(01-21-2021, 12:40 AM)grampahol Wrote: Well folks, our national DTs are finally over. The delirious tremors and donald trump are finally history.. It's a twofer..

Quote:9. For example, on December 29, 2020, Tarrio posted a message on the social media site Parler about the demonstration planned for January 6, 2021. Among other things, Tarrio announced that the Proud Boys would “turn out in record numbers on Jan 6th but this time with a twist… We will not be wearing our traditional Black and Yellow. We will be incognito and we will be spread across downtown DC in smaller teams. And who knows….we might dress in all BLACK for the occasion.” I believe the statement about dressing in “all BLACK” is a reference to dressing like the group known as “Antifa,” who the Proud Boys have identified as an enemy of their movement and are often depicted in the media wearing all black to demonstrations.

Quote:Thousands of National Guardsmen were allowed back into the Capitol Thursday night, hours after U.S. Capitol Police officials ordered them to vacate the facilities, sending them outdoors or to nearby parking garages after two weeks pulling security duty after the deadly riot on Jan. 6.

One unit, which had been resting in the Dirksen Senate Office building, was abruptly told to vacate the facility on Thursday, according to one Guardsman. The group was forced to rest in a nearby parking garage without internet reception, with just one electrical outlet, and one bathroom with two stalls for 5,000 troops, the person said. Temperatures in Washington were in the low 40s by nightfall.

“Yesterday dozens of senators and congressmen walked down our lines taking photos, shaking our hands and thanking us for our service. Within 24 hours, they had no further use for us and banished us to the corner of a parking garage. We feel incredibly betrayed,” the Guardsman said.

POLITICO obtained photos showing the Guard members packed together in the parking garage, sleeping on the ground.

All National Guard troops were told to vacate the Capitol and nearby congressional buildings on Thursday, and to set up mobile command centers outside or in nearby hotels, another Guardsman confirmed. They were told to take their rest breaks during their 12-hour shifts outside and in parking garages, the person said.

Top lawmakers from both parties took to Twitter to decry the decision and call for answers after POLITICO first reported the news Thursday night, with some even offering their offices to be used as rest areas. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) tweeted: “If this is true, it's outrageous. I will get to the bottom of this.” And Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) noted that the Capitol complex remains closed to members of the public, “so there’s plenty of room for troops to take a break in them.”

By 10 p.m., Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) said the situation was “being resolved” and that the Guardsmen would be able to return indoors later in the night.

“Just made a number of calls and have been informed Capitol Police have apologized to the Guardsmen and they will be allowed back into the complex tonight,” added Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who lost both of her legs in combat. “I’ll keep checking to make sure they are.”

A Guard source confirmed late Thursday night that all troops in the parking garages were ordered to return inside the Capitol.

Brig. Gen. Janeen Birckhead, the Guard’s Inauguration Task Force commander, confirmed in a statement to POLITICO a little after midnight that the troops are out of the garage and back into the Capitol building as authorized by the USCP Watch Commander. They will take their breaks near Emancipation Hall going forward.

In a statement, Capitol Police spokesperson Eva Malecki said the department recently asked that troops’ shifts be reduced from 12 hours to eight in order to allow for additional rest hours away from the Capitol complex. The statement did not explain why the Guardsmen were forced into parking garages.

Guardsmen who spoke with POLITICO were not given a clear reason why they were asked to vacate the buildings. The first Guardsman said it may have been due to a complaint that some troops were not wearing masks, but denied that was the case.


“We have strict guidance that masks are to be worn at all times unless soldiers are eating and drinking,” the Guardsman said.

Capitol Police asked troops to move their rest area on Thursday, said Guard spokesperson Maj. Matt Murphy.

“As Congress is in session and increased foot traffic and business is being conducted, Capitol Police asked the troops to move their rest area,” Murphy said. “They were temporarily relocated to the Thurgood Marshall Judicial Center garage with heat and restroom facilities. We remain an agile and flexible force to provide for the safety and security of the Capitol and its surrounding areas.”

