AP: “For years, legions of QAnon conspiracy theory adherents encouraged one another to ‘trust the plan’ as they waited for the day when President Donald Trump would orchestrate mass arrests, military tribunals and executions of his Satan-worshipping, child-sacrificing enemies. Keeping the faith wasn’t easy when Inauguration Day didn’t usher in ‘The Storm,’ the apocalyptic reckoning that they have believed was coming for prominent Democrats and Trump’s ‘deep state’ foes. QAnon followers grappled with anger, confusion and disappointment Wednesday as President Joe Biden was sworn into office. Some believers found a way to twist the conspiracy theory’s convoluted narrative to fit their belief that Biden’s victory was an illusion and that Trump would secure a second term in office. Others clung to the notion that Trump will remain a ‘shadow president’ during Biden’s term. Some even floated the idea that the inauguration ceremony was computer-generated or that Biden himself could be the mysterious ‘Q,’ who is purportedly a government insider posting cryptic clues about the conspiracy.”

“For many others, however, Trump’s departure sowed doubt. ‘I am so scared right now, I really feel nothing is going to happen now,” one poster wrote on a Telegram channel popular with QAnon believers. ‘I’m just devastated.’ Mike Rothschild, author of a forthcoming book on QAnon called ‘The Storm is Upon Us,’ said it’s too early to gauge whether the wave of disillusionment that swept through the QAnon ranks Wednesday is a turning point or a fleeting setback for the movement. On Wednesday, as it became obvious that Biden’s inauguration would proceed, many QAnon message boards and online groups were bombarded by hecklers and trolls making fun of the conspiracy. Some longtime QAnon posters said they planned to step away from social media, if only temporarily. ‘Trump has said, ‘THE BEST IS YET TO COME.’ I’m not giving up,’ Telegram user Qtah wrote in an announcement to his 30,000 subscribers that he was taking a social media break.”

Michael Pack, the Trump-appointed head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media which oversees the Voice of America and other media outlets, quietly submitted his immediate resignation in the hours after Joe Biden was sworn into office, the Washington Post reports.  Biden reportedly asked for his resignation.

Just eight months into a three-year term, Pack came under fire almost immediately after taking office for insisting that he take over editorial decisions at the famously non-political outlets.  He fired editors and producers who challenged his spin on stories and turned the outlets into pro-Trump campaign voices instead of the objective news outlets that were respected around the world.

A Trump advisor and former collaborator with Steve Bannon, Pack claimed in his resignation letter “I firmly believe that — thanks to your support, patriotism, and understanding — a great amount of much-needed reform was achieved in the past eight months.”

“A source familiar with events tells CBS News that recently appointed NSA General Counsel Michael Ellis was placed on administrative leave today because his appointment is now the subject of a Defense Dept IG investigation and there is a separate, newly leveled allegation that Ellis mishandled classified information. NSA spokesperson, ‘It’s not our policy not to comment on personnel issues’ and Ellis declined to comment. This comes days after House Speaker Pelosi’s letter denouncing Ellis and his appointment. Those close to Ellis say he is A career intelligence professional, with a strong record of accomplishment both in Congress and Executive Branch. Ellis was one of the principal staffers who compiled 2016 House Intel Committee report on the Snowden leaks – the report had backing of committee Republicans and Democrats” reports CBS News Senior Investigations Correspondent Catherine Herridge.

Saying that a key role of the White House Press Office will be “rebuilding trust with the American public,” Jen Psaki said that she, as President Biden, work for the American people and that her mission will be to provide accurate information to the American people.

This press conference was the first one in recent memory that a tweet wasn’t the subject of a question to the White House Press Secretary.

Asked about if Biden had made plans to talk to Russian Premier Vladimir Putin, particularly regarding the Solar Winds cyber attack, Psaki said she did not have a time set for that call.  Biden’s first call with a foreign leader will be with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. 

