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Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Disney updates Jungle Cruise after insensitivity criticism
Honestly... you went on a ride at Disneyland and got your feelings hurt???
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Jungle Cruise, one of the original Disney parks’ rides, is getting a 21st century remodel, criticized for its depiction of animatronic indigenous people as savages or headhunters.
It’s the latest update to a legacy theme park ride criticized in years past as being racist.
The ride will updated by Disney “imagineers” at the Disneyland park in California and the Magic Kingdom park in Florida with a new storyline and characters that “reflect and value the diversity of the world around us,” Disney said in a blog post Monday.
“As Imagineers, it is our responsibility to ensure experiences we create and stories we share reflect the voices and perspectives of the world around us,” said Carmen Smith, a Disney executive, in the blog post.
The ride first opened at Disneyland in 1955.
Last summer, amid calls to change the Splash Mountain theme park ride over its ties to “Song of the South,” the 1946 movie many view as racist, Disney officials said it was recasting the ride so that it is based on “The Princess and the Frog,” a 2009 Disney film with an African American female lead.
Disney said at the time that the changes had been in the works since the previous year, but the announcement came as companies across the U.S. were renaming racially charged, decades-old brands amid worldwide protests for racial justice after the police custody death of George Floyd in Minnesota.
Three years ago, Disney eliminated a “Bride Auction” scene, deemed offensive since it depicted women lining up for auction, from its Pirates of the Caribbean ride.
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Yes that 50 bucks a year they donate is really gonna hurt
Google stops donations to U.S. Congress members who voted against election results
Who do they think their shitting?
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Alphabet Inc's Google said on Monday it will not make contributions from its political action committee this election cycle to any Congress member who voted against certifying the results of the presidential election.
Earlier this month, following the violent storming of the U.S. Capitol, the tech giant had paused all political contributions to reassess its policies toward political contribution.
"Following that review, the NetPAC board has decided that it will not be making any contributions this cycle to any member of Congress who voted against certification of the election results," a Google representative said in a statement.
Video: Biden's choice on econ aid: Deal with GOP or go for it all (Associated Press)
Biden's choice on econ aid: Deal with GOP or go for it all
Hundreds of former President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the halls of Congress on Jan. 6 in a bid to overturn his election defeat, battling police in the hallways and delaying the certification of President Joe Biden's victory for hours.
Following the incident, Republicans in Congress faced blowback from several corporate firms who paused campaign donations and said they were reviewing their policies.
Amazon.com Inc, AT&T Inc, Comcast Corp, Verizon Communications Inc are among the many big companies who have threatened to throttle fundraising resources for Republicans.
[They were giving Republicans a pittance compared to what they gave Democrats now they're just using this as an excuse to give even less.]
AT&T and Comcast, for example, are among the biggest corporate donors in Washington.
Monday, January 25, 2021
Bribem will keep Christopher Wray on as FBI director
Thus assuring Hunter's computer will remain buried deeper than Jimmy Hoffa.
Wray displayed about as much interest in investigating Hunter's computer and voter fraud as I have in the Kardashians. Supposedly Hunter is being investigated for tax evasion. The Durham report is also rumored to be coming out. I can just about guarantee you both of these 'investigations' will vaporize before your very eyes.
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President Biden plans to keep Christopher Wray as director of the FBI and has "confidence in the job he is doing," White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed in a tweet Thursday.
The big picture: Wray, who was nominated by former President Trump in 2017 after he fired former FBI Director James Comey, came under heavy criticismfrom Trump and his allies over the past year.
Trump always distrusted the FBI and the intelligence community, and was angered by Wray's perceived failure to punish those involved in the Russia investigation and to investigate Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings.
Wray further angered the former president by testifying before Congress that the FBI had not found any evidence of widespread voter fraud, including through mail-in ballots, and that Antifa is an "ideology," not an "organization."
Sunday, January 24, 2021
Weasels
Have you noticed the tone of the White House press conferences are somewhat different?
Via:
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki expressed “deep respect” for the media during her first press briefing on Wednesday.
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
If God ever said to me should I take Pelosi or Clinton I would be at a loss
There are no words to describe the gall
Yes, bitch and we would love to see your f-ing emails but we can't because you deleted them all while under subpoena.
You would be in jail right now if it wasn't for your cohorts at the FBI.
It must be a wonderful knowing you can do whenever the hell you want because there's never any repercussions.
Saturday, January 16, 2021
Thursday, January 14, 2021
The hypocrisy in full display
What's the end-game?
