Last Thursday, October 6, the Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee tweeted: “Kanye. Elon. Trump.” On Sunday, October 10, after his Instagram account was restricted for antisemitism, rapper Kanye West, now known as “Ye,” returned to Twitter from a hiatus that had lasted since the 2020 elections to tweet that he was “going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.” This was an apparent reference to the U.S. military’s “DEFCON 3,” an increase in force readiness.
Brilliant. Once again pulling all the threads and grave concerns together of this point in time when we are at the precipice. Thanks so much Heather. So grateful that you are doing this for us and democracy. Now get some rest and feel better
It’s helpful to have this post weave the pattern of craziness we are facing . Before anyone loses heart, this twitter post is an uplift. And it reminds me that the only way any of this will change is by us keeping our heads level and wits about us. America has a really, really ugly side and we are trying to leverage the Better Angels of Our Nature. Not easy work. So give a listen and be reminded! :
I have been banned from twitter for life because of one "hateful conduct" post on the pic of that guy carrying the Confederate flag thru Congress on Jan 6, should be hanged.
I think you are not alone. I listened to a new NYT tech podcast where they discussed what would happen if Musk actually takes Twitter over and runs it the way he has said he will. The consensus (of two) was that the people who cant handle all the garbage and vitriol common in unmanaged online forums would bail. The sites that don't monitor content are not profitable for that very reason. So Musk would have paid enormously for a white elephant, and he probably knows it.
As for our 'ugly side', I am reading Pekka Hamalainen's Indigenous Continent. He begins by describing some of the diverse Origin Stories various tribes embrace. The Iroquois believe Sky Woman had a daughter who gave birth to two sons, one good, one evil. The acts of the two boys represented a balance of those two extremes. "The world was neither entirely evil or entirely good. Sky Woman kept it in balance." Sounds about right to me.
This young man certainly tells it like it IS! Perhaps - just possibly - the rest of the Democrats in the public eye should be doing the exact same thing!!!
"Kanye! Elon! Trump!" This is the battle cry of the Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee. And here I thought Republicans were void of a sense of humor. Kanye blew his chance to be funny. His t-shirt should have read... "White Wives Matter!"
I read it. This does not give me hope. Caution is not warranted here, when other democracies around the world actually prosecute their politicians for breaking laws. This notion of not being able to prosecute a former president is ridiculous. Trumps crimes make Nixon a saint.
If I had stolen hundreds of classified documents, tens of which are at the highest levels, where would I be? I'd be in prison by now. And it is not just taking them that matters, but storing them insecurely and potentially being available to all sorts of people visiting Mar-a-Lago.
Matt, if I had intentionally taken ONE document from secure storage to an unsecured location I would have been prosecuted. If my intention had been to provide it to a foreign nation I would be a traitor. I did, in my work, have access to such documents. Allowing Trump to continue to stonewall is just unacceptable!
Thank you, Robert Weekley. To have such comments from former document handlers is invaluable. My great step aunt worked in NARA. Glad she’s not seeing this. What if it had happened during WWII or the Cold War? But In those days many Republicans were people instead of power hungry maniacs. May we get rid of him and never countenance another spoiled child (best proof for some is the broken porcelain plates and catsup on the wall of the White House dining room) for president.
I read it. I found it reassuring. The worst possible outcome would be if Garland and the DOJ were to pursue a case against TFG that had a single loop hole, a single structural flaw that would allow the case to be tossed either initially or upon appeal.
The prosecution of the monster will take a very long time. "It" may die by cheeseburger choking before the case is concluded. But conclude it will.
The key here is that AG Garland is at his core a judge. He will not proceed with a prosecution that he sees as flawed or destined to fail - simply to satisfy us. But he will proceed and it will be successful.
I say all this with full memory of my own impatient rants here and on other forums. But I now have faith that when Garland acts, it will be overwhelming and thoroughly effective. I know, I know. From my lips to .... whatever.
I share your perspective; I have longed for Mr. Garland to rekindle his "prosecutorial fire" that his judicial restraint seems to have overridden. It is possible that the fire is only banked, and will be bursting into flame soon. There must not be a single loophole in any indictment.
Well said. There's also the reality of a horribly divided country. Everything must be airtight so MAGAs have nothing substantive to seize upon. Yes, like their false god Trump they will still scream like banshees and cause mayhem. But Garland's buttoned-up approach makes sense to me, although it's frustrating, too. At least with the stolen documents case Trump keeps spouting evidence of his guilt.
MAGAs don't need anything substantive to seize upon. They accepts ridiculous lies and reject well-founded evidence. Forget about trying to avoid their screaming. It will come, regardless. It will continue coming even if their people, any of them, are convicted on criminal charges. We need to put as many of them as possible in jail, and keep them there as long as possible, and even if we manage to do that, there will still be 74 million rubes and boobies shouting from the rooftops and carrying guns. We are in serious trouble. It will take a lot of political work and a great deal of luck to emerge from this with democracy intact.
I am heartened by Garland's promise and continued reminding that no one, despite their position or whether they were physically at the Capitol or not, is above the law. He possesses a quite but astute fortitude....
And after Lucian's analysis of the DOJ case now before the Stench Bench, Garland's approach makes more sense to me than ever before. It's a mess. I want him to succeed. I hope I live long enough to be able to celebrate the indictment!
Not impressed. Article is long and wordy but basically nothing new; 'Garland is an institutionalist who will and is rising to the occasion, I hope'. The SOL (Statute of Limitations) is running out on the Ukraine Extortion and there are no reports of Grand jury witnesses. Basically the gestalt around Garland is the same around Mueller...who turned out to be a big dud! It has taken years for the stolen Mar-a-Lago Papers case to evolve and it could not be more straight forward. I am hopeful for Garland, but see little that is encouraging.
I agree. Taking classified documents and then storing them insecurely, being available to many people, would be prosecuted if anyone but a former president did this. This is a case that is so straight forward that any delay at this point seems to indicate an attempt to avoid what must be done by DOJ.
I would suggest that this case is so straight forward that even any other former president already would have been prosecuted. That this hasn’t happened to tfg, I suspect, correlates to how deeply his loyalists have infiltrated the court system. Dreadful!
Rose, consider that Trump has been involved in so much illegal activity all of his adult life and I have not heard of one sentence he has received....only those around him have been prosecuted and only for a short sentence. I was in shock that he was ever nominated for any government office especially as President,
Still shocked, and even beyond mortified any anyone would want him back. But propaganda is powerful, Goebbels knew that, so does Rupert. So we will learn
In addition to reading the Foer piece, I caught him on MSNBC the other day. His perspective on Garland is spot on. He knows, and Garland knows, that there is no way he can avoid indicting T****. On which of several charges will have to be decided: the document thievery is the easiest to prove, prosecute, and get a conviction, as the laws are about as close to crystal clear as they can be. T**** faces so many legal entanglements, from New York to Georgia to Washington, that he cannot hope to avoid them all. Be patient. The wheels grind exceeding slow, but exceeding fine.
Perhaps you really should reconsider that decision to take a pass on the opportunity to take that remedial Freshman Critical Reading class since you obviously flunked it the first time around.
The bunch of you political illiterates on this thread should reconsider. What a collection of embarrassing yuppie clucks you all are.
Rather strong on the "political illiterates" TC, but I do agree with your point. Garland will get the job done and make it stick. It actually worse to have an indictment of trump and fail to convect. Trump would that as a major tool in his campaign to destroy the US for money and fame.
You know, I like the whole prospect of Trump being connected rather than convicted (no insult intended, Dave), but overcooking seems to be a better solution than non-convicting.
What are a 'yuppie clucks'? Tit for tat, you know that one, I'm sure. I looked up the word 'schmuck ' because it occurred to me while reading your nasty response to 100Panthers as well as to other thoughtful readers on this thread.
'shmuck', is a pejorative term meaning one who is stupid or foolish, or an obnoxious, contemptible or detestable person. The word came into the English language from Yiddish (Yiddish: שמאָק, shmok), where it has similar pejorative meanings, but where its literal meaning is a vulgar term for a penis.[1] Did you know that?
I knew that big time since my name is Smucker, which is a shorten version of Schmucker. (Same family as the Jams and Jellies). I always stay with the historical German meaning which includes fine metal worker, jewelry in German is Schmuck. At one time I was the chief mechanical engineer of a large aluminum plant and the chief electrical engineer was named Funk. Folks had a lot of fun with Smucker and Funk, it just made us smile. I always thought Smucker meaning a penis was a whole hell of a lot better than being named "trump" which is a loud fart in British slang. Kids, when we lived in Wales, would say did you hear that loud trump. I wouldn't put FART in gold letters on the side of a building, but it sure is a good description of Trump.
