It's fair to say that democracy will not stand unless the perpetrators of the insurrection are found guilty and punished according to the law. If not, they'll escalate their next assault to finally achieve their treasonous goals. I for one am in awe of what the Jan. 6 committee has learned. And I'm increasingly confident that the Justice…
It's fair to say that democracy will not stand unless the perpetrators of the insurrection are found guilty and punished according to the law. If not, they'll escalate their next assault to finally achieve their treasonous goals. I for one am in awe of what the Jan. 6 committee has learned. And I'm increasingly confident that the Justice Department will successfully prosecute these crimes, despite the high bar of proof required.
Barring insurrectionist Marjorie Taylor Greene from seeking re-election and eventually others in Congress would be a thunderbolt of deterrence.
Michael, I'm hesitant to get my confidence up too high until charges against the movers and shakers are filed. For instance, I can't imagine how Guilfoyle, under oath, could sit for 9 hours before the committee and not have her pants on fire by the end of her testimony. She's a former prosecuting attorney so she knows what's at stake in no uncertain terms. She had to make a very clear, cut and dried choice – perjure herself and lie like a rug or tell the truth and throw Donald & Co. under the bus. I don't see the latter happening. So, will Guilfoyle and others ultimately be tried for lying under oath rather than planning and financing the January 6th attack on Congress? Time will tell.
As for MTG – she will be able to hold it together for precisely two minutes before she unravels and reverts to type. Will she be removed from the ballot? I hope so, but I have my doubts. And, if she remains on the ballot are there enough Republicans/Independents unhappy with her to flip Democrat? Here, too, I have my doubts.
Daria, I actually think Guilfoyle might actually throw some of the tRumpsters under/into the dumpster. That she sat there for 9 hours and didn't plead the fifth a million times indicates to me that she had something to say that kept the committee in thrall. We'll see. As for Ms three names, I agree she'll revert to type after only a few minutes. But, that may get her thrown off the ballot. We can only hope.
I think we really need to redefine smart. Getting through any kind of higher education doesn't preclude being narrow-minded, bigoted, greedy, self-serving, etc.
I know at least one attorney where this applies. She had a sweet job until she put something up her nose. She was also irritatingly regressive and ended up married to a predator. So she may have passed the bar, but....
Sociopath... that's one I left out. High I.Q., sociopaths / narcissists, and recently I read about a new classification and named variety *of narcissist. Can't recall the name just now, but I'm certain the term will soon make it's way back around - especially by the time all these investigations are done.
Both schools are notorious for letting in not that bright people who have connections or pull strings. These two show they are above nothing to get their way. I would not count on fair entrance or work while there.
She actually did pretty well as a prosecutor - check out her Wikipedia entry.. She also used to date Gavin Newsom. She wasn't always a MAGA, but once inside that Maga-echo chamber/grifter mindset, she apparently became mentally lazy. Let's see if her cooperation with the committee sharpened her mind or if she was just extending the grift.
Guilfoyle was a young, attractive assistant DA when she prosecuted a couple whose dogs attacked and killed a neighbor. It was a very high profile case in SF and filled with all sorts of juicy gossip and tabloid fodder. Was Guilfoyle a talented attorney? Perhaps. She milked it for all it was worth. The case gave her the publicity that eventually propelled her to Fox, then becoming tabloid fodder herself. Like many others in the former guy’s orbit, she believed/s she is just so very special, pledging allegiance to a man who holds no allegiance to anyone but himself. May she and djt jr have a long happy marriage.
Smarts and ambition have nothing to do with morality and ethics. I can come up with a whole list of smart unethical people with Justice Thomas at the top....
Chad Mizelli has moved-on from tfg's appointment of him in an "Acting" Homeland Security position to work for Jared Jushner 's new "investment" vehicle; $2 Billion from Saudi quid pro quo sources.
Guilfoyle was not known for diligent prosecutorial work in court. Guilofoyle was the "2nd Chair" in an infamous SF case ( vicious dogs kill neighbor in the Hallway) before being hired at the Fox propganda outlet.
"Guilfoyle studied at University of California, Davis, and the University of San Francisco, and was a prosecuting attorney in San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. She was an assistant district attorney in San Francisco from 2000 to 2004."
Thank you Daria for that deeper background. Speaking of operatives, I am very conerned about the role of Trump appointed Judge Kathryn Mizelle ( 34 I think ) who sits in the Middle District of Florida in position to review a number of Florida cases. Judge Mizelle just struck down jet travel mask mandates -- a ruling that is now being challenged by the DOJ. Mizelle pushes Federalist Society Sophistry & is a former clerk to Justice Thomas. Mizelle's spouse is Chad Mizelle who was a Trump "Acting" General Counsel for Homeland Security. My major concern is Judge K. Mizelle is acting as well with more power.
The troublesome thing, too, is the fact that Mizelle has potentially 50 or more years a head of her on the bench. She was rated unqualified for a seat on the bench by the ABA because of her significant lack of trial experience. But then, we're stuck with Amy Coney Barrett as well, who is definitely unqualified to fill the roll of supreme court justice.
Those federal judgeships are an example of the kind of smart that has nothing to do with books and everything to do with the combination of cunning, ruthlessness, and power (or the hunger for it). The Federalist Society compiled and guarded the list--the qualifications were young, healthy, far-right politics, manageable. The held onto that list until the right moment. They gave that list to Mitch McConnell. Mitch McConnell presented it to TFG as his negotiating tool for getting his way on some major issues.
It's also remarkable to me, and impressive, that the Federalist Society has operated under the radar for so long.
Kathryn Kimball Mizelle “…after a thorough peer review evaluation and careful deliberation - that the nominee presently does not meet the requisite minimum standard of experience necessary to perform the responsibilities required by the high office of a federal trial judge. …”
I think, in real terms, Guilfoyle is an opportunist, aka, a gold digger. I mean, she goes from being the Governor of California's wife to the "fiancee" of a "billionaire" president's son. She may soon find out the hard way that all that glitters is not gold.
Daria I feel that for well over a year we have been watching a video of the Titanic approaching an iceberg. It’s past time for a massive legal crash, perpetrators struggling for lifeboats, and many of these rats being tried, convicted, and sent to the slammer.
On Watergate, many of the perps went to jail. If this does not occur as an aftermath of the BIG LIE [refuted in at least 60 court decisions] and the 1/6 insurrection, then justice and the law will have been tossed into the garbage. If the Stench Court doesn’t acknowledge this, then they should take their ‘sacrosanct originalism’ and shove it up the Constitution’s ass.
As Ruth Ben Ghiat wrote "...ballot box victories alone don’t stop autocrats but the law can. “It takes prosecution and conviction to deflate their personality cults,” Ben-Ghiat said. “That’s what it takes.”"
Unfortunately I have to agree with you Daria. My gut feel is that unless something happens to hold people accountable the upcoming midterms are going to show a weak turnout. And I wouldn't blame people. This slow moving coup is mowing America down and no one seems to be able to stop it.
"Nearly two years later — after a riot, an impeachment, and a monomaniacal campaign to punish the Republicans who tried to hold him accountable — Ben-Ghiat has ample proof of her thesis. And she professes even more concern that Trump’s sway over the GOP has permanently transformed the party’s political culture. “He’s changed the party to an authoritarian party culture,” she told me. “So not only do you go after external enemies, but you go after internal enemies. You’re not allowed to have any dissent.”
With the midterms and some key governors races approaching, Ben-Ghiat is looking around the corner again. She sees dangerous signs of autocracy seeping into state houses and governors’ mansions where leaders such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are executing policies and enacting laws that mimic Trump but with a smoother, less bombastic style."
