Early this morning, right-wing journalist John Solomon posted on his website a letter dated May 10 from Debra Steidel Wall, the acting archivist of the United States, to Evan Corcoran, a lawyer for former president Trump.
I just finished reading Debra Steidel Wall’s letter. She sets out the complete history of the attempts to regain the documents stolen by Donald Trump. What nefarious plans he had in mind will, with time, come to light. He’s a traitor. As Heather said in her talk today, if any of us had even one page, we would be in prison. The wait will be long, but I try to have confidence that the rule of law will take the day.
You are too kind! Dishonest is too mild. He is a liar and a thief. He is brazen not diffident, and he is hardly didactic. His lessons are to be criminal. Is he Fagin or Monks or Bill Sykes from Oliver Twist? He is teaching his followers to lie, cheat, threaten and steal. In fact he commands it. If they do not follow these commands they are punished. He is extremely dangerous. He is evil. I would say Trump is a combination of the three of them.
Linda Weide, I heartily agree with your assessment of Trump. This "man-baby" is extremely dangerous and evil. He literally told us ALL about himself before he was elected. But TOO LARGE a chunk of our population didn't believe him when he did and showed his true self. He HAS to be locked up - for OUR safety.
Many MAGA voters were backing the man they watched on TV for 12 years, the man who was always the smartest guy in the room. The rest of them voted with an extended middle finger to the people who never helped them. And most importantly this candidate made bigotry and intolerance acceptable.
“The people who never helped them”…. No, just the libtards that Rush spent decades reviling, and Rupert spent decades slandering at 90 decibels. As for trash TV, it’s still out there making heroes of the less than mediocre. And dumbing down the masses of asses. Your last sentence is totally on target for many MAGAts, but power and greed explain why those with two brain cells hopped on board. Then there are the Pharisees…
As far as being the smartest in the room is concerned, they were watching Reality TV, and failed to notice that it was NOT reality. Anyone over 25 with a grain of sense knew exactly what this charlatan was. He never hid his base character. I agree that he opened Pandora's Box and gave everyone permission to act out their real or imagined grievances. All of this was made possible by our resident oligarchs, who are the sole beneficiaries of our country's decimation.
"How does Satan manipulate us? He lures. He lies. He disguises evil for good. He promotes death. He separates. He divides. He steals. He works in darkness. He destroys. He shames. He hates. He decieves. He wiles. And, he persists." Ron "Wille" Williams from Lost and Found along The Way.
Preaching to the choir, great minds think alike comes to mind. Thank you. I had never heard of thom hartman, nor willie williams but am glad to now have found them both. Thanks.
Amen and my so called Christians friends said Obama was the antichrist and some of them unfriended me. I will never forget when they did that! Up until that time I respected them!
You know what I'm beginning to think, Jeri. The really bad news is that he's Donald Trump. He is certainly not worse than your list and probably not even as bad. He is, however, more dangerous because he is different. Sui generis. He is Donald Trump, a particularly American model of evil for which we have no outline for comparison. We have to start from scratch in trying to stay ahead of this poison, and there is so little time. If Biden maintains speed in his current push in the spirit of full speed ahead and damn the torpedos, we might have a chance.
Yes I mean DANGEROUS! Like if he take over this country again through his proxies and they bring the USA down, as they most certainly will, unless everyone who has a grain of sense is brave enough to collectively rise up against them and as they bring the USA down the planet is likely to be brought down with them. Let us face it. The USA with the second most Nuclear weapons run by people who would be in cahoots with Putin who has the rest of the NUKES holding the rest of the planet for ransom. There will be no climate agenda except to accelerate the destruction of the ozone layers and to heat us up in even more extreme temperatures at an even faster rate, leading to more floods, drought, famine, food insecurity, disease, fighting over resources, illness, and despair. THAT IS WHAT TRUMPS FOLLOWERS EMBRACE AND WANT TO SHOWER ON THE REST OF US.
The plans are known, but so far, still in place. Making evil legal is what Hitler did. And no, I don’t apologize for making that comparison. They say it out loud now.
YES! AND CONTINUE TO DIE! All of those who witlessly followed his Covid proscriptions of not getting a vaccine, although he did, and using non drugs, although he got the best treatment with real evidence based medications that money could buy.
Why would Putin even want Drumpf in his country let alone offer asylum? Drumpf is no longer in power--thus of no use to Putin--and everybody knows what a rotten, treacherous buffoon he is--including a large percentage of his congressional supporters (opportunists, every one of them) except his brainwashed MAGA base. Drumpf's assets will be forfeit and his cash flow depends on his rallies and begging letters proclaiming his victimhood.
T L , my take is he has already sold the documents to Putin or what other dictator who wanted them. Least we forget, he had 4 years of unfettered access to documents.
I agree...but if that is so, then why did he risk taking those classified documents with him to Mar-A -Largo?
I think he probably--long since--sold some secrets to both Putin (remember Helsinki!) and the Saudi's; I also think he took more classified information with him to use as a possible get-out-of -jail card to play when all his legal issues came knocking--or to pay off Deutsche Bank. It's hard to tell what--if any--pseudo-thoughts squirm around in what passes for his mind.
Russia already has the bomb and Saudi Arabia doesn't but sure would like to have it because of Iran. My guess is trump needs the money and a place for his family so when he runs it will be to Saudi Arabia. Besides the Russians all drink to much and he really worries about poisoning more than a bone saw.
I think Jarred may have sold some secrets to the Saudis for the $2b "investment" with his new fund (these dots were connected by another LFA member last week, I don't have that kind of acumen - yet :)
Yes, I think Jared and Ivanka are the ruthless and calculating ones to watch. Their faces, in common with another real monster, Mr. Facebook, have absolutely no affect. It would seriously not surprise me to find out that they are all experiments in Artificial Intelligence.
Who the hell has he sold it to, is the question. And the really big question is who told him WHAT to sell, since we know he is illiterate, ignorant and and a complete asshole. There, I feel better. Who is that real traitor?
Thats the real point here. One reporter said tRUMP was reading all the documents. BULLSHIT!! We know his reading level and what woyld be the point as a lot of the nuclear stuff is scientific that he wouldn't have a chance to understand. I am sure he had Jared ans a bunch of experts check ecery page in the year and a half he's had them, filter out what could be sold, shipped them right ti the Saudis, Iran, and Russia ans collected enough money so Little Donnie can pay his huge debt to the Russian mafia and still have some leverage to affect American elections for quite awhile.
The wait cannot continue to be dragged out. The crimes committed by trump and many of his minions are blatant and a continuous and deliberate attempt to take over the government. When he occupied the WH, the visual that kept me going was he eventually would be dragged out in a strait jacket. Missed that timing but let's get moving ASAP to get him dressed in prison orange! It is astounding that the corruption remains deeply embedded throughout the so-called republican party (IMO it is a terrorist cult) and those evil congressional dwellers do and say absolutely nothing. I won't dwell on what I think of people who are so devoid of any ethical and moral character that they continue to "rally around their leader". Evil and sick.
On Tuesday, I listened to an hour long interview of retiring Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) on NPR. His book "The Road Taken" has just been released. "In his landmark memoir The Road Taken, Patrick Leahy looks back on a life lived on the front lines of American politics. As the senior-most member and de facto dean of the chamber, Senator Leahy has been a key author of the American story. Leahy established himself as a moral leader and liberal pioneer over four decades spanning nine presidential administrations."
Obviously, the collegial atmosphere in Congress has gone down the poop chute (my words - he is much more articulate!) and while he noted he is generally an optimistic individual, he is more pessimistic about today's governmental situation. He doesn't hold back on what he thinks of trump.
Yes, politicians like Leahy, and there are many, prove that honorable politicians do exist. It is worth reminding ourselves that Trump inherited a corrupted party that began with Nixon’s Watergate, Reagan’s Irangate Conspiracy , Buchanan’s Pitchfork revolution followed by Gingrich’s disruption of Congress and his bogus Contract With America. Before Trump came the Tea Party. Trump’s attempt to overthrow the “peaceful transfer of Executive Power” was just the nuclear options no Republican before him had the courage to try. Now the young radical like Cruz, Hawley, Rubio and more than a few governors like DeSantis wait silently to show that a man with a brain and Trump’s obsession to be Emperor can succeed. Unless the corrupted Republican party dies and is resurrected this country will soon see another autocrat make his, or her, move.
Trump’s Stop the Steal was a much expanded and less effective version of Roger Stone’s original Stop the Steal that interrupted Florida’s vote count and led to the Supreme Court appointing George W Bush as president in 2000. It worked the first time...
Joan, Though I understand the precedent, in my view, we can’t escape the fact, regardless of how corrupt, that the legitimately aggrieved party in 2000 put country, the rule of law, and the orderly transfer of power above all else. And that made all the difference.
I suppose my point is that never before did it seem conceivable that by 24 a party plausibly could attain control of Congress, win the White House, and conceivably launch both the fatal weakening of American civic institutions and also a Presidency eager and able to consolidate power, wherein the rule of law could be subjugated to an individual.
You know the path to chump well. He was drawn to the republicans like a moth to a flame, and he, in turn, attracts the evil that oozes from his every orifice. I would throw W in between Newt and his contract on America, and the tea party crazies.
Nine administrations...wow! When I worked up on the Hill back in the seventies, Senator Leahy was one of my favorites; not speaking politically, just as a human being.
We had a short-lived experiment to see if a deputy could insert a "meow" into a report and get the report approved. I was very successful at that (I generally wrote pretty good reports) and quit when another deputy (thankfully) was testifying in a trial and the defense attorney asked him just what a "tow truck called for meow a disabled vehicle" actually meant. That particular case was a simple impound that ended up being related to a pretty serious assault. Sigh.
Janet, I shared your Straight Jacket _prayer_ for years! (Even posted a photo of one on Facebook.) Still do! It's never too late, because he is still clearly crazy and more and more dangerous by the day/hour/second.
(Sigh mixed with frustration). Another day talking talking talking about trump. About who he is and who he is not. And what to do about him.
I prefer any discussion we can muster about Professor Richardson’s closer…. “The Biden administration is reasserting the rule of law in the United States.”
I’ll start. Regardless of how long we talk about “the documents” which can be years ahead before any indictments happen, I celebrate that President Biden and his administration, against heavy odds, are passing legislation, reasserting rule of law, and acting in the interests of the people…all of the people. I’m going forward looking at issues that I can influence. For example, public education and the attempt to “cancel” the institution. And talk to any voter that wants to engage.
My preference is to “catch the wind in the sails”, as another Substack author suggests, as we move towards November election. Why waste momentum on losers?
Thanks for the cudos for Biden - he is an amazing, wise, and still powerful force for good in our country. The ridiculous low approval ratings trumpeted by the media in opinion polls are just that: ridiculous. We must help Americans appreciate President Biden for the job he's doing. But I think we must chew gum and walk at the same time: convince voters of the imperative of a Democratic (and democratic) administration at this time, while continuing to pursue all the avenues being tried to defeat the power-hungry, hypocritical, undemocratic forces the Republican party has spawned, both in the courts and at the ballot box.
From your mouth (keyboard) to the goddess's ear, Linda. According to The Guardian this morning (Wednesday), TFG's lawyers are trying to talk him into conceding that he broke the law because they are getting very nervous indeed. This could be his Al Capone moment. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/23/trump-illegal-documents-fbi-mar-a-lago
We Homo sapiens may share 99% of our DNA with chimpanzees, but at times, our social instincts seem to more closely model the social organization of baboons. I agree that it may, indeed, prove to be the undoing of our species.
Your comment made me think of Dana Milbank’s column this morning about the brilliance of Trump’s typical pick, Herschel Walker: He was able to disprove Darwin’s theory of evolution by observing that “there still [are] apes that have not turned into humans.”
Linda If John Grisham had sought to write a fiction book about Trump’s super-classified-documents caper, his publisheR would have rejected such clap trap. It defies any reasonable analysis. Even for this False Fact Phony, thE scenario is bizarre. Can it be explained by his ‘l’etat est moi’ mentality? He once said about the documents “They are not theirs. They are mine.”
For someone who didn’t even read books that he ghost wrote, the idea that he was retaining documents for his ‘autobiography’ is preposterous. That he actually perused these documents and decided to retain some is factually accurate, though I am gobsmacked thinking of what he might do with them.
When I am stymied as an historical analyst, I seek insight from movies. In this case, Jerry Lewis in THE JERK.
Yes, and all his soldiers! We must strengthen our dedication to values upon which we hoped this country was founded. Some of these might be: truth...via commitment to high quality public education. We must endeavor to support only an incorruptible and "blind" judicial and legal system and, (oh my, I can't help myself. the American way through securing election integrity with a secure election process!
HCR mentioned Barry Seid's $1.6 BILLION "tax deductible" "donation" the other day. I found this a staggering piece of news. Going Leonard Leo's non profit, the Marble Freedom Trust, can this be anything but a blaring fire alarm for democracy? Can such a free "gift" of this magnitude be be anything but a corrupting form of influence peddling? How does "democracy" long stand up against such a force? Citizen's United was the death knell. Jailing tfg is just a bon bon, sweet tho is might be.
