This line is the one that spoke to me most: "A public practice of ignoring the law eventually broke down all the guardrails designed to protect individuals, while lawbreakers, going unpunished, became convinced they were entitled to act without restraint." We are witnessing this in spades right now, though here's hoping the E. Jean Carroll case is the start of an avalanche of judgments reversing the trend. Still, I wish the law/DOJ and the courts could work with more alacrity. I fear American democracy is running out of time.
Jude, have heart! New York DA starts Trump's criminal trial in 36 days! This is a strong case, the co-defendant who was less culpable (Michael Cohen) did jail time. Manhattan juries have not been real impressed with Trump these days! Yeah Georgia case is far off, Aileen 'Loose' Cannon will give Trump endless delays in Florida and despite best efforts of Jack Smith to get his case to trial, appeals are likely to delay the D.C. federal case to an unknowable date. BUT 'have no fear, Alvin Bragg is near, his determination is clear, Trump will go to jail for over a year'! https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/25/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial-stormy-daniels.html?unlocked_article_code=1.RE0.tCM7.-iuQz_raEOVH&smid=url-share
100Panthers, is it mean of me to be gleeful that TFFG will not have access to hairspray or bronzer in jail? Have no idea if his cult will respond “whoa, yuk!” to pics of him w/o his coiffure and tan slather…you know, just a regular jamoke behind bars….deflated.
Jail for Trump means no burgers, no french fries, no milk shakes, and no hookers. As this realization sinks in, watch his level of anxiety and hysteria skyrocket.
Hmmm Barbara, good question. I'm thinking, given the constant surveillance and video, might be sort of 'charming' to let his followers watch him primp like a vain little teenage girl for a few hours and then just sit in his cell all day doing nothing but whining like a cat in heat...only to repeat the process the next day. Riker's Island, got my tan at a vacation spot in The Islands!
1000Panthers, I seem to recall a while ago another commenter posting something about a new reality show called the Prison Apprentice….with you know who starring. Well, I never watched the first one, but might consider peeking at an episode or two of the Prison Apprentice!
it doesn't have to have coherent logic or substance (Mein K sure as shine-ola didn't). the lunatic tools and cynical enablers would be the next to look out for.
Good point. The Georgia and 2 federal cases are trailing, as are investigations in other states, he should get swamped. Only if society loses its nerve and lets him off the hook as did Germany, Cuba etc. But those protagonists were much younger and healthier.
And Lincoln’s message? it’s up to all of us, together, to carry the day: For starters, vote & support grass roots organizations. There are so many ways.
Thank you for the link to the New York Times story of January 25. As is usual nowadays, they are a day late and a dollar short on this story. When NY DA Alvin Bragg first filed the charges, he told America it was an election interference case. Clean and simple. Bragg could see the writing on the wall for shallow media, that they would defang it into a hush-money case about prostitution. He is not now "rebranding" the charges; he is reiterating the original framework for criminally charging Donald Trump. I find the New York Times insufferable in its intentional low-level coverage of Trump's many case. They continue to normalize Trump's heinous behavior.
It still galls be every time I think about the fact that, with little public comment, so far as I could tell, the Lincoln's Birthday holiday was tossed into the black hole of "President's Day.
Lincoln was not only key actor in American society's evolution toward greater awareness and justice, he was a particularly articulate "explainer" of what a just republic is all about. You can't adequately manage what you don't adequately understand, and Lincoln still provides a useful guide.
I remember when each "major" president got a day to celebrate. Then somebody decided the nation had to lump them all together into one day. Hated it, and still do.
I have a theory about Presidents Day: There was a long, long slog through the winter from New Years Day to Easter or Spring Break. The decision was made (while I was in college, so late 70's I believe) to have a Federal Holiday on the Monday between Feb 12th (Lincoln) and Feb 22nd (Washington).
