402 Comments

Incredibly sickening and infuriating that Teflon Don aka tffg will evade the consequences of his crimes. How frustrating for Jack Smith. How sad for the American people. "Justice delayed is justice denied."

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If I were Jack Smith I would go back to the Haugue and live in Europe once again. Where the nutjob that is the president elect can't prosecute him in any way. Demanding that All of the documents related to the prosecution of Trump hang over his head in the vault of the international tribunal.

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My first thought was that he probably would do just that. Maybe he could prosecute Trump for crimes against humanity......

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The United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court...

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But we likely have the most elite criminals. Oh wait…

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I hope the DOJ has a safe haven for Jack, his family, and the other attorneys involved who have been doing their jobs for this country because they are not safe as of Jan 20, 2025, the day of the demise of the USA.

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It's not likely the DOJ will do anything to protect anyone.

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2hEdited

"It's not likely the DOJ will do anything to protect anyone."

Officials instituting dubious and contested DOJ policy have repeatedly protected Donald Trump. Bob Barr, Robert Mueller, and Merrick Garland. Abetting a demagogue, felon, and traitor to become a tyrant. Their error has been compounded by Mitch McConnell's Senate Republicans refusing to convict Trump, twice. The Roberts Court Leonard Leo majority granting Trump immunity. The Republican party. And every eligible American who did not vote for Kamala Harris.

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As a preemptive matter, Biden can issue tens of thousands of pardons -- to people like us. He just pardoned two turkeys.....

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I hope he offers clemency to Leonard Peltier the Native Indian activist falsely accused in aiding and abetting the murder of two FBI agents in 1975. Biden knows all about it.

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He MUST do so STAT!

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Jacks going to be doxed if he hasn’t already? In Mexico or Russia he would fall out of a window or die plane or car crash. How does DOJ protect the man?

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"The DOJ" is about to become Trump's DOJ.

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Jack is a competitive Ironman triathlete so he’ll have plenty of races to take that frustration out on.

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He’ll be back! History informs us, it never ends well for demagogues. Never.

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6hEdited

I beg to differ. Hitler died a quick and easy death after visiting horrific pain on the world. He had a 12 year bender when he was drunk on power. No justice could ever be visited on him for what he did, as Hannah Arendt argued. The same is regrettably true for this crew, because the religion of the benighted US is a maudlin sentimental impunity for the poor persecuted rich and powerful. Need I go into Franco and others?

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Hitler had a quack for a doctor that treated his depression with heavy duty toxic medicines. If anyone gets credit for his death be it by suicide, or at the hands of the men who "discovered" his body, or after killing Eva Braun, who was newly his wife, he was just sick, sick, sick.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15825245/

People in his military tried to kill him but were unsuccessful, which shows how good the military training was of the elite put in charge. Others tried to kill him as well.

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/hitler-assassination-plan/

https://www.annefrank.org/en/timeline/77/german-officers-attempt-to-assassinate-hitler/

https://www.history.co.uk/article/killing-hitler-the-many-assassination-attempts-on-adolf-hitler

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"... he [Hitler] was just sick, sick, sick."

No. Hitler was not "just sick, sick, sick." Seriously. Consider that claim for a minute. Or two.

It was not the failure of those who treated or tried to kill Hitler. It was the failure of those who elected and enabled Hitler. Including Stalin, who directed German Communists to split the antiHitler vote. (A tactic employed in support of Trump, most notably by Stalin heir Putin's Jill Stein - and all on the Left who refused to support Clinton and Harris.)

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The "gang" that couldn't kill history's most demonic being but was so efficient and successful in murdering millions of innocents.....

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Ike did a good job, expensive in American body bags though…

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"Ike did a good job, expensive in American body bags though…"

The Allied Nations - all 49 or so of them - defeated Nazi Germany and The Axis. It is very important, especially now, to correct any notion that one nation or one person defeated Nazi Germany (or the Soviet Union.)

By nation, most of the military body bags held Soviet and Republic of China casualties.

"The Allies were led by the so-called "Big Three"—the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, and the United States—which were the principal contributors of manpower, resources, and strategy, each playing a key role in achieving victory."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_II

"Civilian deaths totaled 50–55 million. Military deaths from all causes totaled 21–25 million, including deaths in captivity of about 5 million prisoners of war. More than half of the total number of casualties are accounted for by the dead of the Republic of China and of the Soviet Union."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties

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Hitler died at age 56.

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Not soon enough.

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🤞

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After a holocaust or two…

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It is so true. Biden did so much but he neglected one big point. He fell asleep at the border. Had he gotten tough, he or Harris would be elected. He just did t want to follow in the steps of Trump

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Additionally, his AG, Merrick Garland was fool a coward or both who should have started the Jan 6 investigation weeks after he was confirmed. Nothing was more important than that. He wasted 2 precious years… makes me sick every time I think about it. Frankly, I MG never gets a good night’s sleep again for as long as he lives.

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Merrick Garland was trying to keep the Justice Department free if any perception of partisan politics. With Trump and his cronies, that proved impossible. Add to that the refusal of Republicans to impeach Trump for obvious crimes.

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Two step: McConnell said we don't have to convict and remove him for organizing a treasonous coup attempt (thereby banning him from future office) after he was impeached by a bipartisan vote of the House, because his term is about to expire - let the justice system prosecute him.

Supremacist Court (packed by McConnell): the president is above the law and has impunity for official acts, however abusive.

Sequel: President Biden is too conscientious to abuse power (as allowed by the MAGA Court) to bring de facto justice down on the Conman-in-Chief for his obvious major crimes.

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Agree, Mark, but part of me wants Biden to go rogue….and stick it to TFFFG for all his illegal behavior via Presidential edict, especially as SCOTUS has effectively given POTUS a “get out of jail free” mandate. IMHO, Joe believes too much in responsibilities/obligations of the office to take such action. At least I would be surprised if he did.

