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It disturbs me greatly that one Senator, Sinator (sic) Tuberville, can stop the confirmation of 250 military officers including the next Commandant of the Marines! All because the usual way to confirm them is by unanimous consent. Otherwise its a long, long process to confirm each one by a vote. Maybe they should amend the Senate rules to be near unanimous consent like 98% is enough. Sounds like the Senate rules need to put in some checks and balances to prevent one senator having inordinate power like Sinator Manchin for another example. It really is a sin to have people who put personal power over the good of the nation and its People in Congress.

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It really is a sin to have people who put personal power over the good of the nation and its People in Congress.

AKA "corruption".

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And now, obviously, real evidence against Trump is proving that his corruption has gone waaay up the ladder of Republicans even through the Supreme Court! "When law makers break the law, there is no law" said Billy Jack (Anyone remember that movie??)

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I remember that there was such a movie, though I did not see it. What a nail-on-the-head statement though; something an authentic democrat and an authentic republican would agree on. That would apply to law enforcers and law interpreters as well. We all have responsibilities to our society's democratically rendered social contract, but those paid and trusted to promote and protect the public's interests and unalienable human rights have accepted critical additional duties. Those who substantially and deliberately abuse that trust, e.g., corruption, are effectively traitors.

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I remember the movie, Billy Jack. The song from the movie, One Tin Soldier, still brings a tear to my eye.

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Billy Jack was huge in in our area near Palestine, TX.

We all saw it at the former outdoor theatre there.

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It was also huge in our area of North Central Texas, (Denison). I live in San Antonio now.

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Unfortunately he’s not the only one.

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IMO, Tuberville is committing what I call Constitutional Original Sin. He is imposing his RELIGIOUS beliefs on the nation, on the people, on the military. That is anti-American. That is totalitarianism. Which is weakening our nations defense. How is that defensible?

Everyone has a right to a personal view of abortion, marriage or how to brew beer at home. But nobody has the right to force those beliefs on others.

Why is the Democratically controlled Senate so quiet about this monster? Why aren't they changing the rules? Manchin, Sinema? Where are the military personnel? Where are the veterans?I am hearing crickets.

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Heather addressed the why in her talk on Tuesday.

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Thanks. I won't visit FB - I can't support the platform that brought us nightmare after nightmare.

I know about the Senate dynamics. But what I am not hearing is enough outrage and demands for this Senators objections to be overridden.

Here is a link from the DOD describing how bad this is.

https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3453605/senate-nominations-hold-stalls-hundreds-of-military-leader-appointments/

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Over 100 million people have signed up for Threads. What a shame. We need more social media like a damn hole in the head.

And Tuberville is about as intelligent as the average garden slug.

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My sentiments exactly regarding FB. I ditched them over a year ago and I am much happier. I get my news from credible news sources such as the Guardian, Means Morning News, The Seattle Times and of course Heather. All while loathing FB and Twitter.

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with FB, as is often the case on any site, what you learn, the information you share and receive from others has lot to do with what you yourself present or say. I've ended up connecting with some amazing, very intelligent activists, artists, writers..many of them are very successful in what they do, and very gifted.

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Me neither. I refuse to use it. I would rather pound my thumb with a hammer...

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It was an excellent talk! I am so happy that the video was available later.

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Is it on YouTube?

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Where is the video available? Thank you

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Facebook, Heather Cox Richardson page

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No way will I use Facebook, Twitter, or Threads. I despise their bosses

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I AM ABOUT A YEAR FREE OF FECEBOOK & TWITS.

I really wish that all ppl, agencies, companies & orgs could kick the habit. They are cutting me and many others who are not addicted to those despicable sites off of their info.

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Heather is the only reason I am on fb. I can't find her on you tube , not recent ones anyway.

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Try listening to younger, independent newscasters (who are also lawyers!) on the Midas Touch network. They are unapologetic-ally PRO-democracy!!! Especially Michael Popock and Glenn Kirschner - check them out!!

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Bill obvious Manchin and Sinema-- they have only 49 votes

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One cannot call oneself a patriot while undermining the military. The entire Senate is complicit.

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Bill, as a vet I agree that we have to keep the best leadrship confirmed and what Tubby is doing is disgraceful, but the D's just are two votes short to change the rules as I suspect both Manchin and Sinema are holding back---so it's not the whole Senate that is complicit--just Rs

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I hear you. I understand the mechanics of this. But sometimes an outrageous and insulting situation presents such a threat to our nation that a powerful statement should be made. I would like to see the Democrats in the Senate lose some decorum. Lay down in the aisles, throw tomatoes, rally vets and the families of service members to protest. Something to make it clear that the Republicans are now NOT the party of patriotism.

OK, I'll calm down. Maybe this will be one of the key campaign issues that brings us the Blue Tsunami and Blue Trifecta November 2024. Irony of ironies is that Alabama has several military bases. Will Tommy Tuberville be the campaign gift that keeps on giving?