Dave, Please except a great big, gentle hug. You are so funny and it seems put your name to good use not only for etymological reasons. There is more to a name.
Yuppie Clucks are those who make meaningless noise because while living safely outside the fray they turn and blather with brains the size of chickens usually inaccurately. An erudite put down that is better than a string of expletives which would predictably rain down upon him. My jealousy is complete. I bow down to the master.
You are speaking for yourself, I gather. Are you also directing this to the subscriber TC verbally attacked and those TC identifies as such or is this response to me of general interest? Thank you for sharing. 100Panthers also shared his opinion, which I may or may not agree with, nor did I think it 'meaningless noise'.
I gathered from your inquiry of “What’s a yuppie Cluck” that I could explain the phenomenon . Also I was a bit awed and inspired by TC’s ability to remind us that he has a greater command of language than mere expletives. An honest jealousy, nothing more. I am truly awed by those of you on the varsity .
And who made you the ‘grand wazoo’ of all things legal and political? Folks who comment here have a right and have paid for that right to express thoughts and opinions. If you have something constructive to add, then do it!
Its refreshing to see some pushback in what is easily described as an echo chamber here. Sharpening ideas against each other in discussion makes for better finished product
Some of the pushback can be grating, possibly due to frustration. That can caused bruised feelings. If feeling bruised, I find it helpful to explore the problem further for nuggets of validity
There exists a dynamic here where very knowledgeable people disagree on points of contention. That’s a good thing.
I subscribe to Teri Kanefield. Her take pretty much echoes the Atlantic article. While her replies to “what’s taking so long” aren’t quite as blunt as what TC has written, she delivers an equivalent take down to what Tim Snyder calls Internet Memes and she has called rage- inducing simplification. https://terikanefield.com/why-consequences-dont-matter/ Her “sticky facts” are gold and continuously updated. https://terikanefield.com/all-new-doj-investigation-faqs/
Derision and denigration have no place here. We are a group with a multitude of backgrounds, expertise and experiences. Yet, we come here because we are concerned. For the moment, for this forum, that should be enough. Where is the civility in taking pot shots at those in this community?
Via my reading I am being alerted to a wide degree of discourse in terms of civility. You can notice in other forums where “crude and rude” are easily associated with “dumb and clueless”
Here I find that many “less than civil” comments come from people who are anything but “dumb and clueless”. While I find some approaches a bit cringe worthy, I have to stop and look beyond the delivery for the message contained; because the message carries some verisimilitude
In other words, take what is of value even if its not your own personal belief or manner in the continuum of “civil discourse”
Lead by your own example to steer that “level” for others to emulate, however, don’t expect that all will follow. It takes diversity to create a more perfect message, imo
New here. Surprised that name calling passes as pertinent push back. Ad hominem attacks are the norm on Twitter and Daily Kos. Didn't expect to find them here.
Jeff, bullies are not rare. I know that's not news. They often think of themselves as the last word. Some have supporters as Trump does. Then there are groupies, fanatic fans...that trail behind them. Sometimes a bully also has good and special qualities as does TC. He just provided us with a nasty interruption, that's all, as far as I'm concerned. I don't know what 100Panthers thinks..
My concern is that, in being “straight forward”, we assume that no loophole in the law would ever present TFFG an escape route. Not being a lawyer or seasoned prosecutor leads me to defer to those that are, and trust they do their jobs. If they don’t, Democracy was lost years ago; we just weren’t in the loop
Biden picked Garland for a reason. I suspect that we’ll see action shortly after the elections, regardless of which party wins
And if TFFG is indicted before all loopholes are closed, we’re already dead. Garland has two more years under Biden and R ocrats in Congress cannot change that
Dave--I agree with you that anticipating all the likely nonsense and closing the loopholes are absolutely necessary for DOJ success. I see one other major hurdle, and I don't know that it can be anticipated and mastered: I believe that a trial on whichever document-related charges are brought would be before a jury--in D.C., if I have read correctly. Whatever the voir dire, odds seem to suggest that there well could be at least one true believer in the box--and it only takes one for acquittal.
I’ve thought about that. There is very little that can protect against that except deep background checks and hiring that “Bull Guy”
In any event, the Rule of Law must challenge the Cult of Personality, not fear poor outcomes
Justice for TFFG may never come in the form of a conviction, and if so, the myth of America as an Idea, as a Beacon is severely compromised. Our Freedoms allow for, or should I say, have been monetized by the existence of unchecked media exploitation
Without some mechanism to stem propaganda campaigns, to rein in the lies of SuperPac attack ads funded by nefarious Dark Money aka bribes, the uncurious undereducated MAGA masses will be manipulated into Zombieville obedience to their False God.
With the abdication of the Supreme Court away from judicial prudence, the chessboard for Democracy looks bleak. Our only hope lay with the will of the voters, bringing us full circle voir dire. Will America demonstrate traits of Patriotism or will it choose Tribalism?
To even write the last sentence indicates the level of septic tank depth we’ve already sunk
Dave--Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I certainly agree with your concerns for our social and political trends. I was not trying to be doomsaying, but rather to check any fervent emotional wishes I think I share with many commenters here, that Trump suffer the most lasting and painful consequences possible. Wishes aside, as you point out Trump is hardly the sole source of our problems--he got elected, after all. I do think that, along with getting out the vote, it is important to repair (some of) the tatters in the rule of law. But we should be realistic about what that would require. Indictments, definitely. Convictions? No slam dunk.
I guess perspective and perhaps patience separate diverse opinions. Rather than wordy I found the Foer article very thorough. I especially appreciated his weaving of Garland’s career with significant highlights of DOJ involvements in difficult legal and political national crisis.
Don’t be so dismissive of Mueller. He was professional in gathering the facts thoroughly but the MAGA Politics by Barr blunted its role. Mueller did his assigned duties.
Mueller buried his findings. His redacted report was 448 pages. He could have written in a few pages at the beginning 'I find the following crimes were committed, these facts support it. An indictment would do so in a few pages.
A lot of commenters claimed the Atlantic article is wordy. I don't see how they have come to that conclusion. It is well written and has little, if any, excessive verbiage. It's not even long: 5,000 words, a medium-length essay.
Good article and thanks for posting. While I have an opinion about whether a white man of wealth can be indicted and convicted, based on our history, I will not voice it at the moment.
Rather, I will observe, if Trump is indicted, it will not change the overall trajectory of the Republican Party. Republicans were already on their way to autocracy through the propaganda of FOX news, HOWEVER, Trump did what Republicans did not realize was possible.
Trump ignored every norm and law and just did what he wanted, when he wanted, how he wanted. Period.
That approach garnered the atttention of EVERYONE. One did not even have to pay attention to realize:
American laws and norms are weak and anyone (white) can just ignore them.
So, now? The Republican Party, having had a clear role model for just doing whatever one wants, are on that path in EVERY state. They want power, they know laws don't matter and they will also, change those laws so that they DO matter where that is ambiguous.
For example, voting restriction laws in PA are so onerous now that my brother-in-law no longer will take his 89 year old mother to vote for fear he will go to jail.
Also, new laws in all Republican states making electors independent of the popular vote? THOSE will be adhered to and when Biden "wins" again, that popular will reality will just be summarily ignored.
Because, Republicans now know what I was unaware of. If you just do whatever you want AND you are white? It will be just fine.
Trump re-taught us all what Black folks have known since the inception of "our" country.
White men can, and will, do whatever they want to whomever they want, however they want and at any time that they want.
Even if Trump is indicted, that event will not matter one tiny little bit. The trajectory is set.
Whether we can change that trajectory as Dr. Richardson so hopes we can if we just wake up???
I, unfortunately, see the point you are making clearly. In a sense, trump proved we are a house of cards, there’s no “there there” when it comes to accountability for rich white men. The “rules”, “norms” and “guidelines” are meant to keep them in power and if they are challenged, they are reconfigured to exclude who they deem is unworthy, and shape-shifted until they fit only themselves, when they say it’s okay. Power is a Menace. And the desire to hold onto power brings out the ugliest menacing behavior of all.
I know that you are right. But I am not ready to toss in the towel. Things might need to get worse before they get better. I can actually see Musk and Kanye and Tulsi standing on a presidential debate stage. "Idiocracy" is our short term future!
But I am hopeful in the long run. Hopeful if you live in certain states. Others are already setting up their version of Gilead. But then, don't underestimate the unifying effect of a foreign threat. Most of the US did not support entry into WWII - until there was no choice. And then assholes like Lindbergh went quiet - just as Musk the madman will - in that event.
There certainly are some parallels to WWII here today, aren't there? The difference is that it is the US that is facing down an autocratic madman AND that our "house of cards" (as alluded to earlier) is only so because there is no consequence for allowing someone with no honor and who is an oathbreaker to be elected president.