Although former Attorney General Barr succeeded in watering down the facts which the Muelller Report contained, lessening its impact, many observers concluded that the Russians, specifically Vladimir Putin, had something on the defeated former president, and that influenced his sometimes inexplicable behavior as president. I believe that the DOJ knows more about this than they are talking about and that such opportunities for exerting leverage on him continue even now. That might be the reason for their resorting to legal action to retreive the classified documents the defeated former president illegally had in his possession. If it can be determined that information from them has already been digitalized or communicated to those who should not have it, existing laws must be fully and immediately enforced. If not, what are laws for?
Like Heather, I’d really like to know “[j]ust why the Trump camp leaked the letter.” How are they planning to use such a damning document to their advantage -- unless, of course, they want to pretend how candid and honest they are being ...
“Just why the Trump camp leaked the letter is unclear because it is a damning revelation of the extent of the stolen documents and Trump’s refusal to return them.”
Why we continuer to let that recalcitrant child repeatedly escape justice is beyond me. HCR was right...if any one of us had even one page of any of those documents, we would be in prison. Why is this any different?
I have worked with archivists, in various circumstances over many years. I even have a cousin who was a state archivist. And I am confident that when Mr. Trump is finally in direct conflict with Ms. Wall, he will be begging to trade her for the entire legal and law enforcement force of the US.
Dean, I have spent the last 40+ years conducting research in archives and have worked in libraries and collaborated with librarians and archivists since I was 19 years old (including as a tech services assistant and as a preservation specialist). Many of my dearest friends are librarians and/or archivists and many of my students go on from working with me to becoming librarians and archivists. My recommendation is never to f**k with a librarian or an archivist. They will hurt you. 🤣
Why is the military industrial complex Eishenhower warned us about still in sway in this country? I love my country, but I do not love that we do not learn from history….we know how that ends.
Rest assured that he will be indicted. I wrote a letter to Merrick Garland reminding him that trump would stop at nothing illegal, even condoning murder, to prove that he's not a loser, as losing is an existential threat propagated by his father. Besides, my prayers are very powerful. The moment I found out that trump was going to be president, I prayed: Please, let the GOP self-implode. That's happening. During the first impeachment I prayed with all my heart: Please, let him go broke and go to prison. From what we've seen from Weisselberg the trump org is toast. And trump will find it difficult to raise money from his jail cell...mark my words!
Perhaps 45’s lawyers agreed to leak this letter because it demonstrates that he cannot distinguish right from wrong. In which case, they could make the cases that he never intended to break the law. If that is the case, why the leak? That argument just undermines the impression of his fitness for office. So maybe the calculation is that it’s better to risk a future run for office than life in prison. Or worse, if he has already delivered documents to a hostile foreign government. Just a thought.
Jim With Trump rational analysis serves no useful purpose. What about phrenology? As for where ‘his’ documents were sent—check with Putin, MBS, and Kim.
There is an annoying thought that keeps surfacing when I read the accounts of how many documents and the sensitivity of what 45 stole from us, The People. AND…..WHAT THE HELL he was doing for the 48 months or so, before leaving office??? Was he buying and selling sensitive intel as soon as he stepped into the Oval Office? I get sick to my stomach just trying to wrap my mind around the enormity of what this criminal has done to our country…..
those of us who knew Hillary was the better choice and those who knew DJT was a grifter before 2016 will always have that awful gnawing feeling of what could have been.
The images I had of TFG were
1) of a bull in a china shop (destroying all the beautiful, valuable things inside and leaving a lot of bull****
2) of a dumpster fire (stinky and polluting)
3) of a continuing train wreck (which also fits that all the damage he did to our national institutions continue to resonate - you cannot stop momentum. That's why President Joe Biden is STILL putting out fires from the last administration!
4) the absolute disaster of the Titanic's maiden voyage (let's talk about Climate Change while we are at it, and all the rats I am amazed are not more visibly jumping ship)
but the one that REALLY captures his entire existence is
5) chumming the waters. He spreads blood, destruction, violence and consumption.
Part of the disaster is that he’s modeled behavior now copied by the winner of the Florida primary. That man appears to be just as corrupt, but smarter.
malignant is a good word, infectious also comes to mind.
Does anybody REALIZE MORE THAN 1 in every 350 Americans have DIED of Covid?
It's because TFG dismantled the pandemic surveillance systems, then tried to downplay Covid even though at the same time he told Woodward he had been informed of the dire risks, then because Dr. Fauci was getting TV coverage he got jealous and took over the daily press briefings and started talking ..."crazy"
[I refer everyone back to Sarah Cooper's "how to medical" parody using TFG's OWN WORDS!!!]
He was grifting the entire time he occupied the WH and one does wonder how much selling of intel he did in four years. He is the worst thing that has ever happened since the Civil War and certainly the worst to occupy the WH. And yes, a traitor. We were over to our neighbors for a drink and chat this evening and we were wondering why people, especially women, think he is great. And yes, we had some answers. In the best circumstances it will take years to cut out this festering cancer.
Usually cults are seen as crazy by the majority. Rupert made this one mainstream. And he is still blathering propaganda to the masses of asses. Clones are carrying it to the depths of hell. And Leo’s money is buying more adherents by the nanosecond. Germany acknowledged their evil, with a nudge from Ike. Who will excise our cancer???
It's all so disturbing. His utter disrespect for the office, never to blame, always victimized, always right, and always out for himself is a very scary combination in a president. What a nightmare we are going through.
Good question! Take a look at Erich Fromm, who sought to understand how an advanced culturally sophisticated people like Germans 1920s could end up Nazis. Stephen West on his excellent podcast Philosophize This, does a good job of summarizing Fromm's thinking on this issue. Text below and link to transcript, go to middle of page. Sort of explains the right wing obsession of 'owning the Libs'.
"All of the people who support an authoritarian power structure are equally authoritarian as well. Someone who uses this strategy reconnects themselves to the world through what Fromm calls a type of sadomasochism. Two words there—sadism and masochism: sadism being the desire to control others, to dominate exploit or steal from others; masochism being the desire to submit to some power and be controlled or dominated. The authoritarian is sadistic in the sense that they want to support an authoritarian setup so that other people and groups will be controlled. But they are masochistic in the sense that they themselves want to submit to that authority as part of the process.
Both of these are a direct sacrifice of their freedom and individuality. See, as a sadist, you cannot exist unless if you have somebody else to control. You’re no longer capable of being an individual at that point. And as a masochist, same thing, you cannot exist unless if there’s somebody out there to control or dominate you. But consider this. Freud said and Fromm agreed that you never really see sadism in a person without some type of masochism attached to it, and vice versa. He says Hitler may have been an extreme example of somebody who was sadistic, but he was always masochistic towards his position within history and the ideas of fate and chance.
People with this authoritarian mindset will often escape from freedom by looking around them and finding out where the power structures lie. They’re very good at searching out and finding where there’s a concentration of power. Then masochistically they submit and insinuate themselves into that power structure. They become one small part of this power structure—something they see as bigger than themselves, something that’s compensating for their weaknesses as a scared individual—and then they’ll use their position as a foot soldier of that authoritarian to then take out their sadistic tendencies on other people in the name of this thing that they’ve submitted to." https://www.philosophizethis.org/transcript/episode-151-transcript?rq=sadomasochism
Thank you for this post. This makes a lot of sense if you stop and observe human society and human history. It’s a pernicious mindset that knows no geographic boundaries. We are dealing with the amped up American version right now. They are always there waiting for a charismatic strongman to emerge. What’s the antidote? Actual Justice. Steadfast, boring Justice.
The last paragraph in this brought Lindsey Graham to mind. He first attached himself to John McCain, who unfortunately died. Then, after excoriating tRump during the 2016 election, immediately bowed, and kissed the ring.
Wow, exactly the point in “Adventures of A Bystander,” Peter Drucker account of pre-war Vienna as Nazis ensnared the “vulnerable,” who soon would become the feared.
Yes, I think so. It comes (IMHO) from poor self image and therefore a need to be controlled so as not to do BAD things. Projecting onto others that they too need to be controlled because they will do BAD things if left to their own devices.
Now, where does all this sexual dysfunction stuff come from?
I think you're onto something, and not just with Evangelicals. This Christian faith (to include Catholics and the various one true ways of Protestantism) is based upon the willing sacrifice of their figurehead, Jesus.
100Panthers, Your comment and LINK have provided us with an uncommon gift of thinking and analysis through Stephen West's 'This is Philosophize This!'. In the transcript, which you linked, West addressed Erich Fromm's landmark book 'Escape from Freedom'. I hope that you will not mind that I intend to pass your comment around (edited to reduce space) along with the link because Fromm and West call us to understand ourselves, the complexities of 'freedom' and why democracy is challenged. 'Escape from Freedom' is as a lens through which to see ourselves; other people; the challenges to freedom in USA and states around the world now and in the past. Thank you for this generous offering.
I was about 12 when I found out about the Holocaust and remember how horrified I was. I was staring at this black and white photo in disbelief at how and why hoards of normal-looking people could be adoring Hitler, who to me looked like the devil. Yours is an explanation but no less horrifying....
Dana, I was 17 in 1966 and had spent the summer with a French family. The young (and not-so-young) people I met were appalled at how ignorant the American people seemed to the French. The Vietnam war was in full swing, the anti-war demonstrations were all over the news and yet, we allowed the war to go on and on and on. The French knew the folly of fighting a motivated “guerrilla” army. Things haven’t changed much in the US, or actually gotten worse. Even with the availability of incredible amounts of information and FACTS. Omg.
Hmm... Didn't the US essentially take the conflict over from the French when the Vietnamese beat them at Dien Bien Phu? The French learned their "lesson" by being beaten, not through some form of cultural enlightenment. The Vietnamese taught us the same "lesson" in the same way, almost exactly 20 years later.
Sorry....your statement about Abrahamic religions is nonsense. For example, the Talmudic tradition involves logic (much of which is relevant to the scientific method), interrogation, argument, etc. I agree, however, that religion generally is too prevalent in American politics. It shouldn't be, but it is. Faith can be very centering and anchoring for communities and, in and of itself, is not objectionable. But one's individual faith should not form the basis of imposing views on others...it is an aspect of politics and policy in many countries other than America as well.
Here's something else to consider, Elisabeth. Just WHY was Kushner "gifted" $2 billion from MBS - I'm thinking nuclear secrets... Someone else on MSNBC has said this too.
I made that connection too after the search. The timing of the search was interesting, coming right after the Saudi sponsored golf tournament at Trump's Bedminster club. I am wondering if the money invested with Kushner, and that golf tournament was a "down payment" for the information that TFG was holding. I am hoping the Fed's were able to retrieve these documents before they went to the Saudis. TFG strikes me as the kind of guy who wouldn't cough up the goods until he got paid.
Whaddya mean by "retrieve these documents?" Anyone with a cellphone and a thumb can make as many copies of those documents as they like, and probably have.
Yes, I totally agree with you. That he thinks these classified documents are “mine”( his) is chilling. This executive privilege that he claims to think he has is pure idiocy when he is no longer an executive. I am with several commentators here who say that he needs to be stopped and soon. I have no doubt that he has sold some of these sensitive documents to the highest bidder be they adversarial or not. When all of this is said and done( and it may never be completely done) this is going to turn out to be the biggest presidential crime in our history, bar none.
On the other hand, as a transactional creature, Trump may have been holding on to the documents for future use- selling them too early would have diminished their value. Or, given the very odd way he has of thinking about things ("mine") he may even have done the very child-like behavior of trying to hoard things that confirmed his sense of identity. I don't think we have a clue which of these might be his driving force. We do know that once he realized that he'd created a situation he couldn't get out of, he has been off the rails legally and increasingly psychologically. Nobody will every make a movie as interesting as watching this in real life (with a great sense of relief, I might add).
Here is some background about Debra Steidel Wall, the acting archivist of the US from her hometown newspaper.
‘Mattituck native named deputy archivist at National Archives’ (excerpts)
‘Debra Steidel Wall was just a young teenager when during an eighth grade trip with her class at Mattituck Junior High School she first set eyes on Washington, D.C.’
‘On June 3 she was named the deputy archivist of the National Archives, the No. 2 position in a federal department that has 3,500 employees, 44 locations throughout the United States and 10 billion paper documents.’
“On that eighth grade field trip, that’s when I said ‘I want to live here. I want to come back here and be part of this,’” said Ms. Wall.’
‘Wall last Thursday, at the end of her first week in her new position.’
‘Ms. Wall graduated from Mattituck High School in 1984. She was raised on Little Neck Road in Cutchogue by her parents, Fran and Steve Steidel. Her father was a Suffolk County Police Officer and her mother was a teacher at the Ecumenical Nursery School at the Advent Lutheran Church in Mattituck. Her parents now live in Punta Gorda, Florida.’
‘After leaving Mattituck, Ms. Wall studied history and government at Georgetown University, and then studied film in graduate school at American University, while working summers at the former Fishermen’s Rest restaurant in Cutchogue.’
“When I first got here, I had no idea what the archives were. I was thinking of doing journalism or politics or something like that,” she said. “I thought I was interested in politics, but what I was really interested in was public service. I did my senior thesis on film history, and the archives has many films. Silent films were my specialty.”
‘Ms. Wall began her career at the National Archives in 1991 as an archivist in the motion picture, sound and video unit of the archives, and over the past 20 years has worked in nearly every aspect of the organization.’
“I always managed to have opportunities. In almost any work you’re doing, you can find the part of it that makes change,” she said. “I went from trainee work into policy, information technology and data standards, then into more policy in the chief of staff role for the past four years. I’m 45. I’ve been here 20 years, but around here that’s kind of a newbie. We have a lot of people who are very dedicated to the mission and stay here for their entire career.”
