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Thanks. I think I am okay now.

Steve Wedgwood

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In their bullying panic, Trump and MAGA world are coming close to threatening civil war. The threats will grow stronger unless we the people denounce the insanity and find ways to work together, Democrats, independents, and sensible, sane Republicans whose party leadership is abandoning them. I'm speaking to groups about how we can lower the political temperature. https://jimbuie.substack.com/p/violent-conflict-in-us-soon

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A religious autocracy in the USA.

Long live the King

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Amen. Can we cling to good news, that the Dow also confirmed the survival of the rule of law. by being up 600 points? And, just sayin', write (email) your Senators and Congressional Reps!!!. Sadly I am saddled with Scott and Rubio, and I may have used the word "SHAME" in my letters....

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deletedJun 2
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I hate Trump, and would like to see him in prison. His federal crimes, like instigating insurrection and trying to falsify an election are worthy of sending him away for a good long time. However, the crimes of which he was just convicted in NYC are misdemeanors raised to the lowest level of felony by a novel interpretation of the law, in which a state punishes a federal crime that has rarely if ever been prosecuted before, let alone achieved a conviction - namely of misreporting as a campaign expense a payment to a romantic partner. To prosecute a presidential candidate on such a charge is very arguably judicial overreach, and gives credence to the MAGA contention that Trump is the victim of political persecution. It riles and energizes his base, and paints him as sympathetic to some undecided voters, while giving our side no more than a taste of vengeance, along with a premature sense of victory that may enervate rather than energize our efforts to defeat him at the polls in November. Meanwhile, pussyfooting federal prosecutors, from Merritt Garland on down, have cooperated with justices sympathetic with Trump to drag their feet on the more valid charges, resulting in delays that, if Trump wins in November, will ensure that no trials will go forward, and if Trump loses will probably see him flee to some haven beyond U.S. extradition. Donald Trump, Russian Oligarch - how does that sound for a man who has taken a sledgehammer to American institutions, and given us a Republican party that endorses civil war, and a Supreme Court that has already set us back fifty years and is raring to go further back?

Cool your jets, revenge-seekers. The only available vengeance will be at the polls in November, and that campaign (so far at least) ain't goin' well!

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Attempting (successfully, at that) to influence an election isn't a misdemeanor; it is a serious crime.

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Yes, a candidate paying off an adultery to avoid a scandal and then deducting the payoff from his taxable income by calling it a legal expense is a crime. But prosecuting him for it has at least the appearance of being politically motivated, because it's rare, while trying to influence an election is all too common. Trump did it himself in Georgia, and for that he should be tried, convicted, and punished. If Trump weren't a candidate for the upcoming election, this trial never would've occurred, so however righteous the conviction, the charge has at least the appearance of a witch-hunt. If he's elected president, the conviction will be forgotten; if he loses, he'll be on probation and have to check in from time to time with a parole officer. Sweet revenge for us Trump-haters, but not a significant punishment for his real crimes. No way he'll go to jail. And if he's then tried and convicted for some of those, he'll flee the country, vowing to return and stirring up as much trouble as he can, a thorn in our side until he dies at age 101.

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P.S.: Remember: It was taxes that finally brought Al Capone down, after he had escaped jail for years for his far graver crimes. . .

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I say, nail the son of a bitch any way you can. I'd have preferred to see him nailed for treason, which might even result in the death penalty, but this will do for openers. And (from what I have read) the conviction for these offenses makes it likelier that juries will vote to convict for other offenses. Sorry, but I see no sign of a witch hunt about this. A calm, methodical, and (to those of us who still believe in the rule of law) satisfying process all around!

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