Ally (and everyone else), make sure you listen to Rachel Maddow’s newest podcast called ULTRA. She has put out 2 episodes and the next one is next Monday. I was completely blown away by what she has revealed! It’s that kinda being on the edge of your seat podcast. She’s a great storyteller.
I think you are correct. Trump just opened wider the doors, allowing other Republicans to feel freer to pursue their agendas, regardless of the cost to honor, truth, Constitution, and rule of law.
It looks like accountability is coming. Here's Robert Hubbell (today's substack) on that:
Stepping back from the details of who said what to whom in the circular firing squad that is Trump’s legal team, all of this means that the day on which Trump will be indicted is drawing nearer. The inevitability of an indictment against Trump is the subject of a detailed and cautious analysis by Franklin Foer in The Atlantic, The Inevitable Indictment of Donald Trump. I can’t do justice to Foer’s lengthy analysis, but the thesis of the article is that the events of the last two years have shaped Merrick Garland in a way that effectively ensures Garland will indict Trump. Foer writes,
I have also come to see that the Garland of 2022 is not the same man who was sworn into office as attorney general in March of the previous year. At the age of 69, his temperament is firmly fixed, but a year and a half on the job has transformed him. [¶] [H]is sparring with Trump over the documents at Mar-a-Lago escalated quickly. The former president is no longer a figure on television, but his adversary in court. Garland approached him with an aggression that suggested he was prepared to do the very thing that critics said he didn’t have the guts to do.
Commentators like Laurence Tribe, Andrew Weissmann, and Joyce Vance have agreed that an indictment seems likely on the basis of the factual record at this point. The only questions remaining are “when” and “how expansive” the indictment will be. While indicting and prosecuting a former president will be harrowing, not doing so would be devastating to our democracy.
The position of staunch Trump supporters is such that their superiority enables them not to need to know the issues, but rather we stand on the brink of civil war. As we travelled to Buffalo to spread the ashes of our middle brother he turned to me in a measured and grave voice and said, “ Brother Pat, when the war breaks out I may have to kill you.”
Pat, My brother, too. Not exactly where you are in terms of family with this poison, nevertheless, it is through the land. The words you shared felt like a knife to us all. Care for you and your family.
Whoa! Harsh words from this brother which he may live to regret. My sister-in-law and bro-in-law claim they’re Independents but my bro-in-law is a big Bill O’Reilly fan. I literally went off on my sister-in-law last year. Had to be put on high blood pressure meds. Feel better and both of us decided that our family is too small to argue. Although, we each are stubborn Virgos, we try not to piss each other off.
I'm so sorry that you're in such a badly divided family, Pat.
As far as I know, you're certainly right about staunch Trump supporters. But we still have the independents, and probably some less staunch Trump supporters, who are capable of changing their minds when confronted with logic, as Liz Cheney and Adam Kinsinger did.
Thank you David. But don’t count on independents as that group is a miserable collection. Many many call themselves independent to disguise their affiliation with Donny boy. As an independent they can laze in the sunlight of ambiguity. A rattlesnake is a good thing for dispatching rodents until he bites you.
It's statistical. There are always real independents in a population, people that can be swayed. Not large numbers, but sometimes enough.
Here's something else--from Robert Hubbell's substack this morning, that you may find encouraging:
No discussion of the Committee’s work would be complete without acknowledging that it has provided the definitive historical judgment on Trump’s efforts to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. In creating that record, the Committee has also changed the collective judgment of the American public regarding the events of January 6th. See Talking Points Memo, The Jan. 6 Committee Is Having A Measurable Impact On Voter Attitudes.
My fears exactly. I grew up immersed in what the Nazis did in Germany, feeling that we didn’t have that worry, but always wondering what I would do if we did. So many have no clue or no worries. Don’t look up…
Thank you, Kathy. I thought it was an excellent piece. Helped me understand Merrick Garland better. I think, like the author, that he will indict Donald J. Trump. There, I said the name....after six years.
Thank You Kathy. This superb article backs up all I have witnessed and concluded since the first news of arrests of the January 6th insurrectionists. AG Garland is doing this right, just as he did with the Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh, and the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, cases. The Rule of Law will prevail.
So I read that article. And it clearly states that indicting a former president is a huge deal and cannot be taken lightly, and therefore it is ultimately the perogative of the AG to indict, or just let it go. The author, however, thinks Garland is indeed going to indict. To me, there is no choice. Absolutely no choice. Absolutely - meaning it is mandatory. A no-brainer. This corrupt heartless fuc_er has broken the law, repeatedly, and in a way that really has damaged the country. And - we can expect he will do so again, but worse, if given the chance. He must be stopped. I have a bad feeling about it though. I think DOJ, and Garland, are going to allow the clock to run out. Advertently, or inadvertently. I think he has failed to recognise, and will continue to do so, that adhering to norms and procedures and time lines is precisely what people like Trump prey on. Take max advantage of. The consequences of this are unimaginable, but here we are watching and waiting for a glacier to move as time marches on. He's going to rope-a-dope and wiggle off the hook.
What a sad catalogue. What happened to Republicans? Have they all lost their connection to reality. Perhaps. Although my personal favorite is “ On October 6, New Hampshire Senate nominee Don Bolduc defended the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the subsequent loss of recognition of the constitutional right to abortion. The issue of abortion “belongs to the state,” he said. “It belongs to these gentlemen right here, who are state legislators representing you. That is the best way I think, as a man, that women get the best voice.” Republican super PACs are pouring money behind Bolduc.” Women’s reproductive rights - or lack of same - belongs to gentlemen. Seriously??
Yes, it’s so crazy it can’t be true but another repub says it loud and clear. Bolduc: “That is the best way I think, as a man, that women get the best voice.” Republican voice. Womens reproductive rights. What century is he living in?
Gob smacking. I am about to go to bed and I hope I don't have nightmares. I like the idea of coalitions in places that are deep red. The Republicans prove again and again that they are the party of death. Some good news from right here in River City, Salem, Oregon. One of the radical right members resigned tonight from the Salem Keizer school board. But the beat goes on from the local far right horror stories who never stop trying to impose their theocratic views on everyone. We also have tight races here in Oregon. I hope that the Ds all prevail.
You highlighted the lunacy very well. I want to put my blind hope in our youth--that they will be so outraged at the chaos they could wake up to one morning that they form a rising wave rushing to the ballot box. This is whom we should be focused on. I just read an opinion piece in the NYT by Jamieson Webster, a psychoanalyst, about teens feeling so insecure about their future that there has been a 54% increase of suicides among 10-24 year-old between 2007 and 2021. This has left me absolutely deflated.
I feel that I could speak for all of us here--that we grew up with the security that we were living in the greatest country in the world, our democracy guaranteed, and that our government had our backs. It has sadly hit home that this isn't what many of our young people are experiencing. If the tide, God forbid, turns authoritarian, what could they hope for?
Prayers are very powerful and so are mine. The morning I found that rump had won, I fiercely prayed that the GOP would self-implode. I have already seen this being answered. What other than a prayer could have brought us a Liz Cheney and an Adam Kinzinger urging people to vote with the Democrats and openly siding with Independents? There is a Divine Intelligence out there. Let us all collectively ask for what we want....
I was floored when Trump made that statement about nuclear information. Of course he kept info on how to build a nuclear weapon “cheaply.” I hope he is put away for good.
Whatever he jokes about or projects onto others is the truth about what he did and his own deceptive acts. We need to worry about this new statement about nuclear weapons.
Oh, I don't know, Nraecohen. I doubt that a person with the moral credentials of Donald J Trump would want to snatch an old article titled "Be The First Kid on Your Block to Build a Low Yield Thermonuclear Weapon From Depleted Tea Bags". I would think that kind of information would have very little commercial value.
“But there is an interesting dynamic afoot. In some cases, Republican lawmakers, especially Representatives Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Liz Cheney (R-WY), have urged voters to back Democrats rather than election-denying extremist Republicans. And, as historical essayist Sarah Vowell noted on October 6, in deep red states like Montana and Utah where voters will not consider voting for a Democrat, Democrats have teamed up with never-Trump Republicans to back Independents who are now running strong against the radical extremists.”
“Democrats have teamed up with never-Trump Republicans to back Independents who are now running strong against the radical extremists.” This is keeping hope alive as we get closer to Nov 8! Thank you.
How about this?”Democrats spend tens of millions amplifying far-right candidates in nine states”
Sep 12, 2022 — (Washington Post.com) Probably the same Democrats who buried Bernie …because he didn’t toe the neoliberal line servicing corporate dominance…and slotted one of the fraternity in his place.
