demokratiet sejrede i USA – nu løfter vi blikket og ser det, der ligger foran os, ikke det, der skiller os

Enhed, inklusion og demokratiets overlegenhed var i fokus i dag.

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Democracy triumphed in the United States – let´s lift our gaze and see the things that lie ahead, not the things that separate us

Unity, inclusion and the superiority of democracy were in focus today.

I sat ready in front of the television. Seeing the democratic process work and previous presidents backing it up, calmed me down in my system. With Joe and Jill Biden, the leadership of the United States returns to a time when intelligence and facts are something you respect, not something you ridicule.

Finally the day came, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in as President and Vice President of the United States . Democracy won and the mob must pack away their baseball bats and automatic weapons while democratic processes prevail.

Bush was there, Clinton and Obama were there. And Pence was there. The Kamala Harris family was there, it’s a big day for them and for Americans with African American and Asian backgrounds.

The masks spoke their very own language. Pence and Bush sent strong signals with their flags and national symbols: the United States, patriotism and respect for the system go hand in hand. Several members of the Harris family wore glitter masks. All over the United States, little girls with golden skin are thinking, “Everything is possible for me in this country.”

And then there was the women’s attire. Both Kamala Harris, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton wore purple, which is the color you get if you combine blue and red – the colors of the Democratic and Republican Party, now it’s time for unity and to stand together. Kamala Harris and her outfit are also an appreciative nod back to 1972, the year Shirley Chisholm , as the first African-American woman, ran as a presidential candidate for the Democrats. Perhaps the purple color was also a thank you to the swing states, often referred to as purple states.

It is important that Mike Pence, the former Vice President of the United States, attended today. Pence received no warm welcome from either the former Democratic presidents or from Bush. Up until the terrorist attack on the Congress building two weeks ago, Pence has faithfully stood side by side with Trump at various rallies and repeated his lies about election fraud. It must not be easy to stand among the political opponents he has so fiercely fought against and who despise him and his former boss.

For me, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris began their new jobs as country leaders yesterday. For the first time since the pandemic took place exactly one year ago, an official memorial service was held for the 400,000 Americans who lost their lives in the Corona pandemic. 400 lamps lit up along the Lincoln Memorials pool and Biden and Harris held memorial speeches. In New York, The Empire State Building lit up like a red, beating heart. Even before they were sworn in, they heralded new times and new tones.

Today Jennifer Lopez, who is Latina , sang ” this land is your land, this land is my land”, and I cried. That song I first heard, I put my legs in an American kindergarten, a few days after we had arrived in the United States. Even then, I got a lump in my throat over the text. The atmosphere that characterized the ceremony today was marked by an inclusion and a celebration of diversity that I experienced on my own body when I moved to the United States with my husband and two small children.

At the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris today, the focus was on the importance of unity despite differences. The United States is made up of people from very different places and with very different backgrounds. It is the foundation of America’s existence and success, and we must embrace and build on it.

Neither the last 4 years’ split, orchestrated from the highest place, nor the attack on the Congress building, the very symbol of American democracy 2 weeks ago, was swept under the rug. It was addressed so that the audience and people in front of the screens at home understood that democracy wins – always. It has done so for the last 244 years, every 4 years since 1789, and so it continues to be. If anything, Americans have been reminded of how valuable democracy is and that it can never be taken for granted.

Biden is a man who reaches out to his opponents. He spoke directly to them and asked them to listen and see what he would accomplish. If they then still disagree with him, then that’s ok, assured him. As long as it is peaceful and democratic. His speech focused on the United States having to learn from the past in order to build a future better than the one it took over.

Biden is well aware of what constitution the United States is in. The United States is in a dark time. Democracy is in crisis, the Corona pandemic is out of control, unemployment is huge, small businesses are fighting for their survival, racial unrest is raging in response to systematic racism, the climate is suffering and political extreme groups are ravaging.

If anyone knows Biden what it takes for a human being and a nation to heal. As a young man, he lost his wife and little girl in a tragic car accident. He later lost a son to cancer. When he talks about what it takes and how he wants to get the nation there, people believe in him. When he talks about inclusion, humility, empathy and compassion, you feel like opening your arms, putting yourself in the saddle and doing your part so that we can be the best version of ourselves, and thus work towards becoming a better nation.

There is hope for a better future. The next generation was represented by Amanda Gorman , an African-American poet, just 22 years old. She talked about unity in her impressively long. Gorman did not shy away from describing the events that shocked Americans and the world 2 weeks ago. But she used them as a springboard to paint a picture that gave hope and a sense that the United States can heal and unite. For the United States is not broken, just unfinished. The US has gotten some nasty scratches, but it still persists. There is always light in the dark if we are brave enough to see it – and be it ourselves.

(Google translate)

Forsøget på at omstyrte demokratiet i USA er ikke slut – hold øje med den 17. januar

USA har været udsat for kupforsøg, begået af terrorister og ansporet af USA’s fascistiske præsident, Donald Trump.

Læs hele bloggen her:

The attempt to overthrow democracy in the United States is not over – keep an eye on January 17th

The United States has been subjected to coup attempts, committed by terrorists and spurred on by US fascist President Donald Trump.