What is the real reason the Dems are trying to pull off an impeachment when Trump only has days to be in office? First, he'll be the only president impeached twice which would be a feather in their cap. Second, they're looking for insurance and Republicans are only too happy to pay the premium. Meaning if he gets impeached in both the House and Senate he could never hold political office again. Thus making him a non-factor in 2024.
China reports first Covid death in more than six months as WHO investigators arrive
Around the globe people are dropping like flies, but China, the birthplace of the virus, records their first death in six months? How fucking stupid do they think we are? Probably plenty now that Bribem is going to be sworn in. And why are the WHO investigators there? So Xi Jinping can give them their orders to relay back to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Try saying that 10 times fast.
Unbelievable charade. Just more deceit perpetrated by Xi Jinping and the rest of his commies. The entire world is delusional if they believe anything China says; not to mention suicidal if they allow China to install their 5G network!
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China reports first Covid death in more than six months as WHO investigators arrive
A medical worker collects a swab sample from a child at a community Covid-19 testing site in Qiaoxi district of Shijiazhuang, capital of north China’s Hebei Province on Jan. 12, 2021. Shijiazhuang has started the second round of nucleic acid tests for all residents.
Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images
BEIJING — Mainland China on Thursday reported the first new Covid-19 death since May as authorities try to control a spike in cases just outside of Beijing.
A woman in Hebei province died Wednesday afternoon, state media reported, noting her illness was a severe case and she had pre-existing health conditions.
The province surrounds Beijing and began to report a rapid increase in coronavirus cases earlier this month. In less than two weeks, authorities have locked down Shijiazhuang and other parts of Hebei province in an effort to keep the disease from spreading.
Hebei reported 81 new coronavirus cases for Wednesday, bringing the number of current cases to 463. The northernmost province of Heilongjiang reported 43 new confirmed cases for Wednesday.
The National Health Commission recorded Wednesday’s death in its daily report on the local coronavirus situation, the first addition to the overall toll since May 2020.
That brought mainland China’s coronavirus total deaths to 4,365 people. The first reported death from Covid-19 was on Jan. 11, 2020 in the city of Wuhan, where the disease first emerged in late 2019.
A team from the World Health Organization arrived in Wuhan Thursday to investigate the origins of the virus alongside Chinese scientists, according to state media.
The Chinese government has pushed back against implications that Covid-19 came from China. After the height of the outbreak in the country early last year, authorities attributed subsequent cases to foreign sources.
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
Out of control which is typical of the liberal left nut jobs
Every Business to Cut Ties With Donald Trump Since Capitol Riots
The left picking up where tearing down statues, Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben left off. Even Belichick gets into the act by declining the presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump!
Since George Floyd's death rioters have caused billions of dollars of damage in cities like Portland, Seattle, Kenosha, Minneapolis, etc and I lost count of the number of dead. This cartoon exemplifies the thought process.
Remember Pelosi's infamous quote during the occupy Wall Street protest?
Video 615
Following the violent riots at the U.S. Capitol last week, several businesses have distanced themselves from President Donald Trump.
Some companies have paused funding for those who voted against the certification of the 2020 election results, while others have suspended the accounts of those associated with the Washington, D.C. riots, including social media accounts held by the president.
Here we look at the businesses that have cut ties with Trump and those associated with the Capitol riots.
Facebook
Last week, President Donald Trump was blocked from using Facebook until at least the end of his presidency.
"We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great," Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive officer of Facebook, which also owns Instagram, said in a statement Thursday.
"Therefore, we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete."
Facebook also announced it would be pausing all political donations while it reviews its policies.
A spokesperson for Facebook said in a statement: "Following last week's awful violence in D.C., we are pausing all of our PAC contributions for at least the current quarter, while we review our policies."
Twitter
Twitter permanently suspended Trump's account. In a statement, the company said: "After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence."
The Professional Golf Association (PGA) of America
The golfing association will no longer be hosting the 2022 PGA Championship at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
PGA of America President Jim Richerson stated: "The PGA of America Board of Directors voted tonight [Sunday] to exercise the right to terminate the agreement to play the 2022 PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster."
"It has become clear that conducting the PGA Championship at Trump Bedminster would be detrimental to the PGA of America brand, and would put at risk the PGA's ability to deliver our many programs, and sustain the longevity of our mission," Richerson added in a video statement.