Barbara, thanks for the Ben-Ghiat piece. Her statement, regarding the lack of a unified message is something many here have brought up time and again.
The republicans use the drip, drip, drip of the same message over and over again at all levels, from the top down. We do not. As Ben-Ghiat says, "Democrats don’t have that force of concentration of message, that repetition, and that’s a failing in this [political] environment.
Dems don’t have Rupert and the lies blasted at 90 decibels 24/7. And the MSM is intrigued with the tinsel at Fox. We need Bloomberg, any hope he still loves us???
You may be right, Barbara, but I’m afraid I will blame people for not voting in the midterms as it’s probable that the very continuance of democracy depends on the 2022 election outcomes. I see no grievance more important than that, though, of course, I strongly hope for accountability as well.
I will blame them, too, I'm afraid. The argument that all is hopeless and one vote won't matter drives me mad. Maybe it won't. Do it anyway. I try hard to grab hold of each shred of hope but, honestly, I can't say I see any in this landscape. We are not winning this war, and I do believe it is a war. Way back from Trump's 2015 campaign, the first move toward an authoritarian take-over was in play--create chaos, confuse reality, move so fast and make so much noise that no one can follow or adjust and maintain their normal daily way of observing, taking a breath, then responding. We all were driven nearly mad by the sheer volume, then a kind of numbness set in, then the fear. But even the fear was unreliable because we didn't have time even to be afraid about one thing before the next dervish whirled by. And we were certainly driven into enough of a stupor to be entirely unable to think, to connect the dots, understand the bigger picture of what was happening, and to come up with a strategy to combat it.
Keep screaming. I intend to keep making good trouble for as long as my breath holds out. I look back on half a century of what sometimes seems like the same darned war and I'm sure there are people who might or might not care about me but who definitely wonder if I'm ever going to shut up. I hope not I hope we all keep yelling out heads off because this situation looks to me like one of those perfect. storms where the world might actually be undergoing a paradigm shift.
I was talking with a friend at lunch today about all this. Our feeling is that the 2022 midterms will tell the story. Our fingers are crossed the January 6 Commission and Garland come through. with some top level convictions.
Barbara, I do believe that is exactly what will happen. Let's face it, if nothing comes of the Insurrection given compounding evidence, what really is the point?
I woke up and thought, why am I'm suddenly confident? It may be because the case against the insurrectionists appear so strong. But, as we know, strong cases don't guarantee results. Or maybe I'm influenced by the bravery and resilience of the Ukrainian people, who stand as an inspiration for anyone who cherishes democracy.
MTG? I detest her so much that I've been lulled into wishful thinking.
I am very confident! In the Jan 6 Committe, the DOJ, and heroines like Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow!!! (Full disclosure: I am a Michigander).
If only more elected officials stood up for what is right, and spoke their truth like State Senator McMorrow, some eye’s might be opened to the lies the republicans are spewing. Very powerful words that she said so well. She is my hero.
Hear, hear, Michael! I'm glad to read of your confidence. There are many discouraged folks on today's LFAA. That's a sure sign that there is a lull in the progress of our Democracy. Also, as the war goes in Ukraine, so goes our courage at home. Ukrainian troops are headed to a very tough battle in the Donbas. May we all prevail—there and here.
Hi, daria! (You've changed your location -- no longer in Merida?) We've no idea whether Guilfoyle simply claimed protection by the Fifth (she should have), and since MTG hasn't been judged an insurrectionist (yet, I hope), the challenge will almost certainly fail. But they are merely grist in the mill, so to speak, which grinds exceedingly fine. (Whether flour or dust comes out, we'll have to wait to see.)
Thanks for the welcome! It sounds bizarre, but that's exactly what happens when someone is required to appear but refuses to cooperate. There are nuances to the Fifth exercise that I've quite forgotten, but it does boil down to sitting in a room for hours listening to a scumbag claim the Fifth over and over and over and over...
I agree with your points and your doubts. Our AG is plodding along while the clickbait-crazed media predicts doom and gloom for the Democrats in the midterms. We need fire-in-the-belly from someone, somewhere to expose tRumpster for the criminal he is and lock him up along with his insurrectionists. What is Garland doing?? BTW: How do Cruz and Hawley not fall under the same 'rules' as MTG? Perhaps they didn't use her direct, assaulting language. I, too, find it messy and frustrating.
Cruz, Hawley, and others could be in trouble if they were involved in what amounts to a conspiracy to "decertify" the electoral votes. By that I mean if they knew of the plot and then voted in the Senate as they did. I'm speculating.
Lee Anne, I agree entirely that we need that fire-in-the-belly that the Republicans seem to have in abundance. It's effective and a symptom of obsession, the single vision of the zealot. What is Merrick Garland doing? There's no way to tell. We (or at least, I) assumed he would come into that position with an irresistible mix of integrity, determination to restore integrity to the department, and a good dollop of righteous indignation, resentment, and a thoroughly unethical desire to get a little revenge. Minus the personal grievance, not unlike Mueller, who was meticulous in his preparation and cowardly in his conclusions and his execution of those. There is a time to stop doing the research and take a risk. I am, frankly, terrified when I look at this world and what's happening in the DOJ right now, and even with the fine work of the Jan 6 committee, is like a flashback to the weeks and months of waiting for the Mueller report.
Hawley, Cruz, Graham and others who manage to remain relatively unscathed know how far they can push the envelope. They're lawyers who paid attention. (Other lawyers like Sidney Powell and the Former Hiz Honor of NYC, Guiliani, et al., appear to have slept through a significant part of law school.)
No matter, I agree. It is all very fussy and frustrating. I think the DOJ is so afraid of being hamstrung by the republicans, again, they are simply willing to shuffle rather than stride.
You are right about Hawley, Cruz, Graham. I hadn't thought about it. However, the DOJ needs to act because they might be working under an authoritarian. I lost all respect for Garland. Also, I don't believe he had much experience prosecuting ... more judicial posts. So, judges tend to ponder. Prosecutors are aggressive.
You are correct about the difference between judges and prosecutors. We need to ditch the whole idea of lifetime appointments on ANY federal bench. ( Or any government office.)
Michael, If MTG is barred from reelection, which I think is a long shot -- the last number years (many) have burned down my optimism -- the good will come with the bad because barring her will trigger violence. That's okay, we have to learn to deal with violence and not in a weak kneed way. Doesn't Heather seem a tad optimistic about the bad guys' future? I know I won't get too enthusiastic ahead of time. End of May -- early June and the January 6th Commission takes the stage. It will be some show.
Morning, Fern! My preference is that the voters hand her her walking papers. Support Marcus Flowers (or whoever wins the Dem primary). https://youtu.be/T62435ipv_g
Morning, Lynell! Having the voters hand MTG her walking papers would be my preference as well, but I'd take either. She's poison...and crazy to boot. Bad combination.
Question: if, God forbid, she were to be re-elected, would she still be locked out of committee assignments? What good is a representative who can’t really do anything for her district, not that she would have anyway. She’s only in politics to garner attention for herself, like being on “Survivor.”
That's a good question, Jenn. Not sure if they do a rewind with each new session of Congress? That said, I get the idea her constituents think she's doing a great job putting a wedge wherever she can toward progress. Sad.
