I had to come out of hiding for this Richardson masterpiece.
Heather opened this letter with a picture and ended it with another. First, her words had us seeing that door lock, which had been wedged in the Democratic National Committee headquarters located in the Watergate Office building. We see it twice because we are following the sec…
I had to come out of hiding for this Richardson masterpiece.
Heather opened this letter with a picture and ended it with another. First, her words had us seeing that door lock, which had been wedged in the Democratic National Committee headquarters located in the Watergate Office building. We see it twice because we are following the security guard on his rounds. He spotted them. So was the beginning of the end of Nixon's presidency.
In closing, Heather takes us to Florida and a recorded telephone call. A Republican, William Braddock, who is running for Congress is on the phone with a conservative a activist. Braddock says he has access to a 'Russian and Ukrainian hit squad' and threatens to have them eliminate his main opponent in the race. These guys on the phone are like so many mobsters we've seen in the movies. “I am in deep, I will admit that,” Braddock allegedly said. “If I lose, I’m going to have to move out of the country. But if I win, I’m going to help make a difference for everyone in the country.” (Letter)
Heather started with Watergate and ended with a Republican congressional candidate threatening to hire a hit squad for the purpose of murdering his opponent. The combination of a Russian-Ukrainian hit squad did strike my funny-bone.
It's been 49 years since the Watergate break-in and a big step from that to the contemplation of murder by a Republican candidate . Of course, it is also a big step from a President to congressional candidate.
Heather Letter encouraged one more step and that is to the subject of morality. We, subscribers, have been steeped in the issues of equality, voting rights, the filibuster, the BIG LIE, Joe Manchin, Mitch McConnell, the Republican Party, minority rule... it is not time for full-throated discussions about morality in America?
Thanks for bringing up morality. Just a focus on basic honesty would be a step forward. (I still hear my father's oft-repeated, terse admonitions: one lie leads to another, two wrongs don't make a right — not that I didn't stray from his clear path.) But honesty is essentially dead in many quarters.
Skillful lying is seen as an important skill by many, in all aspects of life. Look how it's deployed as a weapon on Fox and other right-wing shows. Among the innumerable things I will never understand is how evangelical Christians excuse it, not to mention a litany of other moral transgressions. I guess blatant hypocrisy is part of this bubbling over stew of sins.
It also would suggest that something has to be done to lead to significantly more rapid prosecution of people that contravene the law....even if it is "only" the Hatch Act! Saying that the law is "difficult" is BS. The law can be "clarified"and changed. That's what politicians are for. If the will is there it can be used to punish those being "immoral" in these ways, if it is not then we are not living in a democracy. Boasting that you know hit men is probably not illegal in itself....jus a bit stupid but what's new about that?... but conspiring to use them and actually doing the job is another. It would also be instructive to ask the person how he knew them and to follow the trail it offered.
What appals me with the many examples of such "immorality" and clear illegality offered by the Republicans from Ex-President on down is that nothing seems to happen! Where is the will to uphold all of the law all of the time. I thought France was bad with the length of time it takes to get any delinquant into court and thereafter into jail...but at least they finally get there even if it is 20 years later. The French spend only half per head of what the other wealthy European countries spend on their justice system....its getting some attention now only because it is becoming a problem for the politicians! Canada attacked the problem differently. As the Canadian Constitution guarrentees fair and timely procedure, the Supreme Court, in a fit of frustration with the lack of ressources etc for Canadian Justice system and consequent unconstitutionality of actual process, decreed that any crime not brought to court within 2 years of the perpetrator being charged is null and void....even murder. This put a spur up the government's rear end....imagine the "popularity of having to release a rapist, murderer or a bribed politician! The government took notice, massively increased ressources going to the justice system, reorganized the whole system and made the judges work significantly harder and more often.
We don't want "show trials" but the people demand action and action requires ressources.....not just debate about the possibilty of such iniquities and a fervent desire that people reflect on their inner values and adopt firm intentions to be good.....in some distant future.
It has only been in the last decade, a US federal judge was given a time period in which to decide on a case. I believe it to be 2-years which is an awful long time to sit in a level 4 waiting for a decision. Before, that time waiting could be much longer for them to "just" decide.
Even so and after the AEDPA was passed, District Federal courts were limited in deciding the legality of a state conviction.
"AEDPA bars a federal habeas court from granting a writ to any person in custody under a judgment of a state court “with respect to any claim that was adjudicated on the merits in State court proceedings unless the adjudication of the claim (1) resulted in a decision that was contrary to, or involved an unreasonable application of, clearly established Federal law, as determined by the Supreme Court of the United States."