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Just charge him with treason or censor him so he can't vote and it won't matter if he holds out.

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ABOVE THE LAW

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Censure.

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Remember when Republicans portrayed themselves as the party of national security and law and order? Now they are the party of craven surrender and criminality.

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In voting for "The Old Ball Coach", the military forces in Alabama got just what they wanted, a dik-headed monster. They man doesn;t care one wit about the oath he took to defend our country. We have every reason to charge him with treason!

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What Alabamians got was, number one, an ex-football coach including a long stint at Auburn. That alone would sway a large swath of Alabama voters. Number two - he's a "good ole boy" - doesn't say it outright, even denies it, but is racist nonetheless and white folks down there know it. He'll do what he can to keep the blacks in their place. Third - he is (or claims to be) an evangelical Christian. That gets a ton of votes in deep south states for sure. Doug Jones, during the brief time he was Senator, was just what Alabama needed in the Senate. A semi-conservative with a brain. A way to show that progress is being made in Alabama to join the country rather than represent the Confederacy. But no - Alabamians showed their true colors by rejecting a fine Senator (Jones) and inserting a wholly unqualified bigot (Tuberville) instead. That dolts like him keep finding their way into our national government continues to enrage me, and reminds me that all my life I was mistaken about the special position American voters deserved.

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Also notice another football state (Ohio) that has Jim (Gym) Jordan representing Republicans. Very SAD!!!!!

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I couldn’t agree more.

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Treason is the only crime defined in the Constitution, and his offenses don’t fit it. But he is the stupidest member of the Senate, maybe in the past 100 years.

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True, Tuberville's conduct doesn't amount to treason, but what Trump did with those missing 48 documents, and more, might. How to explain the sudden deaths last summer of some who were close to Putin? Were they informants? Did Putin learn this from documents given to him by Trump? Is it just a coincidence?

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trump took the documents in January of 2021. In October and November of 2021 a large number of CIA agents were outed. A coincidence? trump would sell his daughter for the right price.

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I agree and I think that U.S. Intelligence knows it. I am hoping that they have disclosed this info to Judge Cannon so that she will give TFG no leeway. If TFG's treason were disclosed there would be a huge eruption in this country and those 50 million supporters would not change their allegiance to him. We're in a very serious and dangerous pickle.

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I think you might mean sedition, for what he did on Jan 6th. I think that until we're sure about why he kept the documents, the less said the better.

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Definitely sedition on Jan. 6, seditious conspiracy. But, the documents, particularly the missing ones, that could well be a different crime. Giving aid and comfort to the enemy is treason. Even Jan. 6 could qualify as treason, an attempt to overthrow the lawful government of the U.S. Obviously, I think the absolute worst of Trump but not without reason.

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We don't know why he held onto the documents, but I'm inclined to believe that he handled them so carelessly because he didn't understand their potential value. That could be why he dug in his heels, decided to turn it into a Trump as Victim scenario, and it snowballed. He might then have decided that he'll fight the charges and that no jury in Florida would ever convict him.

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Exactly right. Thanks.

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As we blather…

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Kennedy from LA might give him a run for his money.

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Oh thats a really high bar.

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Its a shame there isnt a crime defining stupidity - that would certainly clear out much of the deadwood in Congress at this point!

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Republican deadwood - SAD!

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How about seditions then?

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Treason? You're exaggerating. We should be asking why he's doing this and who put him up to it.

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Sinister Gooberville and Sinister Manchin,

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Louie Gomer is Rep Gooberville.

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That man was a judge in Texas. I’d forgotten about that representative gooberville

You know, there can be an entire Gooberville family in Congress.

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Love this! He’s been my “favorite “ Congressional idiot for years. Not one lick of sense or actual recognition of facts has ever been exhibited by him.

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Seriously? HE was a judge????????????????????

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It time to send Diogenes into the Republican Party. I’m afraid his search would fail. The arrogance of ignorance rules the party.

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Tuberville and the rest of The Republican Christian Fascists are even willing to destroy our Military in order to get their way.

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Yeah really Cathy. Usually there are good reasons for Senate rules or norms. I would like to have someone explain just why unanimous consent is a good idea.

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If we can pass a 'budget' comprised of a couple of thousand pages and involving trillions of dollars, I don't understand why we couldn't put all 265 names in one bill and pass them. Sometimes the 'rules' that the Senate notionally operates under seem more like reasons not to take any action that might engender responsibility for the results.

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Good idea. Wonder why they have done it already...

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I dunno, maybe they're not bright enough to figure it out.

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Here’s a suggestion: if everyone online here plus your friends called his office in DC and SC often and express yourselves as to how you are disturbed by his disgraceful penalty to our military, it might provide him with a reason to stop his disgraceful conduct

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