Trump/Murdock Match, Jan 6, Courts, Age of Biden, Impeach, God, Loss, Grief

  • M. Bouffant at Web of Evil has the links, but seems decidedly unsympathetic to either contender, as mr Trump challenges Rupert Murdoch to a senility contest.
     
  • In Georgia, the Fulton County court drama continues with Trump lawyers, co‑conspirator lawyers, and the Fani Willis team.
     
    Frances Langum has read through last week’s release of the complete, full, unredacted, original Fulton County, Georgia Grand Jury report. Turns out the Grand Jury wanted a few more indictments. How many more? Oh MY!
     
  • Congressional Representative Jim Jordan (R‑OH) is irritated by the Georgia indictments of Donald Trump and decides to do something about it. As chair of the House Judiciary Committee, he issues a subpoena for all of the prosecution’s evidence.
     
    The Palmer Report brings us a summary of the Fani Willis response to Rep Jordan. She did not simply refuse. She explained her legal reasoning, how state trials work, the standards of US Constitutional law, and (wonderfully) congressional committee procedures.
     
    Pretty much made Jim Jordan look unfamiliar with his own rules.
    Who could have guessed?
     
    Key introduction to Congressional procedures:
    In her letter, Willis pointed out to Jordan: “As you know, Chairman Jordan, the congressional power of inquiry ‘is not unlimited.” She followed that statement with appropriately related case law.
     
  • Ant Farmer’s Almanac has a marketing idea for Gym Jordan Footwear.
     
  • PZ Myers sees the judicial sentence applied to an insurrection leader as a reason to hope for justice.
     
    My minor objection. The 22 year sentence for Enrique Tarrio is not justice.
    We are confined by legal and ethical limits on punishment.
     
    Justice would have been much harsher.
     
  • Just when I thought I could never empathize with this group:
     
    Andy Borowitz brings us the right wing terrorist group, the Proud Boys, many of whom have been sentenced to terms so long that on release they may have to change the group name to something more age appropriate.
     
    Key name rejection:
    “Yes, I will eventually be an Elderly Boy,” Enrique Tarrio told reporters. “However, let’s be clear: while we Proud Boys are considering changing the name of our group, ‘Elderly Boys’ is not one of the options in the mix.”
     
  • Since we are now up to 91 counts, Green Eagle decides it’s time for someone to say straight out what is really going on.
     
    Key narrative summary:
    Joe Biden, who happens to be a doddering dotard, is also engaged in this massive, perfectly timed plot to destroy the one who is poised to return to power and wreak his justified vengeance on anyone who ever stood up to him, while profiting handsomely in the process. That’s their story, and as the song says, they are sticking to it.
     
  • MadMikesAmerica speculates that voters may turn toward the right‑wing in 2024. Has to do with the way we look at age.
     
  • Tommy Christopher brings us the quote as President Biden, colorfully and accurately, credits a John Wayne movie while referring to climate deniers as lying dog‑faced pony soldiers.
     
  • News Corpse has Biden staffers NOT avoiding any comment on Republican plans for impeachment, but even directing media attention to them.
     
    Now a few Republicans are recoiling and accusing the administration of dictating coverage.
     
    My thought:
  • Our favorite Earth-Bound Misfit calls the impeachment nonsense what it is: another move to guarantee the re‑election of President Biden.
     
    I have yet another thought:
  • Vivek Ramaswamy wants to be President, and says he will pardon mr Trump in order to “help reunite the country.”
     
    Vixen Strangely at Strangely Blogged explains that it will do the opposite and, considering the future of said country, would otherwise be a really bad, horrible, dumb idea. She counts the ways.
     
    Key reason never to offend Vixen:
    When Ramaswamy says it, it sounds like the pandering of a slick, green, shallow man who has never thought hard about public matters a day in his life.
     
    Ouch! I don’t even like Vivek and that hurt.
     
  • At The Moderate Voice Kathy Gill dives deep into Texas law, politics, and polls and tells us all about the impeachment and coming state senate trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton.
     
  • Dave Columbo takes apart and reassembles Tucker.
     
  • driftglass watches Mitt Romney prepare to exit Republican politics, leaving behind one last bit of both sides are equally at fault.
    One problem: driftglass isn’t having it.