What a scary and well documented warning you’ve written tonight, Professor. I won’t copy the repub and trumpian insanity you describe except this: “Scholars who study how to defeat rising authoritarianism agree that such cross-party cooperation is vital. And we have an illustration of just how that has worked here before.” I live in a rural Northern California county that is now split Blue and Red. And we already have our ballots. Plus daily texts asking if we’ve received it and who to contact with problems. Now is the time to seriously encourage every voter to Vote and inform people they have choices to cross-party vote. I mailed 200 postcards today that will go to Arizona registered Dem voters, same as many all over the country. DEMS must get in high gear now. We’ve all donated and it’s time to see that money supporting high risk or vulnerable candidates and stop the real Red Scare.
"At our peril," now IS the time to kick into high gear. Some states close their voter registration in the next few days. Getting out the vote of Democrats is so basic, so essential, and can be so easy for us to do. Jessica Craven shows the way on her "Chop Wood, Carry Water" with an easy app, SwipeBlue, for us to do our part using the most effective method, relational organizing--fancy for what Heather says to make our voices heard, talk to our friends and neighbors, and follow up with a simple swipe to remind them to vote!
I very much worry that Garland is running out the clock. Indictment could have already happened by now (plenty of evidence on Jan. 6 and the classified documents), if there were any urgency at all.
Not according to the polls this morning... Gen Z is about as disconnected and uncaring about politics as you can get. I hope I see different in the mid-terms... but I don't have much hope in the younger generation(s) at the moment. The turnout is expected to be around 42 per cent... of all voters. If that isn't an indictment of our uneducated and uncaring electorate, I don't know what is.
This is a brilliant piece of writing that ties seemingly disparate news into a cohesive — and frightening — whole. And then adds a kicker ending of historical context that hints at hope for our terribly troubled times. (Raise your hand if you knew that Lincoln represented the National Union Party when first elected and not the Republican Party?)
Are Republicans now overtly brandishing their racism and other immoral attributes because they think that's the only way to win in November? True, but there's more to it. They also likely feel no need to hide their shameful but true selves.
"Are Republicans now overtly brandishing their racism and other immoral attributes because they think that's the only way to win in November? "
No Mr. Bales, their racism is not hiding behind a practical goal.
They are brandishing their racism openly because they were and are fundamentally racist in their belief system and Trump taught them they could be completely open about that fact. It is OK said Trump, to hate on your fellow American.
I did smile, Michael, about raising my hand because of course I can't. What Rs have made plain is that they do not care about ordinary people, that they are only interested in power and money, and that they have no moral center. They have become completely and totally disgusting.
That gets me every time. I think that the RepubliQans are indeed only after money and have no moral center. What stuns me is the number of people that I once thought were intelligent, decent people that are buying the garbage being spewed and supping up the kool-aid like it was life-giving fluid.
I did know about the National Union party, which gave us Andrew Johnson instead of Hannibal Hamilin as Vice President. And, because of John Wilkes Booth's hatred of Lincoln and his policies, Lincoln's ideas about treating the South "with charity to all" devolved into Radical Reconstruction and the first iteration of the KKK (and the U. S. Justice Department, as Heather has pointed out numerous times).
This is all pretty horrifying except that last part about a cross-party coalition. I mean, how do you write these letters? They are lights in the darkness for many of us but for you, sifting through the news I can't imagine it is easy. It's very hard to understand why so many people have gone off the deep end over someone like Trump. But power corrupts, and that may explain Elon and Kanye- and the loud elephant in the room. They are all loud elephants. It's really encouraging to think of building coalitions with those who do not find inspiration in what is going on in the party. The problem is building in the Democratic party which is fractured into so many factions. Bernie Sander's piece in the Guardian was right on.
Bernie is right. The democrats are putting all of their eggs in one basket. The Republicans are pushing the problems that effect all of us. Rising gas prices and price gouging at the grocery stores will be an indefensible argument just in time for the midterms. Neither of which is caused by the Democrats, but we own it none the less.
I have let my evil twin out of the closet and I spend a part of the day reading Yahoo articles and the crap the cult posts. When it is obviously false, I immediately report it to Yahoo. When it is just stupid stuff, I have been posting EXACTLY that, about the SS, Medicare and Medicaid.
BTW, I look for your comments and want you to know that the forum has your back as you fight the crazy-crones where you live.
Humans are incapable of comprehending randomness. That is a foundation of Behavioral Economics. But Heather tonight shocked me about the chance re-election of Lincoln and made me think 'what if Atlanta had fallen after the election'? A divided continent with 2 countries, Lincoln is a one term failed President, no 13th Amendment and slavery suffers on for who knows how long in the South? What if SCOTUS had given the election to Gore? No invasion in Iraq, maybe no Afghanistan, climate change would not be a current disaster, if only some clown had used a better ballot in Palm Beach. Unnerving.
The "culling" of Florida Voter Lists ocurred long before the Gore v. Bush fiasco including valid voters with targeted surnames. See, Brennan Center for Justice for a thorough examination of systematic voter "purging" circa 2007.
Thank you 100Panthers; we no longer have a SCOTUS that rules lawyers cannot cite Gore v Bush; the 6 use & will continue to use the 'Shadow Docket' i.e. no legal reasoning.
Voting. And encouraging as many people to vote and/or send in the mail in ballots.
And for me, having a couple quick, friendly convos every day with a store clerk, a neighbor, a teacher, a friend or a stranger. A reminder that community always prevails.
The news encourages me to write more postcards to voters. Last night I received addresses for Texas and Georgia. Fingers crossed they help make a difference.
Right now, thanks to the US Supreme Court I clearly live in a theocracy. I have been studying the map of where women can get abortion in the USA this evening. That is by state law.
However, the fact that the Catholic Church is taking over more and more hospitals in the USA, in essence it does not matter whether you live in a state that has strong abortion protection laws or not if you have to get your health care at a Catholic run hospital because they will not cover abortion or birth control no matter the reason.
So instead of living in the United States of America, thanks to some evil, vicious men, and one evil woman, I live in the THEOCRATIC STATES OF AMERICA! This is not the country I am supposed to be a citizen of and I did not get asked or even vote for an amendment to it. Currently I belong to a medical hospital group that is not run by the Catholic hospital system, in a state that protects abortion rights, but at this point my daughter's friends do not know where to go to college. It is quite a debilitating choice. They can choose an elite school like Barnard in New York which is cost and entrance prohibitive for many and be assured of access to abortion care and birth control.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/06/health/abortion-pills-barnard.html Her friends might be able to afford this, or rather their parents, though not all, many girls in this country will not know to go to colleges that will provide for birth control or abortions.--- I too read the article analyzing what a renewal of Trump's term in the White House would be like after I read an article about how he gave access to a Chinese Con Man who might have been part of their intelligence agency.
So, there is national security, of which we will have none, and neither will anyone else if Trump gets it into his head to be a menace. As far as I am concerned, if Trump or a Trump-like person wins we can kiss the planet good bye much, much sooner than if we have Biden. MAGAs do not believe in Climate change, nor do they care. The faster it heats up the more likely we are to have global wars over resources and space. We are also talking about a climate that humans can tolerate in terms of temperature as well as access to drinking water.
That is the world the MAGA Republicans have in store for us along with poor health care, underfunded education, underfunded social security, crumbling infrastructure, lack of oversight and consumer protections, lack of job protections, and civil war according to Professor Barbara F. Walter.
Putin has upset people so much on energy and inflation they are less excited about his nuclear threats. We know that he is part of the reason why people are scrambling to pay exorbitant costs for energy. Even more Ukrainians are going to probably have to crowd into other European countries as they face Putin bombing their electric infrastructure just as he is trying along with his OPEC buddies to raise fossil fuel prices on everyone. However, he is making most of Europe want to get off of Fossil fuel energy, each time that he does these things, and that is making less of a market in the long run. People are going to suffer a big hurt this winter but with that memory will not want to be dependent on that dirty energy. Everyone needs to forge ahead to renewables.
" MAGAs do not believe in Climate change" isn't really it. They, by this point, understand that it's the problem, and they choose to lie about it to make as much money as possible off the fossil fuels before they're taken away from them.
Linda, While not an “elite” university, my alma mater is in a blue state that codified the right to abortion in 2019. I believe there is only one Catholic hospital in RI. Perhaps an option for your daughter’s friends ?
Republicans oppose innovation when it comes to replacing oil and gas, but they’re all in favor of it if it’ll produce new drugs. But then again they oppose easier access to older proven drugs through negotiation over pricing. And they oppose funding for the national science foundation or other public funding for addressing the most common diseases.
Try as one might, it’s impossible to find any any other rationale for these positions than money. Is legislating to override citizens union viewed as even more of a fool‘s errand than gun regulation?