I was too innocent and too GAY to deserve a Pardon from Trump. I only mattered to Don Jr. when he needed to make a comment about me to boost his social media post. Boy were we all stupid to believe he actually stood for Equal Justice? His corrupt friends all come first. pic.twitter.com/ysGfwnqlHi

— Joe Exotic (@joe_exotic) January 20, 2021

Through an 84-10 vote, the Senate approved President Biden’s nomination for the Director of National Intelligence, Avril Haines, the first woman who will hold that position.

I really want Jen Psaki to come out and say “This was the least attended presidential inauguration in the history of the pandemic, period!”

She won’t though, because she’s a PRO-fessional.  But let’s look back at Sean Spicer’s first press conference, when we knew the Trump Administration was going to be a rapid descent into the rings of Hell.

President Joe Biden swore in about 1,000 political appointees who will fill lower level positions in the federal government via a massive Zoom call, giving them a stern warning about acting respectful in the workplace.

https://youtu.be/3UAf_Y5PDgI

“If you’re ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect – talk down to someone – I promise you I will fire you on the spot. On the spot,” Biden told them, saying that respect was something that had been missing in the Executive Branch over the last four years.

In a letter that starts out congratulating President Biden and Vice President Harris on their inauguration, the CEO for Amazon’s consumer business Dave Clark pledged his company’s resources to help hit Biden’s goal of 100 million coronavirus vaccines in 100 days.

Posted on Twitter, Clark notes that the 800,000 employees at Amazon distribution centers, Amazon Web Service and Whole Foods have been essential to helping people cope during the pandemic.  Clark promised to help those workers get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Clark also invites the Biden Administration to use Amazon’s capabilities to meet the 100 million vaccination goal, including their relationships with an occupational health provider, which can be used to provide inoculations to others.

Thanks to Homeless for the tip.

Newly sworn-in President Joe Biden is expected to sign seventeen Executive Orders on his first day in office, reversing some of the most controversial and often petulant orders that isolated the United States internationally and countered the will of the American people, CNN reports.  The EOs mandate the US:

• Rejoins the Paris Climate Accords
• Rejoins the World Health Organization
• Halts construction of Trump’s border fence
• Mandates wearing face masks on federal property to fight the coronavirus and launches the “100 Days Masking Challenge” to promote all Americans to wear masks for 100 days
• Creates a position of White House coronavirus response coordinator

Three Democratic Senators were sworn in by newly-inaugurated Vice President Kamala Harris this evening, giving Democrats control over both chambers of Congress.

The Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia were sworn in after winning their respective runoffs against incumbent Republicans on January 6th.  Alex Padilla was appointed by California Governor Gavin Newsom to fill the seat vacated by Harris.

At age 33, Ossoff becomes the youngest person holding a Senate seat; the record is held by then-Delaware Senator Joe Biden, who held a seat when he was 30 years old.  Biden was sworn in to the presidency Wednesday afternoon, becoming at age 78 the oldest person to be sworn in as President. 

The previous installments of The Blue Revenge were a wee bit unsatisfying given the Trump fans’ inability to accept the reality of the loss at the time in November. Their defiance persisted in the face of our belated replies. No more. This day was too long in coming, but now it is here. There’s no denying the situation. No more MAGA. No more years. Their misery is our joy.

Click on any part of these comments and it’ll open up on the Disqus page in a new browser tab.

Neo In The Matrix • 24 days ago
Libs have awoken a sleeping giant. Once Trump puts his seal of approval on it, Georgia will be ours. Maestro, add two more senators to the (R) column
Sun, 12/27/2020 6:51 PM on ‘Trump to hold rally in Georgia ahead of Senate runoffs’

soggybiscuit • a month ago
Trump won, justice will be served
Sat, 12/12/2020 5:31 PM on ‘Wisconsin Supreme Court holds rare Saturday session to discuss Trump election suit’

Azarkhan • a month ago
Funny how pigressives only began caring about our democratic institutions after the election. For the previous four years Demonrat scum have done everything they could to destroy our democratic institutions. #Resistance.
Wed, 12/9/2020 1:42 PM on ‘Defending our democracy through the presidential transition’