‘But even in the relatively short time she’s been with the National Archives, the nature of access to information has changed dramatically.’
“A lot of the stuff we have is unique. In the past, if you wanted something you’d have to send us a letter and ask what we have.
‘Now we have all of our descriptions on the internet, 72 million records have been archived and we’re open 24 hours a day,” she said. “We really need to change our culture. We’ve been a fairly traditional place. Up until a year and a half ago, we had policies that wouldn’t let us go to Facebook or Flickr on our work computers. Now we have a group of people who work for us who are using Flickr and Twitter as a way to engage people and get feedback from our users. We’re trying to stay at the forefront. In a very short time, we’ve become the leader in government.”
‘Ms. Wall said that most of the department’s new hires have an innate understanding about the way information has changed and, along with it, the methods that the National Archives’ customers use to access information.’
“The agency’s biggest challenge is electronic records. We have material that’s on floppy disks or Betamax video,” she said. “Our requirement is to keep electronic records for the life of the republic, so we have to upgrade that.”
“We run the presidential library system throughout the country. We run the federal register, which publishes government documents. We run the government’s security classification program, which is a pretty big deal. We also make grants to state and local archives,” she said.
‘Ms. Wall serves directly under David S. Ferriero, the 10th archivist of the United States.’
“Debra is passionate about the Archives’ mission and history,” he said in a press release announcing Ms. Wall’s appointment.’
‘And she’s also a kid from Cutchogue who, once upon a time, took a long class bus trip to Washington that changed her whole life.’
Fern, you have done it again with an incredibly helpful post. Putting a "face" on the government is a righteous slap in the face to Ronnie Reagan who said that "government is the problem". Thank you.
Thank you, Mary. Reading about Debra Steidel Wall reminded me of our fine public servants and to keep them in mind as we advocate on behalf of democratic principles.
Thank you for posting this wonderful description of a true public servant. There are so many of them who do their jobs well, trying not to be affected by whatever administration occupies the White House. Unsung heroes all, they will be our salvation.
Just to say, a sincere and heartfelt ThankYou to All.
GoodCop BadCop on MDI. The Bar Harbor Police Chief and Captain who authorized my painting chalk graffiti in front of Leonard Leo's estate, asserted rank over the Mount Desert Sergeant who threatened me with charges of Criminal Mischief. I have heard this indirectly from a reporter. As well as that there may have been improprieties in the Hancock County DA's office signing off on charging me.
Activists on MDI rallied around me, as did so very many of you all here. I am grateful and touched by your kindness, good will, and good humor. And just so you know, while the world was focussing on the gift of 1.6 billion more tax free dollars to Leonard Leo, the man himself was pissed over a political cartoon and corrupting the local law enforcement to suppress my civil rights. it was bullying and you all had my back. ThankYou! The reporter asked whether I intend to continue? Ha.
The Gospels ask: What profits a man to gain the world and lose his soul? Leonard Leo answers, over 1.6 BILLION more tax free dollars.
You had good wits to get the Bar Harbor police authorization in the first place. Then it's good that they were not cowed by Leonard Leo or their brethren Mount Desert police. Good for you and thank you for your update! More power to you!
The two forces involved recently united under command of Bar Harbor, whose Chief Willis and Capt. Kerns personify good community policing. While obviously at least two officers in Mount Desert are not yet in gear and have more allegiance to Leo than respect for their own chain of command. As shown by the damage they've done to my 21 year old neighbor and his family. Which was a big impetus to my effort. Which now will expand to learning more about Republican DA Matt Foster's part in charging and prosecuting on Leo's initiative.
The family is keeping a low profile. Understandably. Having a child caught up by a local police and DA compromised by a power player like Leo is frightening. Almost an act of Leo terrorism on a local community to squelch activism..
The family is very well regarded and many in the community have rallied to them.
Lin, you are steadfast, an excellent fact witness & reporter & humble. These are not common qualities. I used to seek jurors like you. Think about Substack; please practice at LFAA. :)
I had good teachers - NYC and NYS public education.
Jury duty is very interesting. I've not been called here, yet.
You might enjoy reading Maine Federal Judge Lance Walker's tart and thorough dismissals of Bruce Poliquin and the GOP's attempts to stop our 2018 RCV vote and then throw out the results. ( Poliquin was Trump before Trump in trying to overturn an election.) It was so inspiring that I went to Bangor to read through the entire trial transcript. (The GOP star witness perjured himself, the case was dismissed as conclusory, new word to me.) Walker was fast tracked by Le Page and Trump but seems to be a Souter like GOP pick.
I hope this is the correct link to Walker's decision upholding RCV
Great Link lin, thank you. i have read many, many Trial Trancripts which are pure gold. when the witness is not physically abailable. I am going with "steadfast'.
It is apparent that many of us are enjoying your storytelling. It's easy to get started on Substack. In addition to the pertinent details of the instant case, your story evoked fond memories of fighting the good fight over the past half century. And with wit and good humor! Keep on!
Ahh Racine! Bentsen's Kringle! The lake during Super Storm Sandy! Some amazing activists. In the tradition of the Underground Railroad (great historical society in Racine!)
I was sent there for GOTV on Obama's second campaign. And kept going back for GOTV week for each election - until the pandemic.
Tony Evers. Tammy Baldwin. Wisconsin is not just Ron Johnson. (Who hopefully will go the way of Walker and Ryan, soon.)
I lived in Portland, Maine for a few years in the early '70s. Visited Acadia NP and Bar Harbor in 2013.
We are enthusiastic about our recently-decided Democratic candidate for the US Senate, in the person of our current Lt. Governor.
We hope that the Wisconsin political sensibilities of people such as Robert and Belle Case La Follette, and Gaylord Nelson, will return to Wisconsin soon.
We know of a small guest house here in Racine that would be suitable for a brief sojourn by a left-leaning political activist.
Nancy Proctor, who commented about O&H Kringle, made the point I would make. I have a friend who lived near Bendtson's Bakery, and worked there for a while. It's so good to have the dilemma of which Kringle to get this week! We are currently working on an O&H Kringle that has orange and cherry filling. Delicious. I always scrape off the frosting.
Re RoJo: we can only hope that voting against him yet again will bring sanity to partner with Tammy Baldwin. And the latest opponent to Tony Evers is another wow! His ads threaten to smash and demolish Madison. But O&H Kringle are the best, btw.
In addition to rank stupidity, think grifting and criminal behavior, raw bestiality and craven racism - and flagrant Germanic fascism: Austrian Adolf Hitler’s fascists and gestapo took charge of the text books and curriculum in Germany and elsewhere as the Third Reich rolled through Europe, installing hundreds of concentration camps, and several crematoriums, rounding up Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, and enemies of the state to kill them all, think Governor DeSantis and watch Florida’s wealthy and elite reelect this bastard as they distinguish themselves, rolling in their manifest ignorance and intolerance.
I remind you that many of the ideas that the Nazis in Germany got about people and racism came from right here in the United States. I believe the good old state of West Virginia is credited with exporting ideas that were taken up by the party. This comes up in discussion in the Race Trilogy (Race The Power of An Illusion: Episode 3) which you can access in Facing History Facing Ourselves.
Last night when we were having dinner with friends and talking about Texas a friend was telling me he grew up in Texas and said only about 4 percent of the people of Texas vote, so that is who determines what goes on in that state. In fact, in the recent primary it was 18 percent of registered voters. https://www.texastribune.org/2022/02/14/texas-primary-voting-turnout/ Texas has 30 million people and about 17 mil are registered in 2022 I have read.
I was saying how my daughter's friend had been embarrassed to tell me that she had one Southern state on her college list. I asked which state and she responded with "The Worst!" I was thinking she was going to say, "Florida." But when she said, "Texas," I could see how she could say that. I think it could be a toss up. I told her not to go under any circumstances, and gave her a lot of reasons why. Her parents are from China and even if she was born in Texas the gun culture there is scary to me and I would not feel that she would be safe there.
I am really anti Florida at this point. I begged my nephew not to do his PhD in sustainable aviation engineering in Florida. Fortunately the professor he wanted to work with became chair of the program in another state and invited him there. I really wish the ACLU success in taking DeSantis on with his illegal education agenda.
The first amendment is suffering all over this country, not just in Florida. In Texas if you can go to jail and be fined for telling someone about how to get an abortion, and in any state where teaching about racist history is a crime.
My neighbor state of Indiana is vying for most ignorant, backwards state as well. They voted on an extremely repressive anti-abortion bill and now they are debating whether to define conception as the point of life. Corporation Eli Lily is wanting to expand into another state since they know they cannot attract female and perhaps male scientists to their company now. No more good health care for women in that state. No more in vitro fertilization there either if they do decide conception begins at life. I also heard mention of making interracial marriage illegal again. Since race is a made up concept that too is going to be anther exercise in ignorance. Hey, humans marrying humans. Oh well, at least it isn't elephants marrying donkeys!
I also heard an interview on NPR with someone who believes in the death penalty for women who abort their babies because be considers himself a true Christian and claims the bible says that murders have to be punished by death. What a contradiction! I feel that people who are against abortion should be against the death penalty too. My husband, who speaks 7 languages and is pretty familiar with the bible at least in German, says the bible doesn't say anything about abortion. If he says this I believe him! So, where is this guy getting that women who have abortions should be punished with the death penalty? Clearly not from the bible. He has made this up! And let's face it, a lot of the people who are having abortions are not even adult women. It is girls! We are living in a country filled with female hating men and some self loathing women. These people need therapy not the form of Christianity that they are practicing.
In the mid 80s, I managed a series of group and individual homes for people with developmental disabilities. The program became some how world renowned, to the point where I was hosting tours for people from several countries (the folks from Japan were a LOT of fun!). Mostly it was great fun. I took a group from Germany to the home of a woman in her 70s. They were visibly aghast when they met her. When I asked why, they said "We don't have people her age in our system, they were all killed during the war." I respected their honesty, but still went home and wept.
We have seen how the Trumpists treat other marginalized "disposable" people. To my horror, I do not think we are too far off from a return to concentration camps (this is already happening on our boarders).
DeSantis's latest ad is a take-off on Top Gun--"Top Governor"! And ( my personal ongoing criticism) he continues to exploit his own small kids in his self -serving quest. My hope is that the more he " buys into" his own hype the more possibility he will come crashing.
Charlie Crist is a chameleon but the only lizard with the chance of giving Ron a run. He has to hammer home repeatedly that the "Top Gun" Gov is running for President all the time.. That is all he cares about. Not Florida. Florida is his petrie dish for growing virulent little fascist forays into unfreedom.
Just what will it take for people to wake up???? TFG is a criminal…plain and simple! I have been mortified and disgusted since the day he was elected .
And on top of all this good news, the Democrat won the NY-19 CD special election to fill a vacancy 51.9-48.3 in a +4-R district that Biden won in 2020 by 50% - the Democrat outperformed Biden after Trump won by 51-44 in 2016. As Steve Kornacki said, if this was a Red Wave year, that would have been a snap win for the Republican in a district like that. Matthew Dowd said it shows there is no red wave, no blue wave, but a lot of "cross currents" which means IF WE GET OUT AND WORK that Democrats can hold the House. This election was a true bellweather in a bellweather district.
And the victory was due to DEMOCRATIC TURNOUT - which approached 2018 levels.
More fun news is that the first Gen Z person is headed to the House: 25 year old Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a Democratic gun control activist taking over Val Demings' seat. And he's much more than his demographics; he is refreshingly bright and articulate.
It shows the puerile and narcissistic attitude of Trump that he would claim the documents as “mine”. As if that’s all he has to do to legitimately have possession, control and ownership over them. It’s just mind boggling that this man was ever the POTUS, and it’s extremely frightening to think he could be again.
To me it shows his lack of intelligence and immaturity. Every time I read that the former guy said the boxes of documents were "mine" I think of a surly child resentfully saying "No! Mine!"
Someone MUST have made a gif of that visual, because it’s too obvious to miss skewering. When I heard the former guy said “They’re Mine!” I thought of Golem immediately, also!
Ahem, Randy Rainbow, are you listening? I guess he requires an appropriate song... Perhaps the young woman who did the opposite of a voice over (spoken word lip-synch?) to actual recordings of the former guy. The time is ripe for her to get back in there and do this again!
Yes, celebrity is weird phenomenon, and I'm not immune to it. More so in my youth. But it gets weirder when people will read the opinions of celebrities that present no expertise whatsoever on the subject they are talking when they would not bother were it from somebody who credibly knows their stuff. And some influential people are famous only because they are rich. And even when that person is talented in one way or another, they could still be incompetent in others. Who isn't?
Worse is the degree to which celebrity weights our political choices. Support seems to gather around people "as seen on TV", or somehow connected to someone famous, like GWB. Even had Bush Sr. been brilliant, there is no guarantee whatsoever that a family member is.
It seems our way of doing business tends to be kind of oblivious to an expansive search of a vast nation that might bring expanded capabilities and wisdom to our quality of life and our chances of long term survival. We have that choice.
"The New York Times reported last night that Trump resisted returning the documents, calling them 'mine'."
Oh, that's just perfect. Donald says the highly-classified U.S. government documents are simply his. To me, that indicates a desperate attempt to hold onto the documents. When you're down to the delusional justification of keeping the classified documents by saying they're "mine," then we know that trump has run out of legal ammo for this issue . Maybe he should be waterboarded to get the truth about all the laws he broke during his presidency.