MaryPat, I saw her speech yesterday. Mallory McMorrow is the best communicator -- like her name, too. I'm very busy now, but I'm going to email you tonight about messaging the American people in a different way, 'the truth with style'. Congresswoman, McMorrow, would be sensational in the cast. Later, MaryPat. 🌻 🟥 🟦
Fern, my guess is that dumping mTg won't amount to a yellow hole in the snow. Her behavior has made her a liability for any one of the Big aRse party seeking an office.
MadRussian, I think she is a violence generator. Extreme behavior is increasing in various states, and she is perfect figurehead. Whatever she is, it is bad.
I like popcorn, too. One of the small number of possibilities that I am optimistic about is the 1/6 Commission's live hearings. It is a very strong group and the Commission has a load of material -- could this be IT?! 🤞🏼
Hello Ashley. I have thought to email you. It has been a busy week so far. I hope that you are smiling; there's warmth and satisfaction in a smile. We have beautiful spring blossoms, greener and greener grass and leaves opening. Ah, I treasure the routes in our minds leading to good company, music, cooking, exploring... We'll be in touch for more in the coming days. Stay bright and open. Cheers, Ashley.
Tis full days here as well. Smiling through it, enjoying the vernal greening. May our paths continue to keep us in sync, through kindred spirit goodness. Please keep me updated on Allen and Tanya. 💙
“It's fair to say that democracy will not stand unless the perpetrators of the insurrection are found guilty and punished according to the law. If not, they'll escalate their next assault …”
The “next assault “ is underway. Legally and in plain sight. Voter suppression. Redistricting. Gerrymandering.
No longer a need for violence.
The Supreme Court is lost.
The battle for the Congress has been scheduled for November 8th.
In the meantime, the Democratic MEDIA should 'front page' every aspect of how 'that individual' has broken the law. And, I must add...don't blah blah. Just "front page" the sucker.., just like is being done by the Big aRse networks. Fight fire with fire, but be clever!
This helps answer the question that has been at the core of my dismay since the beginning of the Trump koolaid era, “How do these people find each other?”
That quote from Frank Wilhoit sums up the antebellum Slavepower's use of John Locke, the Philosopher of Slavery, to justify their "peculiar institution."
Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow took to the Senate floor and delivered a fiery rebuttal that has gone viral. McMorrow’s key point was this: "𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯."
It was really not so long ago, when I walked into the middle of the Civil Rights Movement at Emory University, that the passion and outrage started every day. There were all sorts of flaws, and flawed people, involved in that struggle, but the deep commitment, the focus, the belief strong enough to put our lives on the line--as several did and lost them in that summer of 1964 in Mississippi. How did all that dissolve so quickly? Probably a naive. question from an old woman counting up her regrets. Thank you all for being here.
Wow! You were there! Yes, we need to resurrect that passion, deep commitment, focus and belief. I don't think all that dissolved as much as we put it into the hands of Civil Rights bills, and trusted they would work. Not. At its base, it is a war of Hate vs. Love. I pray we do not have to put our lives on the line, but my experience in Michigan is that we have very many well armed hate militias at the ready. So we organize again: WE WILL NOT LET HATE WIN.
Good morning, MaryPat. I was there indeed, but mostly that just means I'm old. What scares me is that it's the other side that seems to have the passion and the commitment to their idea of what's right for the world. The Mitch McConnell's who are committed to nothing more complex than power have found willing foot soldiers in the extremists among the evangelicals (and I do mean extremists, not evangelicals in general) who are true believers, who do feel that the moral, good, best thing to do for this country and the world, is to turn America into a Christian nation. And that will break down the entire structure on which this country was created. Good old Barry Goldwater said that if the "preachers" ever took over the Republican Party there would no longer be s Republicsn party.
I think that outrage was scattered and sputtering and scared. And I think we were lacking the articulation of that outrage, which McMarrow (can we call her "Mallory?!") just did for us, with, I might add, a healthy dose of courage and Mama Bear ferocity! Leaders from across the country, and especially within the Democratic Party, must coalesce around her clarion call: "WE WILL NOT LET HATE WIN." Hate is what won in Hitler Germany, hate is winning in Putin Russia. WE will not let hate win here.
I believe her last stop was on the Moskva in memory of those Ukraine soldiers who famously told the Russian navy what they could do with their surrender offer.
I’m praying her next stop is Mariupol to support the Ukrainian troops there and maybe a stop over to the beltway a for domestic visit?? She is very busy these days. I grew up with the saying “What goes around comes around” and man I am so ready for the come around.
It’s as if Timothy McVeigh were alive and well and plotting again, but this time he has inside help at the highest levels. We must Prosecute every one of them.
I think it's important to keep in mind the principle of the FCC's now-defunct Fairness Doctrine: Present the opposing side of the argument. So here I go...
I think it's important to keep in mind what was going on in the minds of Trump and his supporters. The Jan. 6 riot couldn't have been an "insurrection" unless Trump and company were confident of support from both the military (including soldiers and top-level officers), as well as support from the Supreme Court. That almost demands the conclusion that Trump and company had (or thought they had) a green light from both, because they had (or thought they had) hard, damning evidence of widespread vote fraud.
I was regularly posting a sort of blog during the events leading up to Jan. 6, at the "Community Sharing" facebook page of the Organization of Professional Astrologers. I observed as Sidney Powell, on Trump's behalf, started talking publicly about the "Kraken." I did a google search and found the Department of Defense's "Kraken" website (most of it was inaccessible): a suite of cyber-surveillance capabilities that can supposedly observe and record more or less everything you do on the internet or within range of a security camera.
And then... Trump threw Sidney Powell under the bus, and the DOD's Kraken website disappeared.
One could suppose that Trump knew he had damning evidence, but he was told in no uncertain terms that he must not disclose it publicly, to protect the top-secret Kraken (and possibly protect its operators, who were doing who knows what in terms of snooping on unsuspecting people all over the world).
However, there was an ostensibly legal way for Trump to proceed, if he could get the perpetrators of the election fraud (if indeed there were any) into secret military courts, where Kraken evidence could be used in summary trials. This, of course, would depend on Trump declaring martial law, which in turn depended on his pet demonstrators disrupting the vote certification in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. When the latter failed, I imagine that Trump pulled the plug on something like the following scenario (which I posted back in December 2020):
1. In 2006, Congress passed a law providing for "enemy combatants" to be locked up indefinitely without a hearing.
2. Further law provides for those accused of "cyber-warfare" to be tried in military courts.
3. Trump is ready to arrest hundreds and hundreds of Democratic officials, down to the county level, with sweeping charges of a massive plot to steal the election.
4. The President declares them to be "enemy combatants" in a cyber-warfare insurrection, so they are all held without bail or a hearing. Maybe some of them will be offered a plea deal if they confess and name names.
5. Per the relevant act of Congress, these alleged cyber-warfare enemy combatant insurrectionists will be tried in military courts, and judgment will be very swift for those who happen to be Democratic electors.
6. Found guilty, these Democratic electors will be barred from serving as electors, per Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
7. Trump wins in the Electoral College by a big majority of the reduced total.
8. Any Democratic Congresspeople or Senators who get convicted are now barred from serving on Capitol Hill (per the same Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution), giving the Republicans big majorities in Congress.
9. Congress, empowered by the constitutional provision to guarantee republican governments in the individual states, goes on a rampage rooting out cyber-fascists.
10. The prisons are filled with mainstream news media directors and editors and reporters who are convicted of peddling "fake news" as accessories to the cyber-fascist insurrection.
I DO recommend you become a screen writer for NetFlix. Not Hollywood though.
This is one of the best Conspiracy Theories I have read, and, furthermore, I congtratulate you on writing it instead of throwing it into the huge trash bin of YouTube.
