In today's letter Professor finds two heros: Mr. Bloomberg and U.S. District Judge John Coughenour. I look forward to see more heros will rise against Trump and Republicans who are destroying their own country.
Unlike DJT, Mike Bloomberg is an actual Self-Made Billionaire that has Tangible Assets... Mike Bloomberg also ran New York City which is the largest, most Diverse City in the USA... He cleaned up the Mess that Rudi Giuliani left...
I read recently that people get a huge dopamine hit from doing selfless acts, otherwise known as "helpers high". Added to this must be the adulation from the communities who benefit. Bravo the Bloomsberg's of this world. Here's hoping that after enough naming and shaming, the fragile ego's of The Dirty Three (Musk, Zuckerberg and Bezos) will realise their drug of choice, aka megalomania, is no longer getting them high.
Hello Kazz.... I hope that You are Right... I don't hold hope for these three... Warren Buffet, and Bill Gates have Teamed Up to do some Good... Warren Buffet once compared DJT to a Street-Bum always Panhandling... Class Will Tell...
Yes - the stony look on Trump's face while the Bishop gently spoke truth against him - and he must know of the thousands writing on social media to thank her.
I donтАЩt go on FB often but the other day when I did there was a post from MZ with his wife all dressed up for inauguration gala and then 100s of comments telling him what a scumbag, sellout he is. ЁЯШД
He was the first wealthy person to publicly state that his administrative assistant paid more taxes than he did, and he thought that was shameful. Good man.
ItтАЩs cortisol, itтАЩs a stress response and we go into fight or flight. ItтАЩs the same response our ancestors would have had being chased by a sabre tooth tiger. Once the danger has passed we return to тАШhomeostasisтАЩ our normal, relaxed state. ItтАЩs vitally important therefore to disengage from the firehose of obscenity spewing from the Trump quarter and celebrate the small wins, do good deeds and enjoy life. The sense of тАШdangerтАЩ ainтАЩt gonna pass, at least not until the midterms.
While I did not always agree with Bloomberg when he was our Mayor - I respected him enormously - he said what he thought; he could not be bought and what he did for the waterfront parks in Brooklyn and other parts of the city was nothing short of transformational. I am so thankful he stepped up to cover our dues. That is indeed heroic.
Trump unleashed January 6th criminals who are unrepentant who are gathering again into paramilitary militias. How does that sit with his lies complaining that we are being flooded with criminals at the border invading???
What I can't believe is that trump is trying to get rid of an office in the Pentagon that works to help the military against unintended civilian deaths. It's getting worse by the hour....
Potter, this is blatant hypocrisy. You can be sure that if death star is complaining about something, he and his minions are doing it in spades. People who are undocumented and working here are not nearly as likely to commit crimes. They do not want to call attention to themselves. Now they are scared to go to work, to school, to church, leave the house. This is so disgusting. And you can be sure some of the brown shirts who work for ICE be delighted to beat people and drag them out of wherever.
Let's at least be honest here. Bloomberg also tried to overturn the "will of the people" when he attempted a third term after New Yorker's chose to impose term limits on city offices.
Any Republican that says the Republicans are the party of law and order are bald-faced liars. We need to call them out because the corporate media isn't going o.
Vigilante justice can and will go both ways. And it doesn't have to be violent. Just like with the sexual predator list, we need to all be aware of where the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are setting up their operations.
And we need to make them and their allies economically destitute. Since Trump has now made discrimination legal, don't hire or sell to these ingrates.
The problem is, there is Maga Party and they won the public's support. The Repblican Party is at best, in hibernation. The Democratic Party lost to Maga - it lost to extremist populism. They have two years to set a new course or be cast aside. Listen to Bernie.
Steve. The oligarchs bought the Presidency with their money and the MAGA lies. Trump is already firing women from the military and guys from Federal agencies according to Stephanie Miller at Progress Radio. They also bought several House seats and a few Senate seats like in Ohio and Montana.
Disagree, Steve. MAGAts are the rubes being manipulated and 'cultified' by the NAZIs. It's not a party, it's a cult. Look at the history of NAZIs from the '30s, and then look at the NAZIs of today. They are virtual mirror images, only today it's worse, due to technology. And I don't think they 'won' any support; rather, they won the apathy of over a third of the population. That third, it seems, is beginning to wake up!
They are a cult but they are the cult party in power. The Nazi's may have been a small cult but they turned into the winning political party. Whatever President Baal says, they do. But cult or not, it is the Maga party that is in power. They got rid of the establishment Republicans - Bush people for example, and Kinzinger and Cheney being the last who had voice, and they are now castrating the Dems. As to winning the vote, our historic direction is determined by those who vote - we have always had many who do not vote, they do not count in a democracy, or in the case of supporting popular extremists, their nonvote is a vote for evil. Those with the most votes and who control the archaic electoral college, wins. That is the reality. Maga will remain the party until they are crushed - and it will take a crushing, not just a few more Dems in two years. Popularism was crushed after decades of doing harm from Jackson until the early 20th century reformers, with notable breaks such as Lincoln. It will take firm vision, dedication to the cause (will), and time. It also won't happen until people on the street stop staying quiet, it has to go way beyond our beloved HCR's daily letters and our responses to each other - we are all ready allies of each other. Public silence supports tyranny.
