Let's say the political scientist's assertion is correct: the Republican Party is facing an "extinction event" because of its cultish devotion to Trump. Then consider the likelihood that Trump will be faced with federal crimes for Jan. 6 and document theft and state charges in Georgia for election meddling. This means the odds are extrem…
Let's say the political scientist's assertion is correct: the Republican Party is facing an "extinction event" because of its cultish devotion to Trump. Then consider the likelihood that Trump will be faced with federal crimes for Jan. 6 and document theft and state charges in Georgia for election meddling. This means the odds are extremely high he'll face penalties that will block his return to the White House.
In this likely scenario, it's fair to assume Trump will incite MAGA in various ways, including outright violence across the country that could spill over to the 2024 elections. He is increasingly unhinged as his fate becomes apparent. How bad will it be? How will the FBI, where apparently a large number of agents supported the insurrection, respond? We know that many local police departments are MAGA, so how will they respond when their Idol calls for civil war?
Then why, in God’s name-and I ask literally since he claims to be such a “Christian” man-why won’t Pence tell what he knows??? The hypocrisy and sickness seem to have no end... he’s as filthy as the rest of them. Lust for money and power-there’s truly no decency or integrity in any of them.
Pence is a Dominionist. They fully believe in a literal translation of Revelations and the End Times, and all this chaos means Armageddon is upon us. Hundreds, if not thousands, of politicians in this country are also Dominionists, and write policy based on their beliefs. It's a subsection of the Republican Triangle of Doom.
Yes, and thank you. I don't think we realize how sure the trajectory is of this strain of the worst and most deranged Christian fundamentalism. These folks are the craziest and most dangerous because they are true believers. I am the furthest you can get from a conspiracy theorist, but I will say that the combination of the secular arm of this far-right crew--the Federalist Society--and the terrible Opus Dei on the religious side--have been dreadfully organized over many years and have achieved many of their goals.
Just because Cheney and Kinziger are on the Jan. 6 committee doesn't mean that they are kind people. They are still Republicans. Kinziger castigated Kamala Harris on Twitter for saying out loud what she was wearing at a conference, which happened to be for sight impaired people.
In my opinion, Pence is just about the worst and most dangerous of the lot. He has devoted much of his political life supporting, indirectly and directly, Conversion Camps for gay teens; oddly he refuses to even have lunch in public with a woman unless "Mother" is there. I am not making this up.
He is a dangerous man, far to the right of most, presentable, convincing, dedicated to locking into place the worst of the far-right agenda. If he were elected, he would do more damage than Trump ever imagined, and he would do it so quietly that very few of us would notice.
As for his "Christianity," the whole bunch of them are some kind of zealous Christian Dominionists, and that kind of religious zeal hasn't done much good in the world or so history suggests. We are quick to rail against Islamic extremists but Christian history is pretty grim.
For decades, right wing militia's have strategically funneled their recruits - who could and were willing to pass as relatively normal - into police forces and the military. Not a big step - from KKK families with a tradition of going into enforcement and the military.
Marj-try going to the top of the page-look to the left of the search bar. There's an incomplete circle w/ an arrow @ the end. That's the refresh button. You'll go back to where you were and you should be able to click on the heart so it'll show. Refreshing may have to be repeated withing a few tries.
It's that & worse. Check out Jim Stewartson's Substack from yesterday about 88Tactical, with blatantly Nazi leanings, now franchising to a shooting range near you. I forwarded it to my law enforcement son, havent heard back from him yet.
That has been cultivating for many years. Media tends to ignore that very important detail. Former North Carolinian Jewish girl raised by Holocaust victims here.
You are not an alarmist - a realist, perhaps. You are not alone. But here is my take.
Outright violence on a larger scale will be crushed. The government has many more and bigger guns. It also has the prisons. I am opposed to violence. A peacenik to some degree. But if a few Oath Keepers and Proud Boy types bite the dust, no loss to America.
The FBI and the Secret Service will be purged of traitors. This mess is going to be cleaned up.
It may come down to some standoffs and some bloody encounters. There have been several "rebellions" and large scale violent protests in our past. They were all put down in quick order.
Such violence and armed rebellion will backfire with the vast middle of America who just want to go to work, raise their kids and have a nice dinner before bed. Sometimes things just need to get worse before the nation finally says "Enough!".
When we watched Ken Burns "Holocaust", we learned that most Americans did not want to go to war - even to save millions from being exterminated. But when they were personally threatened, attitudes changed almost overnight. Private militias attacking fellow Americans will unite the vast majority in opposition. I could be wrong. It happens all the time. But that's my optimistic pitch for this morning.
During the WWII we didn't have social media like today and dirty money flowing to the mass Mega from all countries. Money talks in this era today. Just look at the wealh distribution in the country. Tycoon's with China ties reported the in New Yorker today to give to Trump Mega Republicans. What about Musk's ambitions?
I would call current R policies a resurrection. The old party was dead as too many rejected the trickle down economics of RINOs. Now they are supercharged with unchecked conspiracies and wing nut candidates.
