Adam Johnson, Pelosi's lectern snatcher, runs for obscure office in Florida

 Podium Guy Runs for Office

Ladies and gentleman, we present to you Adam Johnson today. The man who believes that experience includes a souvenir hunt in the halls of the Republic. Enter Adam Johnson, a Florida man who achieved global immortality not through a service, business success, or a heroic rescue, but by smiling for the cameras while hauling Nancy Pelosi’s lectern across the Capitol like a frat boy who had just scored the rival school’s mascot.

For most people, a photo of themselves participating in our most famous riot in recent memory while wearing a knit "Trump" beanie would be a "delete account and move to a cave" moment. For Johnson, it was apparently a compelling LinkedIn profile update. Having served his time and paid his debt to society—which included a brisk seventy-five days in jail and a fine that probably cost less than the lectern's shipping fees would have—Johnson has decided that the natural next step in his professional development is to stop stealing the furniture of government and start sitting in it.

He is running for an obscure local office in Florida, proving once again that in the Sunshine State, "disqualification" is merely a suggestion and a criminal record is often a prereq.

Running for office requires a certain level of audacity, the kind usually reserved for people who think they can bench press 135 lbs with no training or throw an axe at a bullseye one day after committing monkey business with a young woman. Johnson’s campaign is the ultimate "Hold My Beer" moment of the post-January 6th era. His platform, one assumes, is built on a foundation of "Organizational Logistics" and "Rapid Asset Relocation." If the local school board or mosquito control district needs someone who knows how to navigate a high-stress environment with a piece of mahogany over their shoulder, Adam is clearly the over-qualified candidate.

Sometimes the joke writes itself: Who better to oversee public funds than a man who viewed the Speaker of the House’s furniture as a "free-to-a-good-home" Craigslist listing? Who better to uphold local ordinances than a man whose most famous interaction with a federal building involved a "Push" sign he interpreted as "Invade"?

Johnson’s candidacy is the latest example of the "Influencer-to-Incumbent" pipeline. In the modern age, infamy is just fame with a slightly higher legal bill. To a certain segment of the electorate, Johnson isn't a cautionary tale about the consequences of getting swept up in a mob; he’s a "disruptor." He didn't just break the status quo; he literally picked it up and tried to walk out the door with it. In a political climate where "burn it all down" is a legitimate campaign strategy, Johnson is the only guy who can say he actually checked the weight of the wreckage.

One must admire the sheer, unmitigated gall of the "Podium Guy" pivot. It takes a certain kind of psychological armor to knock on a neighbor's door and ask for their vote when that neighbor has likely seen a high-definition photo of you committing a felony while waving like you're on a Rose Bowl float. It’s the ultimate test of the "all politics is local" theory. Perhaps his neighbors don’t care about the U.S. Capitol; perhaps they just want to know if he’s going to steal their lawn chairs if they disagree with his stance on zoning laws.

Sadly, Adam Johnson’s run for office is the perfect punchline to the January 6th saga. Or at least one of many punchlines. It suggests that in America, you can go from being a national punchline to a local policymaker in the time it takes for a bruised ego to heal and a probation officer to stop calling. If he wins, we can only hope the local council chambers have the furniture bolted to the floor. If he loses, well, there’s always a career in professional moving and storage. After all, he’s already shown he has the upper body strength for it

J6ers Now working where?

Where else?  ICE ICE Baby!(allegedly)  The times they are a-changin'.  This is all speculation and unconfirmed: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-democrats-trump-administration-jan-6-rioters-ice/

Here are some details about ICE employment qualifications culled from sources on the web, which are NOT to be taken as the specific requirements, just general guidelines:

Becoming an officer for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) involves a rigorous multi-stage process. Requirements vary slightly depending on whether you are applying for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) (Deportation Officers) or Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) (Special Agents).