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He may yet get an opportunity to unburden himself in a way that everyone will understand. I hope so. His beautiful team! all that wonderful work! The enemy is already imploding, but it won't help us very much.

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What might going rogue look like (#1) then, what if that were enacted THEATRICALLY (#2) and publicly! Articulated vision is absent where I gaze out at goings on locally and at large scale. Complaints and frustrations are abundantly cited but cohesive vision, convincingly portrayed is another story. Behaving well (like Biden and Jack Smith do) supports value-based civil authority but 'arts' can let it rip. Biden's team can still create context that's persuasive (not legislative) and being audacious might be the best counter-balance to conclude his term in office and to transition into the future.

Quoting Phil Balla from several days ago here, after crediting Trump for being a "long-practiced showman":

"During the lead-up to the recent election, I often argued for teams of Dems to organize and appear together in public. I stress that again now. Dems should hire the best PR firms to coordinate, to fine-tune how they may support each other before the American public. They need to be good, very good.

Combinations to consider to get Dems recovered and competing with the nihilist billionaires:

Jamie Raskin, Mallory McMorrow, Katie Porter, Raphael Warnock; Sheldon Whitehouse, Gretchen Whitmer, Ro Khanna, Gary Peters; Pete Buttigieg, Eric Swalwell, Tammy Baldwin, Amy Klobuchar; Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Elissa Slotkin; Liz Warren, Jared Moskowitz, Josh Shapiro, Kamala Harris; Dan Goldman, Gavin Newsom, Adam Schiff, Michelle Obama; Pramila Jayapal, Hakeem Jeffries, Chris Coons, Jasmine Crockett."

Just sayin' ...... because we need envisioning that lingers and motivates and attracts benevolent forces. Not to manipulate or grasp power but to inspire. Leadership.

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Rogue: “Joe needs to resign, sending

Kamala to the Presidency for the last two months, making her the 47th President.

Then while she's there, sign executive orders and codify Roe V Wade and set term limits for the Supreme Court. And she would be able to do all of this legally since the Supreme Court ruled a sitting President is above the law. She could conceivably order recounts and "find some more votes" without fear of criminality. She can change the rules for an election so that anyone with a convicted felony on their record wouldn't ever be able to run or be sworn in for any office in the land. She could give Trump a taste of his own medicine without any repercussions whatsoever.”

Joy Behar

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Joe go rogue, haha

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Time for Seal Team Six. 😉

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That is called decency on Biden's part. Given the consequences I wonder if some times, and i mean some times we should bend a little bit 🤔

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By trying to keep the Justice Department free of any perception of partisan politics we have trump again.

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No good deed goes unpunished.

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Repeat often, while some good deeds are still remembered

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DJT is the Embodiment of Corruption... Decency, Mercy, are Considered Weakness... Trying to avoid the Appearance of Political Persecution doomed the DoJ efforts... The Republicans will have no such Qualms....

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Repubs don’t know what a qualm is.

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This should have been priority number one, day one.

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So disappointed in Garland. There must be more reasoning? But Garland knew he never had the Supreme Court.

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Yes absolutely disappointed. Then he hired a MAGA to investigate Biden remember? Can you believe it?

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Ted, I hope someday some investigative reporter will suss out the strategy, or lack thereof, of MG’s approach to some historically serious crimes against our country. I gave him A LOT of latitude early on, but became increasingly concerned he dropped the ball…or that maybe didn’t care if he did so.

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Garland testified at his confirmation hearing that he wanted to work 'from the bottom up' starting with J6 insurrectionists which sits at 1243 defendants. Apparently Biden's office was unhappy with the pace. Way to snatch 'defeat from the jaws of victory' you idiot! https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/22/us/politics/trump-jan-6-merrick-garland.html?unlocked_article_code=1.c04.k4EL.8qFH340TYEsD&smid=url-share

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Maybe why I’m up at 4am

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You’re forgetting the bipartisan bill he was ready to sign but which, nixed by Trump, the Republicans refused to support. Senator Langford (R-OK) may be able to revive it before the great deportation, but I doubt it.

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There are so many bad guys in Congress today hiding to look like the righteous - I can't imagine how that might ever get cleaned up.

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How much are we paying these people to rub shit in our faces? That’s not a rhetorical question.

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Senators and Representatives receive $174,000 plus benefits and expenses.

Speaker ($223K) and President Pro Tempore ($193K)

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Plus, their behind-the-scene supporters are $upporting their craziness.

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You mean under the table?

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Nixed by Trump. Repeatedly. It was maddening. He wasn't President, he wasn't part of the Congress.

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Yet, he ruled the fools, maddening and unexplicable

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He’s either smarter than we think (or maybe just more cunning and diabolical) or a very lucky man. Maybe both. 👹

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Pls cancel the "maybe " and you'll a real picture. He was also lucky by having Merrick Garland as AG and a too decent man as POTUS

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Maddening but not inexplicable. The explanation starts with Brown v. Board and goes on from there.

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He was and is a cult leader.

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No Virginia, it won't be revived before the great deportation, its the circus the MAGA demands and that's what they are to get regardless of better alternatives.

They don't have an ounce of decency.

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Virginia I’m not. What did he do for the first two or three years. Nothing absnothing. that’s the truth but some refuse to believe it.

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Do you mean Biden did nothing? Are you unaware of what it took to put NATO back together, to get US back in the climate accords, to deal with Ukraine, and put together the legislation for recovery from Covid, the jobs acts? He worked as hard as any president ever and achieved more than most.

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On the border issue this is what I speak. And I know what I say.

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You're sounding like those other guys. Do your homework before you open your mouth.

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and he did not brag enough about his economic policies and results, so he wore the initial covid-induced inflation right through to the election.