My recollection is a bit different; when the movement to commemorate Dr. King gathered momentum, there was opposition to establishing another federal holiday, so the two February Presidential birthdays were consolidated, and Dr. King got a day that occasionally actually coincides with his birthday.
Dave, neither holiday was established without a lot of conflict. At the federal level, President's Day was established in 1971 and MLK day was established in 1983. The two things I know is that I had my first school holiday in Oregon in 1978 and that Virginia likes to call MLK day "Robert E. Lee" day.
I'm reading "Fever in the Heartland", and amidst the horror of just how long we've been this way as a country, I recalled that even the terrible, reactionary Supreme Court they had back in the 20s eventually changed to the better court we had in the 70s, and it was very calming to remember that.
It feels quite often like we're going one step forward, two steps back, but perhaps we're really going two steps forward, one step back, and gradually making progress.
Rebecca Solnit expresses such themes in Hope in the Dark. There's more progress than the dominant groups want people to realize. "The arc of the moral universe..."
Pat, as have posted here numerous times….the anthem to keep my juice from flagging is Jackson Browne’s Til I Go Down (and you can dance to it!): (ad may play first) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmzimxfqgfw
Haven't dared to read it, and I now regret putting "Hope in the Dark" on my Kindle where good books go to die. Just starting "True West", about the myths that gave rise to resistance to law and order.
My paperback came yesterday, and the type is pretty small, so I may regret not ordering the Kindle version. But it has end notes and an index like good nonfiction used to.
Karen, looks like there's a time algorithm to SCROTUS. Awful in the 20's, but came to life in the 50's under the Warren Court, and continued through the 70's. Hopefully, it will swing back before 2250...
And remind all that once upon a time the republican party claimed to be the party of Lincoln. Seems it’s not that Lincoln or it’s not this Republican Party.
Now, the Republican party has been destructed as the party of DJT. I wonder what the new Party of Lincoln will call itself? The Legions of Law and Lincoln...? I am sure there are many better ideas out there...
Yes he did JL; and as Bryan adequately postulates "Lincoln's deductive reasoning was already well developed.." , as was his ability to identify as opposed to comparing, empathy and emotional, cultural I.Q.
Thank you SLR Lucky Chix. I do not recall reading an Abraham Lincoln from his younger development years. Lincoln's deductive reasoning was already well developed, "gates of hell shall not prevail against" ... a "greater institution."
No wonder Lincoln found General Grant. Hat Tip to Paul Krugman -- something of a Grant historian.
Lessons from Lincoln. History reminds us of so much if we just pay attention. Thank you Professor ⭐
This line is the one that spoke to me most: "A public practice of ignoring the law eventually broke down all the guardrails designed to protect individuals, while lawbreakers, going unpunished, became convinced they were entitled to act without restraint." We are witnessing this in spades right now, though here's hoping the E. Jean Carroll case is the start of an avalanche of judgments reversing the trend. Still, I wish the law/DOJ and the courts could work with more alacrity. I fear American democracy is running out of time.
Jude, have heart! New York DA starts Trump's criminal trial in 36 days! This is a strong case, the co-defendant who was less culpable (Michael Cohen) did jail time. Manhattan juries have not been real impressed with Trump these days! Yeah Georgia case is far off, Aileen 'Loose' Cannon will give Trump endless delays in Florida and despite best efforts of Jack Smith to get his case to trial, appeals are likely to delay the D.C. federal case to an unknowable date. BUT 'have no fear, Alvin Bragg is near, his determination is clear, Trump will go to jail for over a year'! https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/25/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial-stormy-daniels.html?unlocked_article_code=1.RE0.tCM7.-iuQz_raEOVH&smid=url-share
100Panthers, is it mean of me to be gleeful that TFFG will not have access to hairspray or bronzer in jail? Have no idea if his cult will respond “whoa, yuk!” to pics of him w/o his coiffure and tan slather…you know, just a regular jamoke behind bars….deflated.