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." --Thomas Jefferson to Charles Yancey, 1816. ME 14:384
"Convinced that the people are the only safe depositories of their own liberty, and that they are not safe unless enlightened to a certain degree, I have looked on our present state of liberty as a short-lived possession unless the mass of the people could be informed to a certain degree." --Thomas Jefferson to Littleton Waller Tazewell, 1805.
"No nation is permitted to live in ignorance with impunity." --Thomas Jefferson: Virginia Board of Visitors Minutes, 1821. ME 19:408
"Freedom [is] the first-born daughter of science." --Thomas Jefferson to Francois D'Ivernois, 1795. ME 9:297
"Light and liberty go together." --Thomas Jefferson to Tench Coxe, 1795.
I know, I posted this yesterday, but, today? It is still true!!
Mike Delightful Thomas Jefferson quotes. However, the same Jefferson wrote about the need for ‘blood’ now and then. David McCullough commenced research on a book based on John Adams and Jefferson’s post-presidential letters. Then David wrote me that he had abandoned that project because he found Jefferson hypocritical. His singular book on John Adams won him a second Pulitzer.
Do you recall Jefferson’s quotes on frugality? In real life he was constantly in debt and sold his library to Congress to try to pay down this debt. Likewise, when he supported an embargo on trade with Great Britain and France (1807?), he managed to finagle some expensive French wine through customs for his personal use.
Enjoy your Jefferson quotes, but never play two card monte with the fellow.
but Keith, he may have racked up debts but he took action to PAY them
Look what we have now...Politicians today have so little of the intellectual curiosity that he embodied.
And as for business and financial acumen,don't forget, the Louisiana Purchase, the best real estate deal with France imaginable
When you go to Monticello and you see how much he invested in his interests ( architecture, science, botany etc etc) as opposed to gold faucets and gaudy useless expenses of the mindlessly greedy greedy
If you read enough biographies you learn to appreciate what people have contributed and accept that very, very few belong on pedestals. We are stuck with being human and complicated.
Joan Actually a lottery was being planned at the time of Jefferson’s death. Of course Jefferson did some great things of which the Louisiana Purchase ranks perhaps at the very top. Initially he sought New Orleans from Napoleon. Unexpectedly Big Nap offered the entire enchilada.
Jeff the frugalist had no constitutional way to conclude the Louisiana Purchase immediately and Big Nap wouldn’t wait. So Jeff said what the hell and Toujour gai. Lewis & Clark explored the greatest land purchase in history.
Jefferson was an "early adapter" of clever French home improvements; Thomas did have a great amount of common sense placing his Bedroom/ Study on the first floor on the sunny side to deal with a number of personal infirmities. Jefferson's "living room" was a veritable Natural History Museum-still is.
Bryan Jefferson was a great innovator as reflected in what one can see at Monticello. He also was associated with some duds. Focused on thrift, he supported small boats with mounted guns called ‘Little Jeffs.’ They were cute, but militarily total useless on the high sea. Indeed, they were the object of ridicule as Jefferson faced ther British and French fleet with his ‘flyswater fleet.’
Yup, early adaption was far from early success in the 18th Century. George W had his share of failures too. Also, I did not care for George's thick "Red Coat" but, I sure it kept him warm.
You know, I am not a big fan of Thomas Jefferson overall, but I love these quotes. Thanks for posting them 2 days in a row… that meant I saw them today!
Thanks, Mike please post Jefferson quotes for the rest of the Week. For those following the on-going Trial of U.S. [John Durham] vs. Igor Y. Danchenko, 1:21-cr-00245, after Day 3 of the Trial, the Judge has given the Parties 30 Days to 11/14/2022, to file a "NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST REDACTION" of the Day 3 Trial Transcript to stop further Leaks. The redacted Trial Transcript will be available on 1/12/2023 through PACER or Court Reporter, Rhonda Montgomery. VERDICT: DANCHENKO ACQUITTED.
Emptywheel.net has had good coverage on conflict of interest issues but, I have not yet checked THOMAS BARRACK COURTLISTENER. Post, if you get anything valuable.Tu.
If you learn anything, or have access to PACER, I'm interested because he is the father in law of my girlfriend's son. He of course claims he's done nothing wrong. (Where we have heard those words before?)
"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical." TJ to James Madison.
I highly recommend the Greek islands. A bit cold in winter, and, the villages are bit difficult to access through some of the mountain roads.
But, the public education in Greece is, bar none, among the best in the world. Greeks already did their Civil War after WW II and are a stable Democracy as a result.
Lastly, Greek media has not glorified a fake entity called "cowboy" that never existed in a way that everybody wants to wear a gun on their hip. Nobody carries a gun in Greece. Nobody.
In fact, Greeks take a really, really dim view of most Americans, BUT, if you were (unlucky/lucky) enough to marry a Greek (depending on the day for sure), Greeks treat Americans well.