Welp.., A huge part of this world has succumbed to 'communist' type rule. Rule where a report can be made on ones neighbor (for reward) for favorable consideration. And, this is exactly what is taking place here under the guise of religion, or simply law (Texas?). Oh heck, just call it "family values".., huh?
While much of your scenario and timeline seem far fetched, I'm sure Trump was within a hair's breadth of acting on some of the things you mention. The fact that the military stated they would not comply with his wishes was probably instrumental in quashing some of his other plans. The other thing that leads me to believe he was working steadily toward a coup is this: Trump, during the 2016 election cycle, was already using the stolen election mantra to prime his base. After he was inaugurated he kept plucking at that one string. For four long years election fraud, stolen elections, rigged elections, became Trump's battle cry so by the time 2020 rolled around his base was willing and able to rally in his name.
And, John, look, how many people willingly put their careers in jeopardy. Why would anyone risk trashing a viable career unless they had a "promise" that they'd share in the spoils of his victory? The power of a successful con man can never, ever be under estimated. The one power he no longer has, however, is the power of the presidential pardon. Those who stood by him currently do not have the benefit of that magic get out of jail free card. For them, that's a very big problem.
Two things: First, I cannot believe that Trump or his close supporters actually believed there was election fraud or a stolen vote. His actions to "find" nonexistent votes to put him over the top in GA shows that he knew he lost the popular vote again. Second, I am thankful you didn't work for his administration and put forth your proposal alongside Eastman. The former guy and his cronies were just crazy enough for this scenario to put a twinkle in their eyes.
Yehawes, I think that, if you closely read the transcript of exactly what Trump said about the votes in Georgia, it makes sense to conclude that he was referring to votes that he believed (or wanted to believe) actually existed.
I don't think he's highly intelligent but I think he is highly skilled in saying things so nothing he says can be held against him, but so that the message is clear to the intended recipient. It's how the mob speaks and it's almost like a language. Native speakers don't have to be especially bright to absorb their language through immersion. I do think he tends to believe what he wants to believe, but I also believe that even he would have known that if there was any actual evidence someone would have presented it in some form. Plus, as others have pointed out, why would he begin this stance so long before the election? I sometimes find I hear wiggle room in statements, and can believe they were intended other than in the way political opponents "hear" them, but this was not one of those cases. Just me - I don't believe he believed himself.
I read this with interest for several reasons. First, I am always glad to read a comprehensible (not word salad) viewpoint that differs from the usual. Second, I believe that careful consideration of the meaning of words is very, very important. "The pursuit of happiness" has always seemed to me a bit wiggly. What does that really mean? Third, you are obviously a thinking person who has given his ideas a lot of thought and research. I looked you up and read some articles you have written, and that started me on an interesting rabbit hole this morning. Thank you.
John, your plot sounds like “1984” revised. But, with all the evidence we, the public, have so far, maybe you’re on the right track. Or not. Wouldn’t it be a great day, when the criminals are held to account and we can move forward ?!
John - I will acknowledge that none of us know all that goes on behind closed doors at the highest levels of our government. And further, if we all of a sudden did, we might get some pretty large surprises.
But I will also say that the scenario that you present here is very far fetched, even for someone as evil as Trump. And especially knowing how inept he is, and how his minions underperform in any area where competence is required. As my hero Carl Sagan said "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence". Also, our country's news media are amazing. Flawed deeply, but amazing. Very difficult to hide a sprawling conspiracy without exposure.
You will get some ridicule, but keep it coming. Keep us honest.
Given the hatred expressed towards "Libtards" aka Democrats, any such orders issued by 'a President'..., THE Commander in Chief, no less! they would be carried out with enthusiasm, by the many millions who DID vote for him.
It's fair to say that democracy will not stand unless the perpetrators of the insurrection are found guilty and punished according to the law. If not, they'll escalate their next assault to finally achieve their treasonous goals. I for one am in awe of what the Jan. 6 committee has learned. And I'm increasingly confident that the Justice Department will successfully prosecute these crimes, despite the high bar of proof required.
Barring insurrectionist Marjorie Taylor Greene from seeking re-election and eventually others in Congress would be a thunderbolt of deterrence.
Michael, I'm hesitant to get my confidence up too high until charges against the movers and shakers are filed. For instance, I can't imagine how Guilfoyle, under oath, could sit for 9 hours before the committee and not have her pants on fire by the end of her testimony. She's a former prosecuting attorney so she knows what's at stake in no uncertain terms. She had to make a very clear, cut and dried choice – perjure herself and lie like a rug or tell the truth and throw Donald & Co. under the bus. I don't see the latter happening. So, will Guilfoyle and others ultimately be tried for lying under oath rather than planning and financing the January 6th attack on Congress? Time will tell.
As for MTG – she will be able to hold it together for precisely two minutes before she unravels and reverts to type. Will she be removed from the ballot? I hope so, but I have my doubts. And, if she remains on the ballot are there enough Republicans/Independents unhappy with her to flip Democrat? Here, too, I have my doubts.
The whole mess is agonizing.
Daria, I actually think Guilfoyle might actually throw some of the tRumpsters under/into the dumpster. That she sat there for 9 hours and didn't plead the fifth a million times indicates to me that she had something to say that kept the committee in thrall. We'll see. As for Ms three names, I agree she'll revert to type after only a few minutes. But, that may get her thrown off the ballot. We can only hope.
Guilfoyle is a former prosecutor??? I didn’t think she was that smart.
I think we really need to redefine smart. Getting through any kind of higher education doesn't preclude being narrow-minded, bigoted, greedy, self-serving, etc.
Plus there are types of cunning that aren't the classic idea of smart but have very high social survival value.
Machiavellian to the core
Look at my comment above
I know at least one attorney where this applies. She had a sweet job until she put something up her nose. She was also irritatingly regressive and ended up married to a predator. So she may have passed the bar, but....
Exactly, Hitler, and Putin are “ smart” in a pathetic, and demented sociopathic way too!
Sociopath... that's one I left out. High I.Q., sociopaths / narcissists, and recently I read about a new classification and named variety *of narcissist. Can't recall the name just now, but I'm certain the term will soon make it's way back around - especially by the time all these investigations are done.
Was it malignant narcissist?
That has been proven many times over e.g. Ted Cruz (Harvard Law) Josh Hawley (Yale Law). I wonder if those law schools are proud of these graduates.
Both schools are notorious for letting in not that bright people who have connections or pull strings. These two show they are above nothing to get their way. I would not count on fair entrance or work while there.
Maybe they're too supercilious to care.
I think you’re exactly correct!
Diabolical ? Criminal mastermind ? Lex Luther ?
Oh let me add John Eastman (University of Chicago Law school).
Someone has to graduate at the bottom of the class. And how did she do as a prosecutor?
OMG Barbara, best comment I've read in ages!! Thanks, I needed the laugh!
What do they call the person who graduated at the bottom of the class in medical school? Doctor.
Bonnie, 40+ years as a medical laboratory technologist who worked in major medical centers in Chicago, I concur with you.
Lol
She actually did pretty well as a prosecutor - check out her Wikipedia entry.. She also used to date Gavin Newsom. She wasn't always a MAGA, but once inside that Maga-echo chamber/grifter mindset, she apparently became mentally lazy. Let's see if her cooperation with the committee sharpened her mind or if she was just extending the grift.
So many really loved that taste of power, so much so that it overrode every human instinct. Let me count how many…
Steve, she was married to him for about 5 years. That's about a 9 on the creepy scale.