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6hEdited

YES. THIS. Joe Biden did some great things, especially in his first two years. But he never TOLD ANYONE! Even for me, a lifelong Dem and Biden supporter, it was sometimes hard to find the info associated with his greatest successes.

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And the press just wasn't interested.

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True, and not only that, I realized it’s already all tfg, all the time right now. I constantly get bulletins about who he’s nominated, how much of a tariff he plans to put on Canada, etc. He’s not even inaugurated and it’s constant.

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Decent self-effacement devalued and obliterated by four years of lying bombast.

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No, the Press never told anyone. The msm has covered everything trump for years, but they should have been blasting out all the great things Biden has accomplished.

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djt’s voters were brainwashed through fox noise. Do you think fox viewers knew about the border deal djt nixed because he wanted to use it as a campaign issue? I think not.

The three most dangerous immigrants in this country are rupert and lachlan murdock and leon musk. Ironically, these three are wealthier than the billionaire president-to-be. Interesting dynamic.

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Twenty-twenty hindsight.

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No need to follow the cruel steps of trump. There are always alternatives, legal and humane, he should have implemented.

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The grifting has already begun. From the economy, to education, the environment, to Public Health. A lot of needless suffering is right around the corner.

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The Gilded Age of Grift

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But, eggs!

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My friend who is an astrologer sent out an email declaring that she had correctly predicted every presidential win since Clinton based on their astrology charts. She said that she had never seen so many factors providing so much LUCK as in trump's chart, but that Harris's chart that painted her to be a rising star made her predict that Kamala would win the election. She was right in her evaluation of both candidates' charts but wrong in that his insurmountable luck trumped. He is the definition of the Antichrist....

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It's depressing that so many people didn't vote. I assumed that both sides would break all records.

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Much of that failure is/was due to misinformation. The propagandists went wild this year.

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Rupert has been wild since 1980, went all out for Ronnie and they plotted together…

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Justice delayed, you say? There is no justice here! He’ll be dead or on life support before Trump ever sees a courthouse again!

When you have the Justice Department in your pocket, and it turns out many of the justices are just as crooked and deranged as their fearless leader (million dollar vacations, Winnebago’s, a sexual assaulter, carving out a constitutional immunity), then the system is already rotten to the core, and broken beyond repair!

So good luck with Justice, if it still exists! One thing has been proven; some people are above the law, and can never seriously be prosecuted!

And just like the first Trump administration (RussiaGate), we’re already seeing this administration break the law, and they haven’t even been inaugurated yet! Let that sink in!

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I agree you except “the arc of justice is long and bends toward truth” there is always for justice everyone !

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6hEdited

Another Thing To Worry About... On Fareed Zakaria's 'GPS' Yesterday.... Eric Schmidt, one of the Founders of 'Google', stated that the Chinese have reached Parity in A.I. ... They are not as restrained in its use as the U.S. is... Eric Schmidt has been working with Ukrainians in advancing Military Technology at a Rate far more rapid then the USA using A.I.... While the USA has taken a Giant Step Backward, the Chinese, and their Allies are Advancing... You should watch that Interview... There is Much More...

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At least suspend the clock on the statute of limitations while Trump is in office.

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Trump is already showing signs of dementia. This is from his speech to the Economic Club of New York on 9/6/24.

"After 12 years of decline, we had an annual 7 billion new homeowners. It never happened before. And in three years, we raised 7 billion new jobs, 260% more than projected. When I took office, I said you couldn’t get in those projections. And we were 260% higher than what we said we could do. From the day I went on to the day I left, it hasn’t paid 500 increase by 80%. And we did it all with virtually no inflation. Virtually no inflation."

And he's reading from a teleprompter. There are many other examples of how he is totally cray-cray but almost no one in the corporate media says a word about it.

And yet, if Biden trips over a crack in the sidewalk, he's too old to do anything but watch TV.

Who among Trump's cabinet and advisors from 2017-2024 endorsed him for President again? Only the flip-floppers like Bill Barr and Nikki Haley.

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He will get inaugurated, then all bets are off. Repubs will have their permanent Repub majority. Mitch’s wet dream.

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The good news: There isn’t a statute of limitations on treason!

The bad news: Good luck applying it to Trump!…:)

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He gives the finger and skates on by

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Most important cases are the state cases. No Presidential pardon possible. Too bad Fani was playing footsies with her fanny and lied about it, Michigan and Arizona seem to moving at a glacial pace. No accident that the one success was state court NYC.

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Of all the things that incense me about the Democrats, and I specifically include both Biden and Obama here, is their kid glove treatment of the privileged. The banksters who brought on the financial crisis, the Sacklers who escaped jail for addicting millions, and now Trump and his fellow subversives. I wish I was a believer so I could console myself with the belief that Merrick Garland will burn in hell, but the likely scenario for him is a cushy job on Wall Street or with some right wing university.

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Why is the transition going forward? Documents must be signed. Don’t let the schoolyard bully Trump bulldoze the laws. Hold him accountable. No signing, no transition. Require all prospective cabinet members to be investigated. Trump is a citizen and must obey the laws & norms like the rest of us. More people voted against Trump than for him. In both percentage & raw votes, Trump’s margin is on pace to be less than half of what Biden achieved four years earlier. No mandate.

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Unfortunately, the SCOTUS disagrees with you. According to their ruling, he is above the law. The inmates are running the asylum. We are headed for a fascist government, and the only solution, because of the lack of intestinal fortitude on the part of the Republicans in Congress, will undoubtedly involve bloodshed.

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Regardless if SCOTUS will give him a pass, to continue to do nothing because of a fear of what he or his maga mob will do is straight out of the 'how to break a democracy' handbook and anyone who could have and should have done something let us down. I say test the Supreme Court ruling and stop the transition until the documents are signed.