The ADEPA passage was the first time in decades (centuries) a legislature of a western democracy had put restrictions on the “Great Writ." Before the AEDPA, >50% of Death Row convictions were able to get relief through the Federal Courts. It dropped to 12% afterwards. Biden saw issues with it and big daddy Clinton did not. But Biden did back the 1994 crime bill which put many who could not afford a good attorney into prison. Most cases are plea-bargained and if you contest and make them work, you can be assured of a longer sentence. Law and order politicians and citizens are a blight on this nation.
Any idea how long it takes for SCOTUS to say "no?"
The days of Gideon v. Wainwright are little more than a footnote in history as is equality under the law.
The US court system is flawed for citizen without influence and empowered to be so by the Federal legislature. Then too, the courts make bad decisions which are not changed by the legislature Where would the MBNA Senator be today without Marquette Nat. Bank of Minneapolis v. First of Omaha Service Corp.?
We are not good at demanding action or even acting.
Just makes me think of a project that i had with KPMG in the early 80s in Montreal. I forget what it was about but it meant that i had to interview a very senior judge. I found to my dismay that he actually worked 4 hours on Tuesdays, 2 hours on Wednesdays and 4 more on Thursdays for no more than 8 months a year and fairly early retirement. The rest of the time was rest, relaxation and oh er...reflection!
Good morning dear Fern. I understand your coming out of hiding for this Letter. And your question of exploring the thread of morality in the many topics which we on this forum have engaged in with great discussion tugs at me. Yesterday, TC brought up a comment from Congressman Matt Rosendale regarding his strong opposition to making Juneteenth a federal holiday. I quote…
"This legislation is the culmination of decades of efforts by the Left to prevent unashamed celebrations of our national story, heritage, and history." 😳
I read this and commented to TC how difficult it is respond to this type of rhetoric because it brings up in me the exact feeling I had watching the January 6th insurrection in live time and all the recordings of it after. Feelings of trauma, stress and distress, stunning witness to violence, chaos, reality out of order. That event on January 6th and all the implications after reflect to me the breakdown of the moral structure I hold around certain foundations of the 3 branches of government and inalienable guideposts such as “we the people hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal….” When one is reminded again and again by egregious lies, running commentary, and traitorous behaviors that tear away the moral threads that hold a democracy together, it become this morass of sludge. One goes to bed tired and wakes up tired. It’s like this devised force wearing and weighting one down. There is no draining of any proverbial swamp. When morality is compromised , the moral compass struggles to find true north.
And I don’t like it. Sigh. A “full throated discussion” about morality in America is overdue and avoided by ones who we assume to lead it. Do we know how to have such?
Christine, you have articulated so well the feelings I have, but have been unable to put words to. I “go to bed tired, and wake up tired”. The assault on the moral fabric of my life, and the very society that we all deserve to live in, is both unsettling and exhausting. I live in a constant fear and anxiety. I try to tell myself to let it go, to walk away and ignore it and just “live my life”, but morality won’t allow it. “If I don’t fight, then who will?”
In the years since WWll, Germany has had to look at itself in the mirror and recognize its national sins. America needs to do the same thing, but has a much greater time period to cover. America was created in the idea that all people are created equal, but has only acted on that idea in fits and starts. We cannot long endure if when crimes are committed and come to light, the response is “So what.” That applies at every level from local to national and in every company in the country, as companies can also be corrupt.
You are absolutely correct, which was a novel idea at the time, the old world idea being the aristocracy were the people with rights. The R’s are right in line with that antiquated thinking.
Ah, Fern, thank you--I forget how the past 5+ years have been so wearing on many of us on top of this global pandemic. Some days I just cannot understand why this weariness encompasses me suddenly, and then passes after about 24 hours and my desire to fight for our country re-emerges again, thank goodness. Thank you for the reminder of how we are bringing out Light through some pretty figging thick sludge of anti-American, anti-POC officials and their supporters. This is so surreal.
Morning, Fern!! So glad to hear from you. As always, you get to the heart of the matter, that intangible we on this page have been pursuing IMO, though not directly calling it out.
I've been thinking this very thing about morality in America (possibly since the days of the "Moral Majority", and certainly since Al Gore was robbed of the White House). The conservatives boast about their "family values" (with policies that mostly harm families - especially any family NOT composed of a relatively wealthy, generally white, male married to a dependent, generally white, woman, and a couple of privately-schooled, trust-funded children) - when it has always been clear that, in my own lifetime, it has been liberals and progressives who made efforts to protect families and to expand the definition of family to include all of us who care about and for others in groupings that do not fit that very limited "ideal".
I had to come out of hiding for this Richardson masterpiece.
Heather opened this letter with a picture and ended it with another. First, her words had us seeing that door lock, which had been wedged in the Democratic National Committee headquarters located in the Watergate Office building. We see it twice because we are following the security guard on his rounds. He spotted them. So was the beginning of the end of Nixon's presidency.
