It appears that John Durham’s investigation into why the FBI opened an investigation into the ties between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russian operatives is coming to an end.
“He never tells the truth,” said Peter J. Solomon, Mayor Koch’s Deputy Mayor. “Never.”
Never? I asked. “Never,” said Peter.
Axiom One. He is a pathological liar.
Two Plus. He’s a rapist, a grifter, a traitor, a criminal insurrectionist, criminal provocateur; a tax cheat, a Black fearing racist, Jews will not replace us” does not trouble him, he stiffs his workers and lawyers, cheats on his third wife, he’s guilty of many crimes and will now be investigated, charged, tried, convicted, and sentenced to house arrest to keep the SS out of jail - with him. Dead Capitol cops do not trouble him, and he must confess on the big lie, or try the zoo. Trump would.
Exhausted here. I could devote a week to this bastard. He is the embodiment of Evil.
I want to say he is not worthy of your exhaustion but..........we keep pushing back emotionally against the norm-breaking, the astounding narcissistic behavior, etc..
I knew, in 2016, we had elected a criminal who would, at the very least, try to lead us to financial ruin. I was sooo shy of the mark. But, Trump is no longer in power, and he is facing a welter of SERIOUS legal trouble. So are many of his minions.
I make an effort to see as much of a given situation as I can. Looking only at the crap Trump, et al have done and not at anything else leaves me depressed and exhausted,too. Joe Biden somehow grew into this political moment. Judge Brown-Jackson, Senator Booker, Senator Warnock, Representatives Cheney, Kinzinger, and Thompson, etc., etc, all contribute as much, if not more, to this reality than the weird, malevolent Trumpists do. Oh yeah, Bill Barr is being less of an a-hole lately, too.
Some good people are easily deceived! I understand you only have to hear something three times before it becomes truth to you. Just yesterday I had a man tell me that he voted for tfg because he was a business man! I told him I didn't vote for him because if he was a decent person he would not have divorced his wife that had three of his children to marry the woman that had given birth to his illegitimate daughter. Then he divorce her and marry a younger woman. Then had affairs with other women while she was pregnant with his child. And, then there was the interview where he could do anything he wanted to any woman...including... ( I am sure you remember his comment.) There were so many things about him! How can so many people still worship him???? Especially, the so called Believers!
Thanks, Christy. Does the NCR also have a similar article on Amy Coney Barrett? Say what she wants, Barrett is totally influenced by the traditional Catholic opinion on abortion more than on the separation of church and state. She's not separating her personal religious opinion from what our governmental laws have provided. As a Catholic, it makes me sick and angry to see her (and other Catholics) using their positions of power to impose their religious opinions on others. Talk about bullies!
Thank you, Mary. It is very refreshing to hear from Catholics who support their faith, but remind us of the division of church and state. "A breath of fresh air."
She was a live-in with the Founder & wife of People of Praise during Law School. Talk about grooming! I met the Founder years ago when he and accomplice were trying to groom Freshmen to join their "charismatic" group. Very creepy pair! I can only imagine. They part of the reason I became unchurched.
I'm so over the culture wars and the catholic right wing especially. They are so unlike their Pope who shows mercy, and good sense, and wrote a really interesting encyclical on climate change.
I am old enough to remember the Communist axiom, "Religion is the Opiate of the Masses." Thus, the communists defied church and sanctimonious authoritarianism, and substituted their own, often brutal authority. Being "churched" became a symbol of defiance toward USSR and China. Nevertheless, authoritarianism is obnoxious no matter what end of the religious spectrum. These days, fanaticism (as you say) has been re-invented to support supremacy, once again. Ignorance prevails and is even worshipped.
I'm reading a book called, The Silk Roads. Greedy people have been using religion as an excuse to rape and pillage and take what doesn't belong to them for a very, very long time. Sadly, it's an old story and the more I read about the misuse of religion, the less religious I become.
Yet Barr doesn’t think Trump should be prosecuted for the crimes Barr acknowledges Trump committed, because it would be too divisive or something. Bar has previously said if Trump is nominated in 2024 he will vote for him.
What is that about? Bill Barr is not to be trusted and Trump should absolutely be prosecuted for so many things it would take too much time to name them. He's a dangerous and disreputable man. No special snowflake that one.
I know. Not sure if you are criticizing my comment or agreeing with it and adding your own observations.
My point is that although Barr has gone on Fox and spoken the truth about Trump, he still is fully on board. Totally untrustworthy and Barr should also be disbarred.
Barr's dedication to the idea of the "unitary executive" sounds like everyone else's idea of a dictator or an autocrat. It's a terrible idea for any president of a democracy.
Barr has enthusiastically pushed this idea while serving as the Attorney General when Republicans George H.W. Bush and then Donald Trump were president. Just wondering if Barr actually believes in this theory or only believes in it when Republicans are president.
Barr has acted and written in favor of the overriding authority of the president. That doesn't lead me to ''wonder" what he believes. Barr has demonstrated his position, and I accept it for what it is.
I don't "wonder" whether or not Bill Barr believes in giving Republican presidents more power than America normally gives a president. We all know he does. I just wondered if he is as two-faced about his devotion to the unitary executive theory as he has been about his support for Trump. In other words, does Barr have any steadfast principles or do his loyalties shift with the winds like palm fronds in a storm. I appreciate that you don't care. I'm just curious.
Stacey Abrams needs some help for her campaign and it is well earned. Steve's comment including Senator Warnock is a reminder that without Stacey's work in the previous Georgia election dems would be underwater. Please join in helping Stacey Abrams in any way you can.
Franktom, I wholeheartedly agree, and will be working on getting out the vote, as well as providing whatever financial support I'm able. She was definitely the architect of our double senatorial wins in '20, was cheated by Kemp when she ran against him, and despite the fact that he's not a Trumper, he is extremely dangerous with voter suppression and vote nullification. He MUST go.
"...Bill Barr is being less of an a-hole lately..."
WRONG, ABSOLUTELY WRONG!
Seems Barr is effectively utilizing his expensive education for anything but good!
His massively publicized contriteness is just another of his scams. A clever revision of his history cunningly deceptive testing whether or not we are asleep at the wheel steering American democracy.
We must more diligently fight our way away from the stormy repulsively polluted waters caused as a result of republican greed and instead sail into the crystal clear sparkling oceans of patriotic love of America.
Nancy, you're correct in your distrust of Barr. He's a snake! As for Cheney, she is a rock-ribbed conservative, and I suspect she's positioning herself for a '24 presidential run. Nevertheless, she has done a magnificent job on the J6 panel, has teamed with Kinsinger to shut down the cries of political abuse, and without her participation, I doubt that it would have garnered the attention it has received thus far. No, I'd never vote for Liz, but she has made a contribution, whatever her motivation.
Remember when they said, "He's a businessman!" He's all business, all right. And remember when they said, "but he'll have good people working for him"?
When he had destroyed the Art Deco work that MOMA was expecting to be saved and sent to them, how could anyone not have known what a clod he was. Now we know more: a mafia boss too big to catch. Can we get our country back after he sold US out to Putin?
The defeated former president gives 'business' a bad name and provides those with Marxist leanings with good arguments. He's too dumb to be doing this intentionally, but perhaps this is just another example of his being used by his 'friends' in Russia.
Steve, we're occupying the same lifeboat. The only exception is your comment about Bill Barr. He's the same malevolent creature, and I thought that he smelled Trump's blood in the water and wanted to resurrect his tattered reputation. However, with the release of Geoffrey Berman's book which has skewered Barr, my guess is that he knew its release was imminent and he was trying to get ahead of the s**t storm.
I just want it to be over! I think we have endured enough of these evil crooks! And so many we don't even know their names are behind working to destroy what we have gained and all desire... and as Heather says...it is about the money and power!
This is exhausting and depressing, but you are right to name those who are not arrogant assholes. There are lots of them and I think it is well to name them as often as we name the bullies. And we need to support them because they are probably exhausted as well. Don't get pulled into the MAGA vortex. It is strong, but resist we must.
Long, long ago an attorney general, who came back to haunt us again, backed a hay cart of presidential pardons—six of them for high ranking Reagan/ Bush Iran/Contradictors:
"The office had developed evidence over the course of many years suggesting that there had been a high-level conspiracy to obstruct the investigation ... designed to protect, first President Reagan, and then-Vice President — and ultimately President — Bush", said Michael Bromwich who worked on the case for Lawrence Walsh, the Special Prosecutor.
Walsh himself said of the Barr blessed Bush I pardons, "It demonstrates that powerful people with powerful allies can commit serious crimes in high office, deliberately abusing the public trust without consequences."
Maybe Barr is just tuning up for a third round in a DeSantis presidency?
But lest we feel too self-righteous, remember Bill Clinton’s pardon of the international grifter Marc Rich who had, among other crimes bought Iranian oil while Americans were being held hostage in Tehran and who successfully worked to circumvent South African apartheid sanctions.
Maybe we have a deeper, cultural problem. Maybe, as Pogo said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
'F.B.I. Believes MyPillow Guy Committed Crimes Beyond Selling Shitty Pillows'
'Mike Lindell waits outside the West Wing of the White House.'
'WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—The Federal Bureau of Investigation has seized the cell phone of Mike Lindell, better known as the MyPillow guy, in the belief that he may have “committed crimes beyond selling shitty pillows,” an F.B.I. spokesman has confirmed.'
'Although the F.B.I. took custody of Lindell’s phone, they did not seize any of his pillows. “Nobody wanted those,” the spokesman said.'
“I did not purchase a MyPillow,” Garland clarified in a prepared statement. “However, I have heard that they suck.”
'Lindell received vehement support from another Republican luminary, Don Bolduc, the G.O.P. nominee for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire. “This is a rigged witch hunt,” Bolduc said. “The MyPillow guy has never sold a pillow.” (Satire, NewYorker)
I LOVE Borowitz! His humor —as that of late night comedians— allows me to keep abreast of today’s politics without wanting to smash the TV/computer/cell phone/my head (!) against a wall.
Agree for sure-- as noted in my comment, the first round of Barr blessed pardons were in part to protect St. Ronnie from the reach of the later Iran scandal.
And perhaps most deeply wounding to our rule-of-law processes, St. Ronnie gave us the first modern-era presidential wink and a nod to overt racism with his campaign inaugurating speech at Philadelphia, MS, the site of the civil rights' worker murders.
Indeed... on his last day - at 7:15 in the morning... he called his Pardon Attorney, and Roger C. Adams misspelled my middle name... in the rush... so I have two: Bonner and Bonnor... the ultimate expression of presidential ambivalence... which is what happens when one is asked to confront a president on his most personal behavior.. and he is furious... But give the man credit... he knew I put his interest ahead,.. He did not know that I did not petition or even ask for his help.... in due course, this sordid story will play out and Sir Rudy and his disgusting staff, not to mention my learned counsel, will find themselves famous or infamous, all over again. Fact is stranger than fiction, but Bill Clinton pardoned cold killer Marc Rich for pay - and me as an example of his decency.... President Clinton is complex and brilliant... and I like the man. See www.sblewis.net and read with care. It’s not all there... it never is.
Barr has a ^great^ mentor in the “incompetent at best, corrupt at worse” Ed Meese (still hanging around at his creation, the Heritage Foundation, & on the board of the Federalist Society), lest we forget.
Sandy and Solomon are so right. Solomon on Trump’s true character and credentials for highest office if on the right. Sandy for the lengths to which we all might elaborate and add to the real list of crimes against our nation by the grifter and the exhaustion we all suffer in these seven years and counting. Barr is preparing his image and credentials for a third run as Attorney General in the DeSantis presidency, IMO. He will be the most qualified of any to be considered ... by the right (better named the wrong). Especially, now as he testified before the Jan 6 Committee, showing he is above partisanship, and is providing his bonifides as an above board law and order guy who can out-Garland in pursuit of impartial justice; I jest.
I watched Frontline last night for the first time in years. It could have been mistakenly thought to be about Trump but it was more damning about the Republican Party and how deeply they are tied to him. Every chance they got they sided with him to hold onto their power. They are still in his clutches. Some parts were so horrifying I had a terrible night's sleep. Even when they knew they were being cowardly they stuck to him. It is His party and he knows it. He told them he would run as the leader of his own party, which would be their demise. Truer words never came out of his mouth...and so they lined up to kiss the ring after Jan 6. They are not Republicans they are Trumpians. This episode will be on several more times this week. It needs to be seen. Keep the lights on.