The Trump Organization said in a statement: "We have had a beautiful partnership with the PGA of America and are incredibly disappointed with their decision. This is a breach of a binding contract, and they have no right to terminate the agreement."
Stripe
The online payment processing company announced it will no longer be processing payments for the Trump campaign website, citing violations of the company's user policy, which bans users from promoting violence on its platform.
Shopify
The e-commerce platform has shut down online stores selling Trump merchandise, including ones run by the Trump Organization and Trump campaign.
A spokesperson for the company noted in a statement: "Shopify does not tolerate actions that incite violence.
"Based on recent events, we have determined that the actions by President Donald J. Trump violate our Acceptable Use Policy, which prohibits promotion or support of organizations, platforms or people that threaten or condone violence to further a cause," the spokesperson said.
Comcast
The major cable company and media group is withholding donations to those who voted against the certification of the presidential election.
Comcast noted in a statement: "The peaceful transition of power is a foundation of America's democracy.
"Consistent with this view, we will suspend all of our political contributions to those elected officials who voted against certification of the electoral college votes, which will give us the opportunity to review our political giving policies and practices," the company added.
Hallmark
The greeting card company noted in a statement that "the recent actions of Senators Josh Hawley [of Missouri] and Roger Marshall [of Kansas] do not reflect our company's values," and said it "requested Sens. Hawley and Marshall to return all HALLPAC campaign contributions."
Other major businesses
Below are other companies that have suspended contributions for those who voted against the certification of the election results.
Airbnb
American Express
AT&T
Best Buy
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
Mastercard
Morgan Stanley
Verizon
President Donald Trump presenting the U.S. golf team with a trophy at the Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey on October 1, 2017. Following the riots at the U.S. Capitol last week, the Professional Golfing Association (PGA) of America announced it will no longer be hosting the 2022 PGA Championship golf tournament at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Rob Carr/Getty Images
Monday, January 11, 2021
The black McCain
Colin Powell: 'I can no longer call myself a fellow Republican'
What a truly hypocritical POS he really is!
He hasn't voted Republican since the day he found out Barry was running for president. I guarantee you he voted for Barry in 2012 too. Not to mention Killary (who he admits he voted for) who helped get four servicemen killed in Benghazi.
She had/has so much 'sleazy baggage' a freight train couldn't carry at all!
Let's face it. There's things Trump has said or done over the last four years which sometimes made me cringe. Maybe you feel the same way. But that doesn't mean I would EVER vote Democratic. Well...at least while I am still alive.
If you hate Trump's guts that's your problem. You don't capitulate with... 'if I can't beat em' join em' mentality. You don't dismiss the core values of your party because of your dislike of one person.
That never works.
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Colin Powell, who served as secretary of state during former President George W. Bush's administration, says he no longer considers himself a Republican due to his intense opposition to President Trump.
Calling the post-Trump era "a moment for accountability," Powell made the announcement during an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria on Sunday.
"I can no longer call myself a fellow Republican. I'm not a fellow of anything right now," Powell said. "I'm just a citizen who has voted Republican, voted Democrat throughout my entire career, and right now, I'm just watching my country and not concerned with parties."
Powell joined the growing list of politicians calling for Trump's early removal from office, noting that if he were a senator, he would vote to convict on the articles of impeachment the House presented on Monday.
"We've got to get Mr. Trump clearly out of this entirely. He's going to be gone, one way or the other, by next week, and the sooner, the better, whether it is just a relief he takes for himself or it's an impeachment or just leave, resign, retire," Powell said.
A longtime critic of Trump, Powell acknowledged that the president won over millions of voters and said the Biden administration will have to accept that these supporters remain a part of the nation.
"This gives us a challenge: How do we talk to that portion of our society that vote in [a] huge percentage [that] went for Mr. Trump? Mr. Trump isn't there anymore, and so we've got to help them come back and join the rest of us," he said. "Let's argue with each other. Let's debate each other. But let's remember that we have to love each other. That's who we are. We're Americans, and we have something to be proud of."
Though Powell served in a Republican presidential administration, he has also supported Democratic politicians. Powell endorsed Democratic presidential contenders Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden in 2008, 2016, and 2020, respectively.
Sunday, January 10, 2021
What a crock...
Melania never graced the cover of any major magazine and is undoubtedly the most stunning First Lady of all time.
While this makes every major magazine cover to this day!
Now you know why her makeup artist makes $1500 bucks an hour.
And now this:
And she's not even vice president yet!