As the original Nazis and Italian Fascists used to say: we are not a party, we are a movement. They didn't believe in political parties, in democratic representation in parliaments, and in plurality. Their aim was for their movements to take over the whole culture, politics, economics, and down to every thought of their countrymen. That's why we call them Totalitarian (it worked better in Germany than Italy, mainly because the Nazis learned from the mistakes of the Fascisti). The same happened in the Soviet Union under Stalin.
I am afraid that these pardoned insurrectionists will hunt down the Liz Cheneys and Rachel Maddows. They sure were willing to murder lawmakers on 1/6. Is unfathomably possible that they actually murder trump's perceived enemies and keep getting pardoned thereby creating an unmonitored, uncontrolled militia? Are there ANY guardrails to presidential pardon power??
The unfortunate expression of frustration resulting in the death of a prominent executive in the insurance industry, might just be the proverbial tip-of-the-iceberg, regarding people being sick and tired of a system which seems to have a double standard or to which they are held prisoner , by hook or by crook. Or..., by some prevailing religious dictate. That frustration is equally fueled by seeing persons guilty of crimes being allowed to walk free if they have enough clout($$$). So, what happens to the 'pardonees' is going to be anyones guess. Those pardonees might just better STFU and behave. Or, find themselves looking up. Citizens are not happy.
There is a problem with just watching those known members. Remember that a lot of law enforcement, especially sheriffsтАЩ personnel, who are tied in with those groups as well.
Yes, we have heroes this week. Judge Coughenour, Michael Bloomberg, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budd. It does my heart good to have these angels among us during this especially difficult week. I know more will be coming forward in the coming days and weeks.
Jessica Craven's Substack "Chop Wood, Carry Water" does something similar to that. I subscribed to it after seeing multiple recommendations from this community.
Add to it Judge Beryl Howell. And, even though they endorsed Trump, the Fraternal Order of Police stood against the pardon of the protesters. And Costco is still standing up for DEI.
Costco took a stand and I am happy shopping there. The police seem to be self-serving - the rank and file voted for Trump even as they knew what happened to their brothers and sisters in DC and even as they knew Trump said while campaigning he was going to release them - they sold their souls to Trump. Now with his new orders, Trump will make it almost impossible for accusing police for crossing the line - and some police will rejoice. They sold out the Capitol police and gained an ally against future charges of violating civil rights. No pass from me.
Unfortunately, not all but lots of Republicans. They donтАЩt know how to do anything but follow the leader. Fox News has been telling them for years. What a wonderful candidate Trump is. As a result, they have a hard time figuring out whatтАЩs true. I know I have a friend who doesnтАЩt really pay much attention, but she still thinks Trump is wonderful. I am hoping that some of these snoozing Republicans will wake up and realize that they have voted in a monster. And one who owes an enormous amount to both Putin and Saudi ArabiaтАЩs power behind the throne.
As Dillon said you don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows they all have alleged independent minds past time they started using them to think instead of as hat racks . As my father would of said orthopedic hats all around. There is no excuse for turning a blind eye on what the orange pendejo was doing, John McCain would not have.
I totally agree. MAGAts is what they are. (It reminds me of maggots, except they actually provide a necessary function, including being used to debride wounds.) But this crowd needs an agreed upon identifier so everyone is on the same page when referring to them.
What you have said is absolutely clear. These people are not Republicans. They are hijackers. They are not Conservatives, nor are they Christian. No one should be fooled by their double-speak, their тАЬalternative factsтАЭ, and outright subversion of everything this nation stands for.
There has always been some room, even common ground to be found for liberals and conservatives to have civil discourse. There has always been some a sense of shared humanity between people of various faiths and christians. And the political parties have generally striven to find common ground upon which to arrive at consensus in acknowledgment that when in office they must represent all of the people.
But this new group brings with it none of these hallmarks by which we recognize Democracy. It is very clear that this is a term thatтАЩs absolutely meaningless to them.
Once again, Trump lives in his FANTASY. The United States has a GIANT debt with huge interest rates we pay on to China and Japan. We are drowning in our interest owed to foreign allies. ThatтАЩs where AmericaтАЩs inflation is visible-our taxes are shrinking our paychecks.
I suppose that it is now time for another book, and instead of "Profiles in Courage" it needs to carry another title. Any thoughts? Profiles in what? I am thoroughly disgusted with the billionaires, but it was the clueless masses that made this possible. They've been suckered by the wealthy, and they don't know it . . . yet. How easy it as been for the wealthy to deceive and con the MAGA folks. Throw in some racism, xenophobia, homophobia, Christian nationalism and sexism and it's a piece of cake.