No, she was actually married to Newsom but for a very short time. He had a drinking problem, confessed, and got his act together.
🤐
Guilfoyle was a young, attractive assistant DA when she prosecuted a couple whose dogs attacked and killed a neighbor. It was a very high profile case in SF and filled with all sorts of juicy gossip and tabloid fodder. Was Guilfoyle a talented attorney? Perhaps. She milked it for all it was worth. The case gave her the publicity that eventually propelled her to Fox, then becoming tabloid fodder herself. Like many others in the former guy’s orbit, she believed/s she is just so very special, pledging allegiance to a man who holds no allegiance to anyone but himself. May she and djt jr have a long happy marriage.
In prison
Well-said.
You are kinder than I am. May they rot in oblivion
I know
lol.. !
Smarts and ambition have nothing to do with morality and ethics. I can come up with a whole list of smart unethical people with Justice Thomas at the top....
And one of Justice Thomas' former clerks, Judge Kathryn Mizelle, Middle District Florida.
Not to refute your statement, but I have never thought Clarence Thomas is smart. Same for Brett Kavanaugh. Little toadies!
I believe you....
Right. One look at most CEOs and you can see that ethics and morality have nothing to do with smarts and ambition.
Chad Mizelli has moved-on from tfg's appointment of him in an "Acting" Homeland Security position to work for Jared Jushner 's new "investment" vehicle; $2 Billion from Saudi quid pro quo sources.
... 'And' he thought he married well.
Guilfoyle was not known for diligent prosecutorial work in court. Guilofoyle was the "2nd Chair" in an infamous SF case ( vicious dogs kill neighbor in the Hallway) before being hired at the Fox propganda outlet.
Well, she's engaged to Donald Jr., so...
Good one. So true.
Yup.
"Guilfoyle studied at University of California, Davis, and the University of San Francisco, and was a prosecuting attorney in San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. She was an assistant district attorney in San Francisco from 2000 to 2004."
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberly_Guilfoyle
Thank you Daria for that deeper background. Speaking of operatives, I am very conerned about the role of Trump appointed Judge Kathryn Mizelle ( 34 I think ) who sits in the Middle District of Florida in position to review a number of Florida cases. Judge Mizelle just struck down jet travel mask mandates -- a ruling that is now being challenged by the DOJ. Mizelle pushes Federalist Society Sophistry & is a former clerk to Justice Thomas. Mizelle's spouse is Chad Mizelle who was a Trump "Acting" General Counsel for Homeland Security. My major concern is Judge K. Mizelle is acting as well with more power.
The troublesome thing, too, is the fact that Mizelle has potentially 50 or more years a head of her on the bench. She was rated unqualified for a seat on the bench by the ABA because of her significant lack of trial experience. But then, we're stuck with Amy Coney Barrett as well, who is definitely unqualified to fill the roll of supreme court justice.
Those federal judgeships are an example of the kind of smart that has nothing to do with books and everything to do with the combination of cunning, ruthlessness, and power (or the hunger for it). The Federalist Society compiled and guarded the list--the qualifications were young, healthy, far-right politics, manageable. The held onto that list until the right moment. They gave that list to Mitch McConnell. Mitch McConnell presented it to TFG as his negotiating tool for getting his way on some major issues.
It's also remarkable to me, and impressive, that the Federalist Society has operated under the radar for so long.
Kathryn Kimball Mizelle “…after a thorough peer review evaluation and careful deliberation - that the nominee presently does not meet the requisite minimum standard of experience necessary to perform the responsibilities required by the high office of a federal trial judge. …”
- American Bar Association - 8 Sep 2020
A very dear friend of mine was on that ABA committee that rated her unqualified. Her disappointment upon Mizelle's appointment was profound.
But she rules the fools, and all of us
There is a difference between smart and wise.
She also was on Fox for a lot of years. She has listened to a lot of disinformation! To state in a nice manner!
I think, in real terms, Guilfoyle is an opportunist, aka, a gold digger. I mean, she goes from being the Governor of California's wife to the "fiancee" of a "billionaire" president's son. She may soon find out the hard way that all that glitters is not gold.
Who said she was? A label? Don’t think so. Choices in life are a much better undicator
She’s not.
Reverted to fluff…
Daria I feel that for well over a year we have been watching a video of the Titanic approaching an iceberg. It’s past time for a massive legal crash, perpetrators struggling for lifeboats, and many of these rats being tried, convicted, and sent to the slammer.
On Watergate, many of the perps went to jail. If this does not occur as an aftermath of the BIG LIE [refuted in at least 60 court decisions] and the 1/6 insurrection, then justice and the law will have been tossed into the garbage. If the Stench Court doesn’t acknowledge this, then they should take their ‘sacrosanct originalism’ and shove it up the Constitution’s ass.
As Ruth Ben Ghiat wrote "...ballot box victories alone don’t stop autocrats but the law can. “It takes prosecution and conviction to deflate their personality cults,” Ben-Ghiat said. “That’s what it takes.”"
I recall John Mitchell in cuffs, glory day.
Good one Keith, especially re: the "Stench Court."
Yup and I want language that includes Trump and execution in the same sentence.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Unfortunately I have to agree with you Daria. My gut feel is that unless something happens to hold people accountable the upcoming midterms are going to show a weak turnout. And I wouldn't blame people. This slow moving coup is mowing America down and no one seems to be able to stop it.
"Nearly two years later — after a riot, an impeachment, and a monomaniacal campaign to punish the Republicans who tried to hold him accountable — Ben-Ghiat has ample proof of her thesis. And she professes even more concern that Trump’s sway over the GOP has permanently transformed the party’s political culture. “He’s changed the party to an authoritarian party culture,” she told me. “So not only do you go after external enemies, but you go after internal enemies. You’re not allowed to have any dissent.”
With the midterms and some key governors races approaching, Ben-Ghiat is looking around the corner again. She sees dangerous signs of autocracy seeping into state houses and governors’ mansions where leaders such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are executing policies and enacting laws that mimic Trump but with a smoother, less bombastic style."
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/04/16/history-shows-trump-personality-cult-end-00024941#:~:text=The%20One%20Way%20History%20Shows%20Trump%E2%80%99s%20Personality%20Cult%20Will%20End
Barbara, thanks for the Ben-Ghiat piece. Her statement, regarding the lack of a unified message is something many here have brought up time and again.
The republicans use the drip, drip, drip of the same message over and over again at all levels, from the top down. We do not. As Ben-Ghiat says, "Democrats don’t have that force of concentration of message, that repetition, and that’s a failing in this [political] environment.
Dems don’t have Rupert and the lies blasted at 90 decibels 24/7. And the MSM is intrigued with the tinsel at Fox. We need Bloomberg, any hope he still loves us???
You may be right, Barbara, but I’m afraid I will blame people for not voting in the midterms as it’s probable that the very continuance of democracy depends on the 2022 election outcomes. I see no grievance more important than that, though, of course, I strongly hope for accountability as well.
I will blame them, too, I'm afraid. The argument that all is hopeless and one vote won't matter drives me mad. Maybe it won't. Do it anyway. I try hard to grab hold of each shred of hope but, honestly, I can't say I see any in this landscape. We are not winning this war, and I do believe it is a war. Way back from Trump's 2015 campaign, the first move toward an authoritarian take-over was in play--create chaos, confuse reality, move so fast and make so much noise that no one can follow or adjust and maintain their normal daily way of observing, taking a breath, then responding. We all were driven nearly mad by the sheer volume, then a kind of numbness set in, then the fear. But even the fear was unreliable because we didn't have time even to be afraid about one thing before the next dervish whirled by. And we were certainly driven into enough of a stupor to be entirely unable to think, to connect the dots, understand the bigger picture of what was happening, and to come up with a strategy to combat it.