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Sadly, no big deal. Trump doesn't care about any "transition". On Jan 20, 2025, he WILL be the President, like it or not. The remaining 55 days before that wouldn't even give anyone at DoJ time to for the papers, let alone get a hearing. And the second Trump is inaugurated, he will fire whoever is pursuing this. Did you notice that Jack Smith just dismissed both the cases he filed against Trump?

The game, at least "that" game, is over. Stop worrying about irrelevant issues like signing transition papers (not required by any law, just custom and some executive orders) and start worrying about the REAL issues we will all face in less than two months.

THAT is what is important now!

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Neither he, nor his handlers, give a fig about the transition. Laughing their arses off at the China they break. The rampage goes on…

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100% correct. And like it or not, that is the way our laws currently read anyway. Transitions have been an implicit agreement between putting and incoming administration's. Very civil.

One thing we know is Trump isn't civil so why expect him to comply with this stuff? He has broken many laws but in thus case he is doing nothing except waiting until he becomes President. You really can't take that away from him even if you want to. You can withhold some money but you think he really cares about that? Not a chance.

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This! Exactly this! I can't understand why so many people are saying: "But he can't do that, it's against the rules!?" For God's sake, when was the last time _anyone_ saw Rump playing by the rules?? He won't, and never will! He's a swindler, a con man! You won't get him by 'playing nice' ! I'm telling you, this is all fun and games until he starts executing his political enemies. I, for one, won't be surprised when Nancy Pelosi and the Bidens are dangling from a gallow by the end of January.

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I’ve said it time and time again: if you want to save what’s left of America, ironically you’re going to have to live by TFFGs own words: “You’re gonna have to fight like hell or you’re not gonna have a country anymore.” You cannot defeat someone who ignores the rules by playing nice and adhering to the rules yourself.

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As I have posted before, Dems still think it’s a political game. That ship sailed long ago.

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It sure did! About 50 years ago, I'd say...

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Bloodshed may indeed be the only solution. A bloodless coup would be preferable, but unlikely.

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As Bayard Rustin said back in the '60's, "the Right has all the guns."

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As Jim Morrison said in the Song, "When The Music Is Over", "They Got The Guns, We Got The Numbers"... Jim Morrison at his Best was a Mystic... He Believed That He Was A Shaman...

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Yeah, but his words and actions were drug induced. Trump is just mentally unstable.

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Not always true. Jim had a lot of 100% lucid time in his life. He wasn't always drug addled. And some of his best music and poetry wasn't written on drugs although he often performed it that way.

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Not accurate.

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Well, we've known for a while what SCOTUS has become.

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He is not President. NOTHING he does until he is sworn in is an "official" Presidential act.

He is breaking several laws but Republicans don't give a damn.

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Actually he isn't breaking any laws currently, at least not that I can tell. Transition "requirements" are not law. They are policies that are agreed to by the incoming and outgoing administration's. And what little law there is requires the agreement of the incoming administration which they do not have to agree to. They lose some privileges by refusing, but the P-elect WILL become the President on Jan 20 no matter what else happens as long as he is alive. And if the current President tries to take any action against him it would be quickly invalidated once he is inaugurated and I expect he would then want some kind of retribution against Biden. And in fact regardless of how much you detest him, he would probably be entitled to that.

We've never faced this before but we need to remember that he was elected and as far as we can tell fairly ( at least in a legal sense). Fighting that would make US the criminals, not him.

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Need i point out that this very point is the same that WE (or at least Biden) tried to invoke against Trump for the 2020 transition mess. Biden's only problem was that he and Garland dragged their feet for almost 2 years and by then it turned out to be too late. Trump will NOT make that same mistake I am sure.

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Unfortunately, you are correct.

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… and he is not the president yet, if he won't sign then he is the cause of any actions or ramifications that come from that, including holding up his hollow presidency which is nothing but cover for this criminal.

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It can't hold up his Presidency. He WILL be inaugurated on Jan 20. Nothing he does between now and then will prevent that as long as he is alive. It may be slightly inconvenient for him because he won't have the services to "vet" cabinet appointments during the transition but he doesn't want that anyway. He wants to AVOID that if possible.

So once again we are tilting at windmills. What's important is what he plans to do after he is in office. This transition nonsense is just a waste of time and energy.

A typical Trump diversionary tactic.

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The rules have never applied to him…and never will.

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You start a job, you sign the paperwork. That's universal in this country.

He's so used to getting his way he apparently thinks the rules don't apply to him, and they keep proving him right!

The Transition contracts need to be signed. SCOTUS can go do squats on a cactus farm. I've really had it with them.

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Sorry, but it’s very clear from this momentous day that he is entirely above the law.

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Because the "law" has permitted and enabled it.

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What everyone seems to miss is that (a) there are very few laws regarding transition, it is mostly just policy made by previous administrations and not enforceable in any real way and (b) what law there is STILL can't prevent him being inaugurated on Jan 20 which is written into the constitution regardless of any laws. At that point he is the President.

So as Tony soprano used to say "Fageddaboutit".

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Ricia, it’s been confirmed by SCOTUS the rules do NOT apply to him. Let’s get over thinking they do. Tfg was right all along.

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Sorry you are simply wrong. The transition stuff is just customary. Even if it is in law, he can simply ignore it UNTIL he is inaugurated.

And he WILL be inaugurated because THAT is not custom or rulings or even law.

That is in the Constitution.

And of course once he is inaugurated then he IS the President and except for actual laws (which I do not believe thee transition process is part of) he has a lot of control over what he will do and not do.

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Hahahahahahahahahaha! Because DJT wants it to, and he is a very special boy who gets everything he wants and has 75 million armed friends and a population of sycophantic weasels to help him. May God have mercy on all of us.