1. Basic Eligibility Requirements

Before the physical and mental testing begins, all candidates must meet these foundational standards:

• Citizenship: You must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Age: Generally, you must be referred for selection before your 40th birthday.
• Note: In 2025, policy shifts began exploring the removal of age caps for certain "patriotic" recruits, but the standard remains 37–40 for most federal law enforcement tracks. Waivers are often available for veterans or those with previous federal law enforcement experience, but generally you need to be under 40.
• Residency: You must have lived in the U.S. for at least 3 of the last 5 years (exceptions exist for military/federal service overseas).
• Legal: You must have a valid driver’s license and be legally eligible to carry a firearm (e.g., no domestic violence convictions).

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2. Education & Experience

ICE usually hires at the GL-5, GL-7, or GL-9 grade levels.

• GL-5 (Entry Level): Requires a Bachelor’s degree (any field) OR 3 years of general work experience that demonstrates responsibility and sound judgment. I’m guessing military experience is one.
• GL-7/9 (Specialized): Requires either graduate-level education (Master's or JD) or "specialized experience" in law enforcement, such as conducting investigations, preparing reports, or applying criminal laws. Not an entry level gig.

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3. The "Exams and Testing" (The Screening Process)

If your application passes the initial review, you must complete several high-stakes assessments and if you fail, you’re out:

• Physical Fitness Test (PFT): For ERO, this typically includes a kneel/stand test, push-ups (a whopping 15 in 2 minutes!), and a 5-minute cardiovascular step test. HSI Special Agents requirements often include a 1.5-mile run and sprints.  Again, not sure what time you have to run 1.5 miles, but I’d be surprised if you have to do it in under 15 minutes to qualify given that Baltimore has a 15 minute mile requirement for police officers, allegedly.
• Medical Exam: Includes vision (must correct to 20/20), hearing, and a full physical. Again, not sure of body fat percentages or what would disqualify someone from moving forward.
• Background Investigation: A deep dive into your criminal history, finances, and associations to obtain a Secret Security Clearance. This can take 3 months to a year. Not sure what exactly this entails as well. I know people are being hired pretty quickly but that is what the internet seems to think the duration is at this point.
• Drug Testing: Mandatory pre-employment and random testing after hire. Not sure exactly what drugs are tested for or what happens if you are flagged or take prescription meds.
• Polygraph: You may be required to take a "lie detector" test as part of the security vetting about your back ground and/or experience. No idea how one determines if someone fails that but you take it.

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4. Paid Training

Once hired, you are sent to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, Georgia.

• ERO Officers: Complete a ~16-week Basic Immigration Law Enforcement Training Program.
• HSI Special Agents: Complete a ~22-week program, including the Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP).
• Language: If you aren't already proficient, you may have to complete a 5-week Spanish language program.

Warning: ICE has a "no retest" policy for some fitness and academic portions of training. If you fail a component, your conditional job offer is usually withdrawn immediately. So it is a good idea to be prepared to do 15 pushups within 2 minutes.

Taylor Taranto, Pardoned J6er, banned from DC Basically

 Also needs to undergo more mental health counseling.  Probably because of his awesomely alliterative pronstar name. Article Here

Taranto is a U.S. Navy veteran and we thank him for his service. This usually implies a certain level of discipline, or at least the ability to fold a shirt into a perfect square. He served in the Iraq War, presumably learning the logistical complexities of moving men and material across hostile deserts. Somewhere between the Persian Gulf and the suburbs of Pasco, Washington, however, the moral compass broke. Taranto didn’t just join the Republican Party; he became a digital volunteer for the Franklin County GOP, proving once again that boredom in the Pacific Northwest is the primary driver of political radicalism.

Then came January 6th, the day when a significant portion of the American populace decided that the best way to save the Constitution was to treat the U.S. Capitol like a Golden Corral on a Friday night. Taranto was there, famously photographed scuffling with police. But while most participants went home to wait for the inevitable FBI knock, Taranto decided to lean into the bit. He became a fixture of the "Justice for J6" vigils outside the D.C. jail—a sort of permanent protestor-in-residence, living in a van that was presumably decorated with more red flags than a May Day parade in 1950s Moscow

The humor, if we can call it that, turns dark when you realize Taranto’s commitment to the "bit" involved a level of online activity that would make a teenage YouTuber blush. He didn't just post; he reposted a Truth Social link containing the supposed address of former President Barack Obama. This is where the Navy veteran’s tactical training met the impulse control of a golden retriever. Armed with two firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, Taranto drove his "protest van" into Obama’s Kalorama neighborhood.