What a great description. You definitely hit the mark with what we were going through.
You described me to a tee, but I am still viable as a voter, and a screamer of the truth. But who listens…
Keep screaming. I intend to keep making good trouble for as long as my breath holds out. I look back on half a century of what sometimes seems like the same darned war and I'm sure there are people who might or might not care about me but who definitely wonder if I'm ever going to shut up. I hope not I hope we all keep yelling out heads off because this situation looks to me like one of those perfect. storms where the world might actually be undergoing a paradigm shift.
I was talking with a friend at lunch today about all this. Our feeling is that the 2022 midterms will tell the story. Our fingers are crossed the January 6 Commission and Garland come through. with some top level convictions.
Barbara, I do believe that is exactly what will happen. Let's face it, if nothing comes of the Insurrection given compounding evidence, what really is the point?
Barbara, thanks for the response. My gut feel in re the midterms mirrors yours. I will read the Ben-Ghiat article then circle back.
I woke up and thought, why am I'm suddenly confident? It may be because the case against the insurrectionists appear so strong. But, as we know, strong cases don't guarantee results. Or maybe I'm influenced by the bravery and resilience of the Ukrainian people, who stand as an inspiration for anyone who cherishes democracy.
MTG? I detest her so much that I've been lulled into wishful thinking.
I am very confident! In the Jan 6 Committe, the DOJ, and heroines like Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow!!! (Full disclosure: I am a Michigander).
WE WILL NOT LET HATE WIN!
https://fb.watch/cw5p_w1PH7/
I saw Michigan State Senator McMorrow's speech to the MI Senate on The Last Word last night. Powerful words!
💙💜❤
I LOVE McMorrow!!!!
If only more elected officials stood up for what is right, and spoke their truth like State Senator McMorrow, some eye’s might be opened to the lies the republicans are spewing. Very powerful words that she said so well. She is my hero.
Perhaps McMorrow has given them courage to do that. Do you think folks will start calling her "Mallory?" A Hillary but with passion?
Go Tigers
Hear, hear, Michael! I'm glad to read of your confidence. There are many discouraged folks on today's LFAA. That's a sure sign that there is a lull in the progress of our Democracy. Also, as the war goes in Ukraine, so goes our courage at home. Ukrainian troops are headed to a very tough battle in the Donbas. May we all prevail—there and here.
I bet Kimberly lies and hopes a GOOP (grand old oligarch party) congress hobbles DOJ and suppresses Jan 6. This is an American Z coming into focus.
I hope your wrong, but...
So now when I see Guilfoyle, I will have the image of her pants on fire. And yes, Gangrene will lose it when she has to testify.
😂 it’s a great image
😂
It’s dawned on the foot soldiers that they were simply pawns in a much larger plan. While they face immediate punishment, the generals go free.
SOS in high stakes politics.
Hi, daria! (You've changed your location -- no longer in Merida?) We've no idea whether Guilfoyle simply claimed protection by the Fifth (she should have), and since MTG hasn't been judged an insurrectionist (yet, I hope), the challenge will almost certainly fail. But they are merely grist in the mill, so to speak, which grinds exceedingly fine. (Whether flour or dust comes out, we'll have to wait to see.)
Hi Dick! Nah, MID is the airport abbreviation for Mérida. Oh, yeah, I forgot about the 5th. I was writing while sleep deprived!
My favorite name is back, Dirk! I doubt about claiming the Fifth Amendment for 9 hours though. Surely she must have said something of substance.
HA! Substance! (Abuse?)
Good one!
Thanks for the welcome! It sounds bizarre, but that's exactly what happens when someone is required to appear but refuses to cooperate. There are nuances to the Fifth exercise that I've quite forgotten, but it does boil down to sitting in a room for hours listening to a scumbag claim the Fifth over and over and over and over...
I agree with your points and your doubts. Our AG is plodding along while the clickbait-crazed media predicts doom and gloom for the Democrats in the midterms. We need fire-in-the-belly from someone, somewhere to expose tRumpster for the criminal he is and lock him up along with his insurrectionists. What is Garland doing?? BTW: How do Cruz and Hawley not fall under the same 'rules' as MTG? Perhaps they didn't use her direct, assaulting language. I, too, find it messy and frustrating.
Cruz, Hawley, and others could be in trouble if they were involved in what amounts to a conspiracy to "decertify" the electoral votes. By that I mean if they knew of the plot and then voted in the Senate as they did. I'm speculating.
And wouldn't it just make your day to think they might be in trouble? I'd be smiling at least until lunch time :-)
Exactly.
Lee Anne, I agree entirely that we need that fire-in-the-belly that the Republicans seem to have in abundance. It's effective and a symptom of obsession, the single vision of the zealot. What is Merrick Garland doing? There's no way to tell. We (or at least, I) assumed he would come into that position with an irresistible mix of integrity, determination to restore integrity to the department, and a good dollop of righteous indignation, resentment, and a thoroughly unethical desire to get a little revenge. Minus the personal grievance, not unlike Mueller, who was meticulous in his preparation and cowardly in his conclusions and his execution of those. There is a time to stop doing the research and take a risk. I am, frankly, terrified when I look at this world and what's happening in the DOJ right now, and even with the fine work of the Jan 6 committee, is like a flashback to the weeks and months of waiting for the Mueller report.
Hawley, Cruz, Graham and others who manage to remain relatively unscathed know how far they can push the envelope. They're lawyers who paid attention. (Other lawyers like Sidney Powell and the Former Hiz Honor of NYC, Guiliani, et al., appear to have slept through a significant part of law school.)
No matter, I agree. It is all very fussy and frustrating. I think the DOJ is so afraid of being hamstrung by the republicans, again, they are simply willing to shuffle rather than stride.
You are right about Hawley, Cruz, Graham. I hadn't thought about it. However, the DOJ needs to act because they might be working under an authoritarian. I lost all respect for Garland. Also, I don't believe he had much experience prosecuting ... more judicial posts. So, judges tend to ponder. Prosecutors are aggressive.
You are correct about the difference between judges and prosecutors. We need to ditch the whole idea of lifetime appointments on ANY federal bench. ( Or any government office.)
Questions that plague my every waking moment, rotating from one evil actor to the next. Seems a never-ending supply of wannabe traitors…
Daria, I agree 100% on every point.
Don't Doubt!
Michael, If MTG is barred from reelection, which I think is a long shot -- the last number years (many) have burned down my optimism -- the good will come with the bad because barring her will trigger violence. That's okay, we have to learn to deal with violence and not in a weak kneed way. Doesn't Heather seem a tad optimistic about the bad guys' future? I know I won't get too enthusiastic ahead of time. End of May -- early June and the January 6th Commission takes the stage. It will be some show.
Morning, Fern! My preference is that the voters hand her her walking papers. Support Marcus Flowers (or whoever wins the Dem primary). https://youtu.be/T62435ipv_g
Morning, Lynell! Having the voters hand MTG her walking papers would be my preference as well, but I'd take either. She's poison...and crazy to boot. Bad combination.
I'll take either as well, Alexander, though being voted out doesn't conjure up cries of martyrdom as being kicked out does...morning!
Question: if, God forbid, she were to be re-elected, would she still be locked out of committee assignments? What good is a representative who can’t really do anything for her district, not that she would have anyway. She’s only in politics to garner attention for herself, like being on “Survivor.”