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No ethics signatures, no money for transition, but the guy is still president. Musk picking up the tab?

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$340 billion net worth? If he spends $1 billion on Trumpworld, he'll make $10 billion more on crypto. It's a very sick and perverted game of monopoly Musk is able to play.

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Crime pays if you're a Republican. How sickening that a man who violated National Security laws can just waltz right back into the White House to do even worse, and the corrupt Supreme Court has enabled any crime he wants to commit.

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Sickening, yes, to put it mildly, but Trump is not the most sickening part of it. The most sickening part is the collection of American voters who put Trump in office. No Trump voter can ever be forgiven for this crime against humanity.

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Yes but a large portion of the blame lies also with the registered voters who didn't cast their votes.

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Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall...

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We're still waiting for the next line.

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I agree 100 percent.

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As a lifetime educator, I have to say "mea culpa" on behalf of all of us who didn't try hard enough and weren't able to instill kindness and decency in the children and young people who spent hours with us every day. We didn't try hard enough and weren't able to instill in them an appreciation for the arts. What will we do to rescue subsequent generations from the swamp in which we have allowed them to wallow? This is the context in which "Drain the swamp" becomes meaningful. It's easy to blame the children for their lack of education, but at least part of the blame is on my shoulders.

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As a career educator I take zero blame for the racism, sexism and hate we saw in the campaign. Please stop blaming yourself and other educators. You are missing the social, historical, and familial roots of these issues and the role of right wing media. Teachers didn’t bring slaves to this country and they didn’t create misogyny.

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"the social, historical, and familial roots of these issues"

Exactly!!!! The Groper-in-Chief's election testifies to the staying power over the decades to racial bigotry and gender bigotry.

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I also was an educator and I am not going to beat my heart and say mea culpa. I know many educators who did their damndest to instill decent behavior and an appreciation for the arts. I am not going to blame children either. For whatever reason we have become an uncivil society. It is going to be hard to get that genie back in the box. I am not very optimistic about humankind as a whole because it is so much easier to be all the things that make humans awful and whether we like it or not, we are still those same apes that learned to walk upright and now we have all the old ape qualities armed with lethal technology. We are on track to destroy the planet and even all that money isn't going to save the wealthy although they assume that it will. Once again I am grateful to be as old as I am. Right now I am editing a book by my gardening helper. She speaks to the garden without and within. It is full of wisdom and it makes me want to cry when I look at where we have found ourselves.

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"Destroy the planet slowly (by climate change) or quickly (by nuclear warfare).

Take your choice."

--- poster seen post-election by unknown artist

So sad.

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From your comment, I imagine you tried quite hard and probably did a lot of good work towards raising good citizens. Fox "news" and the very deep pockets of billionaires are challenging opponents No single one of us will save the world.

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Very true. I'm a union activist who knows that solidarity can save us. Find a group that does good work and join them, and together, we will all make a difference.

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I hope so and if you are a union activist, you know what hard work it is. I hope that in some way, large or small, we can all make a difference.

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Plutocrats can pay to get enough people pulling their way. We have to come to agreement, and discipline ourselves.

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Solidarity is the foundation of a free society. Solidarity is exactly what the plutocrats have been actively striving to undermine, and replace with a pecking order.

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I agree Lola and I am sure Betsy and many others worked hard to be the best teachers they could be. And yes I see someone noting the influence of parents and families which can overwhelm the best efforts of teachers.

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Dan Rather nailed it. Nobody gets their news from what has suddenly become "traditional" or "legacy" sources. The gossip factory that flourishes on the internet is uncontrollable.

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I would rephrase that to "The gossip factory that flourishes on the internet is uncontrolled." We haven't really tried.

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So you think it can be controlled?

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Please don't blame yourself. It is really difficult to counteract thr influence of parents/family who hold bigoted views, who may be motivated by religious views.

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Thank you for your kind reassurances., but it's clear that we have failed, at least to some extent, on our mission to educate. From the Latin"e" meaning "out," and "ducere," to "lead," our job was to lead them out of their previous environment into a world of learning and imagination and understanding and appreciation of beauty and truth.

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To what degree have we collectively failed to sufficiently nurture those capacities as a society, and for that matter, as a species? Individuals and families vary, and societies vary, but we humans remain our own worst enemies? Just for instance, apart from war, why is it so hard to degree to finally do something about our unraveling, sustaining environment? Could our world not be paradise if we played our cards right? People have thought so for eons, but the progress is so hard.

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Families obviously have a special bond from birth. additionally some parents mold their kids by instilling PTSD that is hard to get around. ,

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Interesting that we aren't all including the failures of the legacy media which are phenomenal. And probably very few got to teach media literacy. Now however we could push on that same media to start doing their GD job. Get Congress to reinstate the fairness doctrine for one thing.

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The legacy media is mostly controlled/owned by billionaires with huge conflicts of interest...e.g. WP, LATimes....and then there's Murdoch and Time-Warner and NBC. All the owners are billionaires.

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We all could have done more, and probably have to do more, but that's always true. School can do a lot but what values are kids getting from our commercially-obsessed curricula? From media? From puerile politics? As never before we are letting the plutocrats mold our culture. The tail is wagging the dog. You can't do government of. by and for the people just by watching ads and switching channels.

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Yep...

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Betsy Smith, can you write for us how you see yourself as guilty apart from not teaching the arts? Did you teach any history? I was imbued with patriotism both sat home and at school, including history and civics.

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No. Fox News Academy is to blame for your students' faux education.

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I put the blame on parents.

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I had more great teachers than I deserved all through K-12. My parents moved to a school district they couldn't afford because they felt education was that important. And it was a lower middle class neighborhood!!

It was "the village" that taught me kindness and tolerance. And that included the Boy Scouts, athletics and the church. Who among my 765 high school class mates families expected the school system to install values in us?

