I will not spend the rest of 2024 focusing on Trump and the chaos in the Republican Party, but today it has been impossible to look away. In Trump’s election interference trial in Manhattan, Judge Juan Merchan this morning dismissed one of the selected jurors after she expressed concern for her anonymity and thus for her safety. All of the reporters in the courtroom have shared so much information about the jurors that they seemed at risk of being identified, but Fox News Channel host Jesse Watters not only ran a video segment about a juror, he suggested she was “concerning.” Trump shared the video on social media.
"[A]ll citizens, called upon to participate in these proceedings, whether as a juror, a witness, or in some other capacity, must now concern themselves not only with their own personal safety, but with the safety and the potential for personal attacks upon their loved ones. That reality cannot be overstated."
Please everyone be aware there was chaos in Hitler’s party in 1932/3 too. Chaos doesn’t mean they can’t take control by threats or bribes within their own right wing network which now extends to the Supreme Court, 5th circuit etc dictators control by violence. The left wing doesn’t really see it until the dictator takes over and then the prominent ones are all purged.
"...Democrats Tom Suozzi of New York and Jared Moskowitz of Florida have said they would vote to keep him [Johnson] in his seat, thereby defanging the attack on his leadership." Proof positive that postcarding for Suozzi bore fruitful fruit. Thank you, Professor!
Trump is a media created celebrity whose only virtue is that he sells! Little about him is noteworthy beyond our media-soaked infatuation with public celebrity and entertainment. Would anyone with modest critical thinking ability or moral character argue he is a role model for our children?
No! He is kept in the headlights of media marketing because, and only because, he is good for their businesses. Until and unless we “grow up” as cunsumers of media output, this will not change any moreso than social media companies will stop marketing to our kids much the way “big tobacco” once did!
Our children need us to protect them from physical and mental/emotional harm, but we cannot help our children until we can just say no to the rapacious commodification of our lives by corporate America.
Celebrity and marketing freedoms without adults to enforce “first of all, do no harm” is delusional. We need to better recognize the social responsibilities freedom entails. We have to prepared to say it stops with our children!
Russian allies in the US Congress. Trump is also a Russian ally. There are also Russian allies in Georgia where they constantly reelect Marjorie Tayor Greene.
The gag orders needed to protect jurors, witnesses, and the judge's family (in addition to the remaining 88 criminal indictments) add to my continuous-loop feeling of disbelief: How can any citizen vote to put Trump in charge of the Executive Branch again? We're talking about him leading the branch whose main function is to make sure the laws of the land are obeyed? Why?
Threats to the safety of election officials and poll workers … threats to the safety of judges, their court staff(s) and to the judges family members … threats to potential jury members attempting to fulfill one of their required citizenship duties in a country that is supposed to be the model for democratic societies around our globe; really — how frightening is this and comparatively, things may not be this extremely dangerous in some “third world” countries? What a fine example we’re setting … really folks?
Heather, when you note: "Legal analyst Joyce White Vance noted jurors’ fear for their safety was a concern normally seen only “in a case involving violent organized crime.” Am I missing something? I thought the Trump family was effectively an organized crime family. They've coopted the RNC to pay their legal bills. They've got FOX outing witnesses in a trial. They tried to steal a national election and continue to lie about it. Closeting national secrets proved Trump thought ordinary and well known laws didn't apply. It's a disgrace to our country.
Till Heather noted it here, I'd not known of Jared Moskowitz's most-apt proposal.
He moved, as Heather quotes him, “that Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene…should be appointed as Vladimir Putin’s Special Envoy to the United States Congress.”
Marble Mouth Marge finally gets nod to exactly the position suited for this sub-literate.
From Judge Merchan's Trump gag order:
"[A]ll citizens, called upon to participate in these proceedings, whether as a juror, a witness, or in some other capacity, must now concern themselves not only with their own personal safety, but with the safety and the potential for personal attacks upon their loved ones. That reality cannot be overstated."
Heather, I’d be lost without you. You put everything together in an epic Letters From An American. Now to listen to it tomorrow! Thank you.
Please everyone be aware there was chaos in Hitler’s party in 1932/3 too. Chaos doesn’t mean they can’t take control by threats or bribes within their own right wing network which now extends to the Supreme Court, 5th circuit etc dictators control by violence. The left wing doesn’t really see it until the dictator takes over and then the prominent ones are all purged.
Legal analyst Joyce White Vance noted jurors’ fear for their safety was a concern normally seen only “in a case involving violent organized crime.”
Where does utterly corrupt politics stop and organized crime begin? Or are they just two aspects of the same thing?
"...Democrats Tom Suozzi of New York and Jared Moskowitz of Florida have said they would vote to keep him [Johnson] in his seat, thereby defanging the attack on his leadership." Proof positive that postcarding for Suozzi bore fruitful fruit. Thank you, Professor!
Trump is a media created celebrity whose only virtue is that he sells! Little about him is noteworthy beyond our media-soaked infatuation with public celebrity and entertainment. Would anyone with modest critical thinking ability or moral character argue he is a role model for our children?
No! He is kept in the headlights of media marketing because, and only because, he is good for their businesses. Until and unless we “grow up” as cunsumers of media output, this will not change any moreso than social media companies will stop marketing to our kids much the way “big tobacco” once did!
Our children need us to protect them from physical and mental/emotional harm, but we cannot help our children until we can just say no to the rapacious commodification of our lives by corporate America.
Celebrity and marketing freedoms without adults to enforce “first of all, do no harm” is delusional. We need to better recognize the social responsibilities freedom entails. We have to prepared to say it stops with our children!
Russian allies in the US Congress. Trump is also a Russian ally. There are also Russian allies in Georgia where they constantly reelect Marjorie Tayor Greene.
The gag orders needed to protect jurors, witnesses, and the judge's family (in addition to the remaining 88 criminal indictments) add to my continuous-loop feeling of disbelief: How can any citizen vote to put Trump in charge of the Executive Branch again? We're talking about him leading the branch whose main function is to make sure the laws of the land are obeyed? Why?
Threats to the safety of election officials and poll workers … threats to the safety of judges, their court staff(s) and to the judges family members … threats to potential jury members attempting to fulfill one of their required citizenship duties in a country that is supposed to be the model for democratic societies around our globe; really — how frightening is this and comparatively, things may not be this extremely dangerous in some “third world” countries? What a fine example we’re setting … really folks?
The party of Trump IS violent organized crime!
Thank you, Heather.
''Floor Action Response Team (FART...)''
Finally, some humor Ben Franklin would have appreciated: https://michaelcorthelll.substack.com/p/fart-proudly-cultivating-immunity
Heather, when you note: "Legal analyst Joyce White Vance noted jurors’ fear for their safety was a concern normally seen only “in a case involving violent organized crime.” Am I missing something? I thought the Trump family was effectively an organized crime family. They've coopted the RNC to pay their legal bills. They've got FOX outing witnesses in a trial. They tried to steal a national election and continue to lie about it. Closeting national secrets proved Trump thought ordinary and well known laws didn't apply. It's a disgrace to our country.
It is a pity that the American people have to put up with the antics of the "Freedom" Caucus.
Moscow Marge and the Putin wing of the Fascism Caucus is really earning their keep this week...
Till Heather noted it here, I'd not known of Jared Moskowitz's most-apt proposal.
He moved, as Heather quotes him, “that Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene…should be appointed as Vladimir Putin’s Special Envoy to the United States Congress.”
Marble Mouth Marge finally gets nod to exactly the position suited for this sub-literate.
Between gerrymandering, defections, and outrageousness, we are witnessing a slow moving coup d'etats that further destabilizes our democracy