I had a thought while walking the do this morning. It's a bit out there, but that's where we're at these days. Lindsey Graham and this abortion bill. Why? They well know at this point that Dobbs is driving folks to the Dem side, and registering to vote (for Dems). May upset the election predictions. So, why? Could it be that they are looking for a way to get rid of Trump? I believe he has dirt on Graham, maybe Mitch, and many others. It's been shown that's how he operates. Maybe they're at the point where things have gone too far and they need him out. So, using the abortion bill to send votes away from the Trump whackos? I just can't understand why they would introduce this bill knowing how unpopular it is with people they need.
Who knows why Lindsey does anything. He has brought the abortion issue front and center just when a lot of Rs have been wiping their social media of their extreme views on it. I am sure he has not made his fellow travelers happy. And how about that disgusting news from Mississippi. Here we have, in one of the poorer states in the country, the then governor and a big a** athlete using those funds, so Favre's daughter can play volleyball in a slick building. Here in Oregon, volleyball is played on a basketball court.
I had the same thought. It was the only rational explanation I could come up with--a kind of self-sabotage, the self being the sicko Republican Party they have become.
This is Hitler redux. Some of the early members of the Nazi party were so naive as to think that "National Socialist German Workers' Party" had something to do with socialism and/or workers. Surprise!
Stay strong Sandy. We note you managed your accurate post w/o stating his name. It is D. Drumpf, or Donnie for short,....or, John Barron when he calls into media. The DOJ should use one of those names when he is tried and convicted of your list
Cheated on all 3 wives and his Sibs in their Inheritance. Yes, I could go on ...
OH, and was sent off to military boarding school after the Fred Trumps' neighbor caught young Donald chucking rocks over the fence at her toddler son in a playpen!
Did you include "embodiment of Evil"?? Yes, you did!
“He is the embodiment of Evil” and he always has been. WHY did millions vote him into our Oval Office? I read and read and ask and ask, my brain cannot comprehend. Hard to accept that people did not see it. Even harder to accept they did.
Some people just don't know what's good and what's bad for them .... personally or otherwise. I would wager that every smoker driving without wearing a seat belt, or on a Harley without a helmet, still supports the defeated former president. Being above the law is synonymous with freedom for them.
Sandy, I agree with all of your points. He has done more harm to this country than I believed possible, and that's not even taking into consideration the damage to every thinking person's mental health. We must do everything in our power to fight the evil that has been simmering for decades, but only in the last years has come out of the shadows with this miscreant's permission. We can no longer depend on the guardrails and norms that we falsely believed would have saved us from this tragedy.
And although a true majority, we may not be a voting majority, considering the power of State legislatures, necessitating more aggresive and disciplined strategies.
Absolutely, Jack! Democrats aren't famous for their discipline. However, I do believe that Roe and Dobbs have infuriated and motivated more than just the left. I'll say that Georgia's primaries this year have had a huge, historic turnout, which is not customary for midterm primaries. As you probably know, Georgia has all sorts of voter suppression laws in play, as well as voter nullification, which is very scary.
So true. And to add a specific case of his assorted frauds, there is always the matter of Private Bone Spurs. When his student deferments protecting him from army service during Vietnam ran out, his dad bought a podiatrist and suddenly "Private Bone Spurs" was invented. Then, the Vietnam War was over, and donald had a miraculous healing--no more bone spurs.
Plus, he/Dad hired the guy who took his SAT, which only got him into Fordham (s good school except for this faux paux). Older brother Fred Jr got him into UPenn as a Transfer student through a friend in the Admissions office. He was only allowed to take 2 Wharton School courses as a UPenn student. His Marketing prof ajudged him "the dumbest G-dd-mn student I ever had".
I imagine the list of his scams and results of his coddled behavior go on and on and on.... I really want to see a full accounting of all the scams he pulled off during his WH time. He's a poster boy for all the bad things and people money can buy.
Sandy, the list could go on forever. Yes, it's exhausting and I look forward to a time when he is no longer on everyone's mind. But it is necessary to spread the truth around and urge everyone to be aware of him and his cronies. VOTE.
That one word seems to be the most apt descriptor of all trump activities; that is, the effect on us of all his scams and personal behavior for at least the past 50 years. "Depressing" because it leaves us frustrated and angry and without justice until he is truly hauled into court and held accountable. Even if that situation is resolved and justice found, we still have to pay an immense cost to provide that billionaire with secret service protection for the rest of his life.
Amen. He has done severe damage to the country. To let him skate is to say that our justice system is meaningless. Trump was entrusted with the immense resources of the U.S., and he has endlessly abused that trust. Your question is good: Why can't we sue him?
This Letter may well have been called " the GOP feels that they are above the law, let me count the ways". That is spot on.
Everyday the GOP reinforces their right of passage through the abuse of this assertion. It's not a new approach they use, its just that it's so rampant and compounded as of late.
I think we are so use to Trump using that card that we have become numb to it.
“That is, the same man who sponsored Durham’s political mission has recently begun to speak up for the rule of law.” HCR
ZING!
Right between Barr’s filthy bi-focals, Eh!?
I very often so very much admire HCR’s masterful nimbleness in employing her consummate understatements to boldly articulate subtilties that would otherwise be read as obviously harsh indictments…she is a genius that freely bequeaths upon us her blessing for furthering our education, Eh!?
"GOP" phraseology is defined by the Ministry of Truth. Those who notice things observe that Government under the "GOP" is not so much small as authoritarian, and repurposed to serve those with the most money. It is intrusive when it comes to imposing "GOP" agendas and very heavy handed, especially when it comes to minorities and the very poor. The only "small" part pertains to abandonment of "the general welfare", millions for defense but not one red cent for the common good. It's "small" when it comes to voting rights and universal benefits and access. It's "small" in the sense of when "That's small of you" means "overly self serving".
It becomes easy to understand why the gop believe they are above the law. Lin, from our commenter group here, copied a valuable lesson from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s “The Scheme” series he just delivered on the senate floor. When you own the courts, you are above the law, evidently. Here’s the YouTube. It’s valuable to watch.
It's said that "patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel", and if ever there was a scoundrel. it's Bill Barr. Imagine Barr, once Trump's senior-most flunky, now defending the FBI (his own people) against Trump's lie mongering machine, and on Fox News, no less! But beyond a rebound in justice, the karmic significance of Attorney General Merrick Garland’s role in the process can't be overlooked. I'm sure that a ton of Republican grifters would far rather see Garland sitting on the bench at SCOTUS right now than in his present role at the DOJ. Mitch McConnell, if you're reading this, I recommend Maalox.
Bill Barr goes where the money tells him to go and crawls where the powerful tell him to crawl.
It's cultural. White men are weak, roll on the ground in front of money like a beaten curr dog, and go where their master (Trump in Barr's case) tell them go whenever they are told to go there.
I have seen it for my entire working career in American corporations which mostly hire white men and exclusively promote white men into management BECAUSE of their ability to roll onto their backs and whine when the boss above them walks into the room.
Bill Barr is a role model for all of the above behaviors.
Ah, in my quest for corporate survival, I failed at the “roll over and whimper” supplication maneuver. Layoffs, dismissals and “being retired early” were my penance
Still, I scrimped and saved enough to afford some comfort these days, with my corporate war stories proudly held intact. Not every White Guy plays the game. My Dad preached, “ the only thing you have, is your name”. I’m okay with that
Ah ! White guys whining about corporate life ! And one ex corporate suit turned farmer. Pull on your big boy pants and just imagine being a woman of any color in that same corporate world. And, just in case anyone has noticed, most of the miscreants we keep commenting on in this political mess are males of the highest order.
If I sounded like I was whining, I didn’t mean it to be I was encouraging Mike S that not all white guys rolled over, and that it takes a toll
Additionally, in no way was I intending to diminish the plight of women in the corporate world, however I can speak from experience the willingness of female corporate climbers to show their soft underbelly to “management” as they sacrificed their underlings on the corporate pyre
I find your tone a bit hostile. That chip on your shoulder might not be so heavy if you took a moment to recognize that not every white male is an enemy to be vanquished
“Soft Underbelly “ ??? Do I need to say more ? If I am hostile to statements like yours I revel in my hostility. And my ability to point out the latent misogyny in your opinion.
Soft underbelly refers to every dog that ever rolls over to get it scritched and the context reference to canine behavior (not women)had already been established by Mike Your Hostility is misplaced and your opinion is fomented by a misperception of my words based upon a bias clearly looking for argument
If you seek misogyny everywhere, you are sure it find it
Love ❤️ the Patagonia story. It helps to know there are some people with a conscience in this world, especially when there are so many thoughtless/greedy souls.
And his About Us page, in which he (in bold) states, "We are trying to make the world a better place" and "Thank you for your kindness, and your compassion, and your strength."
Just heard this in CNN this morning (9/15): "(CNN Business —
Patagonia’s founder is transferring ownership of the company after nearly 50 years into two entities that will help fight the climate crisis.
Patagonia is a private company based in Ventura, California, that sells outdoor apparel and equipment. Yvon Chouinard founded the company in 1973.
Patagonia said in a press release on Wednesday that, effective immediately, Chouinard and his family will transfer their entire ownership stake into two newly created entities. Those entities will ensure that the company’s values will continue to be upheld — and that Patagonia’s profits are used to combat climate change.
“If we have any hope of a thriving planet 50 years from now, it demands all of us doing all we can with the resources we have,” Chouinard said in a statement Wednesday. “Instead of extracting value from nature and transforming it into wealth, we are using the wealth Patagonia creates to protect the source.”
It brings me no pleasure, happiness, or positive feeling to voice what I have learned since leaving my old East Texas farm in 1978, becoming educated by hard work, garnering a reasonable paying job through hard work and fairly good jobs where pay is concerned. Because I am light skinned, and learned to control my mouth relative to my thoughts, I spent 4 years out of my 40 year career in management (the rest I spent very highly technical algorithm for imaging development).
What I saw in my 40 years since leaving my farm would turn the stomach of a steel drum.
So, once in a while I voice my personal experiential observations. But, if you look down you will see another post with information from the 1619 book that is WORSE than anything I have encountered in my own experience.
I continue to learn George. Some of it is good now that I am back in rural world (actually, mixed world now).
But, learning about America with one's eyes wide open is not pleasant. Not one bit.
"But, learning about America with one's eyes wide open is not pleasant."
That is the truth of things, Mike. I've learned more about the history of America from reading LFAA, the comments here, and following the links that others have provided. I will get the book 1619. It is a book that I am looking forward to not looking forward to reading.
I'm slogging through The Republican Playbook. Revelation of a 50 year plan to turn America into a one-party "democracy." All the manipulations, dirty tricks, and overtly illegal schemes that we see perpetrated over the past decades and continuing today.
While I was working as a nurse, saving lives and being present for people who were having the worst day of their lives, this malevolent playbook was being used to undercut everything I believe in. In retirement, I am just sickened to realize I had no clue as to what was really going on. I mistakenly (naively?) believed our elected representatives were working as hard and as ethically as I was to try to make the world a better place. I curse my foolishness.
Thank you for a very powerful and poignant revelation of life experience.
I also know of the truth you described.
As you may have observed from some of my posted comments, I have not yet learned to control what sometimes explodes out of my mouth or becomes recorded in writing. I admire your wisdom of self-restraint.
A while ago I was given a cushioning devise that helps me cope with human fragilities. It is also a book unlike every other book in the way it speaks perfect comfortings for the current moment.
The Holy Bible.
Since then, beauty abounds, peace, joy, and comfort are unearned, undeserved gifts showered upon me constantly, even while coping just as you are now
Mike. I pray you may soon know the blessings of abundance that can never be earned or deserved, yet is freely given to all by a Love that exceeds our ability to fully comprehend.
It took me a while, as a technical scientist in a big research lab, who spent years not learning people skills but working, to see the patterns of behavior necessary to become a "manager".
Once I saw the patterns and the easy behaviors necessary to get promoted relative to the hard work I thought would be required, I decided, why not?
The easiest thing in the world is to tell the boss whatever he wants to hear, which, is mostly how brilliant and smart he his and what a great job he is doing and then get a big raise.
So, I tried it and IT WORKED! I got promoted and got to attend the coveted "leadership meeetings" where everyone wore long sleeve white shirts.
But, at the meetings? The men gossiped like women!! (OK, I know I am headed for trouble here ladies, I am guilty as charged).
There was no discussion of the future state, no plan, no organizational discussion. These guys all sat around gossiping about people not in the room!
Now, me? I think if you have something to say about someone, the best place to do that is right in front of that someone so it can be heard properly.
So, after two years I requested and was granted rotation back into my technical role (now being paid much more than before). From there I could make a difference and teach people and partner with people.
