When will Congressman Guy Reschenthaler Correct The Record? Will he?

Yesterday the representative from Pennsylvania's 14th Congressional District tweeted a bit of misinformation:

Democrats’ latest power grab:

Biden and @AOC want to control what you eat. pic.twitter.com/CJxfGkaOwn

— Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (@GReschenthaler) April 26, 2021

Note the time stamp: April 26 at 12:26pm

By that point the story had already been debunked by:

•  The Washington Post:
  
  But Biden’s plan doesn’t include any call to limit meat-eating. Instead, conservative ire was sparked by a Daily Mail article that baselessly speculated about measures that could accomplish Biden’s goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030.
  
  
• Snopes:
  
  Biden announced that his administration would seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. The Daily Mail ran a story that asserted, in entirely theoretical terms, that the policy "could" require Americans to reduce their meat consumption by 90%. Politicians like Rep. Lauren Boebert retweeted the Daily Mail's speculation as fact.
  
  
• Newsweek:
  

  Biden has not publicly announced plans to limit the consumption of meat in the U.S., at last week's summit or otherwise. Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment.

  The claims made on Twitter appear to have originated from an article published by right-leaning British newspaper The Daily Mail that presented hypothetical ways that the U.S. could meet Biden's target of cutting emissions by 2030 when compared with 2005 levels.

  Among the hypothetical changes was cutting 90 percent of red meat of our the diet to 4 pounds a year.

All these posted online and still Rep Reschenthaler misinformed his constituency with beef BS.

And now it turns out that Fox News has even corrected the record:

“The data was accurate but a graphic and a script incorrectly implied that it was part of Biden's plan for dealing with climate change,” anchor John Roberts said Monday afternoon of the show's coverage of the fake Biden meat ban. “That is not the case." pic.twitter.com/vCUgW2Obbx

— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) April 26, 2021

So here's my question: When will Guy Reschenthaler?

The Letter Speaker Pelosi Sent To House Members

From Politico:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued Vice President Mike Pence an ultimatum on Sunday night — invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump in the coming days or Democrats will proceed this week with impeaching the president for an unprecedented second time.

She did so in a letter that you can read here. 

Politico says that:

...if Pence refuses to act, Democrats will immediately move to force Trump from office for his role in inciting violent riots at the Capitol on Wednesday linked to at least five deaths, including a police officer.

An interesting part of the letter is found tucked into its 6th paragraph:

I look forward to our Caucus call tomorrow. I am grateful to all Members for the suggestions, observations and input that you have been sending. Your views on the 25th Amendment, 14th Amendment Section 3 and impeachment are valued as we continue.

We all know the 25th Amendment (Section 4, specifically) details how a Vice President can temporarily remove a President from office when "the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. But what is Section 3 of the 14th Amendment?

This is the Section 3 of the 14th Amendment:

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may, by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

I realize that's very legislative-wordy. Here's the important part:

No person shall be a...Representative in Congress,...who, having previously taken an oath as a member of Congress,...to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.

Now, who do you think that's addressed to? 

Among dozens of others, I am thinking Representative Guy Reschenthaler should be very interested in that discussion, don't you?

See? There WAS Voter Fraud! Only TRUMP DID IT

52 U.S. Code § 20511: 

A person, including an election official, who in any election for Federal office...

(2) knowingly and willfully deprives, defrauds, or attempts to deprive or defraud the residents of a State of a fair and impartially conducted election process, by...

(B) the procurement, casting, or tabulation of ballots that are known by the person to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under the laws of the State in which the election is held...

shall be fined in accordance with title 18 (which fines shall be paid into the general fund of the Treasury, miscellaneous receipts (pursuant to section 3302 of title 31), notwithstanding any other law), or imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both. 

GA Code § 21-2-604 (2016): 

(a) (1) A person commits the offense of criminal solicitation to commit election fraud in the first degree when, with intent that another person engage in conduct constituting a felony under this article, he or she solicits, requests, commands, importunes, or otherwise attempts to cause the other person to engage in such conduct.

And then this from the Washington Post:

President Trump urged fellow Republican Brad Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, to “find” enough votes to overturn his defeat in an extraordinary one-hour phone call Saturday that legal scholars described as a flagrant abuse of power and a potential criminal act.

And:

At another point, Trump said: “So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state.”

He later added: “So what are we going to do here, folks? I only need 11,000 votes. Fellas, I need 11,000 votes. Give me a break.”