The nub is that he believes himself to be a ¨king¨. To be above all laws. No concept of anything to do with democracy or how our government works. A grifter of the first degree. No moral conscious. A danger to not just the country but the world.
The whole Republican Party has been drifting off the rails for half a century, especially after Reagan was elected. The whole party tells itself they are superior to everyone. and answer to no one. They were born to make rules, not to follow them. Trump is that personified.
He needs to be sent to a reeducation center for pampered wealthy criminals where the educators take their work seriously. Living on rice and beans and making his bed/cot every morning until it passes inspection. If he whines about his treatment, he could be whipped with a bamboo rod until he learns the value of silence and humility. Well, at least we can hope.
'Torture gives you reliable and unreliable information. That's the reason why most people in the world don't do it. So this idea that you have to torture people in order to protect national security is a false argument, and I reject it.'
Right, Fern. I know about the unreliability of info from the tortured. But in trump's case, it's such a comforting thought that we might even learn some truth from him. If trump were strapped down, and a CIA functionary approached him with a wet towel and a bottle of water, Donald might quickly say, "Okay! Anything you want to know. Hook me up to a lie detector as I tell you everything I remember." The agents could tease him a little at first and put him in a cooperative frame of mind. Oh well, it's a thought. There has to be a way to get some truth from him and Jarvanka as well. Every decision he made while representing the U.S. should be studied to the final detail. Otherwise, we're in for a case of "Those who forget the lessons of the past are bound to relive them."
I'm going to venture a wild, wild guess and say "none."
If Trump were an ideologue who had it in for the US, then yes, of course: he'd not only have copies, they'd be on the Internet by now.
But he isn't. He's a magpie, a thief, and a narcissist. He wants (and has) a gold toilet. These are trophies, souvenirs, "originals." Anyone can get a plastic copy of a Fabergé Egg, but to have a REAL one? Now THAT is a mark of distinction. So having a copy of a classified document is nothing like having the Real Thing. If he actually wanted to sell them, I don't think he really understands WHY those things have value. Any foreign government would be happy with black-and-white grainy FAX images. I'm sure Trump would see the real documents as far more valuable; HE would pay more for them, so surely anyone else would, too.
After all, if all he wanted was the information to sell, he could have had one of his secretaries spend those months making copies, and then he could have just given them back, with no one the wiser. He kept the originals.
Trump defines his life by money. Bragging rights for who has the most is all he thinks about. Those classified secrets were his ticket to becoming the richest man in the world. He's insane and believes he's untouchable as long as he owns those documents.
That's my take, though I don't disagree that possessions are important to him, but only as a measure of his wealth.
I've wondered the same thing myself. I'm also wondering how many of those classified National Security documents he has sold to other countries--those hostile as well as those supposed allies of the U.S. I have no doubt he has been sitting on a King's ransom in classified documents and will sell to the highest bidder. Donald has absolutely zero scruples.
Thanks for the notes tonight, HCR — ‘shocking’ inadequately registers my actual sustained disbelief re: extent of transgressions at MAL (and resistance to ameliorating Any of it). He truly is a most noxious weed.
Deeper and deeper the evidence of Trump's abuse of office comes forward. Will the remaining Republicans who say that the democracy is in trouble start convincing their friends and kin to listen to the truth? Despite his grif to raise money everything keeps coming out that he is so guilty and merely playing the aggrieved law avoiding person they all knew him to be when they cast a vote to stick it to the so-called establishment in 2016 and elect a Donald Duck. When will their cognitive dissonance finally start to crumble? In not now, I fear, never.
“These reviews will be conducted by current government personnel who…are sensitive to executive concerns.”
In other words, TFG ain’t the president anymore, thus has neither privilege nor power over documents generated by the executive branch at any time.
Possession of government property is direct evidence of theft. Possession of classified government documents is direct evidence of espionage. Period. If they found those documents in my house, I would be in jail.
Trump should have been arrested the day the search was conducted.
I guess I've become so guarded against hope over these last 5 or 6 years… How do we know he (TFG) hasn't already done all the damage and already reaped the 'rewards' he was seeking; via selling info. or somesuch? And won't 'escape', perhaps literally, yet again?
I am calmed by Heather's statement today during the live chat, that TFG was behaving as if truly cornered.
Evil rules TFG and his cult. They want to destroy us, and everything we value and hold dear, like equal rights, inclusion, diversity, sharing, democracy. Fox tittilates a deep-seated hatred. I don't think it is ignorance or propaganda or stupidity. Those words are too kind. People CHOOSE to watch Fox cause it strokes their hatred, racism, misogyny, it feels good, its their team, their community. I think, observing my own family, that there are many reasons for it, nature AND nurture, starting from birth which is why it is so virulent and seemingly unchangeable. We can only counter this with greater numbers, greater love, community, understanding of ourselves and active involvement in the democratic process. Peace, love. Wendyl
All that, Wendy, but the tactic to activate that hatred, racism and misogyny, is brainwashing or mind control tactics of the masses which most cult figures use. I saw trump deviousness during his campaign in 2016. He used the same tactics of repetition combined with inciting the mob mentality. After several months, he tested it with his infamous line about if he killed someone on 5th Ave. and they would still vote for him. They cheered. THAT was the moment he knew they would do anything for him and our country did nothing to put him down. The media went crazy as well. He was solidified in massive free marketing that would be the downfall of sanity.
The W Bush people did this same tactic all the time. It’s interesting to see how the cauldron begins to really bubble and steam when you add a Grifter at the top. Poppa Cheney and Rumsfeld were this for W, but they did not have the P.T. Barnum appeal of The Grift-father.
It took a non-republican monkey to see the writing on the wall and join them. This was finally, his moment to be the most powerful ringleader of our times, with his cult of apprentice dullards because he saw how people love his macho, hateful, brainwashing alternative reality show. They became his circus of stranger-than-life characters and comrades backed by data mining and very dark money of what appears to be a global cabal of plutocrats and corporatocracy.
Makes sense Pensa Vt, but then why are most of us not falling into the cult? Fox does it to. My point is there has to be some deep commonality, in this case bitterness, hatred, racism etc that resonates deeply between the cult leader and the followers otherwise his tactics would affect all of us. And it is this psychological/emotional.depth that makes it almost impossible to change. Someone said earlier.in the thread that it is not about waking up. They are awake.This is frightening.
All you said is true. And they are petrified of not being the promises of top dogs in the patriarchy so they do not feel left behind.
And those of us who do not succumb to cults is because we are critical thinkers, we do not immerse ourselves in the brainwashing propaganda machines, and we are not drooling about having mansions and golden thrones and towers with our name on them. Education may be some of it, but I know educated people who fell for it hook line and sinker. They are retired and watch tv too much, some are very wealthy, but also racist, powerless and spout the words of the last propaganda machine who sat upon them. Usually fox and trump.
The members of my family who are Trumpers are highly intelligent, critical thinkers who are well-off financially and don't care about mansions, thrones etc. They don't watch a lot of tv. They do choose to watch Fox because it supports their racist world view. They hate everything "liberals" stand for. Critical thinkers succumb to cult leaders who hold their views. Trump satisfies a deep psychological negative need in them.
“She doesn't like it when people assume it could never happen to them. To that, she responds with a twinge of sarcasm: "Maybe you just haven't met the right cult yet."
"We all want to believe that we're in control of our minds all the time," Hassan said. "Cults love people who say 'it could never happen to me,' because it because it makes them that much easier to recruit."
I am watching, in real time, the fall of so many of my more "conservative" "friends" fall into this pit. The racism, sexism, and hatred that they have been given the green light to express just floors me. They still talk as if they are still the rational people I knew once, but the garbage they post (memes, links to their biased news stories leads me to believe that they are nothing but MAGAts.
Sandy, if that’s true, it doesn’t hold US in very good light since we have not been able to hold his grifting to account. You cannot claim “And Justice For All” unless you actually do it. And NOW! Not after waiting decades.
I just finished reading Debra Steidel Wall’s letter. She sets out the complete history of the attempts to regain the documents stolen by Donald Trump. What nefarious plans he had in mind will, with time, come to light. He’s a traitor. As Heather said in her talk today, if any of us had even one page, we would be in prison. The wait will be long, but I try to have confidence that the rule of law will take the day.
I think it impossible Trump has not sold some of this information.
Trump is a didactic, diffident, dishonest whore.
You are too kind! Dishonest is too mild. He is a liar and a thief. He is brazen not diffident, and he is hardly didactic. His lessons are to be criminal. Is he Fagin or Monks or Bill Sykes from Oliver Twist? He is teaching his followers to lie, cheat, threaten and steal. In fact he commands it. If they do not follow these commands they are punished. He is extremely dangerous. He is evil. I would say Trump is a combination of the three of them.
Linda Weide, I heartily agree with your assessment of Trump. This "man-baby" is extremely dangerous and evil. He literally told us ALL about himself before he was elected. But TOO LARGE a chunk of our population didn't believe him when he did and showed his true self. He HAS to be locked up - for OUR safety.
Many MAGA voters were backing the man they watched on TV for 12 years, the man who was always the smartest guy in the room. The rest of them voted with an extended middle finger to the people who never helped them. And most importantly this candidate made bigotry and intolerance acceptable.
“The people who never helped them”…. No, just the libtards that Rush spent decades reviling, and Rupert spent decades slandering at 90 decibels. As for trash TV, it’s still out there making heroes of the less than mediocre. And dumbing down the masses of asses. Your last sentence is totally on target for many MAGAts, but power and greed explain why those with two brain cells hopped on board. Then there are the Pharisees…
As far as being the smartest in the room is concerned, they were watching Reality TV, and failed to notice that it was NOT reality. Anyone over 25 with a grain of sense knew exactly what this charlatan was. He never hid his base character. I agree that he opened Pandora's Box and gave everyone permission to act out their real or imagined grievances. All of this was made possible by our resident oligarchs, who are the sole beneficiaries of our country's decimation.
Oh they believed him alright. He's exactly who they wanted.
He has made it a badge of honor to be openly cruel to cheat to lie.
He has made it a badge of honor to be uneducated and violent. He is an ignorant coward.
"How does Satan manipulate us? He lures. He lies. He disguises evil for good. He promotes death. He separates. He divides. He steals. He works in darkness. He destroys. He shames. He hates. He decieves. He wiles. And, he persists." Ron "Wille" Williams from Lost and Found along The Way.
I suggest you read yesterday’s Thom Hartmann.
Preaching to the choir, great minds think alike comes to mind. Thank you. I had never heard of thom hartman, nor willie williams but am glad to now have found them both. Thanks.
Oh my, this sounds so much like the evangelicals in the book I am reading, "Jesus and John Wayne". They gets crazier in each chapter.
Oh come on, he is Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini rolled into an ugly, evil visage of the vilest human.
the antichrist
Amen and my so called Christians friends said Obama was the antichrist and some of them unfriended me. I will never forget when they did that! Up until that time I respected them!
You know what I'm beginning to think, Jeri. The really bad news is that he's Donald Trump. He is certainly not worse than your list and probably not even as bad. He is, however, more dangerous because he is different. Sui generis. He is Donald Trump, a particularly American model of evil for which we have no outline for comparison. We have to start from scratch in trying to stay ahead of this poison, and there is so little time. If Biden maintains speed in his current push in the spirit of full speed ahead and damn the torpedos, we might have a chance.
Yes or worse!
Linda, yes, Dangerous. The best description, especially for those who think he can be ignored.
Yes I mean DANGEROUS! Like if he take over this country again through his proxies and they bring the USA down, as they most certainly will, unless everyone who has a grain of sense is brave enough to collectively rise up against them and as they bring the USA down the planet is likely to be brought down with them. Let us face it. The USA with the second most Nuclear weapons run by people who would be in cahoots with Putin who has the rest of the NUKES holding the rest of the planet for ransom. There will be no climate agenda except to accelerate the destruction of the ozone layers and to heat us up in even more extreme temperatures at an even faster rate, leading to more floods, drought, famine, food insecurity, disease, fighting over resources, illness, and despair. THAT IS WHAT TRUMPS FOLLOWERS EMBRACE AND WANT TO SHOWER ON THE REST OF US.
The plans are known, but so far, still in place. Making evil legal is what Hitler did. And no, I don’t apologize for making that comparison. They say it out loud now.
Many of us many be gone but I have a 9 year old granddaughter that I worry about! What kind of life will she have.
American Citizens have DIED because of his actions!!! So I would add KILL to lie, cheat, threaten and steal!
YES! AND CONTINUE TO DIE! All of those who witlessly followed his Covid proscriptions of not getting a vaccine, although he did, and using non drugs, although he got the best treatment with real evidence based medications that money could buy.
Yup, over one million of us.
He is a traitor. Period.
And Voldemort.
Love the Oliver reference! Thank you for the smile.
❤️👍🏼👌🏼
That's really not fair to prostitutes.
True. They can generally be counted on to do at least a few hours of honest work a day.
Maybe two minutes if Trump was their client.
True
I can hear Lin Manuel Miranda writing a new song!
And Randy Rainbow?
Yes-he's good @ that; Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT5kafhG3Qw
Oh, yes, Barbara! If I had to pick a RR favorite, this one would be way, way up there. hakarat ha’tov - giving thanks!
Poor prostitutes, Penfist, they don’t deserve being dragged into tfg’s maleficent characteristics nor his swamp of abominations and iniquities!