EverythingтАЩs going to come out in the wash. It will take a while. Biden is old and he stutters but he is smart (Donald really IS in early dementia). and he has not sold his soul to Putin, which Trump did many years ago.
His citations all come from the Trump propaganda machine. Honestly, theyтАЩre here to spread malicious lies to detract from the inhumanity of the orange clown they consider the leader of their cult.
Comparing Biden to Trump is akin to comparing a misdemeanor to a felony. One had the best interests of the nation at heart, the other focused principally on fattening his pocketbook.
"U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly summed up the judgesтАЩ outrage when she wrote: 'Dismissal of charges, pardons after convictions, and commutations of sentences will not change the truth of what happened on January 6, 2021. What occurred that day is preserved for the future through thousands of contemporaneous videos, transcripts of trials, jury verdicts, and judicial opinions analyzing and recounting the evidence through a neutral lens. Those records are immutable and represent the truth, no matter how the events of January 6 are described by those charged or their allies.'"
This encapsulates the enduring significance of January 6, highlighting the judgesтАЩ insistence that historical records, rather than political narratives, will define the truth.
By not holding #45 accountable soon enough, Merrick Garland permitted all the hard work the DOJ did do to bring Jan.6 rioters to justice to be undone by the stroke of a Sharpie. The release of these violent criminals has put peopleтАЩs lives in danger. These released felons were dangerously before they rioted at the Capitol. These pardons and the pardons issued in #45тАЩs first term make a mockery of the pardon power. Talk about weaponizing the government. We all saw the videos and photos of January 6. The rioters would certainly have hurt or killed any lawmakers or staff they could have gotten hold of. Can you not imagine Mike Pence struggling to keep his head out of that noose? Did people need to see dead politicians to know how deadly serious those violent people were on that day? The Capitol police officers are heroes because there were not more deaths. Would more dead bodies have shown January 6 to be the violent power grab attempt that it was?
Actually this disastrous monstrosity should lay at the feet of Mitch McConnell and the republicans that did not impeach trump for his attempt to overthrow our democracy and the peaceful transfer of power. McConnell is a traitor to this country, it begins with him.
My U.S. senator, Bill Hagerty, approves of what tfg did. His aide said during the conversation, тАЬthe senator cares DEEPLY what his constituents think.тАЭ I pointed out several J6 felons were from TN and Hagerty was willing to put us at risk from their retribution. I also went on to say Hagerty considers himself a тАЬChristianтАЭ but I never remember seeing in the Bible where Jesus said тАЬget even with your enemies.тАЭ She thanked me and hung up.
I am so sorry, MLMinET. I am stunned that people buy into that utter garbage, but I see it in my former work cohort. They are brainwashed by their sources of disinformation. I have had at least three of them tell me that the FBI photos of the bathroom at Merde a Lardo were of Biden's house. They are nucking futs.
Right, and all those Antifa and FBI agents that attacked our officers on 1/6 were pardoned by Trump because they were doing his bidding. They canтАЩt have it both ways.
This is a very hard week, but this is also the peak of TrumpтАЩs power. Blaming Garland is a rabbit hole that wonтАЩt lead us toward any action. Our focus needs to be on what actions we can take now. Refuse to back down from telling the truth. Resist all efforts to weaken our democracy. Ridicule the incompetence and overreach that will occur daily. ThatтАЩs how we stay strong and win.
Next up weтАЩll see abortion providers slaughtered and clinics destroyed because they see they will never be prosecuted. The pro-life contingent that murders people is quite the message.
тАШWe broke the lawтАЩ: A woman who pleaded guilty in the Jan. 6 attack rejects TrumpтАЩs pardon
'тАЬI donтАЩt want to be a part of their trying to rewrite what happened that day,тАЭ said Pamela Hemphill, a Jan. 6 defendant who was sentenced to two months in jail for her role in the Capitol riot.'
Does this herald the beginning succession of people leaving to Bloomberg, the first designated state of The New Democratic Union ? One can dream, huh? Let them eat the dust!
How can this possibly be legally allowed? It wonтАЩt . But given them time the rest will hang themselves on the gallow they constructed and choke on the cake they baked. As if that isnтАЩt obvious. What is the catastophy looming that will send us into the most vulnerable predicament America has ever been inтАжitтАЩs coming!
As my husband always says, what goes around comes around. I absolutely agree with you. The Republican "law makers" aka Congress will soon be urged to surrender their power to whomever is president, Trump, Vance, or Musk, who will then have totalitarian control of the government.
Where are the other brave and courageous wealthy men and women* who can help fund the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Agreement. The countries that benefit the most from DJT and his regime pulling out of both well-run organizations are China and Russia who will have more influence now that the US has exited. *You may want to read How We Learn to be Brave by Bishop Budde, altho it's sold out now.