And then this from the NYTimes: 

President Trump pressured Georgia’s Republican secretary of state to “find” him enough votes to overturn the presidential election and vaguely threatened him with “a criminal offense” during an hourlong telephone call on Saturday, according to an audio recording of the conversation.

And a few paragraphs down we learn of the threat:

“You know what they did and you’re not reporting it,” the president said during the call. “You know, that’s a criminal — that’s a criminal offense. And you know, you can’t let that happen. That’s a big risk to you and to Ryan, your lawyer. That’s a big risk.”

Hmm...a vague-ish threat for criminal prosecution (Trump IS still head of the DOJ, doncha know) unless Georgia officials "find" him just enough votes to win. All caught on tape for the entire world to hear.

I'm NOT a lawyer but it sure sounds to me like this runs counter to 52 U.S. Code § 20511 and Georgia Code § 21-2-562 (2016). 

How is this not illegal? And in light of this, how can the hundred or so House members (including one from my neighboring district, Representative Guy Reschenthaler) or the dozen or so Senators looking to upend Biden's win in November still support the criminal in the White House?

And snarkier still, how will Wendy Bell spin it?

Hey, Remember That "Unmasking" Scandal, Congressman Reschenthaler?

Looks like there's nothing there. 

The Washington Post:

The federal prosecutor appointed by Attorney General William P. Barr to review whether Obama-era officials improperly requested the identities of individuals whose names were redacted in intelligence documents has completed his work without finding any substantive wrongdoing, according to people familiar with the matter.

The revelation that U.S. Attorney John Bash, who left the department last week, had concluded his review without criminal charges or any public report will rankle President Trump at a moment when he is particularly upset at the Justice Department. The department has so far declined to release the results of Bash’s work, though people familiar with his findings say they would likely disappoint conservatives who have tried to paint the “unmasking” of names — a common practice in government to help understand classified documents — as a political conspiracy.

And:

Kerri Kupec, the Justice Department’s top spokeswoman, had first revealed Bash’s review in May, after Republican senators made public a declassified list of U.S. officials, including former vice president Joe Biden, who made requests that would ultimately reveal the name of Trump adviser Michael Flynn in intelligence documents in late 2016 and early 2017.

Perhaps someone should ask Congressman Reschenthaler about this. I mean, he did have some very strong words when the list was made public: 

Reschenthaler called it a "setup"  that "went all the way to the top of Obama-Biden White House."

Congressman Reschenthaler owes his constituents an explanation (and perhaps an apology) for this smear.

And no, a "No comment" is not acceptable.

This Makes Me So Happy

 

Sadly, there is little these days to celebrate about the current state of our democracy. Its foundations are being routinely eroded by his grand orangeness with the help of his enablers in the Congress.

Like this one:

Even in somber moments, the leftist mobs can’t turn off their irrational hatred of @realDonaldTrump. https://t.co/QMRK0yz1UU

— Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (@GReschenthaler) September 24, 2020

Hmm, let's see: 

• The high death toll due to his mismanagement
• The tear-gassing of protestors for a church photo-op
• The corruption
• The racism
• The sexism

While this may or may not be hatred, it certainly isn't irrational.

And Congressman, it's also constitutionally protected speech. Remember this?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. [Emphasis so Guy can better understand my argument]

What do you think they were doing when they were chanting "Vote him out! Vote him out!"?

Makes me happy that at least one part of The Constitution still works.

Vote him out.

 

House Resolution 1094 - Condemning QAnon And Rejecting The Conspiracy Theories It Promotes.

I wonder how many of those sitting in the House of Representatives (or currently campaigning for such a seat) would support HR 1094 ("Condemning QAnon and rejecting the conspiracy theories it promotes.").