So, instead of worrying about Civil war in the US, find a place that is stable, buy a property, and keep your passport handy.
There is just NO WAY, having better understood American history through Dr. Richardson, the 1619 Book, MLK's speeches which are on utube, that I am going to involve myself in any violence here at all.
Too many people here are imbued in fantasy through media, fake movies about cowboys, super violent modern movies, and fake websites to get involved in violence.
Let em have it. Let's see how that works out for their "base".
I have a friend that is seriously checking out The Azores as a second home. She is worried about the stability of our country, and wants to have the option of leaving, perhaps permanently, if necessary.
I think we can all be pretty sure there will be violence. How much, how long, and how extreme remain to be seen.
Christopher Wray needs to be fired as FBI Director, as he "lacked candor" in testimony before Congress and has allowed FBI malfeasance in regard to Trump and Jan. 6. Just as Biden replaced the head of the Secret Service, he must replace Wray so we can have a real remedy to this serious problem.
The police will be tougher in some ways because of so much local control, but federal Civil Rights investigators may be able to help by rooting out some of the racism, which is also a big part of Trumpism
Profound learning: democracy doesn't work very well in tribal societies. There may be development of good election procedures, but if people are voting and acting along tribal lines democracy is not developing.
I consider circumcision of baby boys an artificial strengthening of tribal belonging, originally aiming at making loyal warriors for the tribe. I think both Moses and Mohammed understood that this habit could not be taken away, so they made it "religious"; less fighting between the tribes, and viable warriors for the religion. Maybe the UN could set up clinics for parents who want their boys to belong to humanity.
In Muslim and some other societies, circumcision is a rite of passage that takes place just before puberty...
But I spoke of tribal identity in a broad sense, an automatism connected with social class and family identity. And, after a long life I've become well aware of how, after mediocrity has taken hold in a political party, there can be a further decline into yob behavior.
In the US, it's far worse than that... But people are stunned by the speed and acceleration of change, yet unable to see that Grandad's Old Party is no longer Grandad's but has been replaced by something very different... and very, very dangerous.
I observe that many are cheered and strengthened by this accelerated change. If we believe polls, I’d say around 50% of Americans herald and welcome this change toward Loud & Proud white christian nationalism. And they are showing us that they want it “By Any Means Necessary”. This is who we are and who we have always been “under the sheets”. Trying to bend the Arc of Justice Towards Freedom is damn hard. Herding cats is easier and less messy.
"Cheered and strengthened by this accelerated change..."
Isn't that confusing effect with cause?
No one can keep pace with it, least of all politicians who prescribe the patent medicines hawked a generation or more ago.
Into this chaos strides a cheap conman, straight from the TV update of a Coney Island sideshow.
Like Hitler, he gives a loud voice to the hitherto repressed rage, resentment and hatreds of those who've woken up with a hangover from disappointed dreams of "Greatness", this time, the Great American Dream, Big Rock Candy Mountain and all.
He's empty, he's hollow, a sounding box for limitless resentment... and his voice is THEIRS.
And yes, suddenly there's meaning in their lives, suddenly they're surfing on a tsunami, speeding in to smash it all... and Live Happily Ever Afterwards, in a Great-Free-For-All-Back-To-The-Fifties Fuehrerfest...
Two folk tales tell it all: The Pied Piper of Hamelin and -- above all -- The Tale of the Fisherman and his Wife.
Like the Fisherman's Wife, this Apprentice Antichrist, can find satisfaction in nothing... wants to be God. This ends her up back in the ditch she crawled out of... and the sooner this latterday Fisherman's Wife follows suit, the better.
Morning Michael. There’s a refrain in Missy Elliot’s rap song “Under Construction” that calls for the listener to “Turn the Volume Up”.
Professor Richardson’s letter is a barnburner today. That line from the song started playing in my head. I sent it out to a shitload of contacts already. Your comment made me turn the volume up on the last sentence. I’ve wondered the same. What will be the response to another insurrection display of violence across the country or isolated to a place such as the Capitol again? All I can say is that we have a current Commander in Chief that will call on our strength to crush the MAGAts. Instead of eating a cheeseburger watching it.
Guess we are about to find out how thoroughly fascists have infiltrated “law enforcement.” Chiefs, directors and Generals have looked the other way when confronted with rank and file membership in militias, QAnon, KKK, forever. Turn the volume up, indeed.
January 6th MAGA crowd was at a fever pitch and melted when the Virginia National Guard appeared with DC police. Pressure on public misbehavior by Oath Keepers and others will damp down real action. The real danger is control will be lost if the midterms go badly and I think many Democratic voters are in denial of what is at stake.
I have to agree with anyone who is concerned about how LE or the military will react. It was clear from the last committee report that the Secret Service and probably other agencies knew there would be violence and basically did nothing except keep death star from going to the capitol building. Every time I think about that day, I get sick to my stomach.