McCarthy said she will receive much better committee assignments. Will that hold if she's reelected, only the shadow knows.
Lovely reference. I was scared to death by that show when I was little. Now scared to death by real people doing dastardly things.
Thanks, Fern. No doubt. All the more reason to vote blue in '22...and once more in '24!
She will be the Sergeant of Real Arms. A true gun-toting Annie Oakley!
That's a good question, Jenn. Not sure if they do a rewind with each new session of Congress? That said, I get the idea her constituents think she's doing a great job putting a wedge wherever she can toward progress. Sad.
Hi Lynell. I'll check that out in a few days. Salud!
Thanks, Fern...Saluto!
WE WILL NOT LET HATE WIN, FERN!!
https://fb.watch/cw5p_w1PH7/
MaryPat, I saw her speech yesterday. Mallory McMorrow is the best communicator -- like her name, too. I'm very busy now, but I'm going to email you tonight about messaging the American people in a different way, 'the truth with style'. Congresswoman, McMorrow, would be sensational in the cast. Later, MaryPat. 🌻 🟥 🟦
My County Democrats sent this to me; I emailed them back to say we need our reps in VA doing/saying the same thing!
The Democratic Party is looking for a strong message? There it is!!
WE WILL NOT LET HATE WIN!
Yes!
Fern, my guess is that dumping mTg won't amount to a yellow hole in the snow. Her behavior has made her a liability for any one of the Big aRse party seeking an office.
MadRussian, I think she is a violence generator. Extreme behavior is increasing in various states, and she is perfect figurehead. Whatever she is, it is bad.
I can’t wait! 🍿
I like popcorn, too. One of the small number of possibilities that I am optimistic about is the 1/6 Commission's live hearings. It is a very strong group and the Commission has a load of material -- could this be IT?! 🤞🏼
I am strongly visualizing in prayer that it is!!! 💕🙏🏽💕
Hello, dear Fern! 🕊
Hello Ashley. I have thought to email you. It has been a busy week so far. I hope that you are smiling; there's warmth and satisfaction in a smile. We have beautiful spring blossoms, greener and greener grass and leaves opening. Ah, I treasure the routes in our minds leading to good company, music, cooking, exploring... We'll be in touch for more in the coming days. Stay bright and open. Cheers, Ashley.
Tis full days here as well. Smiling through it, enjoying the vernal greening. May our paths continue to keep us in sync, through kindred spirit goodness. Please keep me updated on Allen and Tanya. 💙
“It's fair to say that democracy will not stand unless the perpetrators of the insurrection are found guilty and punished according to the law. If not, they'll escalate their next assault …”
The “next assault “ is underway. Legally and in plain sight. Voter suppression. Redistricting. Gerrymandering.
No longer a need for violence.
The Supreme Court is lost.
The battle for the Congress has been scheduled for November 8th.
In the meantime, the Democratic MEDIA should 'front page' every aspect of how 'that individual' has broken the law. And, I must add...don't blah blah. Just "front page" the sucker.., just like is being done by the Big aRse networks. Fight fire with fire, but be clever!
We are still in a slow rolling coup. And, yes, the outlook is grim.
“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘯'𝘴 𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺; 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴.” --John Kenneth Galbraith
“𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘵: ‘𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯-𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘸 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵-𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘸 𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵.’” --Frank Wilhoit
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽'𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻 -- https://hartmannreport.com/p/how-democratic-outrage-can-end-trumps?s=r
This helps answer the question that has been at the core of my dismay since the beginning of the Trump koolaid era, “How do these people find each other?”
Excellent, Ron, Network and comparison of Hunter and Jared's Saudi payout.
That quote from Frank Wilhoit sums up the antebellum Slavepower's use of John Locke, the Philosopher of Slavery, to justify their "peculiar institution."
Love Galbraith’s quote. Never more on target. Had not seen Wilhoit’s but could not describe them better.
WE WILL NOT LET HATE WIN!
https://fb.watch/cw5p_w1PH7/
Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow took to the Senate floor and delivered a fiery rebuttal that has gone viral. McMorrow’s key point was this: "𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯."
***********************
"𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘔𝘤𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸’𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯? 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘔𝘤𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 “𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳” 𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘓𝘎𝘉𝘛𝘘 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴.
𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘥𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘔𝘤𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸’𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘔𝘤𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸—𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 “𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯.” 𝘐𝘧 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘔𝘤𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸’𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦." --Robert B. Hubbell
McMorrow definitely won the internet yesterday.
It's worth re-watching, isn't it?
💙 Nine times so far!
It was really not so long ago, when I walked into the middle of the Civil Rights Movement at Emory University, that the passion and outrage started every day. There were all sorts of flaws, and flawed people, involved in that struggle, but the deep commitment, the focus, the belief strong enough to put our lives on the line--as several did and lost them in that summer of 1964 in Mississippi. How did all that dissolve so quickly? Probably a naive. question from an old woman counting up her regrets. Thank you all for being here.
Wow! You were there! Yes, we need to resurrect that passion, deep commitment, focus and belief. I don't think all that dissolved as much as we put it into the hands of Civil Rights bills, and trusted they would work. Not. At its base, it is a war of Hate vs. Love. I pray we do not have to put our lives on the line, but my experience in Michigan is that we have very many well armed hate militias at the ready. So we organize again: WE WILL NOT LET HATE WIN.
Good morning, MaryPat. I was there indeed, but mostly that just means I'm old. What scares me is that it's the other side that seems to have the passion and the commitment to their idea of what's right for the world. The Mitch McConnell's who are committed to nothing more complex than power have found willing foot soldiers in the extremists among the evangelicals (and I do mean extremists, not evangelicals in general) who are true believers, who do feel that the moral, good, best thing to do for this country and the world, is to turn America into a Christian nation. And that will break down the entire structure on which this country was created. Good old Barry Goldwater said that if the "preachers" ever took over the Republican Party there would no longer be s Republicsn party.
💜❤💚💙💛
Wow, and yes. What we lack is simply that--Outrage
It’s not outrage that is lacking. Where is the leadership to coalesce the movement?
I think that outrage was scattered and sputtering and scared. And I think we were lacking the articulation of that outrage, which McMarrow (can we call her "Mallory?!") just did for us, with, I might add, a healthy dose of courage and Mama Bear ferocity! Leaders from across the country, and especially within the Democratic Party, must coalesce around her clarion call: "WE WILL NOT LET HATE WIN." Hate is what won in Hitler Germany, hate is winning in Putin Russia. WE will not let hate win here.
That’s it in a nutshell. Forgot Wilhoit’s name. Thanks!
That is my prayer as well. Justice will prevail and if it doesn’t my girl Karma will take care of it. 😉
Maureen, is your girl Karma in Ukraine? I hope so.
I believe her last stop was on the Moskva in memory of those Ukraine soldiers who famously told the Russian navy what they could do with their surrender offer.
I’m praying her next stop is Mariupol to support the Ukrainian troops there and maybe a stop over to the beltway a for domestic visit?? She is very busy these days. I grew up with the saying “What goes around comes around” and man I am so ready for the come around.
Left hand went to my heart, while reading your post. Thank you, Maureen. I will copy it for Allen and Tanya. 🌻
💛💙
Many hearts!
It’s as if Timothy McVeigh were alive and well and plotting again, but this time he has inside help at the highest levels. We must Prosecute every one of them.
I think it's important to keep in mind the principle of the FCC's now-defunct Fairness Doctrine: Present the opposing side of the argument. So here I go...