(Have to say the shoes complete the outfit)
Nothing was done deliberately. It's all just a coincidence.
Murkowski says she is not considering joining Democratic caucus
McCain in a dress.
Murkowski, who is up for reelection in 2022, said that her status as a Republican depends if the GOP trends towards Trump’s platform.
She explained:
"Well, you know, there’s a lot of people who actually thought that I did that in 2010, think that I became an independent. I didn’t have any reason to leave my party in 2010. I was a Republican who ran a write-in campaign and I was successful. But I will tell you, if the Republican Party has become nothing more than the party of Trump, I sincerely question whether this is the party for me."
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Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) responded “absolutely, unequivocally not” when asked if she was considering switching to the Democratic Party.
Liz Ruskin, an Alaska public radio reporter, asked Murkowski if she was planning to become a Democrat amid speculation of her identity within the Republican Party.
“No. No. Absolutely, unequivocally not,” Murkowski replied.
Rumors of Murkowski switching party affiliations began when she said that “if the Republican Party has become nothing more than the party of Trump, I sincerely question whether this is the party for me.”
Murkowski is the first Republican senator who has called on Trump to resign since the Capitol attacks on Wednesday, when Trump called the rioters “special” and continued to push his claims of election fraud.
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) has signaled that he might support impeachment if it makes it through the House and depending on why the National Guard was not deployed during the riot.
This isn’t the first time Murkowski has gone against her fellow Republican colleagues. The most notable time Murkowski bucked the GOP and Trump was during the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, when she simply voted "present."
Trump has previously threatened to support Murkowski’s primary challenger when she is up for reelection in 2022. Murkowski has been in the Senate since 2002.
Saturday, January 9, 2021
As you're probably aware Trump's Twitter account has been permanently suspended
Heard this listening to the news this morning. They also mentioned Trump had 80 million followers. It got me to thinking so I went on Twitter to Joe Bibem's account and he has 23.3 million followers.
Of course, we have all seen the rallies...
It brings into question Trump who has 80 million followers on Twitter winds up with 74,222,959 votes. So 5,777,041 didn't vote for him. On the other hand Biden with only 23.3 million followers winds up with 81,283,074 votes 'winning' the election. So not only did his 23.3 million followers vote for him 'miraculously' he picked up another 58,283,074 votes!
Common sense dictates this can't be right.
Five states flipped blue not one state flipped red?
Really...
Trump Erases His Legacy
He also destroyed any chance of a political future, all on a single Wednesday afternoon.
I was thinking the same thing myself the other day but didn't want to say anything my conservative feelings being what they are. Let me start by saying this isn't coming from some left-wing idiot. Kimberly Strassel is on FOX News all the time and a staunch conservative. Trump incited the riots then waited for hours and hours before coming out and saying something that didn’t do anything to calm the situation. Then the very next day he comes out condemning the "violent supporters" rioting and says they all should be in jail. He also said it was a “heinous attack” that left him “outraged by the violence lawlessness and mayhem.” I mean give me a break he incited it!
It's already in Wikipedia:
It's truly a shame this had to happen I firmly believe he would've gone down in history as one of the greatest presidents. Record high stock market, the Covid vaccine In Operation Warp Speed, his tough stance dealing with China, wiping out ISIS and their leader, and he would've gotten the Nobel peace prize if it was anybody else but him. The list just goes on and on.
Terrible, terrible, tragedy is the only way I can put it, and hurts me to say this but in my opinion, his political career is over. He's kryptonite to any Republican. I agree with Kimberly Strassel 100%. On Wednesday afternoon he wiped out his entire legacy. Henceforth, he'll always be remembered as the major player in the [Capitol building riot of 2021].
Sad, but I have to say this is the culmination, the frustration, of a man who was ruthlessly attacked throughout his entire presidency and even as a candidate meanwhile everything the Bribem's did was swept under the table. We now look like Venezuela... and you know what? Maybe we deserve it!
PS:
Don't give a damn what anybody says I still believe if you can go to your local supermarket, Home Depot, and Walmart you could've went to your local polling place and voted. Trump lost for one reason and one reason only mail-in voting.
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WSJ Opinion: Trump Erases His Legacy Potomac Watch: A politician has to work hard to destroy a legacy and a future in a single day. President Donald J. Trump managed it. Image: John Minchillo/Associated Press
A politician has to work hard to destroy a legacy and a future in a single day. President Donald J. Trump managed it.