Michael Bales, Knowing where this country is between Biden's efforts to provide government support, long overdue, and power moves by Trump, along with his Republican MAGA Criminal Inc. Party is impossible to ascertain. HCR's Letters provide reports on both sides, but the balance between the two, where art thou? How much damage has been done to the functions of government; infiltration into the military, government, law-enforcement, business and the general public by the fascistic members of Trump's cult?
In an interview with with Chauncey Devega printed in Salon, Glenn L. Kirschner is an American attorney, a former U.S. Army prosecutor, and an NBC News/MSNBC said,
'The fact that Donald Trump is not being held accountable doesn't make sense. But it can be explained by the phenomenon of the ruling-class criminal. America has never been willing to hold them accountable, whether they are in politics, business, entertainment, the tech business or what have you.'
'We are prosecuting Donald Trump's foot soldiers who he unleashed upon the Capitol on Jan. 6 to stop the certification. They are going to trial; they're going to prison. The man who gave the criminal order to attack is playing golf, holding rallies and attending dinner parties. That is a deep injustice at play in America every minute of every day, until Donald Trump is held accountable.'
'Donald Trump believes that he is above the law. And he holds that belief for good reason. It appears that Trump has lived a life of crime and has never been held accountable. That is a dramatic failing of our criminal justice system, our law enforcement agencies and most certainly our nation's prosecutors. Trump, in my opinion, has also come to believe, with good reason, that if he admits his crimes out loud people will take a step back and scratch their heads and say, "Geez, I thought it was criminal what he did, but he is saying he did it.'
Devega to Kirschner: If you had Merrick Garland's ear right now, what would you tell him?
'On the one hand, you want to say better late than never if you're going to bring charges against Donald Trump. But it's already so late. People have lost so much confidence. You came in as somebody who was determined to rebuild the institution, the prestige and the legitimacy of the Department of Justice. But I think the way this investigation is lingering is doing the exact opposite. I hope he can make decisions quickly that will remedy all of that.'
No wit. Not amused but deeply anxious. For us all, here and now. For posterity.
I have never forgotten the words of a distinguished former German judge whom I met when I was a student, a Jew, forced to leave his beloved country, when he spoke of the failure to execute Hitler after the Munich beer hall putsch and the consequences of that failure of justice.
When I spoke of the former judge's view of the incalculable effects of a failure of justice, I did not have one man's crimes in mind, or their punishment, but how the great power of Nazi Germany was as nothing compared to that of the United States today.
I leave it to you and to readers, especially jurists, to consider the implications of this fact.
I’m with you. As Heather says, he’s trying to destroy the rule of law. Like Putin, he will cause chaos to distract and then insert himself. And then forget about laws as you know them.
Watching the Ken Burns documentary on the US response to the Holocaust made me sick to think that Americans were so susceptible to propaganda. But here we are again. And this time, it could be even worse.
MAGA lovers have no idea what their asking for. They’re even touting MAGA communism to gain media attention at great risk.
Realist indeed, only ostrich’s don’t see the view from their own eyes. And there is the possibility that if McCarthy becomes speaker, the investigations will melt away. Am I an alarmist!
Let's say the political scientist's assertion is correct: the Republican Party is facing an "extinction event" because of its cultish devotion to Trump. Then consider the likelihood that Trump will be faced with federal crimes for Jan. 6 and document theft and state charges in Georgia for election meddling. This means the odds are extremely high he'll face penalties that will block his return to the White House.
In this likely scenario, it's fair to assume Trump will incite MAGA in various ways, including outright violence across the country that could spill over to the 2024 elections. He is increasingly unhinged as his fate becomes apparent. How bad will it be? How will the FBI, where apparently a large number of agents supported the insurrection, respond? We know that many local police departments are MAGA, so how will they respond when their Idol calls for civil war?
Am I an alarmist? No, more like a realist.
I have been thinking along these same lines, Michael. So to me it's fair to say the reality is alarming.
One of the things I have been wondering about is if the crowd had gotten to Pence, would his SS detail have saved him.
My guess is that if Pence had gotten in that car, he wouldn't have been seen again.
Worst case: an assassination blamed on antifa.
Then why, in God’s name-and I ask literally since he claims to be such a “Christian” man-why won’t Pence tell what he knows??? The hypocrisy and sickness seem to have no end... he’s as filthy as the rest of them. Lust for money and power-there’s truly no decency or integrity in any of them.
Pence is white, privileged, evangelical America writ large. He’s able to contain corrosive cognitive dissonance inside, while wearing a plaster smile.
Christianity and Democracy are what he defines it to be, to serve himself, uplift himself, and save himself. The rest of the world be damned. WWJD?
Jesus would be appalled at what people do in his name.
I don't think they are all equally vile, bit yes, Pence is deeply complicit.
Pence is way more dangerous. It makes me very nervous when he starts to look like a hero of Jan 6.
Pence is a Dominionist. They fully believe in a literal translation of Revelations and the End Times, and all this chaos means Armageddon is upon us. Hundreds, if not thousands, of politicians in this country are also Dominionists, and write policy based on their beliefs. It's a subsection of the Republican Triangle of Doom.