Money and power: the only motivations that I have found in virtually all of the repugnicants at the national level. Horrifying, to have come to this. Plenty of greed and corruptions in the past, no question about that. However, what's happening now goes WAY beyond past events, other than the Civil War.
Much of the corporate innovation I've seen has been finding new, underhanded, strategies for wringing more cash from the customer, for the same or less of, or downgraded product. The most salient exception for some decades has been in the area of high tech, though in some respects, that is creeping in there too.
A special feature of politics is you can claim things that are demonstrably false indefinitely and never get audited or forced lay out the case in detail. The idea that the fewer responsibilities we hold corporations to, the better things get for the consumer or worker (most people are both) defies both logic and historical record. What it does do is make the very, very rich far richer and democracy weaker. Why do we listing to folks like Elon Musk about foreign policy? Or anyone else with no more authority than a mountain of cash on any subject outside of their experience or expertise.
Note that numerous articles on the very serious problem of antibiotic resistant pathogens is being badly neglected by for-profit industries because, as yet, they don't see enough profit in it.
“… you can claim things that are demonstrably false indefinitely and never get audited…”. Damn, ain’t that republicans today. The tv ads are proof positive, at least in Texas. The Republican way…
Maine, too. The things that the Repub candidates for Governor and for U.S. Representative are claiming in their tv ads are demonstrably false and have been proven so on the local news show....but the ads are still running. It's infuriating.
I just want to stuff Elon Muck into one of his tinny cars and stick it in one of his rockets and fire it into the sun. You know, Make the Universe Great Again. The scumbag's an embarrassment to Aspergians everywhere.
As far as the Republicans are concerned, they have become the epitome of what President Truman was talking about 74 years ago when he said "The only 'good Republicans' are pushing up daisies."
As Rachel is demonstrating in her new podcast, Ultra, they've been traitors before, back when they played footsie with Hitler to oppose Roosevelt and the New Deal.
Ha! Too late now, but it would have been instructive to have stuffed him into the TINY submarine he sent to Thailand and suggested he man it himself in the underwater caves. His response was very rude when they told him Thanks but no thanks.
Brilliant. Once again pulling all the threads and grave concerns together of this point in time when we are at the precipice. Thanks so much Heather. So grateful that you are doing this for us and democracy. Now get some rest and feel better
It’s helpful to have this post weave the pattern of craziness we are facing . Before anyone loses heart, this twitter post is an uplift. And it reminds me that the only way any of this will change is by us keeping our heads level and wits about us. America has a really, really ugly side and we are trying to leverage the Better Angels of Our Nature. Not easy work. So give a listen and be reminded! :
https://twitter.com/whitvswilt21/status/1579990092948844544
I have been banned from twitter for life because of one "hateful conduct" post on the pic of that guy carrying the Confederate flag thru Congress on Jan 6, should be hanged.
And yet Kanye is back on there.
If Elon buys, I bail.
I think you are not alone. I listened to a new NYT tech podcast where they discussed what would happen if Musk actually takes Twitter over and runs it the way he has said he will. The consensus (of two) was that the people who cant handle all the garbage and vitriol common in unmanaged online forums would bail. The sites that don't monitor content are not profitable for that very reason. So Musk would have paid enormously for a white elephant, and he probably knows it.
Wow, this young man's wisdom and sheer pragmatism floodlights the utter contrast with the Republican Party's increasing abuse of power and money....
As for our 'ugly side', I am reading Pekka Hamalainen's Indigenous Continent. He begins by describing some of the diverse Origin Stories various tribes embrace. The Iroquois believe Sky Woman had a daughter who gave birth to two sons, one good, one evil. The acts of the two boys represented a balance of those two extremes. "The world was neither entirely evil or entirely good. Sky Woman kept it in balance." Sounds about right to me.
Thank you for sharing this.
This young man certainly tells it like it IS! Perhaps - just possibly - the rest of the Democrats in the public eye should be doing the exact same thing!!!
THANK YOU!
Sending to lots of folks
Fantastic synopsis by Mr. Seawright. Thanks for sharing.
Brilliant. That’s the exact word that came to me as well. Thank you Heather! ❤️
Brilliant!!
"Kanye! Elon! Trump!" This is the battle cry of the Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee. And here I thought Republicans were void of a sense of humor. Kanye blew his chance to be funny. His t-shirt should have read... "White Wives Matter!"
They forgot ‘Putin.’
The linchpin. Putin, Musk, Trump and Kanye. Fox and newsmax have never been so excited
An indictment of the defeated former president would help a lot : Article in the Atlantic
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2022/10/merrick-garland-donald-trump-investigation-indictment/671683/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=atlantic-daily-newsletter&utm_content=20221011&utm_term=The%20Atlantic%20Daily
I read it. This does not give me hope. Caution is not warranted here, when other democracies around the world actually prosecute their politicians for breaking laws. This notion of not being able to prosecute a former president is ridiculous. Trumps crimes make Nixon a saint.
If I had stolen hundreds of classified documents, tens of which are at the highest levels, where would I be? I'd be in prison by now. And it is not just taking them that matters, but storing them insecurely and potentially being available to all sorts of people visiting Mar-a-Lago.
Matt, if I had intentionally taken ONE document from secure storage to an unsecured location I would have been prosecuted. If my intention had been to provide it to a foreign nation I would be a traitor. I did, in my work, have access to such documents. Allowing Trump to continue to stonewall is just unacceptable!
Thank you, Robert Weekley. To have such comments from former document handlers is invaluable. My great step aunt worked in NARA. Glad she’s not seeing this. What if it had happened during WWII or the Cold War? But In those days many Republicans were people instead of power hungry maniacs. May we get rid of him and never countenance another spoiled child (best proof for some is the broken porcelain plates and catsup on the wall of the White House dining room) for president.
I read it. I found it reassuring. The worst possible outcome would be if Garland and the DOJ were to pursue a case against TFG that had a single loop hole, a single structural flaw that would allow the case to be tossed either initially or upon appeal.
The prosecution of the monster will take a very long time. "It" may die by cheeseburger choking before the case is concluded. But conclude it will.
The key here is that AG Garland is at his core a judge. He will not proceed with a prosecution that he sees as flawed or destined to fail - simply to satisfy us. But he will proceed and it will be successful.
I say all this with full memory of my own impatient rants here and on other forums. But I now have faith that when Garland acts, it will be overwhelming and thoroughly effective. I know, I know. From my lips to .... whatever.
I share your perspective; I have longed for Mr. Garland to rekindle his "prosecutorial fire" that his judicial restraint seems to have overridden. It is possible that the fire is only banked, and will be bursting into flame soon. There must not be a single loophole in any indictment.
Well said. There's also the reality of a horribly divided country. Everything must be airtight so MAGAs have nothing substantive to seize upon. Yes, like their false god Trump they will still scream like banshees and cause mayhem. But Garland's buttoned-up approach makes sense to me, although it's frustrating, too. At least with the stolen documents case Trump keeps spouting evidence of his guilt.
MAGAs don't need anything substantive to seize upon. They accepts ridiculous lies and reject well-founded evidence. Forget about trying to avoid their screaming. It will come, regardless. It will continue coming even if their people, any of them, are convicted on criminal charges. We need to put as many of them as possible in jail, and keep them there as long as possible, and even if we manage to do that, there will still be 74 million rubes and boobies shouting from the rooftops and carrying guns. We are in serious trouble. It will take a lot of political work and a great deal of luck to emerge from this with democracy intact.
I am heartened by Garland's promise and continued reminding that no one, despite their position or whether they were physically at the Capitol or not, is above the law. He possesses a quite but astute fortitude....
And after Lucian's analysis of the DOJ case now before the Stench Bench, Garland's approach makes more sense to me than ever before. It's a mess. I want him to succeed. I hope I live long enough to be able to celebrate the indictment!
I wish both of us the same. Having survived Covid so far and Trump ditto, want to live to see sanity restored.
Not impressed. Article is long and wordy but basically nothing new; 'Garland is an institutionalist who will and is rising to the occasion, I hope'. The SOL (Statute of Limitations) is running out on the Ukraine Extortion and there are no reports of Grand jury witnesses. Basically the gestalt around Garland is the same around Mueller...who turned out to be a big dud! It has taken years for the stolen Mar-a-Lago Papers case to evolve and it could not be more straight forward. I am hopeful for Garland, but see little that is encouraging.
I agree. Taking classified documents and then storing them insecurely, being available to many people, would be prosecuted if anyone but a former president did this. This is a case that is so straight forward that any delay at this point seems to indicate an attempt to avoid what must be done by DOJ.
I would suggest that this case is so straight forward that even any other former president already would have been prosecuted. That this hasn’t happened to tfg, I suspect, correlates to how deeply his loyalists have infiltrated the court system. Dreadful!