Didactic??
You had a good thing going with the "d's" end with dick and keep the full alliteration.
Well said Penfist!
I’m not sure “didactic” is what you meant autotype to leave in the wake of your fingertips :)
I suspect some of it was for money from MBS (Jared's $2B payment) and some of it was to buy asylum in Moscow.
Why would Putin even want Drumpf in his country let alone offer asylum? Drumpf is no longer in power--thus of no use to Putin--and everybody knows what a rotten, treacherous buffoon he is--including a large percentage of his congressional supporters (opportunists, every one of them) except his brainwashed MAGA base. Drumpf's assets will be forfeit and his cash flow depends on his rallies and begging letters proclaiming his victimhood.
T L , my take is he has already sold the documents to Putin or what other dictator who wanted them. Least we forget, he had 4 years of unfettered access to documents.
I agree...but if that is so, then why did he risk taking those classified documents with him to Mar-A -Largo?
I think he probably--long since--sold some secrets to both Putin (remember Helsinki!) and the Saudi's; I also think he took more classified information with him to use as a possible get-out-of -jail card to play when all his legal issues came knocking--or to pay off Deutsche Bank. It's hard to tell what--if any--pseudo-thoughts squirm around in what passes for his mind.
Anyone besides me think there are more purloined documents still tucked away down there?
But the documents.
Russia already has the bomb and Saudi Arabia doesn't but sure would like to have it because of Iran. My guess is trump needs the money and a place for his family so when he runs it will be to Saudi Arabia. Besides the Russians all drink to much and he really worries about poisoning more than a bone saw.
Moscow won't want him - he'd be of no further use to them, but I was thinking just this morning that "Jared's" $2B was never intended for Jared.
I think Jarred may have sold some secrets to the Saudis for the $2b "investment" with his new fund (these dots were connected by another LFA member last week, I don't have that kind of acumen - yet :)
Yes, I think Jared and Ivanka are the ruthless and calculating ones to watch. Their faces, in common with another real monster, Mr. Facebook, have absolutely no affect. It would seriously not surprise me to find out that they are all experiments in Artificial Intelligence.
This makes enormous sense!
And yet Republicans continue to loudly and proudly defend him. There is nothing that he has done that they won't defend.
Who the hell has he sold it to, is the question. And the really big question is who told him WHAT to sell, since we know he is illiterate, ignorant and and a complete asshole. There, I feel better. Who is that real traitor?
Thats the real point here. One reporter said tRUMP was reading all the documents. BULLSHIT!! We know his reading level and what woyld be the point as a lot of the nuclear stuff is scientific that he wouldn't have a chance to understand. I am sure he had Jared ans a bunch of experts check ecery page in the year and a half he's had them, filter out what could be sold, shipped them right ti the Saudis, Iran, and Russia ans collected enough money so Little Donnie can pay his huge debt to the Russian mafia and still have some leverage to affect American elections for quite awhile.
That possibility really concerns me...as that is consistent with his previous behavior...
Ummm… not sure why any logical person would question your statement:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-revealed-highly-classified-information-to-russian-foreign-minister-and-ambassador/2017/05/15/530c172a-3960-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html
More evidence to put him in prison where he and his ilk belong!
May the librarians and archivists take the tRump down❣️🌈😉
The wait cannot continue to be dragged out. The crimes committed by trump and many of his minions are blatant and a continuous and deliberate attempt to take over the government. When he occupied the WH, the visual that kept me going was he eventually would be dragged out in a strait jacket. Missed that timing but let's get moving ASAP to get him dressed in prison orange! It is astounding that the corruption remains deeply embedded throughout the so-called republican party (IMO it is a terrorist cult) and those evil congressional dwellers do and say absolutely nothing. I won't dwell on what I think of people who are so devoid of any ethical and moral character that they continue to "rally around their leader". Evil and sick.
On Tuesday, I listened to an hour long interview of retiring Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) on NPR. His book "The Road Taken" has just been released. "In his landmark memoir The Road Taken, Patrick Leahy looks back on a life lived on the front lines of American politics. As the senior-most member and de facto dean of the chamber, Senator Leahy has been a key author of the American story. Leahy established himself as a moral leader and liberal pioneer over four decades spanning nine presidential administrations."
Obviously, the collegial atmosphere in Congress has gone down the poop chute (my words - he is much more articulate!) and while he noted he is generally an optimistic individual, he is more pessimistic about today's governmental situation. He doesn't hold back on what he thinks of trump.
Yes, politicians like Leahy, and there are many, prove that honorable politicians do exist. It is worth reminding ourselves that Trump inherited a corrupted party that began with Nixon’s Watergate, Reagan’s Irangate Conspiracy , Buchanan’s Pitchfork revolution followed by Gingrich’s disruption of Congress and his bogus Contract With America. Before Trump came the Tea Party. Trump’s attempt to overthrow the “peaceful transfer of Executive Power” was just the nuclear options no Republican before him had the courage to try. Now the young radical like Cruz, Hawley, Rubio and more than a few governors like DeSantis wait silently to show that a man with a brain and Trump’s obsession to be Emperor can succeed. Unless the corrupted Republican party dies and is resurrected this country will soon see another autocrat make his, or her, move.
Trump’s Stop the Steal was a much expanded and less effective version of Roger Stone’s original Stop the Steal that interrupted Florida’s vote count and led to the Supreme Court appointing George W Bush as president in 2000. It worked the first time...
I imagine this was a plan suggested and furthered by Roger Stone
Definitely.
Joan, Though I understand the precedent, in my view, we can’t escape the fact, regardless of how corrupt, that the legitimately aggrieved party in 2000 put country, the rule of law, and the orderly transfer of power above all else. And that made all the difference.
I suppose my point is that never before did it seem conceivable that by 24 a party plausibly could attain control of Congress, win the White House, and conceivably launch both the fatal weakening of American civic institutions and also a Presidency eager and able to consolidate power, wherein the rule of law could be subjugated to an individual.
You know the path to chump well. He was drawn to the republicans like a moth to a flame, and he, in turn, attracts the evil that oozes from his every orifice. I would throw W in between Newt and his contract on America, and the tea party crazies.
Nine administrations...wow! When I worked up on the Hill back in the seventies, Senator Leahy was one of my favorites; not speaking politically, just as a human being.
My wife and I have always loved Leahy. Sterling individual.
And Sherrod Brown!
It’s actually “chute,” not shoot. But I have to say the visual of a “poop shoot” made me laugh.
LOL!! It was "late" or "early" when I wrote that although Heather never makes those mistakes!!! But, I also like the visual of a poop shoot :)
Let's make those words interchangeable for your purposes, Janet!
Works for me! When I did meeting minutes for various town boards, sometimes I would slip in some nonsense to see if anyone was reading! 😎
We had a short-lived experiment to see if a deputy could insert a "meow" into a report and get the report approved. I was very successful at that (I generally wrote pretty good reports) and quit when another deputy (thankfully) was testifying in a trial and the defense attorney asked him just what a "tow truck called for meow a disabled vehicle" actually meant. That particular case was a simple impound that ended up being related to a pretty serious assault. Sigh.
LOL! Brave scribe, you were!
Janet, I shared your Straight Jacket _prayer_ for years! (Even posted a photo of one on Facebook.) Still do! It's never too late, because he is still clearly crazy and more and more dangerous by the day/hour/second.
(Sigh mixed with frustration). Another day talking talking talking about trump. About who he is and who he is not. And what to do about him.
I prefer any discussion we can muster about Professor Richardson’s closer…. “The Biden administration is reasserting the rule of law in the United States.”
I’ll start. Regardless of how long we talk about “the documents” which can be years ahead before any indictments happen, I celebrate that President Biden and his administration, against heavy odds, are passing legislation, reasserting rule of law, and acting in the interests of the people…all of the people. I’m going forward looking at issues that I can influence. For example, public education and the attempt to “cancel” the institution. And talk to any voter that wants to engage.
My preference is to “catch the wind in the sails”, as another Substack author suggests, as we move towards November election. Why waste momentum on losers?
Let’s navigate. We’ve got the wind at our backs.
Unita! 🗽🏄🏽♀️⛵️
Thank you Christine. President Biden has done an amazing job despite terrible odds.
Thanks for the cudos for Biden - he is an amazing, wise, and still powerful force for good in our country. The ridiculous low approval ratings trumpeted by the media in opinion polls are just that: ridiculous. We must help Americans appreciate President Biden for the job he's doing. But I think we must chew gum and walk at the same time: convince voters of the imperative of a Democratic (and democratic) administration at this time, while continuing to pursue all the avenues being tried to defeat the power-hungry, hypocritical, undemocratic forces the Republican party has spawned, both in the courts and at the ballot box.
I sail with one hand on the rudder and one on the jib line. It coordinates forward movement.
See. I love the expertise on this forum. Thanks for sailing tip. Wind at our backs!
Salud, Mary. 🥂🗽⛵️
Excellent points Christine. Love let's navigate.
We've got the wind, at our back!
Yes!
From your mouth (keyboard) to the goddess's ear, Linda. According to The Guardian this morning (Wednesday), TFG's lawyers are trying to talk him into conceding that he broke the law because they are getting very nervous indeed. This could be his Al Capone moment. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/23/trump-illegal-documents-fbi-mar-a-lago
Yes, it certainly could be
Gods, I hope so! I thought the DoJ was brilliant to go after charges that simply involved the physical acts of mishandling classified documents.
Author: The Guardian's Hugo Lowell at 2 am Eastern.
Given tfg’s history, I’m not holding my breath. Still… 🙏🏻
Idiot gods abound in human history.
Way too many humans have an odd and dangerous proclivity to follow aggressive sociopaths. It may prove the undoing of our species.
We Homo sapiens may share 99% of our DNA with chimpanzees, but at times, our social instincts seem to more closely model the social organization of baboons. I agree that it may, indeed, prove to be the undoing of our species.
Your comment made me think of Dana Milbank’s column this morning about the brilliance of Trump’s typical pick, Herschel Walker: He was able to disprove Darwin’s theory of evolution by observing that “there still [are] apes that have not turned into humans.”
Linda If John Grisham had sought to write a fiction book about Trump’s super-classified-documents caper, his publisheR would have rejected such clap trap. It defies any reasonable analysis. Even for this False Fact Phony, thE scenario is bizarre. Can it be explained by his ‘l’etat est moi’ mentality? He once said about the documents “They are not theirs. They are mine.”
For someone who didn’t even read books that he ghost wrote, the idea that he was retaining documents for his ‘autobiography’ is preposterous. That he actually perused these documents and decided to retain some is factually accurate, though I am gobsmacked thinking of what he might do with them.
When I am stymied as an historical analyst, I seek insight from movies. In this case, Jerry Lewis in THE JERK.
LOCK HIM UP.
Yes, and all his soldiers! We must strengthen our dedication to values upon which we hoped this country was founded. Some of these might be: truth...via commitment to high quality public education. We must endeavor to support only an incorruptible and "blind" judicial and legal system and, (oh my, I can't help myself. the American way through securing election integrity with a secure election process!
HCR mentioned Barry Seid's $1.6 BILLION "tax deductible" "donation" the other day. I found this a staggering piece of news. Going Leonard Leo's non profit, the Marble Freedom Trust, can this be anything but a blaring fire alarm for democracy? Can such a free "gift" of this magnitude be be anything but a corrupting form of influence peddling? How does "democracy" long stand up against such a force? Citizen's United was the death knell. Jailing tfg is just a bon bon, sweet tho is might be.
Although former Attorney General Barr succeeded in watering down the facts which the Muelller Report contained, lessening its impact, many observers concluded that the Russians, specifically Vladimir Putin, had something on the defeated former president, and that influenced his sometimes inexplicable behavior as president. I believe that the DOJ knows more about this than they are talking about and that such opportunities for exerting leverage on him continue even now. That might be the reason for their resorting to legal action to retreive the classified documents the defeated former president illegally had in his possession. If it can be determined that information from them has already been digitalized or communicated to those who should not have it, existing laws must be fully and immediately enforced. If not, what are laws for?
Like Heather, I’d really like to know “[j]ust why the Trump camp leaked the letter.” How are they planning to use such a damning document to their advantage -- unless, of course, they want to pretend how candid and honest they are being ...
“Just why the Trump camp leaked the letter is unclear because it is a damning revelation of the extent of the stolen documents and Trump’s refusal to return them.”
Why we continuer to let that recalcitrant child repeatedly escape justice is beyond me. HCR was right...if any one of us had even one page of any of those documents, we would be in prison. Why is this any different?
I have worked with archivists, in various circumstances over many years. I even have a cousin who was a state archivist. And I am confident that when Mr. Trump is finally in direct conflict with Ms. Wall, he will be begging to trade her for the entire legal and law enforcement force of the US.
Dean, I have spent the last 40+ years conducting research in archives and have worked in libraries and collaborated with librarians and archivists since I was 19 years old (including as a tech services assistant and as a preservation specialist). Many of my dearest friends are librarians and/or archivists and many of my students go on from working with me to becoming librarians and archivists. My recommendation is never to f**k with a librarian or an archivist. They will hurt you. 🤣
Why is the military industrial complex Eishenhower warned us about still in sway in this country? I love my country, but I do not love that we do not learn from history….we know how that ends.