Continue reading “Trump/Murdock Match, Jan 6, Courts, Age of Biden, Impeach, God, Loss, Grief”

Wisconsin Republicans:
Voters Have No Right to Choose Wrong

For those not focused like a laser on Wisconsin, here’s the sequence:
 

Suffragatorum Voluntate:
By the Will of the Voters
Photo by Joshua Woroniecki on Unsplash
Prospective state Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz mentions the extreme gerrymandering that keeps Wisconsin Republicans in power.
 
Wisconsin voters then, by a big majority, elect Janet Protasiewicz to their state Supreme Court.
 
Wisconsin Republicans now want to impeach and remove the new Justice because she is flagrantly pro-democracy, but is still willing to rule on gerrymandering when it comes to the court.
 
Wisconsin conservative James Wigderson reacts to their reaction:
 


James expands on the plan by gerrymandered Wisconsin Republicans to use their gerrymander to preserve their gerrymander forever.

We’re watching another wall being erected around our state Capitol. Instead of protecting the law or our rights as Wisconsin citizens, the wall is being built to protect the members of our legislature. Every last one of them is more precious than the will of the voters in the last Supreme Court election.
(Note: Worth reading in full)

9/11: Remembering Victims of Collective Hatred

He was the office hothead. He often took it to laughable lengths. One incident in particular produced a permanent image in my mind.

It was a small, struggling company, and it was hard to start an advancement program. It was a technological company with no formal training and development. So I proposed to management a series of lunchtime training sessions organized by employees. We would bring our lunches to a conference room once a week and take turns teaching each other from books we bought together.

Eventually, management began showing some enthusiasm. They offered to buy our next set of books. They began buying lunch for those participating. That’s where my hotheaded friend came in. “Pizza!” he said in disgust. “Every damn week, Pizza! If they don’t give us something different, I’m not coming anymore.”

It was emblematic of his always-on-edge personality. Glass half shattered.

So when I showed up for work that day and was greeted by an especially sour welcome, it made me laugh. “You watch television this morning?” he asked. Nope. Then, shouting: “What the HELL is wrong with you?”

Then my smile was replaced by horror. Someone had rescued a training television from some training room. A tall building was burning. People were dying as we watched.

Future generations who watch replays of television coverage of September 11 destruction will never know how it really was to experience it for the first time.
Continue reading “9/11: Remembering Victims of Collective Hatred”

Biden, Florida Hit, Trump Mugged, 14th, Vivek, OJ (Really?), Nikki, Rudy, Impeach

Continue reading “Biden, Florida Hit, Trump Mugged, 14th, Vivek, OJ (Really?), Nikki, Rudy, Impeach”

Charged, Mugged, Debates, Flight Risk, Polls, Wagner, Vlad, Vivek, DeSantis

  • Nojo neatly summarizes the legal week with one photo and a three word headline.
     
  • Legal expert Imani Gandy of Rewire News Group explains, in very simple terms, this week’s Trump related drama in Georgia.
     

    And I react:

  • One oft heard defense of Trump and Associates is that prosecutors can’t prove he knew he had lost and believed he had lost.
     
    Wisconsin conservative James Wigderson isn’t picking up what they’re laying down:

  • The Senior Senator from Florida has a warning about prosecuting a political figure:


    Cato Institute’s Julian Sanchez has a bit of fun with it before making a more serious point:

  • At his booking, mr Trump was not weighed. He simply assured police that, at 215 pounds and 6’3″, they could take his word. We non-members of the party have had some fun with that exhibition of prime fitness.
     


    One or two humorless MAGA members tried to defend the stats. Poor souls.
     

  • As Republicans accuse the Biden administration of politicizing law enforcement. President Biden responds by not responding, insisting on a hands off approach.
     
    Trump, during his term, seemed exempt from Republican accusations of politicizing law enforcement. Sarah Cooper fondly recalls
    those halcyon days when Donald Trump was in charge.
     
  • Today, the Texas Attorney General could give lessons on selling law enforcement to his pals, but enjoys a similar indulgence:
     
  • The Republican base does seem convinced that mr Trump is innocent of any wrongdoing. Not everyone is buying it.
     