We were expected to be good citizens in school, but I remember no sermons from teachers on values unless you want to count literature like "The Scarlet Letter".

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But mostly the blame belongs on the shoulders of their parents....those who teach by example every day.

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I’m a forgiving and forbearing type person, but I’m cutting out all MAGAts in my life.

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I used to be and am struggling to remain so. However, my current coping philosophy is “you voted for him, you own his actions.” No sympathy here.

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I'm allergic to them.

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I don't want to deal with them, but divide and conquer and big lies are what has brought us to this perilous period. Even if Trump did not win the majority, there are too many supporting him to just ignore, and that "house divided" is the force that is enabling autocracy. a lot of people who signed on with Trump are hurting, and that contributes to making them irrational. It seems they don't connect the dots to where their affliction originate (tempting to say "it's the plutocracy, stupid") but plutocratic influence on the quality of information they are getting is a factor as well. Democracy thrives on diversity and even controversy, but not in the face of polarization. There must be ethical/moral lines one does not cross to maintain one nation, indivisible, and Republicans are eagerly crossing them. But were is most of the impetus coming from, and has been for decades? Even back to the days of slavery? Follow the money.

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Yes yes yes yes.

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Absolutely agree, and I am related to some of them. It’s a difficult place to be.

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Exactly. No less an authority than Laurence Tribe, Harvard Professor emeritus, just called the Supreme Court corrupt, on Lawrence O'Donnell's program. We are in for some perilous times, and have much work ahead if we are to keep our democracy and defeat the MAGA fascists.

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I liked the fact that Tribe also called out his former student, Merrick Garland, for taking too long to investigate and bring charges. Hard not to imagine that Garland may be complicit in some way. Regardless, he has given us Jews a bad name with his inactions.

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No, Marlene, Jews are not tainted by Garland’s inaction. HIS name is besmirched, not yours.

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He's not complicit. He's just incompetent for the job.

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I dunno, Angela, I’ve been pondering this & how, in a way, it looks so familiar….the rich white guy getting off scot-free, as happens too often in our country (and how justice is so often unequally applied)….or, in this case, the rich white guy about to be, once again, one of the most powerful (if clearly incompetent) persons on the planet walking free, with nary a scintilla of shame, from multiple convictions and charges. He’s like the character in The Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, where the bad guy keeps “reconstituting” itself despite seemingly being destroyed. Or, if you prefer, like a nightmare-based “Groundhog Day”. Sigh, at least Murray’s character evolved in a healthy way….can’t say that about you-know-who. Personally, I think this is a Vegas-style ginormous, gaudy flashing neon sign confirming to our citizens & the world that in the USA justice is NOT delivered “without fear or favor”. Just as he broke the law RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR EYES, so too, is our country’s inability to hold him accountable unfolding for all to see. I shudder to think of the “justice” that will be investigated/dispensed in our upcoming administration….heaven help us. IMHO, the Republican Senate (under the thumb of Mitch) refused to convict him of his clearly culpable actions/crimes. Stupid, really stupid, decision Mitch.

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My spouse holds McConnell responsible for the whole situation. He could (and should) have moved his Republican cohort to convict T****. But he did not. And I thought I'd never see Republicans of the Nixon era as doing the right thing, but they did. Who removed McConnell's spine, or was it bought and paid for by some mega-donor. Follow the money.

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What turned "The Party of Lincoln" on it's head; an Orwellian caricature? $$$$$

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And watch for the power of presidential pardons in tandem with the Supreme Court's presidential 'infallibility' ruling for official acts.

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The expression "presidential pardon" becomes valueless.

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All too true, sadly.

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Our democracy has just been bought and sold out from under us. Not only will laws and regulations change to benefit the rich, but every norm of the office of the Presidency will be ignored.

It pains me deeply to watch as my country is diminished day by day not only to our international nation partners but to all those who now serve in our military to “protect and serve” our nation with their lives.

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And soon will be fewer by 15k members when the psychopath and his magats eject LGBTQ service members.

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That may not happen. The generals will protest. Perhaps not all, but the majority.

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Lord I would hope so. I hope most are cut from General Milley's cloth:

"We don’t take an oath to a king, or a queen, or to a tyrant or dictator, and we don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator,” Milley said. “We don’t take an oath to an individual. We take an oath to the Constitution, and we take an oath to the idea that is America, and we’re willing to die to protect it.”

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Saying it doesn't make it so.....

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A bit of history about the less than competent efforts to find and root out LGBTQ folks from the military in the last. Many ways that things are different now, of course.

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I blame the members of the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation, who have bought the GOP, SCOTUS, and the presidency. Trump, the perpetual grifter, refuses to sign the transition paperwork so he can accept the numerous billionaires’ bribes.

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Wish Biden could have spoken more regularly and publicly about what his administration was doing. Democrats need to get better at messaging!

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It would not have mattered. People who do not know what his administration has done don't know because they are pathologically willfully ignorant. The psychopath won by 1.5%. That was not messaging. That was millions of people not voting.

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Don’t forget or discount the corrosive effect on the American public of a sophisticated multi pronged and lavishly funded mis- and disinformation campaign, augmented by foreign interference by Putin and others.

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Well said. Never forget the Putin/Trump connection

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The Tyrannosaurus in the room.

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Both/and!

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That was so much misinformation. If you talk to the ones who didn't vote you find out all sorts of lies they believe. They really have no idea.

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People were also pathologically lied to, and I saw plenty of false equivalency reporting even in the not controlled by a billionaire papers I support and respect. I still don't understand why.