Yes, and thank you. I don't think we realize how sure the trajectory is of this strain of the worst and most deranged Christian fundamentalism. These folks are the craziest and most dangerous because they are true believers. I am the furthest you can get from a conspiracy theorist, but I will say that the combination of the secular arm of this far-right crew--the Federalist Society--and the terrible Opus Dei on the religious side--have been dreadfully organized over many years and have achieved many of their goals.
The lure of the power...... I grew up in Indiana -More of the Pence family is getting into the racket..........
Me too though I have been gone since college. IN is a misplaced southern state—should be between AL and MS I realized.
Ugh
Just because Cheney and Kinziger are on the Jan. 6 committee doesn't mean that they are kind people. They are still Republicans. Kinziger castigated Kamala Harris on Twitter for saying out loud what she was wearing at a conference, which happened to be for sight impaired people.
Who ever thought there was?
Maybe he has to consult with “ mother” before he comes forward
🤮
In my opinion, Pence is just about the worst and most dangerous of the lot. He has devoted much of his political life supporting, indirectly and directly, Conversion Camps for gay teens; oddly he refuses to even have lunch in public with a woman unless "Mother" is there. I am not making this up.
He is a dangerous man, far to the right of most, presentable, convincing, dedicated to locking into place the worst of the far-right agenda. If he were elected, he would do more damage than Trump ever imagined, and he would do it so quietly that very few of us would notice.
As for his "Christianity," the whole bunch of them are some kind of zealous Christian Dominionists, and that kind of religious zeal hasn't done much good in the world or so history suggests. We are quick to rail against Islamic extremists but Christian history is pretty grim.
They wouldn't have had to kill him .... that would cause a whole new set of problems .... just prevent him from certifying the election.
Probably, but there was also this: "Hang Mike Pence." So one has to wonder.
One hopes that it wasn't the Secret Service that was saying that ......
I think the 1/6 mob would have seriously injured or killed any politician they could have gotten their hands on that day.
That rabid, frothing-at the-mouth crowd would have killed Pence, as well as Pelosi. And doing so would have given Trump cover to declare martial law.
Yes. That kind of blood lust is hard to stop
I agree completely, William
I believe that’s why Pence wouldn’t consent to being removed from the Capitol.
Understood. My thought is if the SS had used force to make it happen. Fortunately, they did not this time.
Such a frightening thought. I wonder how secure Joe and Kamala feel with their SS Detail. 😕
Joe kept his detail that was with him during his VP days. I am hoping on his behalf that they can be trusted. I have no idea about Kamala.
Lynell, I have wondered the very same.
For decades, right wing militia's have strategically funneled their recruits - who could and were willing to pass as relatively normal - into police forces and the military. Not a big step - from KKK families with a tradition of going into enforcement and the military.
They just shed their sheets
Exactly!
heart emoji
Marj-try going to the top of the page-look to the left of the search bar. There's an incomplete circle w/ an arrow @ the end. That's the refresh button. You'll go back to where you were and you should be able to click on the heart so it'll show. Refreshing may have to be repeated withing a few tries.
It's that & worse. Check out Jim Stewartson's Substack from yesterday about 88Tactical, with blatantly Nazi leanings, now franchising to a shooting range near you. I forwarded it to my law enforcement son, havent heard back from him yet.
That has been cultivating for many years. Media tends to ignore that very important detail. Former North Carolinian Jewish girl raised by Holocaust victims here.
You are not an alarmist - a realist, perhaps. You are not alone. But here is my take.
Outright violence on a larger scale will be crushed. The government has many more and bigger guns. It also has the prisons. I am opposed to violence. A peacenik to some degree. But if a few Oath Keepers and Proud Boy types bite the dust, no loss to America.
The FBI and the Secret Service will be purged of traitors. This mess is going to be cleaned up.
It may come down to some standoffs and some bloody encounters. There have been several "rebellions" and large scale violent protests in our past. They were all put down in quick order.
Such violence and armed rebellion will backfire with the vast middle of America who just want to go to work, raise their kids and have a nice dinner before bed. Sometimes things just need to get worse before the nation finally says "Enough!".
When we watched Ken Burns "Holocaust", we learned that most Americans did not want to go to war - even to save millions from being exterminated. But when they were personally threatened, attitudes changed almost overnight. Private militias attacking fellow Americans will unite the vast majority in opposition. I could be wrong. It happens all the time. But that's my optimistic pitch for this morning.
I hope you're right, but it's the ringleaders that need to be removed from society and silenced before they can do even more harm.
Person #1 is the ringleader
During the WWII we didn't have social media like today and dirty money flowing to the mass Mega from all countries. Money talks in this era today. Just look at the wealh distribution in the country. Tycoon's with China ties reported the in New Yorker today to give to Trump Mega Republicans. What about Musk's ambitions?
I would call current R policies a resurrection. The old party was dead as too many rejected the trickle down economics of RINOs. Now they are supercharged with unchecked conspiracies and wing nut candidates.