Rose, consider that Trump has been involved in so much illegal activity all of his adult life and I have not heard of one sentence he has received....only those around him have been prosecuted and only for a short sentence. I was in shock that he was ever nominated for any government office especially as President,
Still shocked, and even beyond mortified any anyone would want him back. But propaganda is powerful, Goebbels knew that, so does Rupert. So we will learn
Exactly, Emily! That a crook could hold a seat at the oval office has completely devalued the presidency.
In addition to reading the Foer piece, I caught him on MSNBC the other day. His perspective on Garland is spot on. He knows, and Garland knows, that there is no way he can avoid indicting T****. On which of several charges will have to be decided: the document thievery is the easiest to prove, prosecute, and get a conviction, as the laws are about as close to crystal clear as they can be. T**** faces so many legal entanglements, from New York to Georgia to Washington, that he cannot hope to avoid them all. Be patient. The wheels grind exceeding slow, but exceeding fine.
Perhaps you really should reconsider that decision to take a pass on the opportunity to take that remedial Freshman Critical Reading class since you obviously flunked it the first time around.
The bunch of you political illiterates on this thread should reconsider. What a collection of embarrassing yuppie clucks you all are.
Rather strong on the "political illiterates" TC, but I do agree with your point. Garland will get the job done and make it stick. It actually worse to have an indictment of trump and fail to convect. Trump would that as a major tool in his campaign to destroy the US for money and fame.
what point? TCinLA didn't make a point.
I made a point. Read what's in the article and understand it.
I meant your comment doesn't make a point. It only makes a criticism. And it is a rude criticism. Is that your point?
You know, I like the whole prospect of Trump being connected rather than convicted (no insult intended, Dave), but overcooking seems to be a better solution than non-convicting.
Phooey on spell-check! I wrote “convected” not connected!
🤣🤣 First of the day! Many thanks.
What are a 'yuppie clucks'? Tit for tat, you know that one, I'm sure. I looked up the word 'schmuck ' because it occurred to me while reading your nasty response to 100Panthers as well as to other thoughtful readers on this thread.
'shmuck', is a pejorative term meaning one who is stupid or foolish, or an obnoxious, contemptible or detestable person. The word came into the English language from Yiddish (Yiddish: שמאָק, shmok), where it has similar pejorative meanings, but where its literal meaning is a vulgar term for a penis.[1] Did you know that?
I knew that big time since my name is Smucker, which is a shorten version of Schmucker. (Same family as the Jams and Jellies). I always stay with the historical German meaning which includes fine metal worker, jewelry in German is Schmuck. At one time I was the chief mechanical engineer of a large aluminum plant and the chief electrical engineer was named Funk. Folks had a lot of fun with Smucker and Funk, it just made us smile. I always thought Smucker meaning a penis was a whole hell of a lot better than being named "trump" which is a loud fart in British slang. Kids, when we lived in Wales, would say did you hear that loud trump. I wouldn't put FART in gold letters on the side of a building, but it sure is a good description of Trump.
Dave, Please except a great big, gentle hug. You are so funny and it seems put your name to good use not only for etymological reasons. There is more to a name.
A Presto! Smucker
I knew that!
One of my most favorite words, Fern, is “schmuck”. 😃
🍌🍌🍌
Yuppie Clucks are those who make meaningless noise because while living safely outside the fray they turn and blather with brains the size of chickens usually inaccurately. An erudite put down that is better than a string of expletives which would predictably rain down upon him. My jealousy is complete. I bow down to the master.
You are speaking for yourself, I gather. Are you also directing this to the subscriber TC verbally attacked and those TC identifies as such or is this response to me of general interest? Thank you for sharing. 100Panthers also shared his opinion, which I may or may not agree with, nor did I think it 'meaningless noise'.
I gathered from your inquiry of “What’s a yuppie Cluck” that I could explain the phenomenon . Also I was a bit awed and inspired by TC’s ability to remind us that he has a greater command of language than mere expletives. An honest jealousy, nothing more. I am truly awed by those of you on the varsity .
And who made you the ‘grand wazoo’ of all things legal and political? Folks who comment here have a right and have paid for that right to express thoughts and opinions. If you have something constructive to add, then do it!
He just did.
🗽
Its refreshing to see some pushback in what is easily described as an echo chamber here. Sharpening ideas against each other in discussion makes for better finished product
Some of the pushback can be grating, possibly due to frustration. That can caused bruised feelings. If feeling bruised, I find it helpful to explore the problem further for nuggets of validity
There exists a dynamic here where very knowledgeable people disagree on points of contention. That’s a good thing.
I subscribe to Teri Kanefield. Her take pretty much echoes the Atlantic article. While her replies to “what’s taking so long” aren’t quite as blunt as what TC has written, she delivers an equivalent take down to what Tim Snyder calls Internet Memes and she has called rage- inducing simplification. https://terikanefield.com/why-consequences-dont-matter/ Her “sticky facts” are gold and continuously updated. https://terikanefield.com/all-new-doj-investigation-faqs/
Gail, These links provide historical information, reasoning and reflection of great value. Thank you.
Great read!
Derision and denigration have no place here. We are a group with a multitude of backgrounds, expertise and experiences. Yet, we come here because we are concerned. For the moment, for this forum, that should be enough. Where is the civility in taking pot shots at those in this community?
Via my reading I am being alerted to a wide degree of discourse in terms of civility. You can notice in other forums where “crude and rude” are easily associated with “dumb and clueless”
Here I find that many “less than civil” comments come from people who are anything but “dumb and clueless”. While I find some approaches a bit cringe worthy, I have to stop and look beyond the delivery for the message contained; because the message carries some verisimilitude
In other words, take what is of value even if its not your own personal belief or manner in the continuum of “civil discourse”
Lead by your own example to steer that “level” for others to emulate, however, don’t expect that all will follow. It takes diversity to create a more perfect message, imo
New here. Surprised that name calling passes as pertinent push back. Ad hominem attacks are the norm on Twitter and Daily Kos. Didn't expect to find them here.
Jeff, bullies are not rare. I know that's not news. They often think of themselves as the last word. Some have supporters as Trump does. Then there are groupies, fanatic fans...that trail behind them. Sometimes a bully also has good and special qualities as does TC. He just provided us with a nasty interruption, that's all, as far as I'm concerned. I don't know what 100Panthers thinks..
My concern is that, in being “straight forward”, we assume that no loophole in the law would ever present TFFG an escape route. Not being a lawyer or seasoned prosecutor leads me to defer to those that are, and trust they do their jobs. If they don’t, Democracy was lost years ago; we just weren’t in the loop
Biden picked Garland for a reason. I suspect that we’ll see action shortly after the elections, regardless of which party wins
If R nuts win, investigations will wither and die.
And if TFFG is indicted before all loopholes are closed, we’re already dead. Garland has two more years under Biden and R ocrats in Congress cannot change that
And so will we, Jeri. So will we...
Dave--I agree with you that anticipating all the likely nonsense and closing the loopholes are absolutely necessary for DOJ success. I see one other major hurdle, and I don't know that it can be anticipated and mastered: I believe that a trial on whichever document-related charges are brought would be before a jury--in D.C., if I have read correctly. Whatever the voir dire, odds seem to suggest that there well could be at least one true believer in the box--and it only takes one for acquittal.
I’ve thought about that. There is very little that can protect against that except deep background checks and hiring that “Bull Guy”
In any event, the Rule of Law must challenge the Cult of Personality, not fear poor outcomes
Justice for TFFG may never come in the form of a conviction, and if so, the myth of America as an Idea, as a Beacon is severely compromised. Our Freedoms allow for, or should I say, have been monetized by the existence of unchecked media exploitation
Without some mechanism to stem propaganda campaigns, to rein in the lies of SuperPac attack ads funded by nefarious Dark Money aka bribes, the uncurious undereducated MAGA masses will be manipulated into Zombieville obedience to their False God.
With the abdication of the Supreme Court away from judicial prudence, the chessboard for Democracy looks bleak. Our only hope lay with the will of the voters, bringing us full circle voir dire. Will America demonstrate traits of Patriotism or will it choose Tribalism?
To even write the last sentence indicates the level of septic tank depth we’ve already sunk
Have Faith, enlist a voter
Dave--Thanks for the thoughtful reply. I certainly agree with your concerns for our social and political trends. I was not trying to be doomsaying, but rather to check any fervent emotional wishes I think I share with many commenters here, that Trump suffer the most lasting and painful consequences possible. Wishes aside, as you point out Trump is hardly the sole source of our problems--he got elected, after all. I do think that, along with getting out the vote, it is important to repair (some of) the tatters in the rule of law. But we should be realistic about what that would require. Indictments, definitely. Convictions? No slam dunk.