Later, much later, my boss came to me and told me that if I did not take the management of my team's job they would hire somebody completely useless that everyone would hate.
So, I took it for two years again, then, rolled back to technical work again.
Both times I only talked about someone only if they were sitting right across from me where they could respond. Period.
I so hear you. How often have competent technical people been put in positions of management and then discovered that management is just a sham? If you want to dig into this, read up on the "father of scientific management," Frederick Taylor, a sadist who inspired Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times." We are still suffering under that man's lash. (And for more re: why human's go along with this BS, read a book by Todd Rose called "Collective Illusions.")
Your wrote, 'White men are weak, roll on the ground in front of money like a beaten curr dog, and go where their master (Trump in Barr's case) tell them go whenever they are told to go there.'
This is a common refrain of yours. 'All white men are alike.' Stereotyping is not only practiced by Whites. I think of it as, all too often, a lethal form of prejudice.
Before you begin again with you persistent negative attitude please try to avoid being stereotyped The Authority, (self appointed, of course), and instead learn to Read Between The Lines of the thoughtful well reasoned comments by the very learned in this community, Eh!?
He goes where his mind takes him, without reflection or consideration of the consequences as, like the leader he will follow, is immune from all considerations that can be covered over by plausible misdirection and an honest appearing demeanor.
"I'm sure that a ton of Republican grifters would far rather see Garland sitting on the bench at SCOTUS right now than in his present role at the DOJ. Mitch McConnell, if you're reading this, I recommend Maalox."
"Now [Jeffery Clark] claims the D.C. Bar cannot punish him because normal rules of behavior don’t apply."
Why, you ask? Because Jeffery Clark lives in the land of "Because I Said So".
In further shocking news, ALL of Mike Lindell's compelling truths about the 2020 election are stored on his cellphone (he doesn't have a computer) which the FBI seized at a Hardee's. OF COURSE the FBI is going to erase all of Lindell's very damning evidence against the Devil People AKA the Democrats.
Mike Lindell is the poster child for the old anti-drug PSA featuring a fried egg on a sizzling griddle with the caption: "This is your brain on drugs."
Lucky you Daria!! Italy is on my bucket list (been fascinated by the art of the Renaissance all my life. Catherine De Medici might have liked Trump - gads!)
As for Mike Lindell, I was on Twitter yesterday, and Hardees tweeted out; “Now that you know who we are, come in and enjoy our pillowy biscuits.”
Absolutely - she was quite the malignant narcissist and certainly would have leashed him or poisoned him. 🤪 Glad Liz Cheney and Nancy Pelosi prefer the rule of law! Well, most days I’m glad…. 🤨
Daria, glad you're traveling. And, you got the Lindell posture just right. The man is a druggy all the way. Has just turned in his cocaine for the high that tRump offers.....whatever the hell that is.
Ooh, Daria, my second home, and my husband’s home town! I love Rome, and late September is one of the best times to visit. Eat some mozzarella for me, and enjoy!
K, we are having the best time! I have eaten mozzarella several times, I'll have some for you next! Rome is amazing. I only have a few days here until I go Monte Castello Vibio for a 2 week papermaking/book & paper arts workshop. I'll come back for sure!
What? No mention of American oligarch Leonard Leo? Trump's court whisperer. Impresario of dark money shell companies. Racist right wing religious extremist Opus Dei acolyte.
google Leonard Leo = Corrupt Courts
"When the history of the end of the American republic is written, I suspect discerning historians will not spend as much time on the rise of El Caudillo del Mar-A-Lago as they will on the slow hollowing out of the republic’s foundations by a guy named Leonard Leo."
- Charlie Pierce
What Leonard Leo is doing, we would call criminal. Except his artfully crafted courts decide what's legal. When Leo says 'there oughta be a law' presto bingo there is one. With loopholes a train of camels could fit through - but only camels freighted with Citizens United dark money.
And from the US government to the tiny Bar Harbor, Maine government - no entity is too large or too small for Leo to corrupt.
In Bar Harbor the Town Council is stonewalling requests for information about the influence of Leo's complaints over the Town Manager - who spent the summer diverting town resources to literally erasing a public outreach campaign with the message 'google Leonard Leo = Corrupt Courts.' A project protected by the First Amendment and in compliance with the Maine Criminal Code.
Tip of the iceberg citations:
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse on Leo's $1.6 billion tax free payday
"...and when you take a close look at the scheme, the little spider that you find at the center of the dark money web behind it is a character named Leonard Leo." Scheme 18, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, September 13, 2022
Thank you for the excellent links. I strongly encourage reading ALL of Whitehouse's' "The Scheme" The link above is for one of the articles but all are accessed from that one.
After Helsinki, the Mueller Report and after the Senate Judiciary found collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow,
I am amazed that the Intelligence people allowed Trump access to tippy top secrets outside of the safe room. Also, why was there no FBI raid on Bedminster?
There is a clear and present security flaw in our system in that anyone we require extensive background checks to have access to classified documents but the president is considered immune to virtually every law so long as the president's party rules the Senate. It seems to be a holdover from the days of "The King can do no wrong" and "L'etat C'est Moi". Over the weekend some gun-toting MAGA wacko was terrorizing the public in order to “restore Trump to president king of the United States”.
There is danger from all men*. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty. -John Adams
I miss John Adams. He was a true outlier in every possible way.
As a not rich, not "respected" white man he managed to find a way (hard work) to get into Harvard. While there he actually studied the classics, and the sciences. Back then one's class standing was not based on academic performance so he did not graduate at the "top" of his class, the wealthy did (like John Hancock). However, his academic performance was superb.
He married a smart woman who could read and became her best friend instead of telling her which floor to wash next.
He wrote, alone in his childhood home, the MA constitution in 1780. Seven years before the US constitution was modelled after his MA constitution.
The world has never seen a John Adams before or since that was in so much of the right place at the right time born from his hard work to be there.
J L The matter of security clearances should also apply to White House staff and members of Congress. I recall that Jared was denied a security clearance until his daddy in law intervened. Regarding Congress, some of those folks can’t be trusted with NYT info, much less sensitive top secret materials.
I do not consider the electorate the determinate on who should have access to sensitive government information.
I am reminded of my security clearance experience when I was going from a State Dept civil service with TOP SECRET/CODE WORD clearance to getting cleared to become a Foreign Service Officer.
I received a call from a State Dept security officer (in the basement). Brusquely he told me that he had read my file and he wouldn’t give me a security clearance.
I told him that, since he didn’t have a high enough security clearance to come to my office, I would meet him in the basement. There he said that my meeting with Egyptian Communists while researching NASSER’S NEW EGYPT: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS (1960) was sufficient to nix my security clearance.
I asked whether it might be useful to get to know our communist ‘enemies,’ to which he simply grimaced. I thought that telling him that my Egyptian communist friends would greet me ‘Hello, you running dog of imperialism SOB’ wasn’t worth repeating.
Finally we found common ground. He was taking a course on communism with Professor Stefan Possony, who was a board member of Foreign Policy Research Institute (U. Of Penn) where I had worked for four years. When I provided this gum shoe info on Possony’s mistress I was judged worthy of a security clearance.
Incidentally, in my Foreign Service oral exam, I had to refuse to answer several questions about my State Department work, since as least one of the interview panel members didn’t have appropriate security clearance.
We, the electorate need to be the final authority, but we so need a very well informed electorate, and most of us are lazy about gathering enough information (myself included) and too many of those we elect would rather keep it that way.
The quality of government of the people, by the people, for the people is going to depend in large part on the quality of our decisions, which depends in large part on the quantity and quality of the information on which those decisions are based. How could it be otherwise?
I should say, by "final" I mean ultimate. If we are doing our job, we will be trusting the experts we employ to make certain kinds of decisions on our behalf, as we would when we engage a surgeon. It becomes tricky where government secrecy is necessary because secrecy beyond what is justified is corrosive to consent of the governed. I consider the misuse of official secrecy essentially to avoid embarrassment or corruption to be a serious crime.
Too funny, all that hamburger and steak juice and stale French Fries the FBI found on papers marked "TOP SECRET" means that the secure facility was really secure.
I feel much better now. No need to worry that Trump sold out Israel's nuclear capablity to the Saudi's for $2 Billion dollars sent to Jared's new "investment" fund.
Just too funny to be real, honestly. I could not make this stuff up if I tried.
‘Perhaps most revealing of the restoration of the rule of law at the Justice Department is that former attorney general Barr has been on the television circuit defending the FBI and Biden’s Department of Justice from Trump’s fury over the FBI’s execution of a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago that yielded documents—or empty folders—bearing the highest classified markings.’
‘That is, the same man who sponsored Durham’s political mission has recently begun to speak up for the rule of law.’(Letter)
William Barr’s role as AG under DJT and 'The Rule of Law' as it was practiced by the Department of Justice while he headed it and DJT called the shots is in for a lot scrutiny in the months ahead.
It is worthwhile to consider not only who nominated Barr for the position of Attorney General, who confirmed his appointment and, most importantly, what he brought to the job.
‘UPDATE: On Feb. 14, 2019, the Senate confirmed William Barr to be the next attorney general of the United States by a vote of 54-45.’
'William Barr’s Record – American Civil Liberties Union'
‘In December, President Donald Trump nominated William Barr to succeed Jeff Sessions as the next attorney general of the United States. If Barr is confirmed by the Senate, it will be his second stint as the top law enforcement officer in the country. Barr previously served as attorney general for President George H.W. Bush from 1991 until 1993.’
‘During his time in government as well as in the private sector, Barr amassed a record of advancing policies that advocated dragnet government surveillance, mass incarceration, and discriminatory profiling while pushing an aggressive theory of expansive executive power that sidelines Congress’ constitutional role in checking the president.’
‘The ACLU does not endorse or oppose nominees or candidates for political or judicial office, but we have analyzed Barr’s civil liberties and civil rights record before his confirmation hearing. We hope this analysis will provide members of the Senate Judiciary Committee with the information they need to press Barr on his record and determine whether he is firmly committed to upholding the Constitution and safeguarding our rights and liberties as the next attorney general of the United States.’
'No Relief: William Barr Is as Bad as Jeff Sessions — if Not Worse
'Barr's record suggests he will continue the former attorney general’s worst policies while promoting a sweeping view of executive power.'
'Senators should ask Barr about his support for unconstitutional spying that endangers
our rights.'
'William Barr’s Unsolicited Memo to Trump About Obstruction of Justice'
'Barr's critique of the Mueller investigation raises serious questions about his views of presidential power. Senators should demand'
'William Barr Was an Ardent Champion of Mass Incarceration'
'The last time he was attorney general, Barr proclaimed that only prisons reduce crime, and that we need a lot more of them.' (ACLU) For the complete review by the ACLU see link below.
‘President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, William Barr, was confirmed in the Senate on Thursday to take over the Justice Department, where he will oversee special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.’
‘Barr, 68, was confirmed in a 54-45 vote that largely fell along party lines. He was sworn in Thursday afternoon in the Oval Office by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, the White House told NBC News.’
‘Barr was widely expected to be confirmed by the Republican-majority Senate on Thursday. He had served in the same role more than two decades earlier in President George H.W. Bush’s administration, and had passed procedural hurdles in the Senate Judiciary Committee and the full Senate in recent votes,’
'Lindsey Graham TWEET Today is a great day for the Department of Justice with the confirmation of William Barr to be the next Attorney General.'
‘A few senators broke with their party in the final vote, however. Among Democrats, Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Doug Jones of Alabama — both of whom represent deep-red states — voted for Barr, as did first-term Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was the only Republican to vote against Barr’s nomination.’ (CNBC)
The role of partisan politics in the DOJ varies from administration to administration, but the damage partisan politics can inflict on the Rule of Law -- on the scale of justice -- has at times been immense.
WTF Rand Paul, the broken clock right twice a day??? Kyrsten Sinema a Trojan Horse way back there??? Takeaway. Chump drew to the mob tactics like a moth to flame. The Republican red light has beckoned the authoritarians for more decades than many pundits have been alive. Ronald and Rupert were a team conceived in hell and spewed hate and propaganda on us all. Bill Moyers was the lone voice that I heard give a warning. Maybe someday, someone will investigate Nancy Reagan’s influence in this debacle.
Thanks for all these noted quotes. I am really really glad Sessions is gone also; what a nasty racist fellow he is/was. He and Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller would have probably been there in 1963 as white segregationists when the four young Black girls were killed in a church bombing in Birmingham.