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Don’t blame Biden’s messaging blame the no regulations on what can be said on all the new ways of communicating called social media. So many people were fed a diet of lies for the past 8 years, what do we expect, a sudden awakening in 100 days. We needed to be very much pushing back vigorously against all the lies and prosecution of those Russian Iranian trolls that saturated the internet with lies that convinced voters to again vote against their best interest. That to me is voter fraud and suppression. And we all so believed in our judicial system so blindly that these people were ethical. Brings a whole new meeting to FAFO as they have been F’ing Around and we are now finding out.

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Let’s not forget about the American terrorist organization, Fox News. Fox is the root of the problem, and so many lazy people sitting in front of their TV’s watching that crap day after day.

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We can't allow cheating in sports, but no rules apply in politics where the consequences are much more serious. We can be prosecuted for lying to the government, but members of the government can freely lie to us? (So what about this "We the People" thing?) Corporations like Dominion Voting Systems can sue for millions, and even some viciously defamed individuals can sue when lied about, but We the People have to grin and bear it?

Free Speech is a precious and essential right of a free society, and in the gray areas, I'd err on the side of freedom to speak; yet some speech is objectively harmful, and in many situations, limited by regulation. It depends on the situation (like making bomb threat jokes to TSA agents) and with the responsibilities carried the person telling the lie. Lies can be deadly, and that reality should not be dismissed. Lies against immigrants by public officials who continue to lie even when corrected. Not even dispute. just lie. Cruel lies against innocent Haitians? How can that be OK? There is even a religious commandment against doing that, but here I'm referring state civil justice.

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Agreed. They have to learn to shout out what the Dems have done and in easily accessible short messages. On billboards.

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you make so much sense! You are head snd shoulders about other writers on the political situation and what has kept me SANE through the past few years. Thank you.

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I second that thought with ever expanding gratitude.

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“As democracy lawyer Marc Elias wrote: “Justice delayed was justice denied.” 😡

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Trump has proven that ignoring and evading the law by a delay and delay and delay approach in hopes that his voters would return him to the White House not only worked, but he also proved that laws, procedures and regulations don’t matter to many Americans AND that they can easily be subverted if you have enough $$$$ behind you.

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I am glad to see this edition of Letters published so early. Hopefully Dr. Richardson can get a good night's sleep.

As to the economic reality of the Biden Administration. Voters didn't know or care to know.

People voted for a racist and against a black woman. The same core demons of racism and misogyny are still alive and screeching in America.

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Barbara - Absolutely accurate.

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Weren't we told that trump was going to get prices down. Isn't that what the idiots who voted for him believe? Well, have I got news for them! The NY Times reported that trump will impose a 25% tariff on all goods coming into the US from Mexico & Canada on Day One! The article said it would put a real strain on the supply chain within this hemisphere. Prices will go up! Hmm, supply chain issues, ooh, I can see it now, you think prices are high now, just wait until the grocery giants claim supply chain issues & increase their prices even more!!! Hell, they haven't even brought them down since the last supply chain issue of 3-4 years ago. Promises made, promises ignored & laughed at! And by the way, ole "Mr. I'll be tough on China" is going to impose a 10% tariff on things coming from China. What happened to that 50, 60, 100% tariff he was going to put on Chinese goods. What, did Chi flatter you, did he flutter his eyelashes at you.donald?

This is going to be ugly, ugly, ugly in all ways. It's going to be really hard not to put nastygrams in people's mailboxes that I know supported trump. Those idiots are getting what they deserve only problem is we're going to suffer too.

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That's why, in 2 years, at the mid-terms, we vote the bastards out. We move for a veto proof majority and with the Felon's inability to hold a thought for longer than a New York minute, we have a chance of getting through this mess. This time, even the dumbest of bunnies will know that he did not fulfill what he promised when he and his gang of thugs were running for office, they are not going to be happy campers. Who knows, they may even vote. 7 more republican senate seats are up for election than Democrats, it could be interesting,

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Dream on, friend.

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Oh? I'm not dreaming. You don't think the tariffs that will be placed on Mexico and Canada the day the Felon is sworn in - hope the Bible doesn't catch on fire - will not effect how people vote? Actions speak louder than words - just like in 2018 when he lost both houses of the Congress. It will happen again. That's no dream and it is the Felon's nightmare.

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The Trump voters didn’t vote for Trump because of economic reasons. They voted for him because he was the most entertaining wrestler on TV. It won’t matter if prices go up, because Trump and Fox will just blame the Dems. Cheaters and liars get away with everything when they are dealing with an ignorant populace.

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Let's Hope That Their Are Elections In '26, and '28... Let's Hope That The True Information Becomes Known... DJT in 2028? He May Not Be In Power By Then...

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Except, "You won't even have to vote anymore."

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Return....I read that bit about tariffs today too. And I said watch prices go up. I see lots of produce especially from Mexico. I try not to buy produce from other countries or even far away here. We may be going back to truly seasonal produce....if there is anyone around to pick it.

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Trump Inc's "presidency" is intentional in its plans to crash the US economy (and its citizens' health, and food supply). It's what Putin wants, as *his* retribution for the fall of the USSR.

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If the economy crashes, the people with cash can buy up all of the distressed assets, cheap. It’s how Russian oligarchs became wealthy from buying up formerly state-owned industries, sold at low, low prices to the friends of those in power.

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With, Carol, many U.S. bankers, M.B.A. grads of the Ivy League, and Dept. of State helping.

That is, elites in finance and government at the highest levels back then invested in and coordinated the transfer of great wealth to the former Soviet nomenklatura, who became Russia's new oligarch class.

Naturally those oligarchs now return the favor, and help U.S. billionaires in their dark money moves against the American people, under cover of their convicted criminal at the top.

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This is his plan, or perhaps more accurately, what Putin has ordered him to do.

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Given the clear statement of direction in which the Trump Presidency is heading, as stated by you here, Timothy, and the record of actions already initiated by the incumbent President. It is laid upon the current President Biden and so made legal by the recent Supreme Court decision to commit acts previously abhorred in the defense of the constitution and government of the USA legally and without fear of later retribution.