I guess perspective and perhaps patience separate diverse opinions. Rather than wordy I found the Foer article very thorough. I especially appreciated his weaving of Garland’s career with significant highlights of DOJ involvements in difficult legal and political national crisis.
Don’t be so dismissive of Mueller. He was professional in gathering the facts thoroughly but the MAGA Politics by Barr blunted its role. Mueller did his assigned duties.
AG BARR rewrote the ending.
Mueller buried his findings. His redacted report was 448 pages. He could have written in a few pages at the beginning 'I find the following crimes were committed, these facts support it. An indictment would do so in a few pages.
I just read it. Too wordy and simply an opinion.
A lot of commenters claimed the Atlantic article is wordy. I don't see how they have come to that conclusion. It is well written and has little, if any, excessive verbiage. It's not even long: 5,000 words, a medium-length essay.
'Disagree, disagree, disagree'. Only 3 words but wordy. Article says same thing multiple times regardless of length. -\o/-
Yes. You are definitely wordy. The author of the Atlantic article isn’t.
Kathy,
Good article and thanks for posting. While I have an opinion about whether a white man of wealth can be indicted and convicted, based on our history, I will not voice it at the moment.
Rather, I will observe, if Trump is indicted, it will not change the overall trajectory of the Republican Party. Republicans were already on their way to autocracy through the propaganda of FOX news, HOWEVER, Trump did what Republicans did not realize was possible.
Trump ignored every norm and law and just did what he wanted, when he wanted, how he wanted. Period.
That approach garnered the atttention of EVERYONE. One did not even have to pay attention to realize:
American laws and norms are weak and anyone (white) can just ignore them.
So, now? The Republican Party, having had a clear role model for just doing whatever one wants, are on that path in EVERY state. They want power, they know laws don't matter and they will also, change those laws so that they DO matter where that is ambiguous.
For example, voting restriction laws in PA are so onerous now that my brother-in-law no longer will take his 89 year old mother to vote for fear he will go to jail.
Also, new laws in all Republican states making electors independent of the popular vote? THOSE will be adhered to and when Biden "wins" again, that popular will reality will just be summarily ignored.
Because, Republicans now know what I was unaware of. If you just do whatever you want AND you are white? It will be just fine.
Trump re-taught us all what Black folks have known since the inception of "our" country.
White men can, and will, do whatever they want to whomever they want, however they want and at any time that they want.
Even if Trump is indicted, that event will not matter one tiny little bit. The trajectory is set.
Whether we can change that trajectory as Dr. Richardson so hopes we can if we just wake up???
I do not know.
I, unfortunately, see the point you are making clearly. In a sense, trump proved we are a house of cards, there’s no “there there” when it comes to accountability for rich white men. The “rules”, “norms” and “guidelines” are meant to keep them in power and if they are challenged, they are reconfigured to exclude who they deem is unworthy, and shape-shifted until they fit only themselves, when they say it’s okay. Power is a Menace. And the desire to hold onto power brings out the ugliest menacing behavior of all.
I know that you are right. But I am not ready to toss in the towel. Things might need to get worse before they get better. I can actually see Musk and Kanye and Tulsi standing on a presidential debate stage. "Idiocracy" is our short term future!
But I am hopeful in the long run. Hopeful if you live in certain states. Others are already setting up their version of Gilead. But then, don't underestimate the unifying effect of a foreign threat. Most of the US did not support entry into WWII - until there was no choice. And then assholes like Lindbergh went quiet - just as Musk the madman will - in that event.
There certainly are some parallels to WWII here today, aren't there? The difference is that it is the US that is facing down an autocratic madman AND that our "house of cards" (as alluded to earlier) is only so because there is no consequence for allowing someone with no honor and who is an oathbreaker to be elected president.
Ally (and everyone else), make sure you listen to Rachel Maddow’s newest podcast called ULTRA. She has put out 2 episodes and the next one is next Monday. I was completely blown away by what she has revealed! It’s that kinda being on the edge of your seat podcast. She’s a great storyteller.
I listened to both of them after seeing them mentioned yesterday. Wow.
Japan saved us from our “evil angels” What a prospect…
Yup. We are going through a phase. The one that Homer penned when he wrote “ The Idiot and The odd essay “.
I think you are correct. Trump just opened wider the doors, allowing other Republicans to feel freer to pursue their agendas, regardless of the cost to honor, truth, Constitution, and rule of law.
It looks like accountability is coming. Here's Robert Hubbell (today's substack) on that:
Stepping back from the details of who said what to whom in the circular firing squad that is Trump’s legal team, all of this means that the day on which Trump will be indicted is drawing nearer. The inevitability of an indictment against Trump is the subject of a detailed and cautious analysis by Franklin Foer in The Atlantic, The Inevitable Indictment of Donald Trump. I can’t do justice to Foer’s lengthy analysis, but the thesis of the article is that the events of the last two years have shaped Merrick Garland in a way that effectively ensures Garland will indict Trump. Foer writes,
I have also come to see that the Garland of 2022 is not the same man who was sworn into office as attorney general in March of the previous year. At the age of 69, his temperament is firmly fixed, but a year and a half on the job has transformed him. [¶] [H]is sparring with Trump over the documents at Mar-a-Lago escalated quickly. The former president is no longer a figure on television, but his adversary in court. Garland approached him with an aggression that suggested he was prepared to do the very thing that critics said he didn’t have the guts to do.
Commentators like Laurence Tribe, Andrew Weissmann, and Joyce Vance have agreed that an indictment seems likely on the basis of the factual record at this point. The only questions remaining are “when” and “how expansive” the indictment will be. While indicting and prosecuting a former president will be harrowing, not doing so would be devastating to our democracy.
The position of staunch Trump supporters is such that their superiority enables them not to need to know the issues, but rather we stand on the brink of civil war. As we travelled to Buffalo to spread the ashes of our middle brother he turned to me in a measured and grave voice and said, “ Brother Pat, when the war breaks out I may have to kill you.”
Pat, My brother, too. Not exactly where you are in terms of family with this poison, nevertheless, it is through the land. The words you shared felt like a knife to us all. Care for you and your family.
Whoa! Harsh words from this brother which he may live to regret. My sister-in-law and bro-in-law claim they’re Independents but my bro-in-law is a big Bill O’Reilly fan. I literally went off on my sister-in-law last year. Had to be put on high blood pressure meds. Feel better and both of us decided that our family is too small to argue. Although, we each are stubborn Virgos, we try not to piss each other off.
Pat,
Let me assure your brother that Trump will not die for HIM.
I'm so sorry that you're in such a badly divided family, Pat.
As far as I know, you're certainly right about staunch Trump supporters. But we still have the independents, and probably some less staunch Trump supporters, who are capable of changing their minds when confronted with logic, as Liz Cheney and Adam Kinsinger did.
My best to you.
Thank you David. But don’t count on independents as that group is a miserable collection. Many many call themselves independent to disguise their affiliation with Donny boy. As an independent they can laze in the sunlight of ambiguity. A rattlesnake is a good thing for dispatching rodents until he bites you.
It's statistical. There are always real independents in a population, people that can be swayed. Not large numbers, but sometimes enough.
Here's something else--from Robert Hubbell's substack this morning, that you may find encouraging:
No discussion of the Committee’s work would be complete without acknowledging that it has provided the definitive historical judgment on Trump’s efforts to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. In creating that record, the Committee has also changed the collective judgment of the American public regarding the events of January 6th. See Talking Points Memo, The Jan. 6 Committee Is Having A Measurable Impact On Voter Attitudes.
My fears exactly. I grew up immersed in what the Nazis did in Germany, feeling that we didn’t have that worry, but always wondering what I would do if we did. So many have no clue or no worries. Don’t look up…
Bernie Madoff
Michael Avenatti
Rod Blagoyevich
Enron and Arthur Anderson accounting firm
and I couldn't remember his name so googled California politicians convicted of crimes and Wikipedia has this nice little list
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:California_politicians_convicted_of_crimes
These are all off the top of my head, but sometimes the law does catch them.
aye.
Well, maybe not the Enron CEO. He did vanish pretty hastily off a snowy mountain with nary a trace.
Also, the majority of the above shafte other white men. That, is not allowed.
Thank you, Kathy. I thought it was an excellent piece. Helped me understand Merrick Garland better. I think, like the author, that he will indict Donald J. Trump. There, I said the name....after six years.
Great article! Thanks for the link.
Thank You Kathy. This superb article backs up all I have witnessed and concluded since the first news of arrests of the January 6th insurrectionists. AG Garland is doing this right, just as he did with the Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh, and the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, cases. The Rule of Law will prevail.