Artoff Dhel • a month ago
When Texas wins it invalidates 4 state’s vote counts and Trump wins the popular vote. 🙂
Colorado is by law required to give their votes to the popular vote winner. 🙂
Tue, 12/8/2020 4:55 PM on ‘Colorado governor’s partner released from hospital after COVID-19 treatment’

SWDC • 2 months ago
Biden is not even the president elect today.
Thu, 12/3/2020 11:20 AM on ‘UK nursing home residents may have to travel for vaccine, official says’

The grifting caucus of the adult Trump children were seen with tears welling up in their eyes as Donald Trump gave his departing remarks at Joint Base Andrews, apparently sad that their taxpayer-funded life of privilege has ended and they will soon be subject to law enforcement action, according to the Daily Mail.

Ivanka Trump tried shedding a tear, but it did not work.

In his last days in office, Donald Trump ordered the Secret Service to extend protection for thirteen members of his family who would not otherwise receive it, the Washington Post reports.

For the next six months, Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, their three children, his son Donald Trump Jr. and his four children, his son Eric Trump and his wife Lara and his daughter Tiffany Trump will be under Secret Service protection at taxpayer expense.

Under law, Trump, his third wife Melania and their son Barron would receive a Secret Service detail.  Barron will not get protection after he turns 18 years old.

New York Times: “After the presidential election last year, the Proud Boys, a far-right group, declared its undying loyalty to President Trump. In a Nov. 8 post in a private channel of the messaging app Telegram, the group urged its followers to attend protests against an election that it said had been fraudulently stolen from Mr. Trump. ‘Hail Emperor Trump,’ the Proud Boys wrote. But by this week, the group’s attitude toward Mr. Trump had changed. ‘Trump will go down as a total failure,’ the Proud Boys said in the same Telegram channel on Monday.”

“As Mr. Trump departed the White House on Wednesday, the Proud Boys, once among his staunchest supporters, have also started leaving his side. In dozens of conversations on social media sites like Gab and Telegram, members of the group have begun calling Mr. Trump a ‘shill’ and ‘extraordinarily weak,’ according to messages reviewed by The New York Times. They have also urged supporters to stop attending rallies and protests held for Mr. Trump or the Republican Party. The comments are a startling turn for the Proud Boys, which for years backed Mr. Trump and promoted political violence. On social media, Proud Boys participants have complained about his willingness to leave office and said his disavowal of the Capitol rampage was an act of betrayal. And Mr. Trump, cut off on Facebook and Twitter, has been unable to talk directly to them to soothe their concerns or issue new rallying cries. ‘When Trump told them that if he left office, America would fall into an abyss, they believed him,’ Arieh Kovler, a political consultant and independent researcher in Israel who studies the far right, said of the Proud Boys. ‘Now that he has left office, they believe he has both surrendered and failed to do his patriotic duty.'”

After President Joe Biden’s inauguration speech in which he pledged to govern for all Americans, Fox News commentator Sandra Smith questioned what message Biden’s signing of Executive Orders undoing Trump policy sends.

“It says that he won,” Chris Wallace responded.  “It’s as simple as that.”

https://youtu.be/ZdoP-qqRoTo

As Joe Biden was being sworn in as President of the United States, the government of China was announcing it was placing sanctions on former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and 27 other former Trump administration officials for “crazy actions that have gravely interfered in China’s internal affairs,” Reuters reports.

“These individuals and their immediate family members are prohibited from entering the mainland of China, Hong Kong and Macao. They and companies and institutions associated with them are also restricted from doing business with China,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Roy Biggs, a leader and media face for the Proud Boys, has been arrested for his part in the coup attempt at the Capitol on January 6th, HuffPost reports.

Biggs is seen on a video where someone is breaking windows to gain access to the Capitol.  Someone off-camera says, “Biggs, what do you gotta say?” to which Biggs is shown responding “This is awesome!” before pulling up a gaiter to cover his face.

Biggs is facing three unspecified charges.  His social media accounts pushed members of the Proud Boys and their allies to attend the January 6th “Stop the Steal” event featuring Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Rudy Giuliani.  Allegedly, he told members to be ready for violence, saying “Jan 6th is gonna be epic.”