"‘During his time in government as well as in the private sector, Barr amassed a record of advancing policies that advocated dragnet government surveillance, mass incarceration, and discriminatory profiling while pushing an aggressive theory of expansive executive power that sidelines Congress’ constitutional role in checking the president.’" I hope this nausea I'm feeling wears off before lunch. Thank You Fern for these facts, even if- maybe especially because - they make me sick. What a f#$k Barr is.
"The role of partisan politics in the DOJ varies from administration to administration, but the damage partisan politics can inflict on the Rule of Law -- on the scale of justice -- has at times been immense."
"Mississippi officials, including former governor Phil Bryant, to work with former NFL player Brett Favre to divert about $5 million in federal welfare funds from helping people in poverty to building a volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi, where his daughter was a volleyball player."
When working as a public health, social services and early childhood coordinator, we fought so hard with the government to get "flexible funding" so our clients could get what THEY needed, not what some federal bureaucrat in Washington decided they needed. Flexible funding through TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) and other sources was and is a life saver. To hear Favre blithely asking how to word this heist so, you know... makes my blood boil. Lock him and his enablers up, after he pays back every penny with compounded interest.
I’m wondering who at the University of Southern Mississippi is going to bite the dust for allowing a building to be built with stollen funds. What is the volleyball complex called? Was it named after Favre?
Mississippi Community Education Center founder Nancy New has already pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts of bribery, fraud and racketeering for her role in the welfare scheme, & in a plea deal, she’s turned over texts w Favre & Bryant relating to the volleyball complex. Nothing I’d like better than to see Favre & Bryant go down.
And Mississippi is the poorest state in the union, at the bottom of state rankings in just about everything, and they take money away for a volleyball court? Lost all respect for Brett Favre.
I want to see Barr charged with something, somehow. He’s now coming forward about what went on but he had his finger in the pie,too.
Can the USAG do anything to a Supreme Court Justice or a federal judge or a former USAG? Can Cannon be charged for her sway in favor of Trump. Is there a legal body she has to answer too?
In American history there have been so many men like Trump who abused people and systems and not only "got away with it" but were highly "respected" members of their community that it is mind boggling.
I am currently reading the most difficult book I have ever encountered, but, the most well written book I have ever read and by far, the most eye opening book I have ever read.
The 1619 Book. It should be mandatory reading in 10th grade in every high school in America.
In this book we learn that: In all 13 colonies, following Virgnia's new law which went against English law, the race of a black child, rather than being associated with the father, was associated with the mother.
THEN, in all 13 colonies, rape of a black woman by a white man was made legal.
This meant, of course, that rape of black women by white men became a profitable enterprise and was routinely practiced.
For example: We cannot know that Sally Hemmings was not repeatedly raped by Thomas Jefferson BUT we can know that many of her children are Jefferson's and were sold south (through DNA testing).
Now, that is just ONE way in which white men in America have managed to trod heavily on everyone else.
Trump is not an outlier. Trump is the norm for rich, wealthy, white men in America AFTER the natives were all killed and moved (by white men).
The DC Court of Appeals ruled, back in August, that Barr lied via his memo on the Mueller Report, thus obstructing justice. Barr said it to Congress, & he said it to We the People. I’d certainly like to see him charged, but not holding my breath. Maddow covered this one Monday in August.
No one is above the law, except Donald Trump, who stated openly, before he became president, but he could “shoot somebody on fifth Avenue and there will be no consequences“. Since then, his actions have been criminal and thus far there have been no consequences for his actions.
What is most disturbing is that Merrick Garland has come out and said there will be no prosecution of Donald Trump prior to the midterm elections. No matter what is pending, if a crime has been committed by Donald Trump or anyone else, there should be immediate prosecutions, the midterm election not withstanding!
Since his election nearly 5 years ago, Donald Trump has been guilty of many egregious crimes and has not suffered a single consequence of his actions. If Donald Trump or any other lawbreaker is not prosecuted in a timely fashion, they are operating above the law and this type of judicial misconduct must end. Allowing people like Donald Trump to “get away with murder“ is not what should happen in the United States of America.
The other thing that must change is the appointment of incompetent judges like Eileen Cannon to the bench simply because they are “political friends“ of the party in power. All judicial appointments must be made on judicial standards, not based on political allies, As it is the only way to prevent a career criminal like Donald Trump from taking over our country and turning it into a dictatorship.
No one should be lulled into a false sense of security, as our democracy is definitely on the ballot in November.
Much as I would be at the bonfire, Trump not being prosecuted before the mid-terms is only precedent as I understand. I would be happy to be corrected by anyone with sounder knowledge.
There is absolutely no reason why a criminal, no matter who that person is, should not be prosecuted irrespective of any upcoming event. It is a sign of weakness in our judiciary, which should always be expected to be A pillar of strength.
The only reason for holding off on the prosecution is the effect it would have on the outcome of the election. The backlash from the (nearly) half of the electorate who still believe T**** was the victor in 2020 might be enough to elect more Republicans: that result would be a hole below the waterline of the ship of state. And it would go down just like the Titanic.
"Trump’s politicization of the Department of Justice was a profound attack on the principles of democracy. Using the law to attack enemies is a hallmark of authoritarians— ... —while it also encourages lawbreaking from those who don’t fear legal consequences. "
The J6th insurrection in full view of cameras, some in the hands of insurrectionists themselves, was clearly a turn of events supported by the sense that rule of law had been indefinitely suspended and and would continue to be edict of Trump, so badly had the process of justice been corrupted.
“He never tells the truth,” said Peter J. Solomon, Mayor Koch’s Deputy Mayor. “Never.”
Never? I asked. “Never,” said Peter.
Axiom One. He is a pathological liar.
Two Plus. He’s a rapist, a grifter, a traitor, a criminal insurrectionist, criminal provocateur; a tax cheat, a Black fearing racist, Jews will not replace us” does not trouble him, he stiffs his workers and lawyers, cheats on his third wife, he’s guilty of many crimes and will now be investigated, charged, tried, convicted, and sentenced to house arrest to keep the SS out of jail - with him. Dead Capitol cops do not trouble him, and he must confess on the big lie, or try the zoo. Trump would.
Exhausted here. I could devote a week to this bastard. He is the embodiment of Evil.
Depressing.
I want to say he is not worthy of your exhaustion but..........we keep pushing back emotionally against the norm-breaking, the astounding narcissistic behavior, etc..
As we must
I knew, in 2016, we had elected a criminal who would, at the very least, try to lead us to financial ruin. I was sooo shy of the mark. But, Trump is no longer in power, and he is facing a welter of SERIOUS legal trouble. So are many of his minions.
I make an effort to see as much of a given situation as I can. Looking only at the crap Trump, et al have done and not at anything else leaves me depressed and exhausted,too. Joe Biden somehow grew into this political moment. Judge Brown-Jackson, Senator Booker, Senator Warnock, Representatives Cheney, Kinzinger, and Thompson, etc., etc, all contribute as much, if not more, to this reality than the weird, malevolent Trumpists do. Oh yeah, Bill Barr is being less of an a-hole lately, too.
Bill Barr is trying to cover his ass. He knew what the truth was all along; he just chose to ignore it for political advantage.
Jenn, I feel strongly that not enough folks are correctly identifying religious fanaticism as a motivating factor for the loss of our democracy, so I am throwing in my humble opinion here. https://www.ncronline.org/news/justice/william-barr-nations-top-lawyer-culture-warrior-catholic
For so many faith is such a source of great strength. It is hard to be willing to recognize it can also be a source of false justification for evil.
They'll tell you that it "is for the greater good."
Like Dumbledore's "Greater Good" which involved everyone else making sacrifices?
This makes them gullible!
That is so succinct and accurate Christy. I liked it so much, I wrote it down.
Christy
"...faith..."
Faith in what?
Might you be confusing faith, as in I want, instead of faith in the love of our FATHER in Heaven?
Faith in the love of GOD will NEVER result in justification for evil.
GOD is love, and only love
Only those deceived by evil justify evil
Some good people are easily deceived! I understand you only have to hear something three times before it becomes truth to you. Just yesterday I had a man tell me that he voted for tfg because he was a business man! I told him I didn't vote for him because if he was a decent person he would not have divorced his wife that had three of his children to marry the woman that had given birth to his illegitimate daughter. Then he divorce her and marry a younger woman. Then had affairs with other women while she was pregnant with his child. And, then there was the interview where he could do anything he wanted to any woman...including... ( I am sure you remember his comment.) There were so many things about him! How can so many people still worship him???? Especially, the so called Believers!
Thanks, Christy. Does the NCR also have a similar article on Amy Coney Barrett? Say what she wants, Barrett is totally influenced by the traditional Catholic opinion on abortion more than on the separation of church and state. She's not separating her personal religious opinion from what our governmental laws have provided. As a Catholic, it makes me sick and angry to see her (and other Catholics) using their positions of power to impose their religious opinions on others. Talk about bullies!
Thank you, Mary. It is very refreshing to hear from Catholics who support their faith, but remind us of the division of church and state. "A breath of fresh air."
There is no lack of commentary on Barrett’s zealotry, just because CNN or Fox News don’t cover it. https://washingtonbabylon.com/judge-barretts-religion-is-off-limits-opus-deis-agenda-is-not/amp/
She was a live-in with the Founder & wife of People of Praise during Law School. Talk about grooming! I met the Founder years ago when he and accomplice were trying to groom Freshmen to join their "charismatic" group. Very creepy pair! I can only imagine. They part of the reason I became unchurched.
Amy is weird IMHO...
Thank you for that. Well said.
I'm so over the culture wars and the catholic right wing especially. They are so unlike their Pope who shows mercy, and good sense, and wrote a really interesting encyclical on climate change.
My "heart" button isn't working. I agree with you.
The heart button often works Delayed.
I am old enough to remember the Communist axiom, "Religion is the Opiate of the Masses." Thus, the communists defied church and sanctimonious authoritarianism, and substituted their own, often brutal authority. Being "churched" became a symbol of defiance toward USSR and China. Nevertheless, authoritarianism is obnoxious no matter what end of the religious spectrum. These days, fanaticism (as you say) has been re-invented to support supremacy, once again. Ignorance prevails and is even worshipped.
I did not know that was a Communist axiom. Will have to check that out. Thank you Hope.
Karl Marx
This article does a great job of breaking down the history of how corporations figured out how to use Christianity for their own gain: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/04/corporate-america-invented-religious-right-conservative-roosevelt-princeton-117030/
I'm reading a book called, The Silk Roads. Greedy people have been using religion as an excuse to rape and pillage and take what doesn't belong to them for a very, very long time. Sadly, it's an old story and the more I read about the misuse of religion, the less religious I become.
thanks for that link, Dana ... excellent
"militant secularism" ... oh yeah LOL ... thanks for this article, Christy
Yet Barr doesn’t think Trump should be prosecuted for the crimes Barr acknowledges Trump committed, because it would be too divisive or something. Bar has previously said if Trump is nominated in 2024 he will vote for him.
What is that about? Bill Barr is not to be trusted and Trump should absolutely be prosecuted for so many things it would take too much time to name them. He's a dangerous and disreputable man. No special snowflake that one.
I know. Not sure if you are criticizing my comment or agreeing with it and adding your own observations.
My point is that although Barr has gone on Fox and spoken the truth about Trump, he still is fully on board. Totally untrustworthy and Barr should also be disbarred.
he also did nothing about Epstein but then again Barr's father got Epstein his start in Wa. D.C.
MONEY!
…and his political philosophy, which is in writing, is the overriding authority of the president -- the executive branch of government.
Barr's dedication to the idea of the "unitary executive" sounds like everyone else's idea of a dictator or an autocrat. It's a terrible idea for any president of a democracy.
Barr has enthusiastically pushed this idea while serving as the Attorney General when Republicans George H.W. Bush and then Donald Trump were president. Just wondering if Barr actually believes in this theory or only believes in it when Republicans are president.
https://www.justsecurity.org/71230/bill-barr-no-lap-dog-just-defending-his-idea-of-the-top-dog/
https://www.acslaw.org/expertforum/the-barr-memo-and-the-imperial-presidency/
Barr has acted and written in favor of the overriding authority of the president. That doesn't lead me to ''wonder" what he believes. Barr has demonstrated his position, and I accept it for what it is.
I don't "wonder" whether or not Bill Barr believes in giving Republican presidents more power than America normally gives a president. We all know he does. I just wondered if he is as two-faced about his devotion to the unitary executive theory as he has been about his support for Trump. In other words, does Barr have any steadfast principles or do his loyalties shift with the winds like palm fronds in a storm. I appreciate that you don't care. I'm just curious.
Exactly. We need have no doubt! Thank you, Mr. Barr, for being so straightforward.
I agree. I think Bill Barr is pure evil.