Isn't this just the other side of the oligarch coin? We shouldn't be asking for handouts from sympathetic, likeminded billionaires. We should be demanding a functioning, sane government, a high bar right now I know. But this is what our taxes should be paying for, not starting a war with Mexico at the border or a looming public health crisis because DT's fragile ego got bruised by WHO. The gutting of fundamental agencies and preparedness by this administration is straining my sanity by the minute.
Totally agree. We should absolutely not be beholden to billionaires. "Good" or not, we need to do this through We, The People. Not depending upon the billionaire class.
This was good news. My wife brought it to my attention and listening to the report, I feel grateful to Mr. Bloomberg but here is my secondary take, in case no one has raised this point: Michael Bloomberg was one of the 26 or so candidate wannabes that went through the 2020 presidential primary debate process. My wife and I egerly watched every one of those debates and discovered there were plenty of also-rans in that crowded bunch and MB was fairly unimpressive (along with Joe Biden). More than likely, COVID had something or a lot to do with how Biden went on to take control of the Democratic primary process and win the election. Yes he did a good job as president but you had to know that his popularity ratings were in the dumpster. and that foretold last years election results. So my secondary take? He's positioning for another run at the White House...What do y'all think? If it is true, and maybe other billionaires leaning left will apply for the job, I think we lefties are going to have to invite the wealthy (even if they are centrists) to pull us out of mess. TR and FDR and ER (Eleanor) were from the wealthy class and I thought they did a damn good job when this oligarch thing was taking hold in the 20th century.
Yes, but it shouldn't be necessary. The Paris Accord is an agreement between states, and philanthropists, although they play a role in environmental financing, can't replace states.
They will have to shore up within their own circle for a time тАжwe got a fight on our hands that should have been stopped waaay before this..set the task given more strainтАж
Bravo, Michael Bloomberg!
In today's letter Professor finds two heros: Mr. Bloomberg and U.S. District Judge John Coughenour. I look forward to see more heros will rise against Trump and Republicans who are destroying their own country.
Unlike DJT, Mike Bloomberg is an actual Self-Made Billionaire that has Tangible Assets... Mike Bloomberg also ran New York City which is the largest, most Diverse City in the USA... He cleaned up the Mess that Rudi Giuliani left...
#notallbillionaires
I read recently that people get a huge dopamine hit from doing selfless acts, otherwise known as "helpers high". Added to this must be the adulation from the communities who benefit. Bravo the Bloomsberg's of this world. Here's hoping that after enough naming and shaming, the fragile ego's of The Dirty Three (Musk, Zuckerberg and Bezos) will realise their drug of choice, aka megalomania, is no longer getting them high.
Hello Kazz.... I hope that You are Right... I don't hold hope for these three... Warren Buffet, and Bill Gates have Teamed Up to do some Good... Warren Buffet once compared DJT to a Street-Bum always Panhandling... Class Will Tell...
I won't be holding my breath either Apache, but I do draw solace from imagining their inner torment - that the whole world views them as scumbags.
Yes - the stony look on Trump's face while the Bishop gently spoke truth against him - and he must know of the thousands writing on social media to thank her.
I donтАЩt go on FB often but the other day when I did there was a post from MZ with his wife all dressed up for inauguration gala and then 100s of comments telling him what a scumbag, sellout he is. ЁЯШД
No more Amazon purchases for me.
Did Warren B say that? I'm happy to hear it. I used to work for a very prominent Finance Director in London, whose respect for him was immense.
Yes... For a Genuine Billionaire, Warren Buffet lives very Humbly...
He was the first wealthy person to publicly state that his administrative assistant paid more taxes than he did, and he thought that was shameful. Good man.
"a Street-Bum always Panhandling" - thank you for a big laugh!
"There's class warfare, alright, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war. And we're winning."
-Warren Buffett
Becky... Thanks for reminding Us... I believe that Warren Buffett said said this about 20years ago....
Please explain what Class Will Tell means; I don't understand. Many thanks!
Meaning тАЬclassтАЭ isnтАЩt bought or inherited. ItтАЩs doing or saying the right thing even when it isnтАЩt popular.
Hope they donтАЩt take the path of the Nazi тАЬilliterati.тАЭ
they already have.
Sad but true, but most donтАЩt know it yet.
Yeah.., their 'thrill will be gone' soon enough.
Re: The thrill is gone, written by Roy Hawkins and Rick Darnell in 1951. And done by B.B.King. ( I sure miss that guy along with Ray Charles).
They might wake up from their drunken stupor.
IтАЩd add to your song list тАШIs that all their isтАЩ by Peggy Lee
Kazz, great point
I wonder what chemical is released in our brains when we are assaulted by Trumps current activities against democracy.