Some highlights from the legislation: 

Whereas throughout history, conspiracy theories that falsely blame secret cabals or marginalized groups for society’s ills have fueled prejudice, genocide, and acts of terrorism;

Whereas QAnon is a movement promoting a collection of unfounded conspiracy theories that have spread widely on the internet since 2017;

Whereas QAnon initially alleged that prominent Americans are engaged in a secret plot to control the world, while using their power to exploit children, and has expanded to embrace virtually every popular conspiracy theory of the last several decades, from questioning the Kennedy assassination, to believing in alien landings, to denying the safety of vaccines;

Whereas many QAnon followers express anti-Semitic views, and the Anti-Defamation League has said that the movement’s central conspiracy theory includes anti-Semitic elements;

Whereas the FBI has assessed with high confidence that “fringe political conspiracy theories”, including QAnon, “very likely motivate some domestic extremists, wholly or in part, to engage in criminal or violent activity”, and that these conspiracy theories “very likely encourage the targeting of specific people, places and organizations, thereby increasing the likelihood of violence against these targets”;

 And:

Whereas the FBI further assesses that “these conspiracy theories very likely will emerge, spread and evolve in the modern information marketplace … fostering anti-government sentiment, racial and religious prejudice, [and] increasing political tensions”;

Whereas according to the Combatting Terrorism Center at the West Point Military Academy, “QAnon is arguably no longer simply a fringe conspiracy theory but an ideology that has demonstrated its capacity to radicalize to violence individuals at an alarming speed”;

You can read that FBI assessment here.

You can read the Cobating Terrorism Center's report here.

Back to the resolution. Before the "Resolved" parts, there's this:

Whereas QAnon adherents have been harming legitimate efforts to combat child exploitation and sex trafficking, including by overwhelming anti-trafficking hotlines with false reports; and

Whereas the conspiracy theories promoted by QAnon undermine trust in America’s democratic institutions, encourage rejection of objective reality, and deepen our Nation’s political polarization...

We've seen QAnon's presence at a few rallies seeking to combat child exploitation here in Pittsburgh.

Finally, the "Resolved" part:

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) condemns QAnon and rejects the conspiracy theories it promotes;

(2) encourages the Federal Bureau of Investigation and all Federal law enforcement agencies to continue to strengthen their focus on preventing violence, threats, harassment, and other criminal activity by extremists motivated by fringe political conspiracy theories; and

(3) urges all Americans, regardless of our beliefs or partisan affiliation, to seek information from authoritative sources, and to engage in political debate from a common factual foundation.

Any comment Senator Toomey? Congressman Reschenthaler? Candidate Parnell?

79,756 Deaths. Reopening Too Soon = Needless Suffering And Death

From today's NYTimes:

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert and a central figure in the government’s response to the coronavirus, intends to warn the Senate on Tuesday that Americans would experience “needless suffering and death” if the country opens up too quickly.

And:

In an email to the New York Times reporter Sheryl Gay Stolberg late Monday night, Dr. Fauci laid out what he intended to tell senators.

“The major message that I wish to convey to the Senate HLP committee tomorrow is the danger of trying to open the country prematurely,” he wrote. “If we skip over the checkpoints in the guidelines to: ‘Open America Again,’ then we risk the danger of multiple outbreaks throughout the country. This will not only result in needless suffering and death, but would actually set us back on our quest to return to normal.”

This is the "Open America Again" plan, in case you wanted to read it.

The Times described some of the criteria in the plan:

States should have a “downward trajectory of positive tests” or a “downward trajectory of documented cases” of coronavirus over two weeks, while conducting robust contact tracing and “sentinel surveillance” testing of asymptomatic people in vulnerable populations, such as nursing homes.

Of course, Trump (and, to a large extent, his supporters*) has already communicated that he's going to prioritize reopening the economy over the health and well-being of American citizens:

“Will some people be affected? Yes. Will some people be affected badly? Yes. But we have to get our country open and we have to get it open soon,” Trump said, directly acknowledging there will be a real, negative human cost in prioritizing an economic revival over a more cautious approach in favor of public health. But even as the president advocates for a return to normal economic business, the nation's governors remain in control of decision-making for their respective states.

*Locally, this would include: Senator Pat Toomey, Representative Guy Reschenthaler, Candidate for the House Sean Parnell, and KDKA Radio host Wendy Bell.

There is no one in this country who can both support Donald Trump and claim to be "pro-life." It's as simple as that.

This Will Not Age Well (Guy Reschenthaler on Impeachment)

From Representative Guy Reschenthaler:

This is a sad day for our democracy. Speaker Pelosi’s decision to begin a formal impeachment inquiry based on secondhand allegations shows just how desperate the Democrats are to undo the will of the American people. President Trump has agreed to release the unredacted transcript of his phone call with the president of Ukraine and the House Intelligence Committee has yet to hold any hearings on this matter. Calling for impeachment before learning the facts sets a dangerous precedent and shows that once again, House Democrats are putting political theatre before the needs of the American people.