By this Wednesday afternoon, media outlets had called both Georgia Senate runoffs for the Democratic candidates, handing Sen. Chuck Schumer the keys to that chamber. We now have a Democrat-controlled Washington. The Georgia news came as a mob of Trump supporters—egged on by the president himself—occupied the U.S. Capitol building. Now four people are dead, while aides and officials run for the exits.
It didn’t have to be this way. The president had every right—even an obligation, given the ad hoc changes to voting rules—to challenge state election results in court. But when those challenges failed (which every one did, completely), he had the opportunity to embrace his legacy, cement his accomplishments, and continue to play a powerful role in GOP politics.
Mr. Trump could have reveled in the mantle of the one-term disrupter—the man the electorate sent to Washington to deliver the message that it was tired of business as usual. He could have pointed out just how successful he was in that mission by stacking his cabinet with reformers, busting convention, and overseeing policy changes that astounded (and delighted) even many warrior conservatives.
The withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and the Iranian deal. The greatest tax simplification and reduction since Reagan. The largest deregulatory effort since—well, ever. Three Supreme Court justices and 54 appellate court judges. Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve. The Jerusalem embassy. Criminal-justice reform. Opportunity zones. He could have noted that the greatest proof of just how much Democrats and the establishment feared his mission were the five years of investigations, hysterical allegations and “deep state” sabotage—which he survived.
Mostly, he could have explained that all this was at considerably heightened risk if Democrats win the Senate—and invested himself fully in Georgia. Every day needed to be about fundraising, rallying the troops, making clear to his supporters that the only way to preserve this legacy was to keep the Senate in GOP hands.
That isn’t what happened. Obviously. Following court losses, Mr. Trump, in his own words, devoted “125% of my energy” to his own grievances. He declared the Georgia Senate races “illegal and invalid,” discouraging voting. He actively undercut Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler with late-game demands for $2,000 stimulus checks and with his veto of a defense authorization bill that provided pay raises and support for Georgia’s military bases. His denial of the presidential results energized Democrats and depressed Republicans. Turnout in Trump counties lagged, while turnout in some Democratic areas nearly reached that of the November election.
Mr. Trump is leaving, and thanks to his final denial of reality, Mr. Schumer will now methodically erase his policy history. Democrats need only 51 votes to eliminate the Trump tax reform, 51 to use the Congressional Review Act to undo his final deregulations; 51 to wave through liberal judges to counter Mr. Trump’s picks. And this is before Mr. Biden gets busy reversing Trump policy by executive fiat, and assuming Democrats forbear from abolishing the legislative filibuster.
So that’s his legacy, largely gone. As for his future, Mr. Trump’s role in inflaming the Capitol mob has likely put paid to that, as well. Dedicated members of his administration are resigning. Longtime supporters in Congress are turning. Millions of Americans who for years were willing to tolerate, often even celebrate, Mr. Trump’s brash behavior in the pursuit of reform or good policy, are less amused by the wreckage he has visited on party and policy. And they’ll be unwilling to go there again in 2024.
Trump loyalists may well condemn anyone who speaks honestly of all this as RINOs or spineless Beltwayers who care nothing of “election fraud.” But to quote the incoming president, “C’mon, man.” It’s one thing to scorn a Mitt Romney. But many of the senators throwing up their hands are the ones who fearlessly rooted out the false Russia collusion accusations, who defended Mr. Trump through baseless impeachment proceedings, and who understand the need for voting reform. Many of the officials resigning are bold conservatives, attracted to an administration they knew would let them break china. They too are stunned, and demoralized, by the president’s decision to tank their work.
“We signed up for making America great again. We signed up for lower taxes and less regulation. The president has a long list of successes that we can be proud of. But all of that went away yesterday.” That was Mick Mulvaney talking to CNBC Thursday. Mr. Mulvaney, the tea-party supporter, founding member of the House Freedom caucus, and the onetime Trump chief of staff. Hardly an establishment weenie.
The pity is that Mr. Trump’s conflagration will mostly burn the Americans he went to Washington to help. They will bear the higher taxes, the higher costs of regulation, the higher unemployment, the loss of freedoms. America became less great this week. And that’s fully on the guy at the top.
Rioters who stormed US Capitol now face backlash at work
I guess this is customary but I would like to see it done across-the-board. I don't recall reading an article like this over the '100 day riots' in Seattle and Portland. Is it because most of Black Lives Matter and Antifa don't have jobs? Or is it because the MSM turns a blind eye just like Bribem did with Harris at the DNC?