ItтАЩs cortisol, itтАЩs a stress response and we go into fight or flight. ItтАЩs the same response our ancestors would have had being chased by a sabre tooth tiger. Once the danger has passed we return to тАШhomeostasisтАЩ our normal, relaxed state. ItтАЩs vitally important therefore to disengage from the firehose of obscenity spewing from the Trump quarter and celebrate the small wins, do good deeds and enjoy life. The sense of тАШdangerтАЩ ainтАЩt gonna pass, at least not until the midterms.
While I did not always agree with Bloomberg when he was our Mayor - I respected him enormously - he said what he thought; he could not be bought and what he did for the waterfront parks in Brooklyn and other parts of the city was nothing short of transformational. I am so thankful he stepped up to cover our dues. That is indeed heroic.
We should write him a thank you note too! Does anyone know his address?
Gayle, Here ya go: He'd probably like to get a note from normal people. Mention HCR while your at it. I did.
Mr. Michael Bloomberg
c/o Bloomberg Philanthropies
25 East 78th Street
New York, NY 10075
Trump unleashed January 6th criminals who are unrepentant who are gathering again into paramilitary militias. How does that sit with his lies complaining that we are being flooded with criminals at the border invading???
How long before they start wearing brown shirts?
Depends on what color Hegseth ( or Trump-- maybe Melania) decides upon.
Potter, they will all have new hats with a wide prime, primarily black.
Snicker.
Orange.
TheyтАЩll be Ivanka designed, made in China and sold for $100 when they only cost $2 to make.
No need for brown shirts. They have red hats.
Probably won't be a long wait before the brown shirts arrive with Enrique Tarrio as the new Ernst Rohm.
They have already planned for that using "legal" not ethical means. They spell it out in Project 2025 I think..
When Trump starts to market it
No logic, no where. Just used the rhetoric to attract the haters
The hypocrisy is indigestible....
What I can't believe is that trump is trying to get rid of an office in the Pentagon that works to help the military against unintended civilian deaths. It's getting worse by the hour....
Potter, this is blatant hypocrisy. You can be sure that if death star is complaining about something, he and his minions are doing it in spades. People who are undocumented and working here are not nearly as likely to commit crimes. They do not want to call attention to themselves. Now they are scared to go to work, to school, to church, leave the house. This is so disgusting. And you can be sure some of the brown shirts who work for ICE be delighted to beat people and drag them out of wherever.
We have progressed from open borders to open jails.
Potter, they are "good 'Muricans", and not criminal in the MAGAt world.
Ally, vomit.
Double. ЁЯдоЁЯдо
My thoughts exactly Potter
Touche!!!!!
Let's at least be honest here. Bloomberg also tried to overturn the "will of the people" when he attempted a third term after New Yorker's chose to impose term limits on city offices.
L
Any Republican that says the Republicans are the party of law and order are bald-faced liars. We need to call them out because the corporate media isn't going o.
Vigilante justice can and will go both ways. And it doesn't have to be violent. Just like with the sexual predator list, we need to all be aware of where the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are setting up their operations.
And we need to make them and their allies economically destitute. Since Trump has now made discrimination legal, don't hire or sell to these ingrates.
There is no more Republican party. They are NAZIs. They mirror Germany of the 1930's. And we all need to refer to them as such. All the time.
ALL THE TIME
The problem is, there is Maga Party and they won the public's support. The Repblican Party is at best, in hibernation. The Democratic Party lost to Maga - it lost to extremist populism. They have two years to set a new course or be cast aside. Listen to Bernie.
Steve. The oligarchs bought the Presidency with their money and the MAGA lies. Trump is already firing women from the military and guys from Federal agencies according to Stephanie Miller at Progress Radio. They also bought several House seats and a few Senate seats like in Ohio and Montana.
Disagree, Steve. MAGAts are the rubes being manipulated and 'cultified' by the NAZIs. It's not a party, it's a cult. Look at the history of NAZIs from the '30s, and then look at the NAZIs of today. They are virtual mirror images, only today it's worse, due to technology. And I don't think they 'won' any support; rather, they won the apathy of over a third of the population. That third, it seems, is beginning to wake up!
They are a cult but they are the cult party in power. The Nazi's may have been a small cult but they turned into the winning political party. Whatever President Baal says, they do. But cult or not, it is the Maga party that is in power. They got rid of the establishment Republicans - Bush people for example, and Kinzinger and Cheney being the last who had voice, and they are now castrating the Dems. As to winning the vote, our historic direction is determined by those who vote - we have always had many who do not vote, they do not count in a democracy, or in the case of supporting popular extremists, their nonvote is a vote for evil. Those with the most votes and who control the archaic electoral college, wins. That is the reality. Maga will remain the party until they are crushed - and it will take a crushing, not just a few more Dems in two years. Popularism was crushed after decades of doing harm from Jackson until the early 20th century reformers, with notable breaks such as Lincoln. It will take firm vision, dedication to the cause (will), and time. It also won't happen until people on the street stop staying quiet, it has to go way beyond our beloved HCR's daily letters and our responses to each other - we are all ready allies of each other. Public silence supports tyranny.