Guard leadership did not make the decision and are “doing their best to provide rest shelter for troops who are still on 12-hour shifts protecting the Capitol and congressional grounds,” the second Guardsman said.

“There really may be an important reason for us to vacate and it just hasn’t been well communicated yet,” the second Guardsman said.

The troops are particularly concerned about being packed in tight quarters with limited bathroom access during a pandemic. At least 100 Guardsmen have tested positive for Covid-19, according to two Guardsmen. Some are quarantining in hotels.

A spokesperson previously declined to provide a specific number for troops who have tested positive for the virus.

After images went viral last week of troops sleeping on the floor in the halls of Congress, Guardsmen protecting the Capitol were initially provided cots, POLITICO first reported.

Thousands of troops have already left Washington after around 25,000 were called to D.C. to help defend it from potential threats ahead of President Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday.

(01-22-2021, 09:24 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: This is some bullshit: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/21/national-guard-troops-vacate-capitol-461220

I don't know who made the decision, though it wouldn't surprise me if it was politicians or USCP at this point. I'm happy it was rectified, but this was bullshit from the start.

(01-22-2021, 12:26 PM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: Yeah, I read about this on Task & Purpose, a veterans website.  It pissed me off something awful but I didn't post it here because I thought it would come across as me already attacking Biden.  I'm pleased you did it for me.  Biden already doesn't trust his own troops, now he's making them sleep in a parking garage.

(01-22-2021, 12:32 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: I have heard different reports on who was responsible, but no clear answer. Some are saying it was USCP, some were saying Congressional leadership, some are blaming Biden. Personally, whoever it was, deserves serious criticism.

(01-22-2021, 12:32 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: I have heard different reports on who was responsible, but no clear answer. Some are saying it was USCP, some were saying Congressional leadership, some are blaming Biden. Personally, whoever it was, deserves serious criticism.

Quote:Nearly 1 in 5 of the rioters charged in Capitol insurrection are military veterans, study shows

Azmi Haroun 
16 hours ago

[/url][url=https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com%2F1-in-5-charged-in-capitol-riot-veterans-active-duty-2021-1&title=Nearly%201%20in%205%20of%20the%20rioters%20charged%20in%20Capitol%20insurrection%20are%20military%20veterans%2C%20study%20shows&summary=The%20report%20comes%20after%20rioters%20were%20photographed%20in%20military%20gear%2C%20with%20others%20seen%20planning%20and%20carrying%20out%20the%20violent%20riot%20using%20military%20jargon.&mini=true&utmSource=linkedIn&utmContent=referral&utmTerm=topbar&referrer=linkedIn][/url]
[url=https://www.businessinsider.com/1-in-5-charged-in-capitol-riot-veterans-active-duty-2021-1]




Supporters of US President Donald Trump enter the US Capitol's Rotunda on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. - Demonstrators breached security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

• Almost 20% of rioters charged in the Capitol siege were active duty military members, or veterans.
• The report published by NPR follows a broader conversation about extremism within the US military.
• Insider created a searchable database of those individuals charged for their participation in the riot.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
  

As members of the violent mob who stormed the US Capitol have slowly been identified and charged, a new report offers insights into the background and training of dozens of those rioters.

According to NPR, nearly 20% of the individuals facing federal charges or District of Columbia charges for participating in the January 6 insurrection are military veterans. The outlet identified that out of the more than 160 individuals facing charges, at least 27 have served or are serving in the US military.

Insider created a searchable database of those individuals charged for their participation in the Capitol siege, which also describes the charges against each individual. NPR reported that the majority of veterans were charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol ground.
According to the US Census Bureau, only 7% of American adults are military veterans. The report comes after some rioters were photographed in military gear, and others openly planned and carried out the incursion using military jargon.

Larry Brock Jr., one of the rioters infamously photographed roaming the Senate chamber in a helmet, body armor and holding flex cuffs, posted on Facebook that he was getting ready for a "second civil war," and believed that the US was "under occupation by a hostile governing force," after Biden's win, according to court documents. 