Rest assured that he will be indicted. I wrote a letter to Merrick Garland reminding him that trump would stop at nothing illegal, even condoning murder, to prove that he's not a loser, as losing is an existential threat propagated by his father. Besides, my prayers are very powerful. The moment I found out that trump was going to be president, I prayed: Please, let the GOP self-implode. That's happening. During the first impeachment I prayed with all my heart: Please, let him go broke and go to prison. From what we've seen from Weisselberg the trump org is toast. And trump will find it difficult to raise money from his jail cell...mark my words!
Perhaps 45’s lawyers agreed to leak this letter because it demonstrates that he cannot distinguish right from wrong. In which case, they could make the cases that he never intended to break the law. If that is the case, why the leak? That argument just undermines the impression of his fitness for office. So maybe the calculation is that it’s better to risk a future run for office than life in prison. Or worse, if he has already delivered documents to a hostile foreign government. Just a thought.
Jim With Trump rational analysis serves no useful purpose. What about phrenology? As for where ‘his’ documents were sent—check with Putin, MBS, and Kim.
A narcissist doesn’t recognize right from wrong.
I hope we live long enough for it to all come out! I would think there is enough on him to send him away for life plus 100 years!
There is an annoying thought that keeps surfacing when I read the accounts of how many documents and the sensitivity of what 45 stole from us, The People. AND…..WHAT THE HELL he was doing for the 48 months or so, before leaving office??? Was he buying and selling sensitive intel as soon as he stepped into the Oval Office? I get sick to my stomach just trying to wrap my mind around the enormity of what this criminal has done to our country…..
those of us who knew Hillary was the better choice and those who knew DJT was a grifter before 2016 will always have that awful gnawing feeling of what could have been.
The images I had of TFG were
1) of a bull in a china shop (destroying all the beautiful, valuable things inside and leaving a lot of bull****
2) of a dumpster fire (stinky and polluting)
3) of a continuing train wreck (which also fits that all the damage he did to our national institutions continue to resonate - you cannot stop momentum. That's why President Joe Biden is STILL putting out fires from the last administration!
4) the absolute disaster of the Titanic's maiden voyage (let's talk about Climate Change while we are at it, and all the rats I am amazed are not more visibly jumping ship)
but the one that REALLY captures his entire existence is
5) chumming the waters. He spreads blood, destruction, violence and consumption.
He is beyond awful.
I do believe you’ve stated things perfectly. Trump was(and still is)the thing of night terrors.
Part of the disaster is that he’s modeled behavior now copied by the winner of the Florida primary. That man appears to be just as corrupt, but smarter.
and the malignant behavior trump modeled gave permission for the masses to be their worst selves.
malignant is a good word, infectious also comes to mind.
Does anybody REALIZE MORE THAN 1 in every 350 Americans have DIED of Covid?
It's because TFG dismantled the pandemic surveillance systems, then tried to downplay Covid even though at the same time he told Woodward he had been informed of the dire risks, then because Dr. Fauci was getting TV coverage he got jealous and took over the daily press briefings and started talking ..."crazy"
[I refer everyone back to Sarah Cooper's "how to medical" parody using TFG's OWN WORDS!!!]
https://youtu.be/RxDKW75ueIU
“You cannot stop momentum,”. Ike did but at what a cost. Are we prepared.
Excellent, Beverly. I would add:
(6) hazardous materials fire, like a military burn pit, or alternatively a chemical spill, and
(7) radioactive waste storage site, maybe Chernobyl
He was grifting the entire time he occupied the WH and one does wonder how much selling of intel he did in four years. He is the worst thing that has ever happened since the Civil War and certainly the worst to occupy the WH. And yes, a traitor. We were over to our neighbors for a drink and chat this evening and we were wondering why people, especially women, think he is great. And yes, we had some answers. In the best circumstances it will take years to cut out this festering cancer.
Usually cults are seen as crazy by the majority. Rupert made this one mainstream. And he is still blathering propaganda to the masses of asses. Clones are carrying it to the depths of hell. And Leo’s money is buying more adherents by the nanosecond. Germany acknowledged their evil, with a nudge from Ike. Who will excise our cancer???
we who vote blue will. And we who value the rule of law, common decency, and respect for each other, will. I hope.
It's all so disturbing. His utter disrespect for the office, never to blame, always victimized, always right, and always out for himself is a very scary combination in a president. What a nightmare we are going through.
Cults are built in. Why?
Good question! Take a look at Erich Fromm, who sought to understand how an advanced culturally sophisticated people like Germans 1920s could end up Nazis. Stephen West on his excellent podcast Philosophize This, does a good job of summarizing Fromm's thinking on this issue. Text below and link to transcript, go to middle of page. Sort of explains the right wing obsession of 'owning the Libs'.
"All of the people who support an authoritarian power structure are equally authoritarian as well. Someone who uses this strategy reconnects themselves to the world through what Fromm calls a type of sadomasochism. Two words there—sadism and masochism: sadism being the desire to control others, to dominate exploit or steal from others; masochism being the desire to submit to some power and be controlled or dominated. The authoritarian is sadistic in the sense that they want to support an authoritarian setup so that other people and groups will be controlled. But they are masochistic in the sense that they themselves want to submit to that authority as part of the process.
Both of these are a direct sacrifice of their freedom and individuality. See, as a sadist, you cannot exist unless if you have somebody else to control. You’re no longer capable of being an individual at that point. And as a masochist, same thing, you cannot exist unless if there’s somebody out there to control or dominate you. But consider this. Freud said and Fromm agreed that you never really see sadism in a person without some type of masochism attached to it, and vice versa. He says Hitler may have been an extreme example of somebody who was sadistic, but he was always masochistic towards his position within history and the ideas of fate and chance.
People with this authoritarian mindset will often escape from freedom by looking around them and finding out where the power structures lie. They’re very good at searching out and finding where there’s a concentration of power. Then masochistically they submit and insinuate themselves into that power structure. They become one small part of this power structure—something they see as bigger than themselves, something that’s compensating for their weaknesses as a scared individual—and then they’ll use their position as a foot soldier of that authoritarian to then take out their sadistic tendencies on other people in the name of this thing that they’ve submitted to." https://www.philosophizethis.org/transcript/episode-151-transcript?rq=sadomasochism
Terrific post, 100! Thank you! I am sure Ruth Ben-Ghiat would have a great deal to say about your text. We are in deep do-do….
Thank you for this post. This makes a lot of sense if you stop and observe human society and human history. It’s a pernicious mindset that knows no geographic boundaries. We are dealing with the amped up American version right now. They are always there waiting for a charismatic strongman to emerge. What’s the antidote? Actual Justice. Steadfast, boring Justice.
The last paragraph in this brought Lindsey Graham to mind. He first attached himself to John McCain, who unfortunately died. Then, after excoriating tRump during the 2016 election, immediately bowed, and kissed the ring.
Wow, exactly the point in “Adventures of A Bystander,” Peter Drucker account of pre-war Vienna as Nazis ensnared the “vulnerable,” who soon would become the feared.
Wow. This. Erich Fromm has always been one of my favorites. Thank you for (tragically) reminding me why.
Does this suggest that all Evangelicals are sadomasochists? If so, then this gives credence to why they are described as Christo-fascists.
Yes, I think so. It comes (IMHO) from poor self image and therefore a need to be controlled so as not to do BAD things. Projecting onto others that they too need to be controlled because they will do BAD things if left to their own devices.
Now, where does all this sexual dysfunction stuff come from?
I think you're onto something, and not just with Evangelicals. This Christian faith (to include Catholics and the various one true ways of Protestantism) is based upon the willing sacrifice of their figurehead, Jesus.
100Panthers, Your comment and LINK have provided us with an uncommon gift of thinking and analysis through Stephen West's 'This is Philosophize This!'. In the transcript, which you linked, West addressed Erich Fromm's landmark book 'Escape from Freedom'. I hope that you will not mind that I intend to pass your comment around (edited to reduce space) along with the link because Fromm and West call us to understand ourselves, the complexities of 'freedom' and why democracy is challenged. 'Escape from Freedom' is as a lens through which to see ourselves; other people; the challenges to freedom in USA and states around the world now and in the past. Thank you for this generous offering.
I was about 12 when I found out about the Holocaust and remember how horrified I was. I was staring at this black and white photo in disbelief at how and why hoards of normal-looking people could be adoring Hitler, who to me looked like the devil. Yours is an explanation but no less horrifying....
I lived it from the time I was born. Daughter of Holocaust victims here.
👍🏼
Thanks!
Whoa….
100Panthers, I edited my reply to you. It is now updated. Thank you.
Penfist, because people would rather die than think, and they do. Bertrand Russell said that, I think that....
'I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong.'
Bertrand Russell
Took me a while to appreciate him
You must live to fight again.
'He that fights and runs away, May turn and fight another day; But he that is in battle slain, Will never rise to fight again.'
Tacitus
Gaius Cornelius Tacitus • Publius Cornelius Tacitus
Born 56
Died c.120
Title / Office consul (97), Roman Empire • governor (112-113), Asia
Notable Works “Annals” • “De vita Julii Agricolae” • “Dialogus de oratoribus” • “Germania” • “Historiae”
For more information about Tacitus, see the link below.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tacitus-Roman-historian
You're right about people not thinking. That's the most frightening thing about Americans. It's why we frighten the rest of the civilized world.
Dana, I was 17 in 1966 and had spent the summer with a French family. The young (and not-so-young) people I met were appalled at how ignorant the American people seemed to the French. The Vietnam war was in full swing, the anti-war demonstrations were all over the news and yet, we allowed the war to go on and on and on. The French knew the folly of fighting a motivated “guerrilla” army. Things haven’t changed much in the US, or actually gotten worse. Even with the availability of incredible amounts of information and FACTS. Omg.
We Americans have an unfortunate habit of always learning our lessons the hard way. We can be the most pigheaded people. Apologies to actual pigs.
Hmm... Didn't the US essentially take the conflict over from the French when the Vietnamese beat them at Dien Bien Phu? The French learned their "lesson" by being beaten, not through some form of cultural enlightenment. The Vietnamese taught us the same "lesson" in the same way, almost exactly 20 years later.
And also mountains of propaganda since that time, which I remember well.
The Abrahamic religions very explicitly encourage people not to think, and far too much American policy is underpinned by these religions.
Sorry....your statement about Abrahamic religions is nonsense. For example, the Talmudic tradition involves logic (much of which is relevant to the scientific method), interrogation, argument, etc. I agree, however, that religion generally is too prevalent in American politics. It shouldn't be, but it is. Faith can be very centering and anchoring for communities and, in and of itself, is not objectionable. But one's individual faith should not form the basis of imposing views on others...it is an aspect of politics and policy in many countries other than America as well.
What Michele says
Here's something else to consider, Elisabeth. Just WHY was Kushner "gifted" $2 billion from MBS - I'm thinking nuclear secrets... Someone else on MSNBC has said this too.
I made that connection too after the search. The timing of the search was interesting, coming right after the Saudi sponsored golf tournament at Trump's Bedminster club. I am wondering if the money invested with Kushner, and that golf tournament was a "down payment" for the information that TFG was holding. I am hoping the Fed's were able to retrieve these documents before they went to the Saudis. TFG strikes me as the kind of guy who wouldn't cough up the goods until he got paid.
Whaddya mean by "retrieve these documents?" Anyone with a cellphone and a thumb can make as many copies of those documents as they like, and probably have.
Yes, the authorities have to assume that all of that material has been compromised, revealed, shared.
Dana, there is no question in my mind that was the result of that 2B.
AHA!
Yes, I totally agree with you. That he thinks these classified documents are “mine”( his) is chilling. This executive privilege that he claims to think he has is pure idiocy when he is no longer an executive. I am with several commentators here who say that he needs to be stopped and soon. I have no doubt that he has sold some of these sensitive documents to the highest bidder be they adversarial or not. When all of this is said and done( and it may never be completely done) this is going to turn out to be the biggest presidential crime in our history, bar none.
On the other hand, as a transactional creature, Trump may have been holding on to the documents for future use- selling them too early would have diminished their value. Or, given the very odd way he has of thinking about things ("mine") he may even have done the very child-like behavior of trying to hoard things that confirmed his sense of identity. I don't think we have a clue which of these might be his driving force. We do know that once he realized that he'd created a situation he couldn't get out of, he has been off the rails legally and increasingly psychologically. Nobody will every make a movie as interesting as watching this in real life (with a great sense of relief, I might add).
Frank Figluzzi(former fbi)couldn’t figure why fbi took so long after all the lying and bs that transpired between the first haul and this latest.
That is THE question. Don’t know about you but I’m almost afraid to find out the answer to it.
Yes, he was. I am sure. He is not really human. He is just an empty, transactional creature.
Here is some background about Debra Steidel Wall, the acting archivist of the US from her hometown newspaper.
‘Mattituck native named deputy archivist at National Archives’ (excerpts)
‘Debra Steidel Wall was just a young teenager when during an eighth grade trip with her class at Mattituck Junior High School she first set eyes on Washington, D.C.’
‘On June 3 she was named the deputy archivist of the National Archives, the No. 2 position in a federal department that has 3,500 employees, 44 locations throughout the United States and 10 billion paper documents.’
“On that eighth grade field trip, that’s when I said ‘I want to live here. I want to come back here and be part of this,’” said Ms. Wall.’
‘Wall last Thursday, at the end of her first week in her new position.’