Yet they get 50% of the votes.
Imagine Senator Walker? Ugh!!!
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." --Thomas Jefferson to Charles Yancey, 1816. ME 14:384
"Convinced that the people are the only safe depositories of their own liberty, and that they are not safe unless enlightened to a certain degree, I have looked on our present state of liberty as a short-lived possession unless the mass of the people could be informed to a certain degree." --Thomas Jefferson to Littleton Waller Tazewell, 1805.
"No nation is permitted to live in ignorance with impunity." --Thomas Jefferson: Virginia Board of Visitors Minutes, 1821. ME 19:408
"Freedom [is] the first-born daughter of science." --Thomas Jefferson to Francois D'Ivernois, 1795. ME 9:297
"Light and liberty go together." --Thomas Jefferson to Tench Coxe, 1795.
I know, I posted this yesterday, but, today? It is still true!!
Mike Delightful Thomas Jefferson quotes. However, the same Jefferson wrote about the need for ‘blood’ now and then. David McCullough commenced research on a book based on John Adams and Jefferson’s post-presidential letters. Then David wrote me that he had abandoned that project because he found Jefferson hypocritical. His singular book on John Adams won him a second Pulitzer.
Do you recall Jefferson’s quotes on frugality? In real life he was constantly in debt and sold his library to Congress to try to pay down this debt. Likewise, when he supported an embargo on trade with Great Britain and France (1807?), he managed to finagle some expensive French wine through customs for his personal use.
Enjoy your Jefferson quotes, but never play two card monte with the fellow.
but Keith, he may have racked up debts but he took action to PAY them
Look what we have now...Politicians today have so little of the intellectual curiosity that he embodied.
And as for business and financial acumen,don't forget, the Louisiana Purchase, the best real estate deal with France imaginable
When you go to Monticello and you see how much he invested in his interests ( architecture, science, botany etc etc) as opposed to gold faucets and gaudy useless expenses of the mindlessly greedy greedy
He was not a perfect man but he was a visionary
If you read enough biographies you learn to appreciate what people have contributed and accept that very, very few belong on pedestals. We are stuck with being human and complicated.
Joan Actually a lottery was being planned at the time of Jefferson’s death. Of course Jefferson did some great things of which the Louisiana Purchase ranks perhaps at the very top. Initially he sought New Orleans from Napoleon. Unexpectedly Big Nap offered the entire enchilada.
Jeff the frugalist had no constitutional way to conclude the Louisiana Purchase immediately and Big Nap wouldn’t wait. So Jeff said what the hell and Toujour gai. Lewis & Clark explored the greatest land purchase in history.
L & C & Pochantas quite a trek.
Jefferson was an "early adapter" of clever French home improvements; Thomas did have a great amount of common sense placing his Bedroom/ Study on the first floor on the sunny side to deal with a number of personal infirmities. Jefferson's "living room" was a veritable Natural History Museum-still is.
Bryan Jefferson was a great innovator as reflected in what one can see at Monticello. He also was associated with some duds. Focused on thrift, he supported small boats with mounted guns called ‘Little Jeffs.’ They were cute, but militarily total useless on the high sea. Indeed, they were the object of ridicule as Jefferson faced ther British and French fleet with his ‘flyswater fleet.’
Yup, early adaption was far from early success in the 18th Century. George W had his share of failures too. Also, I did not care for George's thick "Red Coat" but, I sure it kept him warm.
You know, I am not a big fan of Thomas Jefferson overall, but I love these quotes. Thanks for posting them 2 days in a row… that meant I saw them today!
Thank you Keith--Dr. R is not a fan of Jefferson either!
I will heed the advice!
Thank you, reminders necessary
Thanks, Mike please post Jefferson quotes for the rest of the Week. For those following the on-going Trial of U.S. [John Durham] vs. Igor Y. Danchenko, 1:21-cr-00245, after Day 3 of the Trial, the Judge has given the Parties 30 Days to 11/14/2022, to file a "NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST REDACTION" of the Day 3 Trial Transcript to stop further Leaks. The redacted Trial Transcript will be available on 1/12/2023 through PACER or Court Reporter, Rhonda Montgomery. VERDICT: DANCHENKO ACQUITTED.
Why is the Barrack case taking so long? Is there a summary of it somewhere?
Emptywheel.net has had good coverage on conflict of interest issues but, I have not yet checked THOMAS BARRACK COURTLISTENER. Post, if you get anything valuable.Tu.
If you learn anything, or have access to PACER, I'm interested because he is the father in law of my girlfriend's son. He of course claims he's done nothing wrong. (Where we have heard those words before?)
Still true. Always.
These quotes are wonderful and so true
"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical." TJ to James Madison.
Thomas J to James M, 1/30/1787, "But, weigh this against the oppression of monarchy [autocracy] and it beomes nothing".
Mike, i hope you saw and read the link posted in BKs comment above. Reiterates what you always say about how rich white men don't go to jail.