Truer words were never spoken.
Stacey Abrams needs some help for her campaign and it is well earned. Steve's comment including Senator Warnock is a reminder that without Stacey's work in the previous Georgia election dems would be underwater. Please join in helping Stacey Abrams in any way you can.
Franktom, I wholeheartedly agree, and will be working on getting out the vote, as well as providing whatever financial support I'm able. She was definitely the architect of our double senatorial wins in '20, was cheated by Kemp when she ran against him, and despite the fact that he's not a Trumper, he is extremely dangerous with voter suppression and vote nullification. He MUST go.
FRANKOM
STACY ABRAMS CONTRIBUTE EACH WEEK UNTIL NOV...PLEASE
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/afg22-220201-search-ads-brand?refcode=ads220207_Responsive_Search_Text_22Feb07_02_Brand&utm_id=go_cmp-15951916483_adg-131701609639_ad-581006011652_kwd-1576846638411_dev-c_ext-_prd-_sig-Cj0KCQjwmouZBhDSARIsALYcouqgL2bCExGHZvlF5mrldZYx8tZuUMnE5N28zHc_GOwAhOYhtJ_dSwMaAkVVEALw_wcB&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmouZBhDSARIsALYcouqgL2bCExGHZvlF5mrldZYx8tZuUMnE5N28zHc_GOwAhOYhtJ_dSwMaAkVVEALw_wcB
THANK YOU!
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A good reminder. Thanks.
Steve Abbott
"...Bill Barr is being less of an a-hole lately..."
WRONG, ABSOLUTELY WRONG!
Seems Barr is effectively utilizing his expensive education for anything but good!
His massively publicized contriteness is just another of his scams. A clever revision of his history cunningly deceptive testing whether or not we are asleep at the wheel steering American democracy.
We must more diligently fight our way away from the stormy repulsively polluted waters caused as a result of republican greed and instead sail into the crystal clear sparkling oceans of patriotic love of America.
VOTE!
Don't trust Barr. (and don't trust Cheney, either).
They may be making better decisions at the moment, but only because it will help their future plans.
Nancy, you're correct in your distrust of Barr. He's a snake! As for Cheney, she is a rock-ribbed conservative, and I suspect she's positioning herself for a '24 presidential run. Nevertheless, she has done a magnificent job on the J6 panel, has teamed with Kinsinger to shut down the cries of political abuse, and without her participation, I doubt that it would have garnered the attention it has received thus far. No, I'd never vote for Liz, but she has made a contribution, whatever her motivation.
I agree. And it's never, never easy to stand up to bullies and move away from your party.
Agreed! Thanks, Nancy.
Yes, indeed George!
"Hands clapping" emoji.
Thank you for that. I'm off to write more register-to-vote postcards. Onward.
Remember when they said, "He's a businessman!" He's all business, all right. And remember when they said, "but he'll have good people working for him"?
When he had destroyed the Art Deco work that MOMA was expecting to be saved and sent to them, how could anyone not have known what a clod he was. Now we know more: a mafia boss too big to catch. Can we get our country back after he sold US out to Putin?
A "businessman" pays his workers - pays his taxes - likely would NOT have SIX (6) bankruptcys to get out of paying what he owed! And more....
The defeated former president gives 'business' a bad name and provides those with Marxist leanings with good arguments. He's too dumb to be doing this intentionally, but perhaps this is just another example of his being used by his 'friends' in Russia.
Oh, I remember that! That went down the drain very fast!
Steve, we're occupying the same lifeboat. The only exception is your comment about Bill Barr. He's the same malevolent creature, and I thought that he smelled Trump's blood in the water and wanted to resurrect his tattered reputation. However, with the release of Geoffrey Berman's book which has skewered Barr, my guess is that he knew its release was imminent and he was trying to get ahead of the s**t storm.
Substance shortcoming won't allow me to heart your comment, which I would do if I could.
Thanks.
I just want it to be over! I think we have endured enough of these evil crooks! And so many we don't even know their names are behind working to destroy what we have gained and all desire... and as Heather says...it is about the money and power!
This is exhausting and depressing, but you are right to name those who are not arrogant assholes. There are lots of them and I think it is well to name them as often as we name the bullies. And we need to support them because they are probably exhausted as well. Don't get pulled into the MAGA vortex. It is strong, but resist we must.
Sandy Lewis
Indeed!
Barr is guilty of masquerading as an ethical attorney...
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/sep/07/donald-trump-william-barr-geoffrey-berman-southern-district-new-york-book
AND
https://www.pogo.org/analysis/2020/09/injustice-tracking-bill-barrs-misconduct-as-attorney-general
AND·
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/barr-claims-a-man-collected-1700-ballots-and-filled-them-out-as-he-pleased-prosecutors-say-thats-not-what-happened/2020/09/03/923aafac-ee2e-11ea-ab4e-581edb849379_story.html
AND
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/09/03/bill-barr-carries-trumps-election-fraud-water-with-smile/
AND
On and on and on and on ad nauseum
Ad nauseum pretty much describes the uninterrupted “conservative” attacks on the rule of law.
Long, long ago an attorney general, who came back to haunt us again, backed a hay cart of presidential pardons—six of them for high ranking Reagan/ Bush Iran/Contradictors:
"The office had developed evidence over the course of many years suggesting that there had been a high-level conspiracy to obstruct the investigation ... designed to protect, first President Reagan, and then-Vice President — and ultimately President — Bush", said Michael Bromwich who worked on the case for Lawrence Walsh, the Special Prosecutor.
Walsh himself said of the Barr blessed Bush I pardons, "It demonstrates that powerful people with powerful allies can commit serious crimes in high office, deliberately abusing the public trust without consequences."
Maybe Barr is just tuning up for a third round in a DeSantis presidency?
But lest we feel too self-righteous, remember Bill Clinton’s pardon of the international grifter Marc Rich who had, among other crimes bought Iranian oil while Americans were being held hostage in Tehran and who successfully worked to circumvent South African apartheid sanctions.
Maybe we have a deeper, cultural problem. Maybe, as Pogo said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
'F.B.I. Believes MyPillow Guy Committed Crimes Beyond Selling Shitty Pillows'
'Mike Lindell waits outside the West Wing of the White House.'
'WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—The Federal Bureau of Investigation has seized the cell phone of Mike Lindell, better known as the MyPillow guy, in the belief that he may have “committed crimes beyond selling shitty pillows,” an F.B.I. spokesman has confirmed.'
'Although the F.B.I. took custody of Lindell’s phone, they did not seize any of his pillows. “Nobody wanted those,” the spokesman said.'
“I did not purchase a MyPillow,” Garland clarified in a prepared statement. “However, I have heard that they suck.”
'Lindell received vehement support from another Republican luminary, Don Bolduc, the G.O.P. nominee for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire. “This is a rigged witch hunt,” Bolduc said. “The MyPillow guy has never sold a pillow.” (Satire, NewYorker)
🤣 Borowitz’ new book should be in my mailbox today or tomorrow. I need some levity!
pillow case closed
Bill, you are my kind of interlocutor and advocate. Cheers!
Haha.
I LOVE Borowitz! His humor —as that of late night comedians— allows me to keep abreast of today’s politics without wanting to smash the TV/computer/cell phone/my head (!) against a wall.
I like "my" pillow because it is always clean. No need for a dirty one.
Remember whose Inauguration was going on when those "Americans were being held hostage in Tehran" were released?
It was NOT a 'Goodwill' gesture. It was all part of the 'October Surprise' arranged by Bush41 when he was the VP nominee on the Reagan-Bush ticket.
St Ronnie was NO Saint.
Agree for sure-- as noted in my comment, the first round of Barr blessed pardons were in part to protect St. Ronnie from the reach of the later Iran scandal.
And perhaps most deeply wounding to our rule-of-law processes, St. Ronnie gave us the first modern-era presidential wink and a nod to overt racism with his campaign inaugurating speech at Philadelphia, MS, the site of the civil rights' worker murders.
Indeed... on his last day - at 7:15 in the morning... he called his Pardon Attorney, and Roger C. Adams misspelled my middle name... in the rush... so I have two: Bonner and Bonnor... the ultimate expression of presidential ambivalence... which is what happens when one is asked to confront a president on his most personal behavior.. and he is furious... But give the man credit... he knew I put his interest ahead,.. He did not know that I did not petition or even ask for his help.... in due course, this sordid story will play out and Sir Rudy and his disgusting staff, not to mention my learned counsel, will find themselves famous or infamous, all over again. Fact is stranger than fiction, but Bill Clinton pardoned cold killer Marc Rich for pay - and me as an example of his decency.... President Clinton is complex and brilliant... and I like the man. See www.sblewis.net and read with care. It’s not all there... it never is.
thank you for sharing your story
Barr has a ^great^ mentor in the “incompetent at best, corrupt at worse” Ed Meese (still hanging around at his creation, the Heritage Foundation, & on the board of the Federalist Society), lest we forget.
Sandy and Solomon are so right. Solomon on Trump’s true character and credentials for highest office if on the right. Sandy for the lengths to which we all might elaborate and add to the real list of crimes against our nation by the grifter and the exhaustion we all suffer in these seven years and counting. Barr is preparing his image and credentials for a third run as Attorney General in the DeSantis presidency, IMO. He will be the most qualified of any to be considered ... by the right (better named the wrong). Especially, now as he testified before the Jan 6 Committee, showing he is above partisanship, and is providing his bonifides as an above board law and order guy who can out-Garland in pursuit of impartial justice; I jest.
I watched Frontline last night for the first time in years. It could have been mistakenly thought to be about Trump but it was more damning about the Republican Party and how deeply they are tied to him. Every chance they got they sided with him to hold onto their power. They are still in his clutches. Some parts were so horrifying I had a terrible night's sleep. Even when they knew they were being cowardly they stuck to him. It is His party and he knows it. He told them he would run as the leader of his own party, which would be their demise. Truer words never came out of his mouth...and so they lined up to kiss the ring after Jan 6. They are not Republicans they are Trumpians. This episode will be on several more times this week. It needs to be seen. Keep the lights on.
I had a thought while walking the do this morning. It's a bit out there, but that's where we're at these days. Lindsey Graham and this abortion bill. Why? They well know at this point that Dobbs is driving folks to the Dem side, and registering to vote (for Dems). May upset the election predictions. So, why? Could it be that they are looking for a way to get rid of Trump? I believe he has dirt on Graham, maybe Mitch, and many others. It's been shown that's how he operates. Maybe they're at the point where things have gone too far and they need him out. So, using the abortion bill to send votes away from the Trump whackos? I just can't understand why they would introduce this bill knowing how unpopular it is with people they need.
Who knows why Lindsey does anything. He has brought the abortion issue front and center just when a lot of Rs have been wiping their social media of their extreme views on it. I am sure he has not made his fellow travelers happy. And how about that disgusting news from Mississippi. Here we have, in one of the poorer states in the country, the then governor and a big a** athlete using those funds, so Favre's daughter can play volleyball in a slick building. Here in Oregon, volleyball is played on a basketball court.
I had the same thought. It was the only rational explanation I could come up with--a kind of self-sabotage, the self being the sicko Republican Party they have become.
This is Hitler redux. Some of the early members of the Nazi party were so naive as to think that "National Socialist German Workers' Party" had something to do with socialism and/or workers. Surprise!
Hmmmm….morning Sandy.
I posted on another Substack that referenced the infamous wit of Dorothy Parker…a zinger that rings true of current traitors of democracy…..
“Beauty is only skin deep. But ugly goes clean to the bone.”
Most of them will self destruct when they look too closely in the mirror when shaving. A shard of glass will cut deep.
🗽
There's enough here to convince Americans that when he is ultimately indicted, tried and if convicted, he should be locked up.
Right on
Stay strong Sandy. We note you managed your accurate post w/o stating his name. It is D. Drumpf, or Donnie for short,....or, John Barron when he calls into media. The DOJ should use one of those names when he is tried and convicted of your list
Cheated on all 3 wives and his Sibs in their Inheritance. Yes, I could go on ...
OH, and was sent off to military boarding school after the Fred Trumps' neighbor caught young Donald chucking rocks over the fence at her toddler son in a playpen!
Did you include "embodiment of Evil"?? Yes, you did!
This one is new to me....but not surprised.
As recounted to Mary by her Aunt Maryanne. It's in her book "Too Much and Never Enough". Young = 12 or 13, as I recall...
I wonder if this bad mojo is a passed down curse from his Draft Dodging grandfather and wife who were born in the shadow of Castle Frankenstein??
(Yes, 21Km to the East. You cannot make this stuff up!)