‘Ms. Wall graduated from Mattituck High School in 1984. She was raised on Little Neck Road in Cutchogue by her parents, Fran and Steve Steidel. Her father was a Suffolk County Police Officer and her mother was a teacher at the Ecumenical Nursery School at the Advent Lutheran Church in Mattituck. Her parents now live in Punta Gorda, Florida.’
‘After leaving Mattituck, Ms. Wall studied history and government at Georgetown University, and then studied film in graduate school at American University, while working summers at the former Fishermen’s Rest restaurant in Cutchogue.’
“When I first got here, I had no idea what the archives were. I was thinking of doing journalism or politics or something like that,” she said. “I thought I was interested in politics, but what I was really interested in was public service. I did my senior thesis on film history, and the archives has many films. Silent films were my specialty.”
‘Ms. Wall began her career at the National Archives in 1991 as an archivist in the motion picture, sound and video unit of the archives, and over the past 20 years has worked in nearly every aspect of the organization.’
“I always managed to have opportunities. In almost any work you’re doing, you can find the part of it that makes change,” she said. “I went from trainee work into policy, information technology and data standards, then into more policy in the chief of staff role for the past four years. I’m 45. I’ve been here 20 years, but around here that’s kind of a newbie. We have a lot of people who are very dedicated to the mission and stay here for their entire career.”
‘But even in the relatively short time she’s been with the National Archives, the nature of access to information has changed dramatically.’
“A lot of the stuff we have is unique. In the past, if you wanted something you’d have to send us a letter and ask what we have.
‘Now we have all of our descriptions on the internet, 72 million records have been archived and we’re open 24 hours a day,” she said. “We really need to change our culture. We’ve been a fairly traditional place. Up until a year and a half ago, we had policies that wouldn’t let us go to Facebook or Flickr on our work computers. Now we have a group of people who work for us who are using Flickr and Twitter as a way to engage people and get feedback from our users. We’re trying to stay at the forefront. In a very short time, we’ve become the leader in government.”
‘Ms. Wall said that most of the department’s new hires have an innate understanding about the way information has changed and, along with it, the methods that the National Archives’ customers use to access information.’
“The agency’s biggest challenge is electronic records. We have material that’s on floppy disks or Betamax video,” she said. “Our requirement is to keep electronic records for the life of the republic, so we have to upgrade that.”
“We run the presidential library system throughout the country. We run the federal register, which publishes government documents. We run the government’s security classification program, which is a pretty big deal. We also make grants to state and local archives,” she said.
‘Ms. Wall serves directly under David S. Ferriero, the 10th archivist of the United States.’
“Debra is passionate about the Archives’ mission and history,” he said in a press release announcing Ms. Wall’s appointment.’
‘And she’s also a kid from Cutchogue who, once upon a time, took a long class bus trip to Washington that changed her whole life.’
***
https://suffolktimes.timesreview.com/2011/07/mattituck-native-named-deputy-archivist-at-national-archives/
What was it Heather said in an earlier post? Anyone with a grain of common sense would know to avoid messing with an archivist!
Thank you Fern, for putting a human face to this story.
Fern, you have done it again with an incredibly helpful post. Putting a "face" on the government is a righteous slap in the face to Ronnie Reagan who said that "government is the problem". Thank you.
Thank you, Fern, for giving us this background on Debra Wall.
Thank you, Mary. Reading about Debra Steidel Wall reminded me of our fine public servants and to keep them in mind as we advocate on behalf of democratic principles.
Yes. Thank You Fern.
Thank you for posting this wonderful description of a true public servant. There are so many of them who do their jobs well, trying not to be affected by whatever administration occupies the White House. Unsung heroes all, they will be our salvation.
Thank you FERN for collecting & posting this valuable "hometown" Press.
That is fabulous! Thank you!
Wow, passing this on to my granddaughter, who has public service interest.
Thank you Fern
Sadly, I fear this poor woman and her family now have targets on their backs thanks to the MAGAts.
Just to say, a sincere and heartfelt ThankYou to All.
GoodCop BadCop on MDI. The Bar Harbor Police Chief and Captain who authorized my painting chalk graffiti in front of Leonard Leo's estate, asserted rank over the Mount Desert Sergeant who threatened me with charges of Criminal Mischief. I have heard this indirectly from a reporter. As well as that there may have been improprieties in the Hancock County DA's office signing off on charging me.
Activists on MDI rallied around me, as did so very many of you all here. I am grateful and touched by your kindness, good will, and good humor. And just so you know, while the world was focussing on the gift of 1.6 billion more tax free dollars to Leonard Leo, the man himself was pissed over a political cartoon and corrupting the local law enforcement to suppress my civil rights. it was bullying and you all had my back. ThankYou! The reporter asked whether I intend to continue? Ha.
The Gospels ask: What profits a man to gain the world and lose his soul? Leonard Leo answers, over 1.6 BILLION more tax free dollars.
Spread the word!
You had good wits to get the Bar Harbor police authorization in the first place. Then it's good that they were not cowed by Leonard Leo or their brethren Mount Desert police. Good for you and thank you for your update! More power to you!
Just a good precaution.
The two forces involved recently united under command of Bar Harbor, whose Chief Willis and Capt. Kerns personify good community policing. While obviously at least two officers in Mount Desert are not yet in gear and have more allegiance to Leo than respect for their own chain of command. As shown by the damage they've done to my 21 year old neighbor and his family. Which was a big impetus to my effort. Which now will expand to learning more about Republican DA Matt Foster's part in charging and prosecuting on Leo's initiative.
What happened to your young neighbor?
The family is keeping a low profile. Understandably. Having a child caught up by a local police and DA compromised by a power player like Leo is frightening. Almost an act of Leo terrorism on a local community to squelch activism..
The family is very well regarded and many in the community have rallied to them.
Terrible terrible TERRIBLE!
I love your spirit, lin, as you well know. You are Goliath in this episode!
Thx for this. Was waiting all day for the follow up. Classic. Bully’s wilt at bloody noses - and chalked sidewalks. Cheers!!
ThankYou!
Excellent news, lin. Thanks for the update and additional details.
Lin, you are steadfast, an excellent fact witness & reporter & humble. These are not common qualities. I used to seek jurors like you. Think about Substack; please practice at LFAA. :)
More gadfly than steadfast. But ThankYou.
I had good teachers - NYC and NYS public education.
Jury duty is very interesting. I've not been called here, yet.
You might enjoy reading Maine Federal Judge Lance Walker's tart and thorough dismissals of Bruce Poliquin and the GOP's attempts to stop our 2018 RCV vote and then throw out the results. ( Poliquin was Trump before Trump in trying to overturn an election.) It was so inspiring that I went to Bangor to read through the entire trial transcript. (The GOP star witness perjured himself, the case was dismissed as conclusory, new word to me.) Walker was fast tracked by Le Page and Trump but seems to be a Souter like GOP pick.
I hope this is the correct link to Walker's decision upholding RCV
https://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/mpbn/files/201812/poliquin_order.pdf
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2020/08/20/politics/trumps-sole-maine-judicial-appointee-has-ruled-against-gop-more-often-than-not/
I did enjoy reading that! Thank you, lin.
Great Link lin, thank you. i have read many, many Trial Trancripts which are pure gold. when the witness is not physically abailable. I am going with "steadfast'.
It is apparent that many of us are enjoying your storytelling. It's easy to get started on Substack. In addition to the pertinent details of the instant case, your story evoked fond memories of fighting the good fight over the past half century. And with wit and good humor! Keep on!
ThankYou.
Ahh Racine! Bentsen's Kringle! The lake during Super Storm Sandy! Some amazing activists. In the tradition of the Underground Railroad (great historical society in Racine!)
I was sent there for GOTV on Obama's second campaign. And kept going back for GOTV week for each election - until the pandemic.
Tony Evers. Tammy Baldwin. Wisconsin is not just Ron Johnson. (Who hopefully will go the way of Walker and Ryan, soon.)
Lin,
I'm happy to hear you know Racine!
I lived in Portland, Maine for a few years in the early '70s. Visited Acadia NP and Bar Harbor in 2013.
We are enthusiastic about our recently-decided Democratic candidate for the US Senate, in the person of our current Lt. Governor.
We hope that the Wisconsin political sensibilities of people such as Robert and Belle Case La Follette, and Gaylord Nelson, will return to Wisconsin soon.
We know of a small guest house here in Racine that would be suitable for a brief sojourn by a left-leaning political activist.
Nancy Proctor, who commented about O&H Kringle, made the point I would make. I have a friend who lived near Bendtson's Bakery, and worked there for a while. It's so good to have the dilemma of which Kringle to get this week! We are currently working on an O&H Kringle that has orange and cherry filling. Delicious. I always scrape off the frosting.
Keep on!
Re RoJo: we can only hope that voting against him yet again will bring sanity to partner with Tammy Baldwin. And the latest opponent to Tony Evers is another wow! His ads threaten to smash and demolish Madison. But O&H Kringle are the best, btw.
Why does the Ghost of Tom Joad keep appearing when I read your insights and activities?
Wonderful! Thanks for reporting and thanks for being at the right place at the right time.
You’re a rockstar! Score one for the masses!
👋 👋 👋 👋 👋 👋 👋
In addition to rank stupidity, think grifting and criminal behavior, raw bestiality and craven racism - and flagrant Germanic fascism: Austrian Adolf Hitler’s fascists and gestapo took charge of the text books and curriculum in Germany and elsewhere as the Third Reich rolled through Europe, installing hundreds of concentration camps, and several crematoriums, rounding up Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, and enemies of the state to kill them all, think Governor DeSantis and watch Florida’s wealthy and elite reelect this bastard as they distinguish themselves, rolling in their manifest ignorance and intolerance.
I remind you that many of the ideas that the Nazis in Germany got about people and racism came from right here in the United States. I believe the good old state of West Virginia is credited with exporting ideas that were taken up by the party. This comes up in discussion in the Race Trilogy (Race The Power of An Illusion: Episode 3) which you can access in Facing History Facing Ourselves.
Last night when we were having dinner with friends and talking about Texas a friend was telling me he grew up in Texas and said only about 4 percent of the people of Texas vote, so that is who determines what goes on in that state. In fact, in the recent primary it was 18 percent of registered voters. https://www.texastribune.org/2022/02/14/texas-primary-voting-turnout/ Texas has 30 million people and about 17 mil are registered in 2022 I have read.
I was saying how my daughter's friend had been embarrassed to tell me that she had one Southern state on her college list. I asked which state and she responded with "The Worst!" I was thinking she was going to say, "Florida." But when she said, "Texas," I could see how she could say that. I think it could be a toss up. I told her not to go under any circumstances, and gave her a lot of reasons why. Her parents are from China and even if she was born in Texas the gun culture there is scary to me and I would not feel that she would be safe there.
I am really anti Florida at this point. I begged my nephew not to do his PhD in sustainable aviation engineering in Florida. Fortunately the professor he wanted to work with became chair of the program in another state and invited him there. I really wish the ACLU success in taking DeSantis on with his illegal education agenda.
The first amendment is suffering all over this country, not just in Florida. In Texas if you can go to jail and be fined for telling someone about how to get an abortion, and in any state where teaching about racist history is a crime.
My neighbor state of Indiana is vying for most ignorant, backwards state as well. They voted on an extremely repressive anti-abortion bill and now they are debating whether to define conception as the point of life. Corporation Eli Lily is wanting to expand into another state since they know they cannot attract female and perhaps male scientists to their company now. No more good health care for women in that state. No more in vitro fertilization there either if they do decide conception begins at life. I also heard mention of making interracial marriage illegal again. Since race is a made up concept that too is going to be anther exercise in ignorance. Hey, humans marrying humans. Oh well, at least it isn't elephants marrying donkeys!
I also heard an interview on NPR with someone who believes in the death penalty for women who abort their babies because be considers himself a true Christian and claims the bible says that murders have to be punished by death. What a contradiction! I feel that people who are against abortion should be against the death penalty too. My husband, who speaks 7 languages and is pretty familiar with the bible at least in German, says the bible doesn't say anything about abortion. If he says this I believe him! So, where is this guy getting that women who have abortions should be punished with the death penalty? Clearly not from the bible. He has made this up! And let's face it, a lot of the people who are having abortions are not even adult women. It is girls! We are living in a country filled with female hating men and some self loathing women. These people need therapy not the form of Christianity that they are practicing.
Clarence Thomas is in an interracial marriage so that is safe. But so is Katanji Brown Jackson, the newest justice.
Clarence Thomas is toxic. His wife is toxic.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is tolerant and balanced and good. Sandy
Does Clarence Thomas recognize this? And, it is not really interracial just inter color, perhaps Interspecies. https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/historical-foundations-race
I hope when he looks at his wife he recognizes she’s white, lol.
No, because Ginni convinced him long ago that he’s white and right.
Fabulous comment. Sandy
In the mid 80s, I managed a series of group and individual homes for people with developmental disabilities. The program became some how world renowned, to the point where I was hosting tours for people from several countries (the folks from Japan were a LOT of fun!). Mostly it was great fun. I took a group from Germany to the home of a woman in her 70s. They were visibly aghast when they met her. When I asked why, they said "We don't have people her age in our system, they were all killed during the war." I respected their honesty, but still went home and wept.
We have seen how the Trumpists treat other marginalized "disposable" people. To my horror, I do not think we are too far off from a return to concentration camps (this is already happening on our boarders).