A few things:

• Doesn't Guy know we don't live in a "democracy" but a "representative republic"?? I only ask that because whenever anyone on my TEEVEE says we live in a democracy, some MAGA hatter will snark, "It's not a democracy, it's a representative republic, you idiot!!" (Note: the "you idiot" is silent)
• Doesn't Guy know that his hero Trump lost the popular vote by about 3 million votes? The "will of the American People" was actually Trump's opponent.
• Doesn't Guy know that Trump admitted to pressuring a foreign government for his own political gain? Doesn't Guy think that that, alone, is worthy of an impeachment inquiry? I mean, what if Obama did it? Or Hillary?

Yea, this statement won't age well.

Notice to All Candidates for Public Office

Notice to All Candidates for Public Office: 

In order to receive an endorsement from the Post-Gazette, it is absolutely mandatory that you be for the abolishment of the State Store system as some person/persons on the Editorial Board desire to open a lovely, little wine & cheese shop after they retire.

Thank you

Why you need to vote for Heather Arnet for PA State Senate (37th District)

The Reasons to Vote for Heather Arnet
On the Issues:
First of all, Heather has an actual issues page--Guy doesn't! You can see her positions on issues related to the workplace, education, taxes, healthcare & services, the environment, rights & representation, and more. She's particularly committed to fighting to:

- Attract high quality jobs to our district;
- Strengthen retirement security for seniors;
- Ensure we provide property tax relief for the middle class and seniors;
- Fully fund our school system and make high-quality pre-k available to all;
- Provide safe, affordable healthcare for our families that includes women making their own healthcare decisions.

Bio:
Professionally, she's worked to increase rights and opportunities for working families as the CEO of the Women and Girls Foundation, as well as serving on the Pittsburgh Public Schools Board of Education. She's also won numerous awards and has frequently appeared in both the local and national media.

Bonus Points:
A piddly 18 percent of the 253-member PA General Assembly are women. That earns PA the ignoble distinction of ranking 39th in the nation for the percentage of women in our state Legislature. We are grossly under-represented! (Also where the clever "We don't need another guy in Harrisburg" line comes from in her above ad.)

Additionally, knowing Heather personally, I can certainly vouch for her as a passionate and genuine person and fighter for rights for all.

The Reasons Not to Vote for Guy Reschenthaler
On the Issues:
As mentioned above, Guy has no issues page or, hell, even a paragraph on his website. You are meant to vote for Guy because he's a great American! He touts being "a son of western Pennsylvania" and "born here and raised in the values and traditions that make our region great"!

But you can get to where he stands on some issues by looking at his endorsements which include an anti-choice group and, not one, but two separate pro gun groups (just in case you didn't already know he was a Republican).

Bio:
Reschenthaler is running primarily on his bio. The headline of which is "Iraq War Veteran | Former District Magistrate | Former Navy Prosecutor" and then the repeat about the whole "son of western Pennsylvania" thing, tradition, values, etc.

Penalty Points:
Oh, my, where to start? While Guy and the Republican Party have labeled Heather as an "extreme liberal," Guy's actual extremist values would make the Tea Party stand up and cheer, while going so far as to possibly embarrass the more enlightened members.

It seems that Guy used to host a conservative podcast in 2013 called "The Sound of Freedom with Hig and Resch," along with his co-host, Carl Higbie. They discussed topics like taxes, immigration and gun control and had on Tea Party members and Oath Keepers as guests.

It's worse than you may imagine. While his co-host made the most disgusting comments (“You cross my border, I will shoot you in the face” and “The black race is lazier than the white race” and "I don't like Muslim people"), he made them with Guy's name on the show and in some cases with little push-back. Guy himself said that people on government assistance are "abusing the trust the government." Guy calls Social Security and Medicare “scary,” because “we can’t cut them if we wanted to.” He says that they “turn our government into an entitlement generating machine."

If you can stomach it, you can hear and read more clips at http://guyreschenthalerpa.com as well as this from Keystone Progress:


Guy Reschenthaler: The Dark Side of Technology from Keystone Progress PAC on Vimeo.

So now ask yourself, not just "Do we need another guy in Harrisburg?" but "Do we need this extremist Guy in Harrisburg?"

And then, go vote for Heather Arnet. And, even if you don't live in her district, go sign up to help now through election day. And, throw some $$ her way.