As we here in the United States try to get over it and figure out how to react to the coup attempt on January 6, committed by terrorists, violent gunmen are planning a new attack on democracy on January 17, 19 and 20. , where both militia groups and declared gun supporters have planned to show up armed in Washington DC and at other official buildings in the United States. In several places in the United States, there have already been armed riots, including Armed Trump supporters broke in through the gate of the Governor’s building here in Washington state this week.

According to e.g. Professor of Computer Technology at the University of Maryland Jen Golbeck long stood clear, not only in the dark corners of the Internet but also on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram that people planning the coup attempt on January 6 also planned to storm the Congress building. They talked for weeks on the Internet openly about how many people they would kill and how they would carry out the killings.

At the demonstrations it. On January 17, 19 and 20, participants plan to bring weapons. Not everyone is ready to use violence, but according to Jen Golbeck , there are proclamations on the dark pages of the internet from various individuals claiming they are ready to sacrifice their lives for the ´ cause´.

One can hope that the FBI this time is more prepared than they were on Wednesday, when terrorists in a failed coup attempt easily stormed the Congress building in the fight for their fascist leader, Donald Trump.

Coup? Terrorism? Fascism? Shouldn’t I just relax with the rhetoric now? Let me explain my choice of words.

Exactly the use of these words makes sense when we have to analyze what happened on Wednesday and what, in my best estimation, is going to happen again in the next 13 days in an attempt to create unrest and chaos and overthrow the American democracy as we know it.

Words have power, words have meaning. I do not use them to whip up a mood, I use them because they exactly cover what we saw and see unfold.

Terrorism is a big word. We associate it with the attack on the Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2001, and with Islamists. But terrorism is defined as the `illegal use of violence and intimidation to achieve a political goal.´ That was exactly what we saw on Wednesday as militant Trump supporters tried to stop the democratic counting and approval process of America’s next democratically elected president.

A coup attempt is defined as ‘an attack on the state’. Trump was democratically elected and installed as the 45th President of the United States on January 20, 2016. Trump tried to incite his mob through populist propaganda to put democratic processes out of play. Then his supporters marched toward the Congress building and stormed it. We have seen in many other countries how democratically elected leaders use democracy to push the boundaries of democracy in an authoritarian, undemocratic direction, and now we see it in the United States as well.

The aim was to intimidate politicians into abandoning the census process, which is a mere formality but an important part of the democratic process. Fortunately, it did not succeed. Politicians insisted on carrying out the democratic process and approving Joe Biden as the next president of the United States. Thus, they took the voices of the Americans seriously.

When I use such strong words, there are undoubtedly people who will accuse me of being extreme and unvarying. There are times when you have to call things what they are. Especially for Danes, it can feel uncomfortable. The Danes are a calm people, we like consensus, we do not use big words. But it is sometimes needed, even though it may be unpopular.

The last word I want to use in this regard is fascism. Yes, all the hallmarks are there: Trump as a cult figure, the rejection of democracy, the symbols, the hats, the uniforms, the flags, the glorification of fighting, conspiracy theories designed to create a different reality than the one we others live in, and finally Trump’s eternal loyalty tests . It could have cost Pence his life as the terrorists ran around the Congress building and furiously shouted `Where is Pence?` Shortly after Trump tweeted that Pence had approved the counting of votes in Alabama, Arkansas and was now hearing objections against the approval of Arizona’s election mandates.

I refuse to downplay the attack on the Congress building on Wednesday. The building has enormous symbolic significance in the United States. It goes by the name. The people’s building, ´ the Americans have strong feelings that are attached to the building that in the eyes of the Americans about something is the symbol of democracy. When they saw the flag of the Confederacy waving in their building, the building of the people, it was too many a drop, something inside them broke.

I dare not even think about what could have happened if men with automatic weapons had rolled into the House of Representatives and the Senate and had started slapping politicians down. It is extremely rare that all politicians are gathered, as they were on Wednesday. It could have ended horribly wrong. It might do so next time.

There must be action now. Better today than tomorrow. Trump must be ousted using section 25 para. 4 (25th Amendment section 4), he is insane and has proven unfit to contest the office of President of the United States. It is deadly to have a furious man like him sitting with the power he has.

And to those who say that it’s only 11 days more, that more than 70 million have voted for him, and that ousting him will make him a martyr, I say: Trump has proven time and time again, that one should take his word seriously. One should not sweep his rhetoric off the track, paint it off like hot air. What he says, he thinks. The more freedom he and his companions gain, the more they become agitated, take a step further, and go even further in their undemocratic conduct.

Trump will also have to stand trial for another federal trial so he can never again run for public office if found guilty.

In addition to a democracy in crisis, we in the United States are facing an economic crisis we have not seen since the 1930s. Many Americans do not know how to put food on the table for their children and pay next month’s rent. And well, yes, we are also in the middle of a pandemic that is completely out of control. 4,000 Americans die every day from Covid-19, every day nearly 300,000 Americans are tested positive for the disease Trump has refused to deal with and act on.

Trump has been a disaster for the United States. He leaves behind a country in identity crisis, an economy in ruins and a population that every day loses the same number of citizens to Corona who died 9/11.

(Google translate)