All true, Mike. Expecting to be ignorant (current state of education) AND free? Not happening.
Michael,
I highly recommend the Greek islands. A bit cold in winter, and, the villages are bit difficult to access through some of the mountain roads.
But, the public education in Greece is, bar none, among the best in the world. Greeks already did their Civil War after WW II and are a stable Democracy as a result.
Lastly, Greek media has not glorified a fake entity called "cowboy" that never existed in a way that everybody wants to wear a gun on their hip. Nobody carries a gun in Greece. Nobody.
In fact, Greeks take a really, really dim view of most Americans, BUT, if you were (unlucky/lucky) enough to marry a Greek (depending on the day for sure), Greeks treat Americans well.
So, instead of worrying about Civil war in the US, find a place that is stable, buy a property, and keep your passport handy.
There is just NO WAY, having better understood American history through Dr. Richardson, the 1619 Book, MLK's speeches which are on utube, that I am going to involve myself in any violence here at all.
Too many people here are imbued in fantasy through media, fake movies about cowboys, super violent modern movies, and fake websites to get involved in violence.
Let em have it. Let's see how that works out for their "base".
I wish
I’d go but I’m too old to do so now.
I have a friend that is seriously checking out The Azores as a second home. She is worried about the stability of our country, and wants to have the option of leaving, perhaps permanently, if necessary.
Add in the election deniers in positions of power and we are in completely uncharted territory.
In an orderly world, where laws have their independence from politics and greed; thank you for your realism.
I think we can all be pretty sure there will be violence. How much, how long, and how extreme remain to be seen.
Christopher Wray needs to be fired as FBI Director, as he "lacked candor" in testimony before Congress and has allowed FBI malfeasance in regard to Trump and Jan. 6. Just as Biden replaced the head of the Secret Service, he must replace Wray so we can have a real remedy to this serious problem.
The police will be tougher in some ways because of so much local control, but federal Civil Rights investigators may be able to help by rooting out some of the racism, which is also a big part of Trumpism
Christopher Wray needs to be removed. What is the holdup?
A frightening thought that arose today.
I hope that sharing it will cause readers to strengthen their resolve.
*
"The kindest thing one could say about many Americans' (and others') attitude to party politics is that they treat it as a tribal game.
Democracy is bound to fail if voters are guided by habit and tribal allegiance alone.
You end up with the kind of situation that led to the Nika Riots."
Profound learning: democracy doesn't work very well in tribal societies. There may be development of good election procedures, but if people are voting and acting along tribal lines democracy is not developing.
I consider circumcision of baby boys an artificial strengthening of tribal belonging, originally aiming at making loyal warriors for the tribe. I think both Moses and Mohammed understood that this habit could not be taken away, so they made it "religious"; less fighting between the tribes, and viable warriors for the religion. Maybe the UN could set up clinics for parents who want their boys to belong to humanity.
Thoughtful.
In Muslim and some other societies, circumcision is a rite of passage that takes place just before puberty...
But I spoke of tribal identity in a broad sense, an automatism connected with social class and family identity. And, after a long life I've become well aware of how, after mediocrity has taken hold in a political party, there can be a further decline into yob behavior.
In the US, it's far worse than that... But people are stunned by the speed and acceleration of change, yet unable to see that Grandad's Old Party is no longer Grandad's but has been replaced by something very different... and very, very dangerous.
I observe that many are cheered and strengthened by this accelerated change. If we believe polls, I’d say around 50% of Americans herald and welcome this change toward Loud & Proud white christian nationalism. And they are showing us that they want it “By Any Means Necessary”. This is who we are and who we have always been “under the sheets”. Trying to bend the Arc of Justice Towards Freedom is damn hard. Herding cats is easier and less messy.
"Cheered and strengthened by this accelerated change..."
Isn't that confusing effect with cause?
No one can keep pace with it, least of all politicians who prescribe the patent medicines hawked a generation or more ago.
Into this chaos strides a cheap conman, straight from the TV update of a Coney Island sideshow.
Like Hitler, he gives a loud voice to the hitherto repressed rage, resentment and hatreds of those who've woken up with a hangover from disappointed dreams of "Greatness", this time, the Great American Dream, Big Rock Candy Mountain and all.
He's empty, he's hollow, a sounding box for limitless resentment... and his voice is THEIRS.
And yes, suddenly there's meaning in their lives, suddenly they're surfing on a tsunami, speeding in to smash it all... and Live Happily Ever Afterwards, in a Great-Free-For-All-Back-To-The-Fifties Fuehrerfest...
Two folk tales tell it all: The Pied Piper of Hamelin and -- above all -- The Tale of the Fisherman and his Wife.
Like the Fisherman's Wife, this Apprentice Antichrist, can find satisfaction in nothing... wants to be God. This ends her up back in the ditch she crawled out of... and the sooner this latterday Fisherman's Wife follows suit, the better.
Morning Michael. There’s a refrain in Missy Elliot’s rap song “Under Construction” that calls for the listener to “Turn the Volume Up”.