    News Corpse has the numbers.
     
    Most Americans tell pollsters they are convinced mr Trump is guilty.

Continue reading “Charged, Mugged, Debates, Flight Risk, Polls, Wagner, Vlad, Vivek, DeSantis”

Libertarians, Communes, Early Christianity, and Socialist Sidewalks

Government Owned Boston Sidewalk
Photo by Gabrielle Audu on Unsplash
A question is posed on question/answer platform Quora:
 
If socialism is superior… why don’t socialists simply make a socialist company and show to the world how much better it is compared to a capitalist company?
 
Libertarian Michael A. LaFerrara has an answer: They have.
 
The concept of a socialist company may seem contradictory to those mindful of the classic definition of socialism, in which the means of production is no longer in private hands. You know, Power to the People, except in more structural ways than implied in the clenched fisted slogan.
 
Michael stretches a point to include communes, kibbutzim, Amish communities, and others.
 
Thankfully, he doesn’t get into the hippie communes known to us in my long, long ago youth.
 
Nor does he mention the earliest Christian communities, organized in their own form of shared possessions.
 
Key concept, volunteerism:
Socialists can and have established socialist companies; even, for a time, successfully. The key is for people to adhere to the basic principle of voluntary consent, and renounce the use of political power–governmental force and coercion–to impose their socialist beliefs on everyone by law.
 
However, Michael sees voluntary socialism as universally doomed:
This is why socialism, in all of its political manifestations, always leads to tyranny. It has to, because it faces an implacable force—human nature. People simply want to live for themselves.
 
I dunno. I kind of like living in a system of loosely regulated capitalism. But I confess I also like government ownership of fire departments, public works, and ICBMs.
 
My doctor (bless her heart) and my wife conspire these days to get me to take walks. I like strolling on sidewalks owned by local government. When I drive around here in Missouri, it’s on state owned highways.
 
On those rare occasions when I am in contact with individual police officers, I make it a point to thank them for their community service, working as they do for a government owned (which is to say socialist) enterprise.
 
When Elon Musk toyed with the idea of cutting off internet access to all of Ukraine, I especially appreciated that we never got around to privatizing ownership of nuclear weapons.

Worst Person, RICO, Years Totaled, Threats, Meadows Marked, Rudy

Thirty seconds of fun

  • Green Eagle mixes, matches, and considers the worst people in our nation’s history.
     
    Key run-on quiz:
    Can you think of anyone in our history who was a cheating builder, a thief that stole from sick children and veterans, a con man who ran a fake university and other phony schemes, a rapist accused of sexual assault by multiple women, a traitor who betrayed our country to a foreign dictator, a spy who stole national security documents, a gross tax cheat, a mass murderer who precipitated hundreds of thousands of Covid deaths in an attempt to win re‑election, someone found guilty of open racism in his apartment rentals, a compulsive liar, a bully who threatens anyone who stands up to him, a destroyer of democratic government, all in one package?
     
    Me (frantically waving my hand):
    Oooh… I know!
    Pick me, pick me!!

     
  • At The Moderate Voice, policy analyst Kathy Gill provides a good explanation of Georgia’s version of the RICO act and, as is required, how RICO ties together all those charged.
     
  • Ted McLaughlin at jobsanger, doing more than simply reading the new Georgia indictment, presents the 19 alleged conspirators and which of the 91 charges applies to each.
     
  • Tommy Christopher totals all the charges within the four indictments. Maximum sentences for mr Trump add up to 712 years and 6 months.
     
    Reminds me of the old story of an elderly criminal convicted of something horrible. The sentence is 50 years.
     
    “50 YEARS!” protests the old man. “Your honor! I won’t even LIVE long enough to do that much time.”
     
    The judge speaks gently. “Don’t worry about that”, he says. “Just serve as much as you can.”
     
  • The Onion helpfully lists everything Trump did in Georgia to try to overturn the 2020 election.
     
  • What’s with mr Trump’s last presidential Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows? He is very much a well positioned witness, or a key participant in alleged criminality.
     
    Bill Palmer, of the Palmer Report, relates the evidence. One aspect seems a bit contradictory.