I think it's important to keep in mind what was going on in the minds of Trump and his supporters. The Jan. 6 riot couldn't have been an "insurrection" unless Trump and company were confident of support from both the military (including soldiers and top-level officers), as well as support from the Supreme Court. That almost demands the conclusion that Trump and company had (or thought they had) a green light from both, because they had (or thought they had) hard, damning evidence of widespread vote fraud.
I was regularly posting a sort of blog during the events leading up to Jan. 6, at the "Community Sharing" facebook page of the Organization of Professional Astrologers. I observed as Sidney Powell, on Trump's behalf, started talking publicly about the "Kraken." I did a google search and found the Department of Defense's "Kraken" website (most of it was inaccessible): a suite of cyber-surveillance capabilities that can supposedly observe and record more or less everything you do on the internet or within range of a security camera.
And then... Trump threw Sidney Powell under the bus, and the DOD's Kraken website disappeared.
One could suppose that Trump knew he had damning evidence, but he was told in no uncertain terms that he must not disclose it publicly, to protect the top-secret Kraken (and possibly protect its operators, who were doing who knows what in terms of snooping on unsuspecting people all over the world).
However, there was an ostensibly legal way for Trump to proceed, if he could get the perpetrators of the election fraud (if indeed there were any) into secret military courts, where Kraken evidence could be used in summary trials. This, of course, would depend on Trump declaring martial law, which in turn depended on his pet demonstrators disrupting the vote certification in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. When the latter failed, I imagine that Trump pulled the plug on something like the following scenario (which I posted back in December 2020):
1. In 2006, Congress passed a law providing for "enemy combatants" to be locked up indefinitely without a hearing.
2. Further law provides for those accused of "cyber-warfare" to be tried in military courts.
3. Trump is ready to arrest hundreds and hundreds of Democratic officials, down to the county level, with sweeping charges of a massive plot to steal the election.
4. The President declares them to be "enemy combatants" in a cyber-warfare insurrection, so they are all held without bail or a hearing. Maybe some of them will be offered a plea deal if they confess and name names.
5. Per the relevant act of Congress, these alleged cyber-warfare enemy combatant insurrectionists will be tried in military courts, and judgment will be very swift for those who happen to be Democratic electors.
6. Found guilty, these Democratic electors will be barred from serving as electors, per Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
7. Trump wins in the Electoral College by a big majority of the reduced total.
8. Any Democratic Congresspeople or Senators who get convicted are now barred from serving on Capitol Hill (per the same Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution), giving the Republicans big majorities in Congress.
9. Congress, empowered by the constitutional provision to guarantee republican governments in the individual states, goes on a rampage rooting out cyber-fascists.
10. The prisons are filled with mainstream news media directors and editors and reporters who are convicted of peddling "fake news" as accessories to the cyber-fascist insurrection.
John,
John, I must say,
I DO recommend you become a screen writer for NetFlix. Not Hollywood though.
This is one of the best Conspiracy Theories I have read, and, furthermore, I congtratulate you on writing it instead of throwing it into the huge trash bin of YouTube.
Very well done.
Welp.., A huge part of this world has succumbed to 'communist' type rule. Rule where a report can be made on ones neighbor (for reward) for favorable consideration. And, this is exactly what is taking place here under the guise of religion, or simply law (Texas?). Oh heck, just call it "family values".., huh?
Yes, well most of Netflix content has gone the way of MTV
Exactly!
Mr. Shmeekle is a very ?"creative"? writer, isn't he/it?
John, here's a bit of info about the DOD's Kraken program from an article posted by the US Army in 2011. Others might be interested in reading this.
https://www.army.mil/article/64655/kraken_provides_needed_intelligence_force_protection_at_nie
While much of your scenario and timeline seem far fetched, I'm sure Trump was within a hair's breadth of acting on some of the things you mention. The fact that the military stated they would not comply with his wishes was probably instrumental in quashing some of his other plans. The other thing that leads me to believe he was working steadily toward a coup is this: Trump, during the 2016 election cycle, was already using the stolen election mantra to prime his base. After he was inaugurated he kept plucking at that one string. For four long years election fraud, stolen elections, rigged elections, became Trump's battle cry so by the time 2020 rolled around his base was willing and able to rally in his name.
And, John, look, how many people willingly put their careers in jeopardy. Why would anyone risk trashing a viable career unless they had a "promise" that they'd share in the spoils of his victory? The power of a successful con man can never, ever be under estimated. The one power he no longer has, however, is the power of the presidential pardon. Those who stood by him currently do not have the benefit of that magic get out of jail free card. For them, that's a very big problem.
Two things: First, I cannot believe that Trump or his close supporters actually believed there was election fraud or a stolen vote. His actions to "find" nonexistent votes to put him over the top in GA shows that he knew he lost the popular vote again. Second, I am thankful you didn't work for his administration and put forth your proposal alongside Eastman. The former guy and his cronies were just crazy enough for this scenario to put a twinkle in their eyes.
Plans were being made even before the election was held. Eastman, if memory serves.
Plans were being made before the 2016 election.
Wow! Beyond predicting a rigged election and Russian and Cambridge Analytical help?
Yehawes, I think that, if you closely read the transcript of exactly what Trump said about the votes in Georgia, it makes sense to conclude that he was referring to votes that he believed (or wanted to believe) actually existed.
I don't think he's highly intelligent but I think he is highly skilled in saying things so nothing he says can be held against him, but so that the message is clear to the intended recipient. It's how the mob speaks and it's almost like a language. Native speakers don't have to be especially bright to absorb their language through immersion. I do think he tends to believe what he wants to believe, but I also believe that even he would have known that if there was any actual evidence someone would have presented it in some form. Plus, as others have pointed out, why would he begin this stance so long before the election? I sometimes find I hear wiggle room in statements, and can believe they were intended other than in the way political opponents "hear" them, but this was not one of those cases. Just me - I don't believe he believed himself.
You may already be aware of the long history if vote fraud, including computerized vote fraud.
I read this with interest for several reasons. First, I am always glad to read a comprehensible (not word salad) viewpoint that differs from the usual. Second, I believe that careful consideration of the meaning of words is very, very important. "The pursuit of happiness" has always seemed to me a bit wiggly. What does that really mean? Third, you are obviously a thinking person who has given his ideas a lot of thought and research. I looked you up and read some articles you have written, and that started me on an interesting rabbit hole this morning. Thank you.
But I disagree about your definition on insurrection. It was an insurrection.
Beware of rabbit holes
Ha! But I love to learn that way. Ask a question, then find the answer, which leads to new questions to ask.
John, your plot sounds like “1984” revised. But, with all the evidence we, the public, have so far, maybe you’re on the right track. Or not. Wouldn’t it be a great day, when the criminals are held to account and we can move forward ?!
This John needs flushing.
You be illin'
https://youtu.be/19tjJ0G-8V4
John - I will acknowledge that none of us know all that goes on behind closed doors at the highest levels of our government. And further, if we all of a sudden did, we might get some pretty large surprises.
But I will also say that the scenario that you present here is very far fetched, even for someone as evil as Trump. And especially knowing how inept he is, and how his minions underperform in any area where competence is required. As my hero Carl Sagan said "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence". Also, our country's news media are amazing. Flawed deeply, but amazing. Very difficult to hide a sprawling conspiracy without exposure.
You will get some ridicule, but keep it coming. Keep us honest.
Given the hatred expressed towards "Libtards" aka Democrats, any such orders issued by 'a President'..., THE Commander in Chief, no less! they would be carried out with enthusiasm, by the many millions who DID vote for him.