DeSantis's latest ad is a take-off on Top Gun--"Top Governor"! And ( my personal ongoing criticism) he continues to exploit his own small kids in his self -serving quest. My hope is that the more he " buys into" his own hype the more possibility he will come crashing.
Charlie Crist is a chameleon but the only lizard with the chance of giving Ron a run. He has to hammer home repeatedly that the "Top Gun" Gov is running for President all the time.. That is all he cares about. Not Florida. Florida is his petrie dish for growing virulent little fascist forays into unfreedom.
👍🏼
The right always ends up pushing me further left.
Just what will it take for people to wake up???? TFG is a criminal…plain and simple! I have been mortified and disgusted since the day he was elected .
don't think anyone hasn't woken up. some people actually want him as he is.
worse than if they were just 'asleep' and unaware.
And in that observation lies my greatest fears!
And it is we who have woken up to this eternal fact.
And on top of all this good news, the Democrat won the NY-19 CD special election to fill a vacancy 51.9-48.3 in a +4-R district that Biden won in 2020 by 50% - the Democrat outperformed Biden after Trump won by 51-44 in 2016. As Steve Kornacki said, if this was a Red Wave year, that would have been a snap win for the Republican in a district like that. Matthew Dowd said it shows there is no red wave, no blue wave, but a lot of "cross currents" which means IF WE GET OUT AND WORK that Democrats can hold the House. This election was a true bellweather in a bellweather district.
And the victory was due to DEMOCRATIC TURNOUT - which approached 2018 levels.
Take heart!
More fun news is that the first Gen Z person is headed to the House: 25 year old Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a Democratic gun control activist taking over Val Demings' seat. And he's much more than his demographics; he is refreshingly bright and articulate.
https://twitter.com/TheLastWord/status/1562322587652608000?s=20&t=UjmlbD04fZsQKrys6TKORw
Maxwell Alejando Frost, MAF, is a smart phoenix rising from 2018 Florida school shooting & has the articulate support of young David Hogg.
Thank You for this wonderful news at sunrise Ellie! Literally feels like the dawn of a new, good day!!
Makes me smile and warms my heart
YES!!! Excellent, but still much work to do.
It shows the puerile and narcissistic attitude of Trump that he would claim the documents as “mine”. As if that’s all he has to do to legitimately have possession, control and ownership over them. It’s just mind boggling that this man was ever the POTUS, and it’s extremely frightening to think he could be again.
Yes, terrifying.. absolutely God awful.
To me it shows his lack of intelligence and immaturity. Every time I read that the former guy said the boxes of documents were "mine" I think of a surly child resentfully saying "No! Mine!"
I think of Gollum and his ‘Precious’
Someone MUST have made a gif of that visual, because it’s too obvious to miss skewering. When I heard the former guy said “They’re Mine!” I thought of Golem immediately, also!
Ahem, Randy Rainbow, are you listening? I guess he requires an appropriate song... Perhaps the young woman who did the opposite of a voice over (spoken word lip-synch?) to actual recordings of the former guy. The time is ripe for her to get back in there and do this again!
Just rereading LOTR - you're so right!
Trumps lack of emotional maturity is just plain absurd. Normally he would just be shunned as an exceptional jerk. Add enough money and it's all OK.
America's fascination with "celebrity" on top of that espoused money.
Yes, celebrity is weird phenomenon, and I'm not immune to it. More so in my youth. But it gets weirder when people will read the opinions of celebrities that present no expertise whatsoever on the subject they are talking when they would not bother were it from somebody who credibly knows their stuff. And some influential people are famous only because they are rich. And even when that person is talented in one way or another, they could still be incompetent in others. Who isn't?
Worse is the degree to which celebrity weights our political choices. Support seems to gather around people "as seen on TV", or somehow connected to someone famous, like GWB. Even had Bush Sr. been brilliant, there is no guarantee whatsoever that a family member is.
It seems our way of doing business tends to be kind of oblivious to an expansive search of a vast nation that might bring expanded capabilities and wisdom to our quality of life and our chances of long term survival. We have that choice.
POTUS again? If he was P, it wouldn't be of the US.
"The New York Times reported last night that Trump resisted returning the documents, calling them 'mine'."
Oh, that's just perfect. Donald says the highly-classified U.S. government documents are simply his. To me, that indicates a desperate attempt to hold onto the documents. When you're down to the delusional justification of keeping the classified documents by saying they're "mine," then we know that trump has run out of legal ammo for this issue . Maybe he should be waterboarded to get the truth about all the laws he broke during his presidency.
The nub is that he believes himself to be a ¨king¨. To be above all laws. No concept of anything to do with democracy or how our government works. A grifter of the first degree. No moral conscious. A danger to not just the country but the world.
The whole Republican Party has been drifting off the rails for half a century, especially after Reagan was elected. The whole party tells itself they are superior to everyone. and answer to no one. They were born to make rules, not to follow them. Trump is that personified.
Yep. However, he has unleased their sense of ' no boundaries' inorder to openly explore thier darkest natures.
And exploit.
He needs to be sent to a reeducation center for pampered wealthy criminals where the educators take their work seriously. Living on rice and beans and making his bed/cot every morning until it passes inspection. If he whines about his treatment, he could be whipped with a bamboo rod until he learns the value of silence and humility. Well, at least we can hope.
He doesn't remember, Heydon.
'Torture gives you reliable and unreliable information. That's the reason why most people in the world don't do it. So this idea that you have to torture people in order to protect national security is a false argument, and I reject it.'
John McCain
Right, Fern. I know about the unreliability of info from the tortured. But in trump's case, it's such a comforting thought that we might even learn some truth from him. If trump were strapped down, and a CIA functionary approached him with a wet towel and a bottle of water, Donald might quickly say, "Okay! Anything you want to know. Hook me up to a lie detector as I tell you everything I remember." The agents could tease him a little at first and put him in a cooperative frame of mind. Oh well, it's a thought. There has to be a way to get some truth from him and Jarvanka as well. Every decision he made while representing the U.S. should be studied to the final detail. Otherwise, we're in for a case of "Those who forget the lessons of the past are bound to relive them."
Heydon, You've created a brilliantly drawn concept for our war to save democracy movie. MOVIE! Heydon, okay?
Absolutely. I like it, Fern! I could think of another dozen scenarios to get Donald into "right thinking."
(I tried to like your comment, but it's not registering for me now.)
I like yours, You are a writer Heydon, and your military experience sharpens the scenes and selection of 'tools'.
I wonder how many times the documents have been copied...
I'm going to venture a wild, wild guess and say "none."
If Trump were an ideologue who had it in for the US, then yes, of course: he'd not only have copies, they'd be on the Internet by now.
But he isn't. He's a magpie, a thief, and a narcissist. He wants (and has) a gold toilet. These are trophies, souvenirs, "originals." Anyone can get a plastic copy of a Fabergé Egg, but to have a REAL one? Now THAT is a mark of distinction. So having a copy of a classified document is nothing like having the Real Thing. If he actually wanted to sell them, I don't think he really understands WHY those things have value. Any foreign government would be happy with black-and-white grainy FAX images. I'm sure Trump would see the real documents as far more valuable; HE would pay more for them, so surely anyone else would, too.
After all, if all he wanted was the information to sell, he could have had one of his secretaries spend those months making copies, and then he could have just given them back, with no one the wiser. He kept the originals.
Trump defines his life by money. Bragging rights for who has the most is all he thinks about. Those classified secrets were his ticket to becoming the richest man in the world. He's insane and believes he's untouchable as long as he owns those documents.
That's my take, though I don't disagree that possessions are important to him, but only as a measure of his wealth.
Yes.
I think you have a point. But who else had access?
Yes, I bet you are right, Joseph. Creepy.
Yes! I believe they are going to fingerprint them.
I've wondered the same thing myself. I'm also wondering how many of those classified National Security documents he has sold to other countries--those hostile as well as those supposed allies of the U.S. I have no doubt he has been sitting on a King's ransom in classified documents and will sell to the highest bidder. Donald has absolutely zero scruples.
I prefer sodium pentothal to be injected into him. Just hire an unknown waiter or young staff member who can be persuaded to do the dastardly deed.
Thanks for the notes tonight, HCR — ‘shocking’ inadequately registers my actual sustained disbelief re: extent of transgressions at MAL (and resistance to ameliorating Any of it). He truly is a most noxious weed.
Deeper and deeper the evidence of Trump's abuse of office comes forward. Will the remaining Republicans who say that the democracy is in trouble start convincing their friends and kin to listen to the truth? Despite his grif to raise money everything keeps coming out that he is so guilty and merely playing the aggrieved law avoiding person they all knew him to be when they cast a vote to stick it to the so-called establishment in 2016 and elect a Donald Duck. When will their cognitive dissonance finally start to crumble? In not now, I fear, never.
😪
“These reviews will be conducted by current government personnel who…are sensitive to executive concerns.”
In other words, TFG ain’t the president anymore, thus has neither privilege nor power over documents generated by the executive branch at any time.
Possession of government property is direct evidence of theft. Possession of classified government documents is direct evidence of espionage. Period. If they found those documents in my house, I would be in jail.
Trump should have been arrested the day the search was conducted.
I guess I've become so guarded against hope over these last 5 or 6 years… How do we know he (TFG) hasn't already done all the damage and already reaped the 'rewards' he was seeking; via selling info. or somesuch? And won't 'escape', perhaps literally, yet again?
I am calmed by Heather's statement today during the live chat, that TFG was behaving as if truly cornered.
Oh these tidbits are so relieving to my recently distressed state of mind.
Stupidity rules Trump Inc.
Evil rules TFG and his cult. They want to destroy us, and everything we value and hold dear, like equal rights, inclusion, diversity, sharing, democracy. Fox tittilates a deep-seated hatred. I don't think it is ignorance or propaganda or stupidity. Those words are too kind. People CHOOSE to watch Fox cause it strokes their hatred, racism, misogyny, it feels good, its their team, their community. I think, observing my own family, that there are many reasons for it, nature AND nurture, starting from birth which is why it is so virulent and seemingly unchangeable. We can only counter this with greater numbers, greater love, community, understanding of ourselves and active involvement in the democratic process. Peace, love. Wendyl
All that, Wendy, but the tactic to activate that hatred, racism and misogyny, is brainwashing or mind control tactics of the masses which most cult figures use. I saw trump deviousness during his campaign in 2016. He used the same tactics of repetition combined with inciting the mob mentality. After several months, he tested it with his infamous line about if he killed someone on 5th Ave. and they would still vote for him. They cheered. THAT was the moment he knew they would do anything for him and our country did nothing to put him down. The media went crazy as well. He was solidified in massive free marketing that would be the downfall of sanity.
The W Bush people did this same tactic all the time. It’s interesting to see how the cauldron begins to really bubble and steam when you add a Grifter at the top. Poppa Cheney and Rumsfeld were this for W, but they did not have the P.T. Barnum appeal of The Grift-father.
It took a non-republican monkey to see the writing on the wall and join them. This was finally, his moment to be the most powerful ringleader of our times, with his cult of apprentice dullards because he saw how people love his macho, hateful, brainwashing alternative reality show. They became his circus of stranger-than-life characters and comrades backed by data mining and very dark money of what appears to be a global cabal of plutocrats and corporatocracy.
Makes sense Pensa Vt, but then why are most of us not falling into the cult? Fox does it to. My point is there has to be some deep commonality, in this case bitterness, hatred, racism etc that resonates deeply between the cult leader and the followers otherwise his tactics would affect all of us. And it is this psychological/emotional.depth that makes it almost impossible to change. Someone said earlier.in the thread that it is not about waking up. They are awake.This is frightening.
All you said is true. And they are petrified of not being the promises of top dogs in the patriarchy so they do not feel left behind.
And those of us who do not succumb to cults is because we are critical thinkers, we do not immerse ourselves in the brainwashing propaganda machines, and we are not drooling about having mansions and golden thrones and towers with our name on them. Education may be some of it, but I know educated people who fell for it hook line and sinker. They are retired and watch tv too much, some are very wealthy, but also racist, powerless and spout the words of the last propaganda machine who sat upon them. Usually fox and trump.
The members of my family who are Trumpers are highly intelligent, critical thinkers who are well-off financially and don't care about mansions, thrones etc. They don't watch a lot of tv. They do choose to watch Fox because it supports their racist world view. They hate everything "liberals" stand for. Critical thinkers succumb to cult leaders who hold their views. Trump satisfies a deep psychological negative need in them.
Yes!!
“She doesn't like it when people assume it could never happen to them. To that, she responds with a twinge of sarcasm: "Maybe you just haven't met the right cult yet."
"We all want to believe that we're in control of our minds all the time," Hassan said. "Cults love people who say 'it could never happen to me,' because it because it makes them that much easier to recruit."
"I would've said that if it hadn't happened to me."” https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/02/13/health/brainwashing-mind-control-patty-hearst/index.html
I am watching, in real time, the fall of so many of my more "conservative" "friends" fall into this pit. The racism, sexism, and hatred that they have been given the green light to express just floors me. They still talk as if they are still the rational people I knew once, but the garbage they post (memes, links to their biased news stories leads me to believe that they are nothing but MAGAts.
I did not want to heart this, Ally, but wanted to commiserate with you. This is so hard, and sad.
Sandy, if that’s true, it doesn’t hold US in very good light since we have not been able to hold his grifting to account. You cannot claim “And Justice For All” unless you actually do it. And NOW! Not after waiting decades.