Brock also referenced an oath taken by members of the US military ahead of storming the Capitol, writing, "Against all enemies foreign and domestic."

A pair of off-duty Virginia police officers who stormed the Capitol were also military veterans, according to the report. Jacob Fracker, a member of the Marine Corps who was deployed to Afghanistan twice is also an active member of the Virginia National Guard. His colleague, Thomas Robertson, is an army veteran. 

According to court documents, Fracker posted on Facebook after the insurrection, saying he was "proud" of storming the Capitol and felt he "did nothing illegal."

The revelations fit in with a broader conversation about extremism within the ranks of the US military, namely after the National Guard expelled two soldiers ahead of the inauguration due to their connections to extremist, white nationalist groups.

Federal prosecutors have also levied charges against members of the far-right extremist groups Oath Keepers as well as Proud Boys. 

Oath Keepers in particular recruits active duty military members as well as veterans due to their weapons training. NPR's report identified that navy veteran Thomas Edward Caldwell and Marine corps veteran Donovan Ray Crowl were charged by federal prosecutors for conspiracy to obstruct the electoral vote, and both are alleged Oath Keepers.

According to a 2019 survey conducted by the Military Times, close to one-third of active duty troops said they had "personally witnessed examples of white nationalism or ideological-driven racism within the ranks in recent months."

After the January 6 riots, a US Defense Department official told NPR that there were 68 new investigations the FBI is inquiring into related to former and current military members having ties to domestic extremist groups.

During President Biden's inaugural address, he referenced,"a rise in political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat."

(01-22-2021, 01:23 PM)GMDino Wrote: Only thing I read said it was the USCP but I agree that it was awful.

I'm also seeing the memes and angry posts about how the troops were vetted to "make sure they supported Biden" when in reality it was about making sure they weren't Q-anon/Proud Boys/Oath Keepers.  But spinners gonna spin.

Meanwhile:

https://www.businessinsider.com/1-in-5-charged-in-capitol-riot-veterans-active-duty-2021-1




That's not a disparagement of the military past or present.  That's just dotting you i's and crossing your t's when it comes to security.

(01-22-2021, 01:33 PM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: Of course it is, because Biden's doing it.  The percentage of citizens who are veterans is around 8%.  Enlisted personal heavily trend conservative.  I don't think the 20% number you cite is all that high or surprising.  But I guess we can't trust conservative leaning people to adhere to their oath to the Constitution, can we?  The McCarthy-esque atmosphere in DC and the media is really disturbing.

(01-22-2021, 02:20 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: It absolutely is. They are going to use the Capitol riots as a reason for another Patriot Act type of thing, and it's bullshit.

(01-22-2021, 02:27 PM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: We are 100% on the same page on this, which both heartens and terrifies me.  I'm pleased that I'm not alone in recognizing what's about to happen, and that another observer of this is an educated and intelligent person.  I am terrified for the exact same reason.  

Any moves in the direction we fear will only exacerbate things as it forces more moderate people to take a stand one way or another.  I fear dark times are ahead.

(01-22-2021, 03:35 PM)Tiger Teeth Wrote: Let's not forget why they were there in the first place.

(01-22-2021, 09:24 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: This is some bullshit: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/01/21/national-guard-troops-vacate-capitol-461220

I don't know who made the decision, though it wouldn't surprise me if it was politicians or USCP at this point. I'm happy it was rectified, but this was bullshit from the start.

(01-22-2021, 03:42 PM)Benton Wrote: Not sure who was in charge of planning but sounds like they did a crappy job. 5000 people in line for a toilet is a screwed up situation, not to mention the temps.

(01-22-2021, 03:20 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: The government has been tracking the extremist groups for years and been warning about them. Because the warnings weren't taken seriously, and because of leadership dropping the ball, people died live on television in the Capitol. That event will be used to justify broadening surveillance of the citizenry and restricting freedoms with less due process. I would put money on it. And people that otherwise seem reasonable will just let it happen.

(01-22-2021, 03:35 PM)Tiger Teeth Wrote: Let's not forget why they were there in the first place.