When the Secret Service gave chase, Taranto fled toward the woods of a nearby park. It was a classic moment: a man trying to start a revolution in a neighborhood where the most dangerous thing is usually a poorly parked Volvo or an overpriced kale salad. He was apprehended, and the subsequent search of his van revealed enough weaponry to invade a small Caribbean island, or at least a very determined HOA meeting.

The legal fallout revealed the final, saddening punchline. Taranto’s defense argued he was just a "citizen journalist" caught up in the fervor of the times. The courts, however, were less impressed with his press credentials. During his detention hearings, it emerged that Taranto had been experiencing a reality-detachment so profound it bordered on the artisanal. He wasn't just a threat; he was a walking, talking manifestation of the internet’s ability to turn a veteran’s sense of duty into a chaotic, paranoid LARP  with real-world ammunition.

Taylor Taranto’s background is a cautionary tale of the "New American Identity": part veteran, part activist, part van-lifer, and entirely untethered. He is what happens when you mix a decorated service record with a steady diet of 4 a.m. conspiracy threads and the misplaced belief that the road to patriotism runs through a former President’s backyard. It’s a comedy of errors, provided you find the potential for domestic terrorism funny. The only thing more dangerous than a government that doesn't work is a citizen who thinks he can fix it with a van full of guns and a GPS coordinate from the internet.

Capitol Police reflect 5 years later

Capitol Police reflect on revisionist history, pardons on police assaulters, disillusionment.  They "instigated", after 140 were injured in J6 and many suffer from PTSD:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/a-difficult-year-how-officers-who-defended-the-capitol-are-grappling-with-efforts-to-downplay-jan-6-violence

The pursuit of political reconciliation often creates a landscape of deep moral and institutional contradictions. In the contemporary American context, few tensions are as visible as the juxtaposition between the Biden-Harris administration’s stated reverence for the rule of law regarding the events of January 6, 2021, and its concurrent utilization of the very individuals who sought to dismantle that law to enforce federal policy. As highlighted in recent reports regarding the integration of pardoned January 6 participants into federal law enforcement roles—specifically within Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—a profound contradiction emerges. This policy shift suggests a troubling hierarchy of accountability where the sanctity of the U.S. Capitol is sacrificed for the sake of political expediency and aggressive border enforcement.

To understand this contradiction, one must first look at the administrative rhetoric regarding the Capitol Police. For years, the current administration has championed the officers who defended the Capitol as the "vanguard of democracy." They have held ceremonies, awarded Congressional Gold Medals, and used the trauma of those officers as a moral foundation for "protecting the soul of the nation." However, the symbolic elevation of the Capitol Police stands in stark contrast to the tangible pardoning and subsequent hiring of the individuals who assaulted them. When an administration facilitates the transition of a rioter—someone who, by definition, engaged in the subversion of law enforcement—into a role as a federal agent (LEO), it effectively nullifies the "sacrifice" of the officers it claims to honor. You cannot claim to support the blue line at the Capitol while handing a badge and a gun to the person who tried to break it.

This contradiction deepens when examining the specific agency involved: ICE. The administration has faced immense pressure to appear "tough" on border security to counter political attacks from the right. By utilizing pardoned January 6 participants in ICE or other policing efforts, the administration appears to be engaging in a form of "performative enforcement." It seeks to appease a specific demographic of the electorate by showing that even the most "zealous" nationalists can be brought into the fold of the state’s coercive apparatus. The irony is staggering: individuals who were prosecuted for an illegal breach of a federal boundary (the Capitol) are now tasked with the "lawful" defense of a national boundary. This creates a dual standard of "sovereignty"—one where the sovereignty of the ballot box and the legislature is negotiable, but the sovereignty of the physical border is enforced by those who previously ignored federal authority.