In closing, Heather takes us to Florida and a recorded telephone call. A Republican, William Braddock, who is running for Congress is on the phone with a conservative a activist. Braddock says he has access to a 'Russian and Ukrainian hit squad' and threatens to have them eliminate his main opponent in the race. These guys on the phone are like so many mobsters we've seen in the movies. “I am in deep, I will admit that,” Braddock allegedly said. “If I lose, I’m going to have to move out of the country. But if I win, I’m going to help make a difference for everyone in the country.” (Letter)
Heather started with Watergate and ended with a Republican congressional candidate threatening to hire a hit squad for the purpose of murdering his opponent. The combination of a Russian-Ukrainian hit squad did strike my funny-bone.
It's been 49 years since the Watergate break-in and a big step from that to the contemplation of murder by a Republican candidate . Of course, it is also a big step from a President to congressional candidate.
Heather Letter encouraged one more step and that is to the subject of morality. We, subscribers, have been steeped in the issues of equality, voting rights, the filibuster, the BIG LIE, Joe Manchin, Mitch McConnell, the Republican Party, minority rule... it is not time for full-throated discussions about morality in America?
Thanks for bringing up morality. Just a focus on basic honesty would be a step forward. (I still hear my father's oft-repeated, terse admonitions: one lie leads to another, two wrongs don't make a right — not that I didn't stray from his clear path.) But honesty is essentially dead in many quarters.
Skillful lying is seen as an important skill by many, in all aspects of life. Look how it's deployed as a weapon on Fox and other right-wing shows. Among the innumerable things I will never understand is how evangelical Christians excuse it, not to mention a litany of other moral transgressions. I guess blatant hypocrisy is part of this bubbling over stew of sins.
Hear hear, Michael! And I hear my father saying "the ends don't justify the means"
And if I lied, the punishment was worse than whatever I lied about.
My mother said lying made for two sins, 1) what you did wrong to start with 2) lying about #1. That made for really big trouble in our house.
It also would suggest that something has to be done to lead to significantly more rapid prosecution of people that contravene the law....even if it is "only" the Hatch Act! Saying that the law is "difficult" is BS. The law can be "clarified"and changed. That's what politicians are for. If the will is there it can be used to punish those being "immoral" in these ways, if it is not then we are not living in a democracy. Boasting that you know hit men is probably not illegal in itself....jus a bit stupid but what's new about that?... but conspiring to use them and actually doing the job is another. It would also be instructive to ask the person how he knew them and to follow the trail it offered.
What appals me with the many examples of such "immorality" and clear illegality offered by the Republicans from Ex-President on down is that nothing seems to happen! Where is the will to uphold all of the law all of the time. I thought France was bad with the length of time it takes to get any delinquant into court and thereafter into jail...but at least they finally get there even if it is 20 years later. The French spend only half per head of what the other wealthy European countries spend on their justice system....its getting some attention now only because it is becoming a problem for the politicians! Canada attacked the problem differently. As the Canadian Constitution guarrentees fair and timely procedure, the Supreme Court, in a fit of frustration with the lack of ressources etc for Canadian Justice system and consequent unconstitutionality of actual process, decreed that any crime not brought to court within 2 years of the perpetrator being charged is null and void....even murder. This put a spur up the government's rear end....imagine the "popularity of having to release a rapist, murderer or a bribed politician! The government took notice, massively increased ressources going to the justice system, reorganized the whole system and made the judges work significantly harder and more often.
We don't want "show trials" but the people demand action and action requires ressources.....not just debate about the possibilty of such iniquities and a fervent desire that people reflect on their inner values and adopt firm intentions to be good.....in some distant future.
Stuart:
It has only been in the last decade, a US federal judge was given a time period in which to decide on a case. I believe it to be 2-years which is an awful long time to sit in a level 4 waiting for a decision. Before, that time waiting could be much longer for them to "just" decide.
Even so and after the AEDPA was passed, District Federal courts were limited in deciding the legality of a state conviction.
"AEDPA bars a federal habeas court from granting a writ to any person in custody under a judgment of a state court “with respect to any claim that was adjudicated on the merits in State court proceedings unless the adjudication of the claim (1) resulted in a decision that was contrary to, or involved an unreasonable application of, clearly established Federal law, as determined by the Supreme Court of the United States."
The ADEPA passage was the first time in decades (centuries) a legislature of a western democracy had put restrictions on the “Great Writ." Before the AEDPA, >50% of Death Row convictions were able to get relief through the Federal Courts. It dropped to 12% afterwards. Biden saw issues with it and big daddy Clinton did not. But Biden did back the 1994 crime bill which put many who could not afford a good attorney into prison. Most cases are plea-bargained and if you contest and make them work, you can be assured of a longer sentence. Law and order politicians and citizens are a blight on this nation.