Haven't read the book. Lots of bad mojo in that family.
“He is the embodiment of Evil” and he always has been. WHY did millions vote him into our Oval Office? I read and read and ask and ask, my brain cannot comprehend. Hard to accept that people did not see it. Even harder to accept they did.
Many of them still smoke, ignore seat belts and ride bikes without helmets. Same problem.
Personal harm versus intentional criminal harm (or evil)? Sorry, Jack, but I don’t understand that comparison.
Some people just don't know what's good and what's bad for them .... personally or otherwise. I would wager that every smoker driving without wearing a seat belt, or on a Harley without a helmet, still supports the defeated former president. Being above the law is synonymous with freedom for them.
They only look very superficially. Even no-longer-supporters think tRUmp did a great job of running the Country!!
I ask them to give one (1) thing he did that was good for America.
All I get is stammering.
Sandy, I agree with all of your points. He has done more harm to this country than I believed possible, and that's not even taking into consideration the damage to every thinking person's mental health. We must do everything in our power to fight the evil that has been simmering for decades, but only in the last years has come out of the shadows with this miscreant's permission. We can no longer depend on the guardrails and norms that we falsely believed would have saved us from this tragedy.
And although a true majority, we may not be a voting majority, considering the power of State legislatures, necessitating more aggresive and disciplined strategies.
Absolutely, Jack! Democrats aren't famous for their discipline. However, I do believe that Roe and Dobbs have infuriated and motivated more than just the left. I'll say that Georgia's primaries this year have had a huge, historic turnout, which is not customary for midterm primaries. As you probably know, Georgia has all sorts of voter suppression laws in play, as well as voter nullification, which is very scary.
Dark Triad.
So true. And to add a specific case of his assorted frauds, there is always the matter of Private Bone Spurs. When his student deferments protecting him from army service during Vietnam ran out, his dad bought a podiatrist and suddenly "Private Bone Spurs" was invented. Then, the Vietnam War was over, and donald had a miraculous healing--no more bone spurs.
Plus, he/Dad hired the guy who took his SAT, which only got him into Fordham (s good school except for this faux paux). Older brother Fred Jr got him into UPenn as a Transfer student through a friend in the Admissions office. He was only allowed to take 2 Wharton School courses as a UPenn student. His Marketing prof ajudged him "the dumbest G-dd-mn student I ever had".
Probably the cause of his bone spurs??
I imagine the list of his scams and results of his coddled behavior go on and on and on.... I really want to see a full accounting of all the scams he pulled off during his WH time. He's a poster boy for all the bad things and people money can buy.
Sandy, the list could go on forever. Yes, it's exhausting and I look forward to a time when he is no longer on everyone's mind. But it is necessary to spread the truth around and urge everyone to be aware of him and his cronies. VOTE.
"Depressing."
That one word seems to be the most apt descriptor of all trump activities; that is, the effect on us of all his scams and personal behavior for at least the past 50 years. "Depressing" because it leaves us frustrated and angry and without justice until he is truly hauled into court and held accountable. Even if that situation is resolved and justice found, we still have to pay an immense cost to provide that billionaire with secret service protection for the rest of his life.
He would sue US. Why can't WE sue him for Damages ... the whole litany of damages mentioned above and those storied?
"Why can't WE sue him for Damages ..."
Amen. He has done severe damage to the country. To let him skate is to say that our justice system is meaningless. Trump was entrusted with the immense resources of the U.S., and he has endlessly abused that trust. Your question is good: Why can't we sue him?
Words fail me. How can something so bad keep getting worse?
Thank you Heather.
This Letter may well have been called " the GOP feels that they are above the law, let me count the ways". That is spot on.
Everyday the GOP reinforces their right of passage through the abuse of this assertion. It's not a new approach they use, its just that it's so rampant and compounded as of late.
I think we are so use to Trump using that card that we have become numb to it.
This must end. Now
Be safe. Be well.
Linda Bailey
"Spot on"
INDEED!
“That is, the same man who sponsored Durham’s political mission has recently begun to speak up for the rule of law.” HCR
ZING!
Right between Barr’s filthy bi-focals, Eh!?
I very often so very much admire HCR’s masterful nimbleness in employing her consummate understatements to boldly articulate subtilties that would otherwise be read as obviously harsh indictments…she is a genius that freely bequeaths upon us her blessing for furthering our education, Eh!?
Thank you HCR!
The "GOP" want's to be the law; a nation of despots, not of laws.
Webster's 2nd definition of "small government"??
"GOP" phraseology is defined by the Ministry of Truth. Those who notice things observe that Government under the "GOP" is not so much small as authoritarian, and repurposed to serve those with the most money. It is intrusive when it comes to imposing "GOP" agendas and very heavy handed, especially when it comes to minorities and the very poor. The only "small" part pertains to abandonment of "the general welfare", millions for defense but not one red cent for the common good. It's "small" when it comes to voting rights and universal benefits and access. It's "small" in the sense of when "That's small of you" means "overly self serving".
It becomes easy to understand why the gop believe they are above the law. Lin, from our commenter group here, copied a valuable lesson from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s “The Scheme” series he just delivered on the senate floor. When you own the courts, you are above the law, evidently. Here’s the YouTube. It’s valuable to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6kH4Zc2PtM
Love the work Sen Sheldon has been doing all along.....
YES!
Thank you for this Michele. It seems I have a lot of catching up to do. This was #18. I plan on going back and listening to them all.
Thanks Liz. I plan on watching all from the beginning.
As anyone can tell from everything the GQP has Said or Done during TrumPandemic and since,
the GQP only wants to Control, Harm, Punish, Inconvenience, or KILL Americans - especially, if they do not Believe exactly as the GQP....
Now! Yes Linda. Agree 1000% as usual, fab one.
Be safe as well.
🗽
It's said that "patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel", and if ever there was a scoundrel. it's Bill Barr. Imagine Barr, once Trump's senior-most flunky, now defending the FBI (his own people) against Trump's lie mongering machine, and on Fox News, no less! But beyond a rebound in justice, the karmic significance of Attorney General Merrick Garland’s role in the process can't be overlooked. I'm sure that a ton of Republican grifters would far rather see Garland sitting on the bench at SCOTUS right now than in his present role at the DOJ. Mitch McConnell, if you're reading this, I recommend Maalox.
"if ever there was a scoundrel. it's Bill Barr"
Bill Barr goes where the money tells him to go and crawls where the powerful tell him to crawl.
It's cultural. White men are weak, roll on the ground in front of money like a beaten curr dog, and go where their master (Trump in Barr's case) tell them go whenever they are told to go there.
I have seen it for my entire working career in American corporations which mostly hire white men and exclusively promote white men into management BECAUSE of their ability to roll onto their backs and whine when the boss above them walks into the room.
Bill Barr is a role model for all of the above behaviors.
Ah, in my quest for corporate survival, I failed at the “roll over and whimper” supplication maneuver. Layoffs, dismissals and “being retired early” were my penance
Still, I scrimped and saved enough to afford some comfort these days, with my corporate war stories proudly held intact. Not every White Guy plays the game. My Dad preached, “ the only thing you have, is your name”. I’m okay with that
Ah ! White guys whining about corporate life ! And one ex corporate suit turned farmer. Pull on your big boy pants and just imagine being a woman of any color in that same corporate world. And, just in case anyone has noticed, most of the miscreants we keep commenting on in this political mess are males of the highest order.
If I sounded like I was whining, I didn’t mean it to be I was encouraging Mike S that not all white guys rolled over, and that it takes a toll
Additionally, in no way was I intending to diminish the plight of women in the corporate world, however I can speak from experience the willingness of female corporate climbers to show their soft underbelly to “management” as they sacrificed their underlings on the corporate pyre
I find your tone a bit hostile. That chip on your shoulder might not be so heavy if you took a moment to recognize that not every white male is an enemy to be vanquished
“Soft Underbelly “ ??? Do I need to say more ? If I am hostile to statements like yours I revel in my hostility. And my ability to point out the latent misogyny in your opinion.
Soft underbelly refers to every dog that ever rolls over to get it scritched and the context reference to canine behavior (not women)had already been established by Mike Your Hostility is misplaced and your opinion is fomented by a misperception of my words based upon a bias clearly looking for argument
If you seek misogyny everywhere, you are sure it find it
"not every white male" ((eye roll))
Point made.
you are correct.
😊😊
What corporation has a conscience?
Whites are systematically advantaged, privileged, enriched - and weakened accordingly.
Patagonia and "Newman's Own"...searching, searching, searching...need more time. We will look into this and get back to you when we find another.
Love ❤️ the Patagonia story. It helps to know there are some people with a conscience in this world, especially when there are so many thoughtless/greedy souls.
Penzey's Spices is another. Bill, the owner, has a strong socially conscious conscience. Just look at the About Republicans page of his website.
https://www.penzeys.com/shop/about-republicans/
And his About Us page, in which he (in bold) states, "We are trying to make the world a better place" and "Thank you for your kindness, and your compassion, and your strength."
https://www.penzeys.com/shop/about-us/
His spices are delicious, too.
Agreed 100%
Loved their products long before they took a political stance. I think a few of us here have introduced others on this forum to the Penzey's family.
Bill Patagonia, “Newman’s Own,” and for many years Ben and Jerry.
Many of my former coworkers have decided to boycott Ben and Jerry's. Therefore, I support them wholeheartedly.
Just heard this in CNN this morning (9/15): "(CNN Business —
Patagonia’s founder is transferring ownership of the company after nearly 50 years into two entities that will help fight the climate crisis.
Patagonia is a private company based in Ventura, California, that sells outdoor apparel and equipment. Yvon Chouinard founded the company in 1973.
Patagonia said in a press release on Wednesday that, effective immediately, Chouinard and his family will transfer their entire ownership stake into two newly created entities. Those entities will ensure that the company’s values will continue to be upheld — and that Patagonia’s profits are used to combat climate change.
“If we have any hope of a thriving planet 50 years from now, it demands all of us doing all we can with the resources we have,” Chouinard said in a statement Wednesday. “Instead of extracting value from nature and transforming it into wealth, we are using the wealth Patagonia creates to protect the source.”
https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/14/business/patagonia-ownership/index.html
Where is the "LOVE" button?
Mike S
WOW!
YIKES!!
Excellent expression of one of our societies' more embarrassing attributes!
Seems you have been cultivating more than just husbandry out at the old farm, Eh!?
George,
It brings me no pleasure, happiness, or positive feeling to voice what I have learned since leaving my old East Texas farm in 1978, becoming educated by hard work, garnering a reasonable paying job through hard work and fairly good jobs where pay is concerned. Because I am light skinned, and learned to control my mouth relative to my thoughts, I spent 4 years out of my 40 year career in management (the rest I spent very highly technical algorithm for imaging development).
What I saw in my 40 years since leaving my farm would turn the stomach of a steel drum.
So, once in a while I voice my personal experiential observations. But, if you look down you will see another post with information from the 1619 book that is WORSE than anything I have encountered in my own experience.
I continue to learn George. Some of it is good now that I am back in rural world (actually, mixed world now).
But, learning about America with one's eyes wide open is not pleasant. Not one bit.
"But, learning about America with one's eyes wide open is not pleasant."
That is the truth of things, Mike. I've learned more about the history of America from reading LFAA, the comments here, and following the links that others have provided. I will get the book 1619. It is a book that I am looking forward to not looking forward to reading.
I'm slogging through The Republican Playbook. Revelation of a 50 year plan to turn America into a one-party "democracy." All the manipulations, dirty tricks, and overtly illegal schemes that we see perpetrated over the past decades and continuing today.
While I was working as a nurse, saving lives and being present for people who were having the worst day of their lives, this malevolent playbook was being used to undercut everything I believe in. In retirement, I am just sickened to realize I had no clue as to what was really going on. I mistakenly (naively?) believed our elected representatives were working as hard and as ethically as I was to try to make the world a better place. I curse my foolishness.
Mike S.
Thank you.
Thank you for a very powerful and poignant revelation of life experience.
I also know of the truth you described.
As you may have observed from some of my posted comments, I have not yet learned to control what sometimes explodes out of my mouth or becomes recorded in writing. I admire your wisdom of self-restraint.
A while ago I was given a cushioning devise that helps me cope with human fragilities. It is also a book unlike every other book in the way it speaks perfect comfortings for the current moment.
The Holy Bible.
Since then, beauty abounds, peace, joy, and comfort are unearned, undeserved gifts showered upon me constantly, even while coping just as you are now
Mike. I pray you may soon know the blessings of abundance that can never be earned or deserved, yet is freely given to all by a Love that exceeds our ability to fully comprehend.