Professor Richardson’s letter is a barnburner today. That line from the song started playing in my head. I sent it out to a shitload of contacts already. Your comment made me turn the volume up on the last sentence. I’ve wondered the same. What will be the response to another insurrection display of violence across the country or isolated to a place such as the Capitol again? All I can say is that we have a current Commander in Chief that will call on our strength to crush the MAGAts. Instead of eating a cheeseburger watching it.
Turn the volume up…..
Unita. 🗽
Guess we are about to find out how thoroughly fascists have infiltrated “law enforcement.” Chiefs, directors and Generals have looked the other way when confronted with rank and file membership in militias, QAnon, KKK, forever. Turn the volume up, indeed.
January 6th MAGA crowd was at a fever pitch and melted when the Virginia National Guard appeared with DC police. Pressure on public misbehavior by Oath Keepers and others will damp down real action. The real danger is control will be lost if the midterms go badly and I think many Democratic voters are in denial of what is at stake.
Stop the flow of Dark Money. Where ever THAT is, corruption is.
I have to agree with anyone who is concerned about how LE or the military will react. It was clear from the last committee report that the Secret Service and probably other agencies knew there would be violence and basically did nothing except keep death star from going to the capitol building. Every time I think about that day, I get sick to my stomach.
Michael Bales, Knowing where this country is between Biden's efforts to provide government support, long overdue, and power moves by Trump, along with his Republican MAGA Criminal Inc. Party is impossible to ascertain. HCR's Letters provide reports on both sides, but the balance between the two, where art thou? How much damage has been done to the functions of government; infiltration into the military, government, law-enforcement, business and the general public by the fascistic members of Trump's cult?
In an interview with with Chauncey Devega printed in Salon, Glenn L. Kirschner is an American attorney, a former U.S. Army prosecutor, and an NBC News/MSNBC said,
'The fact that Donald Trump is not being held accountable doesn't make sense. But it can be explained by the phenomenon of the ruling-class criminal. America has never been willing to hold them accountable, whether they are in politics, business, entertainment, the tech business or what have you.'
'We are prosecuting Donald Trump's foot soldiers who he unleashed upon the Capitol on Jan. 6 to stop the certification. They are going to trial; they're going to prison. The man who gave the criminal order to attack is playing golf, holding rallies and attending dinner parties. That is a deep injustice at play in America every minute of every day, until Donald Trump is held accountable.'
'Donald Trump believes that he is above the law. And he holds that belief for good reason. It appears that Trump has lived a life of crime and has never been held accountable. That is a dramatic failing of our criminal justice system, our law enforcement agencies and most certainly our nation's prosecutors. Trump, in my opinion, has also come to believe, with good reason, that if he admits his crimes out loud people will take a step back and scratch their heads and say, "Geez, I thought it was criminal what he did, but he is saying he did it.'
Devega to Kirschner: If you had Merrick Garland's ear right now, what would you tell him?
'On the one hand, you want to say better late than never if you're going to bring charges against Donald Trump. But it's already so late. People have lost so much confidence. You came in as somebody who was determined to rebuild the institution, the prestige and the legitimacy of the Department of Justice. But I think the way this investigation is lingering is doing the exact opposite. I hope he can make decisions quickly that will remedy all of that.'
Just read the article, Fern. IMO, Kirschner is as balanced as balance can be about this state of affairs.
I agree. Lynell. He calls it straight with the facts and with feeling.
A mystery.
When will the reasons for this strange appearance of impunity be revealed?
Ah, succinct, to the point, sharp and witty; it is the power of one line by the pen of Peter. Thank you.
No wit. Not amused but deeply anxious. For us all, here and now. For posterity.
I have never forgotten the words of a distinguished former German judge whom I met when I was a student, a Jew, forced to leave his beloved country, when he spoke of the failure to execute Hitler after the Munich beer hall putsch and the consequences of that failure of justice.
No doubt, whatsoever, about the serious and daggerlike point of your message.
No, Fern.
You at least are well aware of the danger.
When I spoke of the former judge's view of the incalculable effects of a failure of justice, I did not have one man's crimes in mind, or their punishment, but how the great power of Nazi Germany was as nothing compared to that of the United States today.
I leave it to you and to readers, especially jurists, to consider the implications of this fact.
I’m with you. As Heather says, he’s trying to destroy the rule of law. Like Putin, he will cause chaos to distract and then insert himself. And then forget about laws as you know them.
Watching the Ken Burns documentary on the US response to the Holocaust made me sick to think that Americans were so susceptible to propaganda. But here we are again. And this time, it could be even worse.
MAGA lovers have no idea what their asking for. They’re even touting MAGA communism to gain media attention at great risk.
Realist indeed, only ostrich’s don’t see the view from their own eyes. And there is the possibility that if McCarthy becomes speaker, the investigations will melt away. Am I an alarmist!
Possibility? I'd say its pretty definite. Not an alarmist!
I understand. It’s my biggest fear now. But/and we will overcome in the end.