Any idea how long it takes for SCOTUS to say "no?"
The days of Gideon v. Wainwright are little more than a footnote in history as is equality under the law.
The US court system is flawed for citizen without influence and empowered to be so by the Federal legislature. Then too, the courts make bad decisions which are not changed by the legislature Where would the MBNA Senator be today without Marquette Nat. Bank of Minneapolis v. First of Omaha Service Corp.?
We are not good at demanding action or even acting.
Just makes me think of a project that i had with KPMG in the early 80s in Montreal. I forget what it was about but it meant that i had to interview a very senior judge. I found to my dismay that he actually worked 4 hours on Tuesdays, 2 hours on Wednesdays and 4 more on Thursdays for no more than 8 months a year and fairly early retirement. The rest of the time was rest, relaxation and oh er...reflection!
Just like 45's "executive time" LOLOL
It got in the way of his golf
Good morning dear Fern. I understand your coming out of hiding for this Letter. And your question of exploring the thread of morality in the many topics which we on this forum have engaged in with great discussion tugs at me. Yesterday, TC brought up a comment from Congressman Matt Rosendale regarding his strong opposition to making Juneteenth a federal holiday. I quote…
"This legislation is the culmination of decades of efforts by the Left to prevent unashamed celebrations of our national story, heritage, and history." 😳
I read this and commented to TC how difficult it is respond to this type of rhetoric because it brings up in me the exact feeling I had watching the January 6th insurrection in live time and all the recordings of it after. Feelings of trauma, stress and distress, stunning witness to violence, chaos, reality out of order. That event on January 6th and all the implications after reflect to me the breakdown of the moral structure I hold around certain foundations of the 3 branches of government and inalienable guideposts such as “we the people hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal….” When one is reminded again and again by egregious lies, running commentary, and traitorous behaviors that tear away the moral threads that hold a democracy together, it become this morass of sludge. One goes to bed tired and wakes up tired. It’s like this devised force wearing and weighting one down. There is no draining of any proverbial swamp. When morality is compromised , the moral compass struggles to find true north.
And I don’t like it. Sigh. A “full throated discussion” about morality in America is overdue and avoided by ones who we assume to lead it. Do we know how to have such?
Christine, you have articulated so well the feelings I have, but have been unable to put words to. I “go to bed tired, and wake up tired”. The assault on the moral fabric of my life, and the very society that we all deserve to live in, is both unsettling and exhausting. I live in a constant fear and anxiety. I try to tell myself to let it go, to walk away and ignore it and just “live my life”, but morality won’t allow it. “If I don’t fight, then who will?”
In the years since WWll, Germany has had to look at itself in the mirror and recognize its national sins. America needs to do the same thing, but has a much greater time period to cover. America was created in the idea that all people are created equal, but has only acted on that idea in fits and starts. We cannot long endure if when crimes are committed and come to light, the response is “So what.” That applies at every level from local to national and in every company in the country, as companies can also be corrupt.
Hi Jenn, well, the idea in the constitution was that all MEN are created equal, and the rules anointed property owners of a certain level as "men".
You are absolutely correct, which was a novel idea at the time, the old world idea being the aristocracy were the people with rights. The R’s are right in line with that antiquated thinking.
Ah, Fern, thank you--I forget how the past 5+ years have been so wearing on many of us on top of this global pandemic. Some days I just cannot understand why this weariness encompasses me suddenly, and then passes after about 24 hours and my desire to fight for our country re-emerges again, thank goodness. Thank you for the reminder of how we are bringing out Light through some pretty figging thick sludge of anti-American, anti-POC officials and their supporters. This is so surreal.
As long as something is done about it thereafter so that things change for the better.
Morning, Fern!! So glad to hear from you. As always, you get to the heart of the matter, that intangible we on this page have been pursuing IMO, though not directly calling it out.
I've been thinking this very thing about morality in America (possibly since the days of the "Moral Majority", and certainly since Al Gore was robbed of the White House). The conservatives boast about their "family values" (with policies that mostly harm families - especially any family NOT composed of a relatively wealthy, generally white, male married to a dependent, generally white, woman, and a couple of privately-schooled, trust-funded children) - when it has always been clear that, in my own lifetime, it has been liberals and progressives who made efforts to protect families and to expand the definition of family to include all of us who care about and for others in groupings that do not fit that very limited "ideal".
Thank You Fern!! These 2 pictures needed your illumination! Sure hope this moment is as pivotal as that one in 1972.
Hey Fern!