    • Federal prosecutor Jack Smith does not list Mark in those to be charged with conspiring to overturn the election.
      So it is apparent that he is cooperating with prosecutors.
    • This past Monday, he was among those criminally indicted by the Fulton County grand jury in Georgia.
      So it is crystal clear that he is NOT cooperating with prosecutors.
       

    Key puzzle:
    Did Meadows make the bizarre decision to cooperate with Jack Smith but not Fani Willis? Or is Meadows also getting indicted by Jack Smith?
     
    Key conclusion:
    In any case, what we’re seeing tonight is what we’ve been consistently seeing for a very long time: Mark Meadows is an idiot.
     

  • Hackwhackers seems to have momentarily lost the gift of empathy as mr Trump doesn’t pay what he owes to Rudy Giuliani, leaving poor Rudy with a ton of his own legal bills.
     
    Key counter-intuitive:
    One would think that the Malignant Loser would have quickly agreed to help out his former lawyer, who likely has extremely damaging evidence…
     
  • Disaffected and it Feels So Good sees grand jurors turned into targets of threats as right wing sites post home addresses.
     
    Key posted threat along with names and home addresses:
    These jurors have signed their death warrant by falsely indicting President Trump
     
    Key prediction:
    Death threats and on-line terrorism are de rigueur for conservatives, but thus far few have acted upon them. That’s going to change.
     
  • This week, as mr Trump is indicted for the fourth time, the Georgia case does look serious.
     
    But, lest we forget, last week mr Trump was indicted for the third time in the stolen documents case.
     
    News Corpse reminds us how he responded with implicit threats:
     

    So Judge Tanya Chutkan admonished the Trump legal team that any further threats or other inflammatory statements about prosecutors or potential witnesses could cause her to overrule their attempts to delay the trial.
     
    Her legal reasoning is that public attacks would necessitate an early trial date to prevent tainting the jury pool.
     
    Instead, mr Trump attacks the judge herself.
     
  • Our favorite Earth-Bound Misfit carries the sad tale of Sam Bankman‑Fried who had his bail revoked, was handcuffed, and now resides in a cell for trying to influence witnesses.
     
    Reminds Comrade Misfit of someone else.
     
  • Indictments swirl, but tengrain at Mock Paper Scissors notices that Donald has class ‑‑‑ and grass.
     
    Donald promises a public presentation that will clear him of all charges…

    …and tengrain notices the usual:
    “Riggers” that’s cute. Dog whistle heard, Stupid.

Continue reading “Worst Person, RICO, Years Totaled, Threats, Meadows Marked, Rudy”

Trump PsyOps, Threats, Free Speech, Ohio, Biden Bugged, Thomas for Sale

  • The recorded quote is:
    I just want 11,780 votes
     
    Trump lawyers try to make the case that mr Trump never actually demanded anyone overturn the election. He was only expressing a hope. You know: Free speech.
     
    Gosh, I sure do hope 11,780 more votes somehow turn up.
     

    Well, after that, President Trump did suggest that a State official might just find himself prosecuted if he didn’t somehow find those extra votes for Trump:
     
    It’s more illegal for you than it is for them because you know what they did and you’re not reporting it — that’s the — you know, that’s a criminal, that’s a criminal offense. And, you know you can’t let that happen. That’s — that’s a big risk to you…
    So there is that:
     

     
    I can think of other examples of aspirational free speech:
     
    Dutch Schultz: I do hope District Attorney Dewey dies tonight.
    OR
    Henry II: Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?
    OR
    Frank Nitti: Nice to have a family. Man should take care. See that nothing happens to them.
     

    Sarah Cooper explains how mr Trump’s hopeful anticipation fits in:

  • Republican politicians (okay, not all) are indignant that Donald Trump is being prosecuted for speaking his mind.
     
    CalicoJack in The Psy of Life carefully takes the argument apart, brick by brick.

     

  • While Rudy Giuliani is discovering other limits on free speech ‑ defamation of random poll workers for one ‑ PZ Myers goes to transcripts and directly quotes Rudy, who was unaware he was being recorded, going full throttle bigot with a lot of sexual harassment added. So more limits.