Now, in advance of what I am about to write here, I am about as far away from being a constitutional law expert is as my mulching worms are from being able to form a trade Union and go on strike for better food. I am personally, as a concerned citizen calling on our President and Executive to fulfill their oaths of office to protect our Republic and Constitution from all enemies, foreign and/or domestic.

That said the current Executive must now take drastic action in the face of the President Elect's (Trump) clear actions and stated intentions to destroy this countries political structure and set aside the constitution under which our Republic operates:

1) The President should Implement the Insurrection Act of 1807 immediately to prevent and control any non-constitutional forces loyal to the incumbent from militia activity threatening American lives. He should confer with the 50 Governors of the USA to determine where to deploy National Military versus National Guard troops.

2) Arrest and incarcerate, by executive order, the incumbent, Trump and his co-conspirators for planning and committing treason against the USA.

3) Set aside the current law governing the election of the President by the electoral college and institute, by executive order the election by clear clear majority of popular vote (a type of plebiscite.

4) Set aside the recent election of 2024 and order a new election by clear popular majority.

5) Conduct a new election asap.

If the current President is unable to carry out his duties to protect the constitution, then the cabinet must act under Amendment 25 Section 1. He must resign in the face of any ethical dilemma if that should be the case. Immediately the Vice President should then implement Steps 1-5 as the President of the USA.

Yes, I understand how distasteful this course of action might be to Democrats and many citizens; however our country faces the clear and present danger of going down a path which the majority of voters (yes, by extremely thin margin) have rejected. Additionally this election has been subject to international disruption and influence by our enemies, China, North Korea and Russia (et al). This through documented cases of planned Propaganda distributed to Americans by Social Media and Conventional Media controlled by or working with Trump and his Associates to achieve their ends. These disruptions are to be considered acts of war aided and abetted by Trump and his Associates. In my humble opinion, it is now time to save the Constitution and our Republic.

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Biden is the ‘’incumbent’’ – Trump is the ‘’incoming’’ President.

But that aside, I expect you realize that what you are suggesting would be the most outrageous violation of the Constitution ever contemplated. It would likely cast the country into Civil War and end this experiment of self government we call the United States of America.

Your frustration is understandable but the work we have before us should play out in School Boards, City Councils, State Houses and Court Houses across the nation – that is the system, a Republic if we can keep it.

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Written early/late and thank you. I do realize what I am suggesting. And yes it will likely lead to deaths, but, I submit theoretically, far fewer than will come with the "incoming" President (around the world), or even Americans he has negligently killed, so far. Everything I suggested should, in fact, be "legal" today given the SC mis-verdict. Sometimes it is just better to say NO! As we should have done in 1938, and at other times. Today it is Putin who requires a strong NO! Trump alongside him as ever. Mr. Dooley, please instruct me on what is against the law today...given that the "incumbent" is now above the law.

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Suffice to say, that each of the items you list, if carried out by Biden in the current situation, would be outside his scope of authority (his enumerated powers or even implied powers) and the recent SC decision would not shield him. That is my opinion.

Also, I am just back from four months of working on the election and have neither the inclination, nor the hours available to me that would be required to provide a proper legal opinion. I hope you understand.

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I understand completely please help me with just one item. Again, I fully understand that you may not even want to do that. And, thanks for your work.

You say: "would be outside his scope of authority (his enumerated powers or even implied powers) and the recent SC decision would not shield him". Why would that be, if it will shield Trump?

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You are 100%correct. I have called for a military coup by the good generals before they asr dismissed. In order to save us from what is about to happen. Anyone disagreeing should remember my words.

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Dream on.

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That is not very helpful, but I understand, BBB. It is difficult to be truly autonomous. But Dreams and visions do materialize. I couldn't sleep, so I needed to write about what I was visualizing.

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Bruce, sometimes dreams become visions become reality. Or not. At least, so far, we can’t be arrested for our thoughts.

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Even when we write them down as our opinion.

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So - great speech by Biden. How is it that millions of Americans were not told many times, on all different media about this successful economic agenda of Biden? Why weren’t these the headlines, instead of Trump’s lies? I blame the media for the pain that will come; as well as race, misogyny and hatred for minorities of different life styles. These are what united apparent disparate groups of people to get behind Trump. He embodies their hate and fear. This will now be our “face” to the world. A tragedy has befallen us.

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Because TFFFG’s bloviating blow-hard bellowing captures the *squirrel!* attention span of the MSM/public WAY more than Biden’s measured, quiet & humble, fact-based delivery ever did. They were following the Pied Piper, not the wise one. Sigh, our loss.

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The Evil Orange Pied Piper Dancing With The Evil Peter Pan Musk.....

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Today was one of the most infuriating and depressing news days in my many decades of life. And it's only going to get worse.

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Not quite to the point, but close enough. Anatole France: “The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread.”

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Thank you, Professor. I was upside down all day today after the situation with Jack Smith. And I thought what can I do, what can I do. All I could do is help reach out to the people that I know or that follow me and I’m not bragging, but I’ve got about 5000 people to do the Artwork I do. And I believe they’re 99.9% like-minded so my job is to share the truth and no one speaks the truth better than you. And you research the truth and that’s the important thing also. And I will advise everybody to understand what we can learn from history which you explained to us so well so all I can dois well spread the truth. Thank you so much. Have a great holiday. Coming up a great holiday season in fact, I hope everybody does regardless of where you stand, but I know that if you are a follower of the professor that you are true human, and an American that believes in our constitution, our democracy, and freedom. Peace of love everybody every day we can make changes for the better sorry I tend to ramble, lolol. Mike, but most call me Sav!

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Thank you for your service, Mike.

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Sav!

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