As the original Nazis and Italian Fascists used to say: we are not a party, we are a movement. They didn't believe in political parties, in democratic representation in parliaments, and in plurality. Their aim was for their movements to take over the whole culture, politics, economics, and down to every thought of their countrymen. That's why we call them Totalitarian (it worked better in Germany than Italy, mainly because the Nazis learned from the mistakes of the Fascisti). The same happened in the Soviet Union under Stalin.
I sure hope so!
I used to call that party Repukeigans, I think I will change that to Repubnazis now.
Judy, just the party of death.
They believe that law is for their own benefit, and order is to control others.
Well.., schools out, they're on the playground now. See how well they play together. They're leader-less.
Are they?
I am afraid that these pardoned insurrectionists will hunt down the Liz Cheneys and Rachel Maddows. They sure were willing to murder lawmakers on 1/6. Is unfathomably possible that they actually murder trump's perceived enemies and keep getting pardoned thereby creating an unmonitored, uncontrolled militia? Are there ANY guardrails to presidential pardon power??
The unfortunate expression of frustration resulting in the death of a prominent executive in the insurance industry, might just be the proverbial tip-of-the-iceberg, regarding people being sick and tired of a system which seems to have a double standard or to which they are held prisoner , by hook or by crook. Or..., by some prevailing religious dictate. That frustration is equally fueled by seeing persons guilty of crimes being allowed to walk free if they have enough clout($$$). So, what happens to the 'pardonees' is going to be anyones guess. Those pardonees might just better STFU and behave. Or, find themselves looking up. Citizens are not happy.
Nope. Republicans could not do anything about Biden's pardons.
The Democrats can do nothing about Trump's pardons.
Change the Constitution? To what. and how?
But these <expletive deleted> persons can be prosecuted for future crimes. Sued by private parties for the harm/damage they have done.
And Trump pardons can do nothing about state crimes.
There is a problem with just watching those known members. Remember that a lot of law enforcement, especially sheriffsтАЩ personnel, who are tied in with those groups as well.
They are going to be protected financially by Mu$k and they are going to receive donations from maga people .From poor bastards they will be rich.
They.Just. Don't. Care.
Yes, we have heroes this week. Judge Coughenour, Michael Bloomberg, Bishop Mariann Edgar Budd. It does my heart good to have these angels among us during this especially difficult week. I know more will be coming forward in the coming days and weeks.
Your comment gives me an idea. We should have a weekly list called тАЬthis weekтАЩs heroes.тАЭ
Jessica Craven's Substack "Chop Wood, Carry Water" does something similar to that. I subscribed to it after seeing multiple recommendations from this community.
I like that idea.
Love it
And MLMinETтАж. You are on that listтАж. Me too!
Trying my best to be by working on Blue Tennessee.
Add to it Judge Beryl Howell. And, even though they endorsed Trump, the Fraternal Order of Police stood against the pardon of the protesters. And Costco is still standing up for DEI.
Costco took a stand and I am happy shopping there. The police seem to be self-serving - the rank and file voted for Trump even as they knew what happened to their brothers and sisters in DC and even as they knew Trump said while campaigning he was going to release them - they sold their souls to Trump. Now with his new orders, Trump will make it almost impossible for accusing police for crossing the line - and some police will rejoice. They sold out the Capitol police and gained an ally against future charges of violating civil rights. No pass from me.
And so тАЬweтАЭ are!!!!! YES! WE ARE!
They are MAGAts, not Republicans. There are no more Republicans
Unfortunately, not all but lots of Republicans. They donтАЩt know how to do anything but follow the leader. Fox News has been telling them for years. What a wonderful candidate Trump is. As a result, they have a hard time figuring out whatтАЩs true. I know I have a friend who doesnтАЩt really pay much attention, but she still thinks Trump is wonderful. I am hoping that some of these snoozing Republicans will wake up and realize that they have voted in a monster. And one who owes an enormous amount to both Putin and Saudi ArabiaтАЩs power behind the throne.
As Dillon said you don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows they all have alleged independent minds past time they started using them to think instead of as hat racks . As my father would of said orthopedic hats all around. There is no excuse for turning a blind eye on what the orange pendejo was doing, John McCain would not have.
I totally agree. MAGAts is what they are. (It reminds me of maggots, except they actually provide a necessary function, including being used to debride wounds.) But this crowd needs an agreed upon identifier so everyone is on the same page when referring to them.
NAZIs
MAGATs are the half-sibs of the KKK.
What you have said is absolutely clear. These people are not Republicans. They are hijackers. They are not Conservatives, nor are they Christian. No one should be fooled by their double-speak, their тАЬalternative factsтАЭ, and outright subversion of everything this nation stands for.