Continue reading “Trump PsyOps, Threats, Free Speech, Ohio, Biden Bugged, Thomas for Sale”

Re-Arrest, Trump’s Head, Shiny Slavery, 1488, Hot Seas, Abortion, Tony Bennett

Sometimes age and experience add up:

  • The most serious Trump indictment has been released and
    Boy Howdy
    it’s major! We’re finally talking about the plot to overthrow our democratic republic: from the fake electors to Trump pressure on state officials to Trump attacks on Pence.
     
    tengrain at Mock Paper Scissors links to the charging document (not a hard read), and notes a remaining mystery. Six co‑conspirators are not yet named. tengrain speculates on the identities of the accursed.
     
  • Dave Dubya has produced a brief, excellent, summary of each of the 4 counts.
     
  • Hackwhackers uses Twitter posts to provide expert insights on the principles and personalities involved.
     
  • Most televised experts point to the fourth charge in the new indictment as critical. It ties the others into a conspiracy to deprive very real voters of the right to have their votes count.
     
    In Letters from an American, noted historian Heather Cox Richardson points to another supporting section that is truly startling.
     
    Trump and his plotters anticipated Americans would object to the planned overthrow. So they were prepared to meet the expected widespread pro-democracy demonstrations around the nation with military violence: using US troops to forceably suppress any dissent.
     
    Key quote from political pollster Tom Bonier:
    I understand Trump fatigue, but it feels like the president and his advisors preparing to use the military to quash protests against his planned coup should be bigger news.
     
  • Anyone know the main differences between the Watergate hearings and the Mueller Report? Come on, let’s not keep seeing the same hands!
     
    How about this?
    Watergate reduced Nixon Support from an overwhelming 49 state election win to a low 24% approval.
    Why would that be?
     
    Well-l-l-l-l-l:
    The Watergate hearings were televised. People heard witnesses firsthand.
    The Mueller report was
    …well… a report.
     
    I remember one of the few honest Republicans in Congress who voted to impeach Trump. Justin Amash defended his vote, urging constituents to read the Mueller Report:
     
    Key principle:
    I’m confident that if you read Volume 2 you’ll be appalled by much of the conduct. I was appalled.
     
    Seriously? We wanted voters to read a report that had to be divided into VOLUMES?
     
    MadMikesAmerica makes a critical point about the Trump trials: We need to insist on cameras in the courtroom.
     
  • The Borowitz Report has a new Trump fundraising email asking supporters to serve prison time for him.
     
    Key Success:
    “This offer is doing even better than the Trump N.F.T.s,” a campaign spokesman said.
     
  • While the third indictment is the most serious, the other two aren’t just hanging around.
     
    Tommy Christopher watches the news shows so the rest of us don’t have to scream at the screen. But this wasn’t all that bad:
     
    A CNN host reacts as a Republican tries to downplay a previous charge: the attempted tape destruction by mr. Trump
     
    Key incredulous question:
    So, you think destroying evidence is a process crime?
     
  • Frances Langum has to explain to Fox host Greg Gutfeld why Trump can’t delete his own security tapes.
     
    Has to do with destruction of evidence and obstruction of justice, Greg.
     
    Key salient reminder:
    Greg leaves out the part where Trump was made aware that there is a subpoena for the security tapes one day before he (allegedly!) instructed his underlings to destroy them.
     
  • Stealing and hiding sensitive documents is a high-level criminal charge, particularly when that is the sort of thing that gets American spies killed. Deliberately destroying video evidence pretty much seals the deal. Why cover up something completely innocent?
     
    Could the biggest legal problem mr Trump has be his own incompetence? The Palmer Report finds the evidence in plain sight: his choice of co‑conspirators.
     
    Key weakness:
    It’s even more surreal that his two co-defendants thus far are his personal assistant and the pool guy. The former President was trying to get away with violating the Espionage Act, and this was the best cast of supporting characters he could come up with?
     
  • The primary (get that?) rightist argument is that Joe Biden is weaponizing the Justice Department to take out opponent Donald Trump with trivial accusations:
     

    Cato Institute’s Julian Sanchez has a legal observation:
     

  • The Onion has the slides as Trump supporters react to the third indictment.

Continue reading “Re-Arrest, Trump’s Head, Shiny Slavery, 1488, Hot Seas, Abortion, Tony Bennett”