Jail for Trump means no burgers, no french fries, no milk shakes, and no hookers. As this realization sinks in, watch his level of anxiety and hysteria skyrocket.
No hookers, no Sharpies, no power.
James Burnham, and no ketchup!
No endless supply of adderall. No social media. And maybe a work assignment?
lol ! Isn't it grand though to see 100Panthers upbeat enough to be inspired to 4 lines of rhyme ?
Hi Barbara, There are so many things to add to what you just said. But, I will be banned for life from this site. It's killing me. 🤭
Hmmm Barbara, good question. I'm thinking, given the constant surveillance and video, might be sort of 'charming' to let his followers watch him primp like a vain little teenage girl for a few hours and then just sit in his cell all day doing nothing but whining like a cat in heat...only to repeat the process the next day. Riker's Island, got my tan at a vacation spot in The Islands!
1000Panthers, I seem to recall a while ago another commenter posting something about a new reality show called the Prison Apprentice….with you know who starring. Well, I never watched the first one, but might consider peeking at an episode or two of the Prison Apprentice!
Oh glory!
Damn! My gasp at your comment made the coffee go down the wrong way! Thx for the chuckle!
DA - ALVIN L BRAGG is already writing a script for "Prison Apprentice", ... well, the opening scenes anyway.
Here is Alvin's 1st Draft:
Trump; "So have you heard of me Alvin?
Alvin: Yes.
Trump: "What did you hear Shane" ... 'er Alvin.
Alvin: "I heard You are a low-down Yankee LIAR"
Trump; "Eh, prove It!"
Hat tip to Jack Palance & Alan Ladd.
" ... Come back Shane".
Criminal proceedings may not be enough to stop him. Hitler wrote Mein Kampf in prison.
Talia, do they sell Sharpies by the truckload? Can’t imagine him writing anything other than his signature or a tweet (X).
But plenty of smart people do his dirty work for him. It’s why he’s still in the news…
it doesn't have to have coherent logic or substance (Mein K sure as shine-ola didn't). the lunatic tools and cynical enablers would be the next to look out for.
er, WATCH out for, i should have said
Good point. The Georgia and 2 federal cases are trailing, as are investigations in other states, he should get swamped. Only if society loses its nerve and lets him off the hook as did Germany, Cuba etc. But those protagonists were much younger and healthier.
But Trump needs a ghostwriter.
He has more than a few, Stephen Miller at top of list.
Is Miller even human?
And Lincoln’s message? it’s up to all of us, together, to carry the day: For starters, vote & support grass roots organizations. There are so many ways.
"of the people, by the people, for the people", for real.
Thank you for the link to the New York Times story of January 25. As is usual nowadays, they are a day late and a dollar short on this story. When NY DA Alvin Bragg first filed the charges, he told America it was an election interference case. Clean and simple. Bragg could see the writing on the wall for shallow media, that they would defang it into a hush-money case about prostitution. He is not now "rebranding" the charges; he is reiterating the original framework for criminally charging Donald Trump. I find the New York Times insufferable in its intentional low-level coverage of Trump's many case. They continue to normalize Trump's heinous behavior.
Cancel your subscription like I did! I miss reading some of the columnists, still though I refuse to support thier practice.
I did 2 years ago. I see their free daily round-up.
100, thanks for the laugh of the day!
That paragraph stood out for me also.
Remarkable speech that still speaks to us today! Thank you for teaching us history through the speeches of our heroes!
It still galls be every time I think about the fact that, with little public comment, so far as I could tell, the Lincoln's Birthday holiday was tossed into the black hole of "President's Day.
Lincoln was not only key actor in American society's evolution toward greater awareness and justice, he was a particularly articulate "explainer" of what a just republic is all about. You can't adequately manage what you don't adequately understand, and Lincoln still provides a useful guide.
I remember when each "major" president got a day to celebrate. Then somebody decided the nation had to lump them all together into one day. Hated it, and still do.