There has always been some room, even common ground to be found for liberals and conservatives to have civil discourse. There has always been some a sense of shared humanity between people of various faiths and christians. And the political parties have generally striven to find common ground upon which to arrive at consensus in acknowledgment that when in office they must represent all of the people.
But this new group brings with it none of these hallmarks by which we recognize Democracy. It is very clear that this is a term thatтАЩs absolutely meaningless to them.
If enough of these selfless acts pile up, maybe djt will get so angry that he has a coronary.
Many of us! LetтАЩs go!
I am cautiously optimistic that my senator (Collins, ME) joined the opposition to Hegseth.
Btw, is Baron Trump now only half a citizen?
Once again, Trump lives in his FANTASY. The United States has a GIANT debt with huge interest rates we pay on to China and Japan. We are drowning in our interest owed to foreign allies. ThatтАЩs where AmericaтАЩs inflation is visible-our taxes are shrinking our paychecks.
We are not as strong as TrumpтАЩs disinformation.
I'm wondering how soon our will be before MAGA terrorists, and that's what they are, will start threatening Judge Coughenor. If they haven't already.
I suppose that it is now time for another book, and instead of "Profiles in Courage" it needs to carry another title. Any thoughts? Profiles in what? I am thoroughly disgusted with the billionaires, but it was the clueless masses that made this possible. They've been suckered by the wealthy, and they don't know it . . . yet. How easy it as been for the wealthy to deceive and con the MAGA folks. Throw in some racism, xenophobia, homophobia, Christian nationalism and sexism and it's a piece of cake.
"Profiles of Sycophants"
Sycophant - "a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage."
I would add "without regard to conscience and harm to others.
Amen, Linda T and Hiro!!!!ЁЯСНЁЯжЛЁЯТХЁЯМПЁЯТлЁЯЩПЁЯП╗ЁЯМИЁЯСПЁЯП╗ЁЯО╢
Hero's
You mean same people who lied about Biden's mental state? Ukraine?
COVID vaccine? Hunter Biden laptop? Lawfare? The election? Harris winning
Iowa by 5%?
Those people? Stenographers for the Democratic party.
EverythingтАЩs going to come out in the wash. It will take a while. Biden is old and he stutters but he is smart (Donald really IS in early dementia). and he has not sold his soul to Putin, which Trump did many years ago.
And Trump was never smart.
Biden and Harris are honorable democrats. They assembled an administration which was also honorable.
In addition to first felon, how many left his administration in shame?
Stop. Just Stop. Unless you can produce citations for these absurd statements, you should just be quiet.
His citations all come from the Trump propaganda machine. Honestly, theyтАЩre here to spread malicious lies to detract from the inhumanity of the orange clown they consider the leader of their cult.
Comparing Biden to Trump is akin to comparing a misdemeanor to a felony. One had the best interests of the nation at heart, the other focused principally on fattening his pocketbook.
Good point! Yep, two shining examples of goodness.
That would take people with a lot of what Republicans don't have.
- Pulled Quote -
"U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly summed up the judgesтАЩ outrage when she wrote: 'Dismissal of charges, pardons after convictions, and commutations of sentences will not change the truth of what happened on January 6, 2021. What occurred that day is preserved for the future through thousands of contemporaneous videos, transcripts of trials, jury verdicts, and judicial opinions analyzing and recounting the evidence through a neutral lens. Those records are immutable and represent the truth, no matter how the events of January 6 are described by those charged or their allies.'"
This encapsulates the enduring significance of January 6, highlighting the judgesтАЩ insistence that historical records, rather than political narratives, will define the truth.
By not holding #45 accountable soon enough, Merrick Garland permitted all the hard work the DOJ did do to bring Jan.6 rioters to justice to be undone by the stroke of a Sharpie. The release of these violent criminals has put peopleтАЩs lives in danger. These released felons were dangerously before they rioted at the Capitol. These pardons and the pardons issued in #45тАЩs first term make a mockery of the pardon power. Talk about weaponizing the government. We all saw the videos and photos of January 6. The rioters would certainly have hurt or killed any lawmakers or staff they could have gotten hold of. Can you not imagine Mike Pence struggling to keep his head out of that noose? Did people need to see dead politicians to know how deadly serious those violent people were on that day? The Capitol police officers are heroes because there were not more deaths. Would more dead bodies have shown January 6 to be the violent power grab attempt that it was?
Actually this disastrous monstrosity should lay at the feet of Mitch McConnell and the republicans that did not impeach trump for his attempt to overthrow our democracy and the peaceful transfer of power. McConnell is a traitor to this country, it begins with him.
Add the addition of two supreme court injustices (Kavanaugh and Gorsuch). Barrett, I am willing to hold my vote about her.
My U.S. senator, Bill Hagerty, approves of what tfg did. His aide said during the conversation, тАЬthe senator cares DEEPLY what his constituents think.тАЭ I pointed out several J6 felons were from TN and Hagerty was willing to put us at risk from their retribution. I also went on to say Hagerty considers himself a тАЬChristianтАЭ but I never remember seeing in the Bible where Jesus said тАЬget even with your enemies.тАЭ She thanked me and hung up.