Mr. Dobbs,
I offer my thanks and gratitude for your well wishes and prayers. Like all humans, I sure need both.
Mike
I was an editor at HBR. I saw a lot of it too, from the sidelines, but was in management for a bit as well. The system stinks.....
Bronwyn,
It took me a while, as a technical scientist in a big research lab, who spent years not learning people skills but working, to see the patterns of behavior necessary to become a "manager".
Once I saw the patterns and the easy behaviors necessary to get promoted relative to the hard work I thought would be required, I decided, why not?
The easiest thing in the world is to tell the boss whatever he wants to hear, which, is mostly how brilliant and smart he his and what a great job he is doing and then get a big raise.
So, I tried it and IT WORKED! I got promoted and got to attend the coveted "leadership meeetings" where everyone wore long sleeve white shirts.
But, at the meetings? The men gossiped like women!! (OK, I know I am headed for trouble here ladies, I am guilty as charged).
There was no discussion of the future state, no plan, no organizational discussion. These guys all sat around gossiping about people not in the room!
Now, me? I think if you have something to say about someone, the best place to do that is right in front of that someone so it can be heard properly.
So, after two years I requested and was granted rotation back into my technical role (now being paid much more than before). From there I could make a difference and teach people and partner with people.
Later, much later, my boss came to me and told me that if I did not take the management of my team's job they would hire somebody completely useless that everyone would hate.
So, I took it for two years again, then, rolled back to technical work again.
Both times I only talked about someone only if they were sitting right across from me where they could respond. Period.
I so hear you. How often have competent technical people been put in positions of management and then discovered that management is just a sham? If you want to dig into this, read up on the "father of scientific management," Frederick Taylor, a sadist who inspired Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times." We are still suffering under that man's lash. (And for more re: why human's go along with this BS, read a book by Todd Rose called "Collective Illusions.")
Tell it!
Your wrote, 'White men are weak, roll on the ground in front of money like a beaten curr dog, and go where their master (Trump in Barr's case) tell them go whenever they are told to go there.'
This is a common refrain of yours. 'All white men are alike.' Stereotyping is not only practiced by Whites. I think of it as, all too often, a lethal form of prejudice.
Fern
Before you begin again with you persistent negative attitude please try to avoid being stereotyped The Authority, (self appointed, of course), and instead learn to Read Between The Lines of the thoughtful well reasoned comments by the very learned in this community, Eh!?
You have been harassing and hounding me. You need to cast your attention elsewhere.
fERN
Wrong again...
I simply have been in disagreement with the constant negativity of your comments just as you have disagreed with mine....
We probably will never agree on much Fern....
I am asking you not to contact me again. It will be best to end now.
He goes where his mind takes him, without reflection or consideration of the consequences as, like the leader he will follow, is immune from all considerations that can be covered over by plausible misdirection and an honest appearing demeanor.
"I'm sure that a ton of Republican grifters would far rather see Garland sitting on the bench at SCOTUS right now than in his present role at the DOJ. Mitch McConnell, if you're reading this, I recommend Maalox."
Yes, be careful of what you wish for.
"Now [Jeffery Clark] claims the D.C. Bar cannot punish him because normal rules of behavior don’t apply."
Why, you ask? Because Jeffery Clark lives in the land of "Because I Said So".
In further shocking news, ALL of Mike Lindell's compelling truths about the 2020 election are stored on his cellphone (he doesn't have a computer) which the FBI seized at a Hardee's. OF COURSE the FBI is going to erase all of Lindell's very damning evidence against the Devil People AKA the Democrats.
Mike Lindell is the poster child for the old anti-drug PSA featuring a fried egg on a sizzling griddle with the caption: "This is your brain on drugs."
Ciao from Rome, Italy🌷🌷🌷🌷
Once a crackhead always a crackhead; whether you're still using or not, you're still the same moron you were when you started.
Indeed, TC. He is such a bozo.
Call it, TC
Lucky you Daria!! Italy is on my bucket list (been fascinated by the art of the Renaissance all my life. Catherine De Medici might have liked Trump - gads!)
As for Mike Lindell, I was on Twitter yesterday, and Hardees tweeted out; “Now that you know who we are, come in and enjoy our pillowy biscuits.”
I’m still laughing.
What a pair they would make. Catherine would have him on all four, leash in had, with treats upfront, as he would lay obediently at her feet.
Absolutely - she was quite the malignant narcissist and certainly would have leashed him or poisoned him. 🤪 Glad Liz Cheney and Nancy Pelosi prefer the rule of law! Well, most days I’m glad…. 🤨
😂😂😂
Oh, Sheila, Hardee's was very cool to take advantage of the absurdity of the Lyndell bust.
I've been to several countries in Europe several times but this is my first trip to Italy. Loving it so far!
🤣🤣🤣
👏👏👏👏
Hope you are enjoying ‼️❣️❣️‼️
We are having a ball! Thanks, Kim.
I don’t believe for a SECOND he doesn’t have a computer….he just doesn’t want the FBI looking for it.
They'll find it.
That is your soul on "GOP".
Exactly.
Soul? Where?.
Out of stock.
You are something, J L. The wit is so dry, I need a sip of water after reading.
Salud. 🗽
🤣🤣🤣
Daria, glad you're traveling. And, you got the Lindell posture just right. The man is a druggy all the way. Has just turned in his cocaine for the high that tRump offers.....whatever the hell that is.
Pam, having a blast. I think Lindell believes his immortal soul will be saved by sucking up to the 🍊 blob.
Lucky you. Glad it's a good time. The first mistake the pillow man made was making shitty pillows. The second mistake...latching on to the orange slim
daria (MID)
Seems Lindell's casaba has NO seeds, Eh!?
Spot on!
Daria! Fab!
Safe travels. Salud! 🗽🥂
Salud, Christine! 🌷
Ooh, Daria, my second home, and my husband’s home town! I love Rome, and late September is one of the best times to visit. Eat some mozzarella for me, and enjoy!
This is one of my favorite museums in Rome, if you have time: https://www.barberinicorsini.org
K, we are having the best time! I have eaten mozzarella several times, I'll have some for you next! Rome is amazing. I only have a few days here until I go Monte Castello Vibio for a 2 week papermaking/book & paper arts workshop. I'll come back for sure!
Oooo, wonderful. Enjoy your time in Italy.
Thanks! Taking in the sights, sounds, good found and wine!
Your brain on Hardee's
Gawd! Ain't that the truth!
Thank you, Dr. Heather. You stay up way too late to keep us informed, and I hope you know how much we appreciate and love you! Rest well! 💜
What? No mention of American oligarch Leonard Leo? Trump's court whisperer. Impresario of dark money shell companies. Racist right wing religious extremist Opus Dei acolyte.
google Leonard Leo = Corrupt Courts
"When the history of the end of the American republic is written, I suspect discerning historians will not spend as much time on the rise of El Caudillo del Mar-A-Lago as they will on the slow hollowing out of the republic’s foundations by a guy named Leonard Leo."
- Charlie Pierce
What Leonard Leo is doing, we would call criminal. Except his artfully crafted courts decide what's legal. When Leo says 'there oughta be a law' presto bingo there is one. With loopholes a train of camels could fit through - but only camels freighted with Citizens United dark money.
And from the US government to the tiny Bar Harbor, Maine government - no entity is too large or too small for Leo to corrupt.
In Bar Harbor the Town Council is stonewalling requests for information about the influence of Leo's complaints over the Town Manager - who spent the summer diverting town resources to literally erasing a public outreach campaign with the message 'google Leonard Leo = Corrupt Courts.' A project protected by the First Amendment and in compliance with the Maine Criminal Code.
Tip of the iceberg citations:
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse on Leo's $1.6 billion tax free payday
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I6kH4Zc2PtM
https://www.whitehouse.senate.gov/news/speeches/the-scheme-12-jcns-opening-salvo
https://newrepublic.com/article/159683/oligarch-month-leonard-leo
https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a41118185/leonard-leo-supreme-court/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/04/leonard-leo-federalist-society-conservative-abortion
https://www.acslaw.org/analysis/reports/dark-money/
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/30/1108351562/roe-abortion-supreme-court-scotus-law
https://www.citizensforethics.org/reports-investigations/crew-investigations/80-million-dark-money-group-tied-to-trump-supreme-court-advisor-leonard-leo/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/investigations/leonard-leo-federalists-society-courts/
https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/05/group-that-spent-millions-to-boost-gorsuch-also-paid-mysterious-inaugural-donor/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BH_Group
"...and when you take a close look at the scheme, the little spider that you find at the center of the dark money web behind it is a character named Leonard Leo." Scheme 18, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, September 13, 2022
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6kH4Zc2PtM
Thank you for the excellent links. I strongly encourage reading ALL of Whitehouse's' "The Scheme" The link above is for one of the articles but all are accessed from that one.
Way behind on Leonard. Evil is faster than this old crone can keep up.
Jeri Chilcutt
Hope this helps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imqnsuu2tDk
AND ALSO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdQ-LgQPpRM
The second one is quite a scorcher...loved he did that in front of Coney Barrett at her "vetting."
Mentioned elsewhere in these letters, but worthy of further discussion.
Sorry, Lin. I did not see that you provided the link for The Scheme 18 already. Didn't mean to tread on your excellent post.
After Helsinki, the Mueller Report and after the Senate Judiciary found collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow,
I am amazed that the Intelligence people allowed Trump access to tippy top secrets outside of the safe room. Also, why was there no FBI raid on Bedminster?
There is a clear and present security flaw in our system in that anyone we require extensive background checks to have access to classified documents but the president is considered immune to virtually every law so long as the president's party rules the Senate. It seems to be a holdover from the days of "The King can do no wrong" and "L'etat C'est Moi". Over the weekend some gun-toting MAGA wacko was terrorizing the public in order to “restore Trump to president king of the United States”.
There is danger from all men*. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty. -John Adams
*women too, apparently
I miss John Adams. He was a true outlier in every possible way.
As a not rich, not "respected" white man he managed to find a way (hard work) to get into Harvard. While there he actually studied the classics, and the sciences. Back then one's class standing was not based on academic performance so he did not graduate at the "top" of his class, the wealthy did (like John Hancock). However, his academic performance was superb.
He married a smart woman who could read and became her best friend instead of telling her which floor to wash next.
He wrote, alone in his childhood home, the MA constitution in 1780. Seven years before the US constitution was modelled after his MA constitution.
The world has never seen a John Adams before or since that was in so much of the right place at the right time born from his hard work to be there.
This is excellent. I wish American history was better taught in high school.
J L The matter of security clearances should also apply to White House staff and members of Congress. I recall that Jared was denied a security clearance until his daddy in law intervened. Regarding Congress, some of those folks can’t be trusted with NYT info, much less sensitive top secret materials.
I do not consider the electorate the determinate on who should have access to sensitive government information.
I am reminded of my security clearance experience when I was going from a State Dept civil service with TOP SECRET/CODE WORD clearance to getting cleared to become a Foreign Service Officer.
I received a call from a State Dept security officer (in the basement). Brusquely he told me that he had read my file and he wouldn’t give me a security clearance.
I told him that, since he didn’t have a high enough security clearance to come to my office, I would meet him in the basement. There he said that my meeting with Egyptian Communists while researching NASSER’S NEW EGYPT: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS (1960) was sufficient to nix my security clearance.
I asked whether it might be useful to get to know our communist ‘enemies,’ to which he simply grimaced. I thought that telling him that my Egyptian communist friends would greet me ‘Hello, you running dog of imperialism SOB’ wasn’t worth repeating.
Finally we found common ground. He was taking a course on communism with Professor Stefan Possony, who was a board member of Foreign Policy Research Institute (U. Of Penn) where I had worked for four years. When I provided this gum shoe info on Possony’s mistress I was judged worthy of a security clearance.
Incidentally, in my Foreign Service oral exam, I had to refuse to answer several questions about my State Department work, since as least one of the interview panel members didn’t have appropriate security clearance.
We, the electorate need to be the final authority, but we so need a very well informed electorate, and most of us are lazy about gathering enough information (myself included) and too many of those we elect would rather keep it that way.
The quality of government of the people, by the people, for the people is going to depend in large part on the quality of our decisions, which depends in large part on the quantity and quality of the information on which those decisions are based. How could it be otherwise?
I should say, by "final" I mean ultimate. If we are doing our job, we will be trusting the experts we employ to make certain kinds of decisions on our behalf, as we would when we engage a surgeon. It becomes tricky where government secrecy is necessary because secrecy beyond what is justified is corrosive to consent of the governed. I consider the misuse of official secrecy essentially to avoid embarrassment or corruption to be a serious crime.