Agreed, and good morning, Lynell.
I have a theory about Presidents Day: There was a long, long slog through the winter from New Years Day to Easter or Spring Break. The decision was made (while I was in college, so late 70's I believe) to have a Federal Holiday on the Monday between Feb 12th (Lincoln) and Feb 22nd (Washington).
My recollection is a bit different; when the movement to commemorate Dr. King gathered momentum, there was opposition to establishing another federal holiday, so the two February Presidential birthdays were consolidated, and Dr. King got a day that occasionally actually coincides with his birthday.
I remember it your way as well, Dave.
Dave, neither holiday was established without a lot of conflict. At the federal level, President's Day was established in 1971 and MLK day was established in 1983. The two things I know is that I had my first school holiday in Oregon in 1978 and that Virginia likes to call MLK day "Robert E. Lee" day.
Yes, that, too. I grew up down South, and we didn't even acknowledge Lincoln's birthday, for reasons now too obvious.
Feb 12, if memory serves
It does. February 12, 1809.
A big deal, even in NC when I was a pup
Indeed.
I'm reading "Fever in the Heartland", and amidst the horror of just how long we've been this way as a country, I recalled that even the terrible, reactionary Supreme Court they had back in the 20s eventually changed to the better court we had in the 70s, and it was very calming to remember that.
It feels quite often like we're going one step forward, two steps back, but perhaps we're really going two steps forward, one step back, and gradually making progress.
I sure hope so.
Rebecca Solnit expresses such themes in Hope in the Dark. There's more progress than the dominant groups want people to realize. "The arc of the moral universe..."
slow but sure as long as we do not despair and give up. Keep moving
Pat, as have posted here numerous times….the anthem to keep my juice from flagging is Jackson Browne’s Til I Go Down (and you can dance to it!): (ad may play first) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmzimxfqgfw
We continue to make "progress" in a number of ways, but are running out of time in others. We have got to do a number of things differently.
"Fever in the Heartland" - great, horrifying book.
Haven't dared to read it, and I now regret putting "Hope in the Dark" on my Kindle where good books go to die. Just starting "True West", about the myths that gave rise to resistance to law and order.
Oh, I love my Kindle! Thanks a million for the other recs. True West sounds totally up my alley.
My paperback came yesterday, and the type is pretty small, so I may regret not ordering the Kindle version. But it has end notes and an index like good nonfiction used to.
You're talking about the book by Betsy Gaines, right? (This is reminding me of the Sam Shepard play, which I love!).
Karen, looks like there's a time algorithm to SCROTUS. Awful in the 20's, but came to life in the 50's under the Warren Court, and continued through the 70's. Hopefully, it will swing back before 2250...
And remind all that once upon a time the republican party claimed to be the party of Lincoln. Seems it’s not that Lincoln or it’s not this Republican Party.
No, the republican party was taken over by the Freedom party.
Free-dumb, don't you mean?
More accurately called the "Chaos Caucus."
Now, the Republican party has been destructed as the party of DJT. I wonder what the new Party of Lincoln will call itself? The Legions of Law and Lincoln...? I am sure there are many better ideas out there...
Every time Heather writes about Lincoln, I’m amazed at his profound insights, and how enormously relevant they still are!
Not to mention how young he was when he laid them out.
Exactly. I felt like I was only halfway through my puberty at that age... :/
Lincoln had a way of getting right to the point.
“There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.”
- Thoreau
Yes he did JL; and as Bryan adequately postulates "Lincoln's deductive reasoning was already well developed.." , as was his ability to identify as opposed to comparing, empathy and emotional, cultural I.Q.
Thank you SLR Lucky Chix. I do not recall reading an Abraham Lincoln from his younger development years. Lincoln's deductive reasoning was already well developed, "gates of hell shall not prevail against" ... a "greater institution."
No wonder Lincoln found General Grant. Hat Tip to Paul Krugman -- something of a Grant historian.