And then there's this:
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NEW YORK (AP) — A printing company in Maryland saw the photo on Twitter Wednesday night: an employee roaming the halls of the U.S. Capitol with a company badge around his neck. He was fired the next day.
Others are facing similar repercussions at work for their participation in Wednesday's riot at the U.S. Capitol. Some business owners are being trashed on social media and their establishments boycotted, while rank-and-file employees at other businesses have been fired.
The printing company, Navistar Direct Marketing, declined to name the worker but said it can’t offer employment to people “demonstrating dangerous conduct that endangers the health and safety of others.”
More than 90 people have been arrested since Wednesday when loyalists to outgoing President Donald Trump disrupted lawmakers as they met to confirm the Electoral College results and President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. People on social media have been trying to identify rioters photographed or filmed at the Capitol Wednesday, pressuring companies that employ them to fire them.
At a data analytics firm in suburban Chicago, the employee in question was the top boss. Cogensia fired CEO Bradley Rukstales Friday night for his participation in the riot.
“This decision was made because Rukstales’ actions were inconsistent with the core values of Cogensia," said newly-named acting CEO Joel Schiltz in a statement. "Cogensia condemns what occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, and we intend to continue to embrace the values of integrity, diversity and transparency in our business operations, and expect all employees to embrace those values as well.”
Rukstales, who was arrested for unlawful entry, told a local CBS news channel that he had entered the Capitol and apologized for his role in the events. Calls and emails to Rukstales weren’t returned.
A Cleveland school occupational therapist resigned from the district after her alleged involvement in the riot. A spokeswoman for a fire department near Orlando, Florida said one of its firefighters was being investigated for his participation. Sanford Fire Department firefighter Andy Williams has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome, said spokeswoman Bianca Gillett.
Most private employers can fire workers for attending protests, since First Amendment rights only prohibit people from being punished by the government for their speech, not by a private employer, said Susan Kline, an Indianapolis-based labor and employment attorney at law firm Faegre Drinker.
There are some exceptions: Those who work for the government may be more legally protected, and so too are many unionized workers, who typically have a contract listing the reasons for which they could be fired. And some states may have laws that protect workers' free speech.
But “what people did at the Capitol Wednesday was rioting, not protesting,” said Aaron Holt, a labor and employment attorney with law firm Cozen O’Connor. “When someone violates the law, that’s almost never going to be protected, and a private employer is going to be within their rights to discipline or take some kind of action in response to that that might go against their fundamental core values.”
Small businesses are also facing backlash on online review sites such as Yelp, which flagged at least 20 businesses for unusual review activity related to Wednesday’s rioting.
One business, Becky’s Flowers in Midland, Texas, is owned by Jenny Cudd, a former mayoral candidate who posted a video on Facebook bragging about breaking into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. By Friday, Cudd’s flower shop was flooded with dozens of one-star reviews in which she was called a traitor and domestic terrorist, along with photos of her inside the Capitol.
Cudd later said in a video message to The Associated Press that she didn’t personally go into Pelosi’s office or see people break down the door, and that when she said “we,” she meant all of the people who were at the Capitol. She said she didn’t do anything violent or destroy any property.
“I walked through an open door into the Capitol along with several hundred other people,” Cudd said.
She added that she had “received several death threats along with thousands of one-star reviews from across the country of people who have never frequented my business."
Yelp has flagged businesses for unusual review activity following less egregious but still controversial events. Reviewers raged on the Yelp page of Virginia restaurant The Red Hen after it booted former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders from its establishment a few years ago. And commenters from the left and right bombarded Big Apple Pizza’s Yelp page with political beliefs after former President Barack Obama was enthusiastically hugged by a customer there.
Social media has outed people for their involvement in activities outside of the workplace, landing them in trouble with their employers. In 2017 after a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, many posted photos on social mediaof those who participated, leading in some cases to their firing.
In Louisiana, customers said they would boycott supermarket chain Rouses Market after retired owner Donald Rouse was shown in a photo at Wednesday's riot. Rouse said in an email statement that he attended the rally as a supporter of the president but left before the violence began.
“I’m horrified by the violence and destruction we saw yesterday and the pain it has caused so many,” Rouse said. “Our country desperately needs to come together to heal, and I will do everything I can to be a part of that process.”
The Krewe of Red Beans, a group which organizes parades, posted on Instagram that it would return $20,000 in donations it received from the market.
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