There was a 'sensitive compartmented information facility' at Mar a Lago because that's where Trump spent more time.
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/politics/2019/11/05/trump-in-palm-beach-mar-a-lagos-scif-jfks-bunker-and-keeping-national-security-secure/2359130007/
Too funny, all that hamburger and steak juice and stale French Fries the FBI found on papers marked "TOP SECRET" means that the secure facility was really secure.
I feel much better now. No need to worry that Trump sold out Israel's nuclear capablity to the Saudi's for $2 Billion dollars sent to Jared's new "investment" fund.
Just too funny to be real, honestly. I could not make this stuff up if I tried.
You jest
Lin Was the ‘sensitive facility’ at Mar a Lago the toilet, where a flushed Trump could dispose of secret documents?
I read the article and thanks
👍🏼
‘Perhaps most revealing of the restoration of the rule of law at the Justice Department is that former attorney general Barr has been on the television circuit defending the FBI and Biden’s Department of Justice from Trump’s fury over the FBI’s execution of a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago that yielded documents—or empty folders—bearing the highest classified markings.’
‘That is, the same man who sponsored Durham’s political mission has recently begun to speak up for the rule of law.’(Letter)
William Barr’s role as AG under DJT and 'The Rule of Law' as it was practiced by the Department of Justice while he headed it and DJT called the shots is in for a lot scrutiny in the months ahead.
It is worthwhile to consider not only who nominated Barr for the position of Attorney General, who confirmed his appointment and, most importantly, what he brought to the job.
‘UPDATE: On Feb. 14, 2019, the Senate confirmed William Barr to be the next attorney general of the United States by a vote of 54-45.’
'William Barr’s Record – American Civil Liberties Union'
‘In December, President Donald Trump nominated William Barr to succeed Jeff Sessions as the next attorney general of the United States. If Barr is confirmed by the Senate, it will be his second stint as the top law enforcement officer in the country. Barr previously served as attorney general for President George H.W. Bush from 1991 until 1993.’
‘During his time in government as well as in the private sector, Barr amassed a record of advancing policies that advocated dragnet government surveillance, mass incarceration, and discriminatory profiling while pushing an aggressive theory of expansive executive power that sidelines Congress’ constitutional role in checking the president.’
‘The ACLU does not endorse or oppose nominees or candidates for political or judicial office, but we have analyzed Barr’s civil liberties and civil rights record before his confirmation hearing. We hope this analysis will provide members of the Senate Judiciary Committee with the information they need to press Barr on his record and determine whether he is firmly committed to upholding the Constitution and safeguarding our rights and liberties as the next attorney general of the United States.’
'No Relief: William Barr Is as Bad as Jeff Sessions — if Not Worse
'Barr's record suggests he will continue the former attorney general’s worst policies while promoting a sweeping view of executive power.'
'William Barr Helped Build America’s Surveillance State'
'Senators should ask Barr about his support for unconstitutional spying that endangers
our rights.'
'William Barr’s Unsolicited Memo to Trump About Obstruction of Justice'
'Barr's critique of the Mueller investigation raises serious questions about his views of presidential power. Senators should demand'
'William Barr Was an Ardent Champion of Mass Incarceration'
'The last time he was attorney general, Barr proclaimed that only prisons reduce crime, and that we need a lot more of them.' (ACLU) For the complete review by the ACLU see link below.
https://www.aclu.org/issues/civil-liberties/executive-branch/william-barrs-record
‘President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, William Barr, was confirmed in the Senate on Thursday to take over the Justice Department, where he will oversee special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.’
‘Barr, 68, was confirmed in a 54-45 vote that largely fell along party lines. He was sworn in Thursday afternoon in the Oval Office by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, the White House told NBC News.’
‘Barr was widely expected to be confirmed by the Republican-majority Senate on Thursday. He had served in the same role more than two decades earlier in President George H.W. Bush’s administration, and had passed procedural hurdles in the Senate Judiciary Committee and the full Senate in recent votes,’
'Lindsey Graham TWEET Today is a great day for the Department of Justice with the confirmation of William Barr to be the next Attorney General.'
‘A few senators broke with their party in the final vote, however. Among Democrats, Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Doug Jones of Alabama — both of whom represent deep-red states — voted for Barr, as did first-term Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was the only Republican to vote against Barr’s nomination.’ (CNBC)
The role of partisan politics in the DOJ varies from administration to administration, but the damage partisan politics can inflict on the Rule of Law -- on the scale of justice -- has at times been immense.
WTF Rand Paul, the broken clock right twice a day??? Kyrsten Sinema a Trojan Horse way back there??? Takeaway. Chump drew to the mob tactics like a moth to flame. The Republican red light has beckoned the authoritarians for more decades than many pundits have been alive. Ronald and Rupert were a team conceived in hell and spewed hate and propaganda on us all. Bill Moyers was the lone voice that I heard give a warning. Maybe someday, someone will investigate Nancy Reagan’s influence in this debacle.
Thanks for all these noted quotes. I am really really glad Sessions is gone also; what a nasty racist fellow he is/was. He and Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller would have probably been there in 1963 as white segregationists when the four young Black girls were killed in a church bombing in Birmingham.
…and, Kathy, lethal hatred marches on right here in the USA.
"Lethal hatred" - grown in American soil from the day it was "discovered."
FERN
So also does love, and beauty, and peace, and joy, and comfort, don't ya know?
These are the qualities that the majority of us exemplify and need to keep honed during our warriorhood for democracy!
That motley crew would have been there at Auschwitz.
.. .gassing the prisoners.
I rely too much on impression - you are correct.
James, Please explain what you meant by, 'I rely too much on impression - ' in this context. Thank you.
Salud!
"‘During his time in government as well as in the private sector, Barr amassed a record of advancing policies that advocated dragnet government surveillance, mass incarceration, and discriminatory profiling while pushing an aggressive theory of expansive executive power that sidelines Congress’ constitutional role in checking the president.’" I hope this nausea I'm feeling wears off before lunch. Thank You Fern for these facts, even if- maybe especially because - they make me sick. What a f#$k Barr is.
"The role of partisan politics in the DOJ varies from administration to administration, but the damage partisan politics can inflict on the Rule of Law -- on the scale of justice -- has at times been immense."
That one's a keeper.
"Mississippi officials, including former governor Phil Bryant, to work with former NFL player Brett Favre to divert about $5 million in federal welfare funds from helping people in poverty to building a volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi, where his daughter was a volleyball player."
Patent sociopathy.
When working as a public health, social services and early childhood coordinator, we fought so hard with the government to get "flexible funding" so our clients could get what THEY needed, not what some federal bureaucrat in Washington decided they needed. Flexible funding through TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) and other sources was and is a life saver. To hear Favre blithely asking how to word this heist so, you know... makes my blood boil. Lock him and his enablers up, after he pays back every penny with compounded interest.
I’m wondering who at the University of Southern Mississippi is going to bite the dust for allowing a building to be built with stollen funds. What is the volleyball complex called? Was it named after Favre?
Mississippi Community Education Center founder Nancy New has already pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts of bribery, fraud and racketeering for her role in the welfare scheme, & in a plea deal, she’s turned over texts w Favre & Bryant relating to the volleyball complex. Nothing I’d like better than to see Favre & Bryant go down.
Good news from very bad news. Don't see how they can weasal out of this one.🤞 Thank you for the update Linda.
Let’s hope not!
And Mississippi is the poorest state in the union, at the bottom of state rankings in just about everything, and they take money away for a volleyball court? Lost all respect for Brett Favre.
William Barr is not to be trusted, not now or at any time. He has forfeited his privilege to be taken seriously in any public venue.
So Bill Barr found religion, and the rule of law, on FOX News.
A little louder, please.
Let him confess to having his fingers crossed behind his back while he was spinning the Mueller Report; that 2016 was the stolen election.
I won’t hold my breath.
I want to see Barr charged with something, somehow. He’s now coming forward about what went on but he had his finger in the pie,too.
Can the USAG do anything to a Supreme Court Justice or a federal judge or a former USAG? Can Cannon be charged for her sway in favor of Trump. Is there a legal body she has to answer too?
Nora,
In American history there have been so many men like Trump who abused people and systems and not only "got away with it" but were highly "respected" members of their community that it is mind boggling.
I am currently reading the most difficult book I have ever encountered, but, the most well written book I have ever read and by far, the most eye opening book I have ever read.
The 1619 Book. It should be mandatory reading in 10th grade in every high school in America.
In this book we learn that: In all 13 colonies, following Virgnia's new law which went against English law, the race of a black child, rather than being associated with the father, was associated with the mother.
THEN, in all 13 colonies, rape of a black woman by a white man was made legal.
This meant, of course, that rape of black women by white men became a profitable enterprise and was routinely practiced.
For example: We cannot know that Sally Hemmings was not repeatedly raped by Thomas Jefferson BUT we can know that many of her children are Jefferson's and were sold south (through DNA testing).
Now, that is just ONE way in which white men in America have managed to trod heavily on everyone else.
Trump is not an outlier. Trump is the norm for rich, wealthy, white men in America AFTER the natives were all killed and moved (by white men).
Mike S
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC10VWDTzmU
George,
Thank you for this Dylan masterpiece. He has effectively absconded with black gospel music to bring us a great bit of listening.
Mike, I listened to the audio version of the 1619 Project recently, and your description is spot on.
Thank you.
Trump made me do it.
Hahaha, is a bus coming by soon??
The DC Court of Appeals ruled, back in August, that Barr lied via his memo on the Mueller Report, thus obstructing justice. Barr said it to Congress, & he said it to We the People. I’d certainly like to see him charged, but not holding my breath. Maddow covered this one Monday in August.
https://www.rawstory.com/bill-barr-lied-about-trump/
Nora Goodloe
INDEED!
The same one we must all answer to eventually, Eh!?
Again, Dear Heather, deepest gratitude to you and for you. You rock‼️‼️‼️
No one is above the law, except Donald Trump, who stated openly, before he became president, but he could “shoot somebody on fifth Avenue and there will be no consequences“. Since then, his actions have been criminal and thus far there have been no consequences for his actions.
What is most disturbing is that Merrick Garland has come out and said there will be no prosecution of Donald Trump prior to the midterm elections. No matter what is pending, if a crime has been committed by Donald Trump or anyone else, there should be immediate prosecutions, the midterm election not withstanding!
Since his election nearly 5 years ago, Donald Trump has been guilty of many egregious crimes and has not suffered a single consequence of his actions. If Donald Trump or any other lawbreaker is not prosecuted in a timely fashion, they are operating above the law and this type of judicial misconduct must end. Allowing people like Donald Trump to “get away with murder“ is not what should happen in the United States of America.
The other thing that must change is the appointment of incompetent judges like Eileen Cannon to the bench simply because they are “political friends“ of the party in power. All judicial appointments must be made on judicial standards, not based on political allies, As it is the only way to prevent a career criminal like Donald Trump from taking over our country and turning it into a dictatorship.
No one should be lulled into a false sense of security, as our democracy is definitely on the ballot in November.
Vote, vote. Democracy on the ballot!
Much as I would be at the bonfire, Trump not being prosecuted before the mid-terms is only precedent as I understand. I would be happy to be corrected by anyone with sounder knowledge.
There is absolutely no reason why a criminal, no matter who that person is, should not be prosecuted irrespective of any upcoming event. It is a sign of weakness in our judiciary, which should always be expected to be A pillar of strength.
The only reason for holding off on the prosecution is the effect it would have on the outcome of the election. The backlash from the (nearly) half of the electorate who still believe T**** was the victor in 2020 might be enough to elect more Republicans: that result would be a hole below the waterline of the ship of state. And it would go down just like the Titanic.
Knee deep in Trump Dump? Vote Democrat. You’ll feel better.
"Trump’s politicization of the Department of Justice was a profound attack on the principles of democracy. Using the law to attack enemies is a hallmark of authoritarians— ... —while it also encourages lawbreaking from those who don’t fear legal consequences. "
The J6th insurrection in full view of cameras, some in the hands of insurrectionists themselves, was clearly a turn of events supported by the sense that rule of law had been indefinitely suspended and and would continue to be edict of Trump, so badly had the process of justice been corrupted.
War correspondent Luke Mogelson discusses his new book, “The Storm Is Here: An American Crucible,” and the precarious future of democracy.
https://www.newyorker.com/newsletter/the-daily/how-a-war-correspondent-understands-far-right-extremism
Ahhhhh.....thanks. On my list now.
Thank you for this, Lin...!
A great writer, working the beat with insight.