I am so sorry, MLMinET. I am stunned that people buy into that utter garbage, but I see it in my former work cohort. They are brainwashed by their sources of disinformation. I have had at least three of them tell me that the FBI photos of the bathroom at Merde a Lardo were of Biden's house. They are nucking futs.
Right, and all those Antifa and FBI agents that attacked our officers on 1/6 were pardoned by Trump because they were doing his bidding. They canтАЩt have it both ways.
You know, I could almostтАФalmostтАФtolerate conspiracy theorists if they didnтАЩt come up with such dumb stuff. BidenтАЩs bathroom. Jeez.
Garland failed us. He was our Nero.
This is a very hard week, but this is also the peak of TrumpтАЩs power. Blaming Garland is a rabbit hole that wonтАЩt lead us toward any action. Our focus needs to be on what actions we can take now. Refuse to back down from telling the truth. Resist all efforts to weaken our democracy. Ridicule the incompetence and overreach that will occur daily. ThatтАЩs how we stay strong and win.
Next up weтАЩll see abortion providers slaughtered and clinics destroyed because they see they will never be prosecuted. The pro-life contingent that murders people is quite the message.
At least one did not accept the pardon:
тАШWe broke the lawтАЩ: A woman who pleaded guilty in the Jan. 6 attack rejects TrumpтАЩs pardon
'тАЬI donтАЩt want to be a part of their trying to rewrite what happened that day,тАЭ said Pamela Hemphill, a Jan. 6 defendant who was sentenced to two months in jail for her role in the Capitol riot.'
https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/trump-jan-6-pardons-pamela-hemphill-maga-granny-rcna188759
In any case those who were tried, convicted and sentenced are still felons. And acceptance of a pardon is an admission of guilt.
For once I agree.
Jo. What are you agreeing to??
Those exact words were what I was going to post, so I will just say Ditto!
Does this herald the beginning succession of people leaving to Bloomberg, the first designated state of The New Democratic Union ? One can dream, huh? Let them eat the dust!
How can this possibly be legally allowed? It wonтАЩt . But given them time the rest will hang themselves on the gallow they constructed and choke on the cake they baked. As if that isnтАЩt obvious. What is the catastophy looming that will send us into the most vulnerable predicament America has ever been inтАжitтАЩs coming!
Mark.Those.Words.
As my husband always says, what goes around comes around. I absolutely agree with you. The Republican "law makers" aka Congress will soon be urged to surrender their power to whomever is president, Trump, Vance, or Musk, who will then have totalitarian control of the government.
Yup that was the planтАжsaw it coming in 2016.
Where are the other brave and courageous wealthy men and women* who can help fund the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Agreement. The countries that benefit the most from DJT and his regime pulling out of both well-run organizations are China and Russia who will have more influence now that the US has exited. *You may want to read How We Learn to be Brave by Bishop Budde, altho it's sold out now.
Isn't this just the other side of the oligarch coin? We shouldn't be asking for handouts from sympathetic, likeminded billionaires. We should be demanding a functioning, sane government, a high bar right now I know. But this is what our taxes should be paying for, not starting a war with Mexico at the border or a looming public health crisis because DT's fragile ego got bruised by WHO. The gutting of fundamental agencies and preparedness by this administration is straining my sanity by the minute.
Totally agree. We should absolutely not be beholden to billionaires. "Good" or not, we need to do this through We, The People. Not depending upon the billionaire class.
This was good news. My wife brought it to my attention and listening to the report, I feel grateful to Mr. Bloomberg but here is my secondary take, in case no one has raised this point: Michael Bloomberg was one of the 26 or so candidate wannabes that went through the 2020 presidential primary debate process. My wife and I egerly watched every one of those debates and discovered there were plenty of also-rans in that crowded bunch and MB was fairly unimpressive (along with Joe Biden). More than likely, COVID had something or a lot to do with how Biden went on to take control of the Democratic primary process and win the election. Yes he did a good job as president but you had to know that his popularity ratings were in the dumpster. and that foretold last years election results. So my secondary take? He's positioning for another run at the White House...What do y'all think? If it is true, and maybe other billionaires leaning left will apply for the job, I think we lefties are going to have to invite the wealthy (even if they are centrists) to pull us out of mess. TR and FDR and ER (Eleanor) were from the wealthy class and I thought they did a damn good job when this oligarch thing was taking hold in the 20th century.
At last a bit has trickled down
Yes, but it shouldn't be necessary. The Paris Accord is an agreement between states, and philanthropists, although they play a role in environmental financing, can't replace states.
They will have to shore up within their own circle for a time тАжwe got a fight on our hands that should have been stopped waaay before this..set the task given more strainтАж
What a mensch!