Furthermore, this dynamic exposes a "disposable" view of the Capitol Police. If the administration truly viewed the assault on the Capitol as a unique and unforgivable threat to the republic, the participants of that event would be permanently disqualified from the privilege of state-sanctioned violence. By opening the doors of ICE to these individuals, the administration signals that the injuries, PTSD, and deaths of the Capitol Police are secondary to the need for a robust, aggressive policing presence at the border. It suggests that "policing" is not about a consistent adherence to the law, but rather about who the state chooses to target at any given moment.

In conclusion, the integration of January 6 participants into current federal policing efforts is more than just a hiring anomaly; it is a symptom of a fractured political logic. It reveals an administration that is willing to instrumentalize the trauma of the Capitol Police for domestic speeches while simultaneously rehabilitating the rioters for the sake of border optics. This contradiction undermines the legitimacy of federal law enforcement, sending a message that the "rule of law" is a flexible concept that can be bent to accommodate the very people who once tried to break it. For the officers who stood on the stairs of the Capitol on January 6, seeing their assailants rebranded as "colleagues" in the federal service is perhaps the ultimate betrayal.

The Contraraian publishes where are they now?

 A roundup from the Contrarian.  https://contrarian.substack.com/p/j6ers-where-are-they-now

1984 revisited, Winston Hill erasing the past about j6

 Of course, the law and order crowd said that the Capitol Police, outnumbered, provoked the crowds. It was all a big misunderstanding. I wonder how folks can reconcile carrying a Gadsden Flag while at the same time believing it was OK to assault Police on January 6th, but not believing the actions of ICE are heavy handed and in many cases wrong:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/white-house-rewrites-january-6-history-and-blames-police-for-deadly-attack-on-5-year-anniversary/ar-AA1THGcb

I dont think anyone needs to be told why this is dangerous, and of course we all know the phrase, "Those that do not remember their history, are doomed to repeat it" Slowly walking back any acknowledgment of the January 6th riot. (I am calling it a riot, and not any of the stronger words often used to describe the events of the day)  We are extremely lucky in that the events of that day did not result in Public Officials being taken prisoner or worse.  We need to be very clear about what happened.

The shame of it all is that many in Congress know that they will not get re-elected unless they bend the knee and play along with the current administrations games. I wonder how many people in Congress privately repidiate the actions of the administration yet do not have the fortitude to bring to light the feelings they know are true. Much like the murder that occurred on a street where everyone closed their windows or did not react, I believe that all it takes are a few strong souls in Congress to put their foot down and the rest hopefully will follow. There eventually must be a turning point or an inflection point, and I wonder when we will arrive at it.

The eerie part of 1984 is when Winston Smith takes pride in his ability to alter history, where it seemed to just be a game he was playing and not real life.

A rare moment of clarity from a Republican on J6: “We Let Bad People Go”: Sen. Tillis Critiques the J6 Pardon Pipeline

NC Republican Thom Tillis admits we let bad people go. Refreshing honesty:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/general/we-let-bad-people-go-north-carolina-senator-says-of-president-trump-s-jan-6-pardons/ar-AA1TLIZ9

Tillis is an interesting Republican.  He originally worked as a warehouse clerk and in the insurance industry as he did not have the means to go to college.  Ultimately he ended up getting an online degree while working full time and raising a family, at the age of 36.

He then worked in consulting at various technology and accounting firms like Price Waterhouse Cooper and Wang Laboratories.

His political career was similarly from the ground up: he started as President of the PTA for his daughters school and then was in the State Legislature, before getting elected to Senate.

He is known for being a conservative although he supports bipartisan legislation often for veterans and for immigration reform.

When one looks through the names of folks who have received pardons for their J6 involvement, seen their subsequent arrests for other matters, this doesnt appear to be an earth shattering revelation.  However, he has drawn the ire of the current administration.