Thanks Kathy
So I read that article. And it clearly states that indicting a former president is a huge deal and cannot be taken lightly, and therefore it is ultimately the perogative of the AG to indict, or just let it go. The author, however, thinks Garland is indeed going to indict. To me, there is no choice. Absolutely no choice. Absolutely - meaning it is mandatory. A no-brainer. This corrupt heartless fuc_er has broken the law, repeatedly, and in a way that really has damaged the country. And - we can expect he will do so again, but worse, if given the chance. He must be stopped. I have a bad feeling about it though. I think DOJ, and Garland, are going to allow the clock to run out. Advertently, or inadvertently. I think he has failed to recognise, and will continue to do so, that adhering to norms and procedures and time lines is precisely what people like Trump prey on. Take max advantage of. The consequences of this are unimaginable, but here we are watching and waiting for a glacier to move as time marches on. He's going to rope-a-dope and wiggle off the hook.
What a sad catalogue. What happened to Republicans? Have they all lost their connection to reality. Perhaps. Although my personal favorite is “ On October 6, New Hampshire Senate nominee Don Bolduc defended the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the subsequent loss of recognition of the constitutional right to abortion. The issue of abortion “belongs to the state,” he said. “It belongs to these gentlemen right here, who are state legislators representing you. That is the best way I think, as a man, that women get the best voice.” Republican super PACs are pouring money behind Bolduc.” Women’s reproductive rights - or lack of same - belongs to gentlemen. Seriously??
Yes, it’s so crazy it can’t be true but another repub says it loud and clear. Bolduc: “That is the best way I think, as a man, that women get the best voice.” Republican voice. Womens reproductive rights. What century is he living in?
Gob smacking. I am about to go to bed and I hope I don't have nightmares. I like the idea of coalitions in places that are deep red. The Republicans prove again and again that they are the party of death. Some good news from right here in River City, Salem, Oregon. One of the radical right members resigned tonight from the Salem Keizer school board. But the beat goes on from the local far right horror stories who never stop trying to impose their theocratic views on everyone. We also have tight races here in Oregon. I hope that the Ds all prevail.
I really hope our 3rd party gubernatorial candidate pulls the nonQ wing of todays R party away from the RWNJ.
WSJ, that quote by Bolduc caught my eye also...I try to control my anger when I read stuff like that..
Be angry.
Don't do what I just did - wandered on to Lara Trump/Fox on YouTube and started reading the comments of the Trumpite public. Too depressing for anger.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg is rolling in her grave. Anger field action. We need to be outraged!!!
Aye. Ms. Ginsberg had her chance to matter......and she missed it when she did not retire, in spite of being riddle with cancer, under Obama.
I’m beyond angry, pissed to the max
I had to read that several times... yes, according to them, men should decide on women's rights.
🐂💩
Puke and I’m sure Barrett will agree, for everybody else
You highlighted the lunacy very well. I want to put my blind hope in our youth--that they will be so outraged at the chaos they could wake up to one morning that they form a rising wave rushing to the ballot box. This is whom we should be focused on. I just read an opinion piece in the NYT by Jamieson Webster, a psychoanalyst, about teens feeling so insecure about their future that there has been a 54% increase of suicides among 10-24 year-old between 2007 and 2021. This has left me absolutely deflated.
I feel that I could speak for all of us here--that we grew up with the security that we were living in the greatest country in the world, our democracy guaranteed, and that our government had our backs. It has sadly hit home that this isn't what many of our young people are experiencing. If the tide, God forbid, turns authoritarian, what could they hope for?
Prayers are very powerful and so are mine. The morning I found that rump had won, I fiercely prayed that the GOP would self-implode. I have already seen this being answered. What other than a prayer could have brought us a Liz Cheney and an Adam Kinzinger urging people to vote with the Democrats and openly siding with Independents? There is a Divine Intelligence out there. Let us all collectively ask for what we want....
This made me heave, how sanctimonious can an arse be. And yet, Rupert smears that lipstick on the worse pigs.
Totally agree. That was it in a nutshell. Control.
I was floored when Trump made that statement about nuclear information. Of course he kept info on how to build a nuclear weapon “cheaply.” I hope he is put away for good.
Whatever he jokes about or projects onto others is the truth about what he did and his own deceptive acts. We need to worry about this new statement about nuclear weapons.
Oh, I don't know, Nraecohen. I doubt that a person with the moral credentials of Donald J Trump would want to snatch an old article titled "Be The First Kid on Your Block to Build a Low Yield Thermonuclear Weapon From Depleted Tea Bags". I would think that kind of information would have very little commercial value.
But he had the keys to the kingdom, did he not
It has been partly clear for a while that he took the nuclear secrets of Israel's nuclear capability and sold those to Saudi Arabia for $2 Billion.
Seems like Israel might be a little testy about that.
EAIAC — Every Accusation Is A Confession.
“But there is an interesting dynamic afoot. In some cases, Republican lawmakers, especially Representatives Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Liz Cheney (R-WY), have urged voters to back Democrats rather than election-denying extremist Republicans. And, as historical essayist Sarah Vowell noted on October 6, in deep red states like Montana and Utah where voters will not consider voting for a Democrat, Democrats have teamed up with never-Trump Republicans to back Independents who are now running strong against the radical extremists.”
I’m counting on these movements.
Rowshan
I read the same article. Great recital.
Me also, Rowshan.
“Democrats have teamed up with never-Trump Republicans to back Independents who are now running strong against the radical extremists.” This is keeping hope alive as we get closer to Nov 8! Thank you.
How about this?”Democrats spend tens of millions amplifying far-right candidates in nine states”
Sep 12, 2022 — (Washington Post.com) Probably the same Democrats who buried Bernie …because he didn’t toe the neoliberal line servicing corporate dominance…and slotted one of the fraternity in his place.
Oh please
👏👏👏
What a scary and well documented warning you’ve written tonight, Professor. I won’t copy the repub and trumpian insanity you describe except this: “Scholars who study how to defeat rising authoritarianism agree that such cross-party cooperation is vital. And we have an illustration of just how that has worked here before.” I live in a rural Northern California county that is now split Blue and Red. And we already have our ballots. Plus daily texts asking if we’ve received it and who to contact with problems. Now is the time to seriously encourage every voter to Vote and inform people they have choices to cross-party vote. I mailed 200 postcards today that will go to Arizona registered Dem voters, same as many all over the country. DEMS must get in high gear now. We’ve all donated and it’s time to see that money supporting high risk or vulnerable candidates and stop the real Red Scare.
"At our peril," now IS the time to kick into high gear. Some states close their voter registration in the next few days. Getting out the vote of Democrats is so basic, so essential, and can be so easy for us to do. Jessica Craven shows the way on her "Chop Wood, Carry Water" with an easy app, SwipeBlue, for us to do our part using the most effective method, relational organizing--fancy for what Heather says to make our voices heard, talk to our friends and neighbors, and follow up with a simple swipe to remind them to vote!
https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com/p/chop-wood-carry-water-1011-b37?fbclid=IwAR2QyKYRWF5JMQiKw1eQr8rsqf3ZARVIpOMH33l4fuboUXfR3olrwjtQoNE
I hope Merrick Garland reads your newsletter Heather !!
Yes, after reading the Atlantic article: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2022/10/merrick-garland-donald-trump-investigation-indictment/671683/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=atlantic-daily-newsletter&utm_content=20221011&utm_term=The%20Atlantic%20Daily
I very much worry that Garland is running out the clock. Indictment could have already happened by now (plenty of evidence on Jan. 6 and the classified documents), if there were any urgency at all.
Reading this article I came to the opposite conclusion: This case must be done right, and A.G. Garland is the perfect leader to do it.
I hope he spends his time in tuning up his endictment of el Lardo.
I think GenX, GenZ, and GenA will kick butt at the poles by both influencing their families and by voting blue.
Roevember is upon us!
Not according to the polls this morning... Gen Z is about as disconnected and uncaring about politics as you can get. I hope I see different in the mid-terms... but I don't have much hope in the younger generation(s) at the moment. The turnout is expected to be around 42 per cent... of all voters. If that isn't an indictment of our uneducated and uncaring electorate, I don't know what is.
Scary.
I sure hope so Sabrina - but recent polling suggests otherwise.
This is a brilliant piece of writing that ties seemingly disparate news into a cohesive — and frightening — whole. And then adds a kicker ending of historical context that hints at hope for our terribly troubled times. (Raise your hand if you knew that Lincoln represented the National Union Party when first elected and not the Republican Party?)
Are Republicans now overtly brandishing their racism and other immoral attributes because they think that's the only way to win in November? True, but there's more to it. They also likely feel no need to hide their shameful but true selves.
"Are Republicans now overtly brandishing their racism and other immoral attributes because they think that's the only way to win in November? "
No Mr. Bales, their racism is not hiding behind a practical goal.
They are brandishing their racism openly because they were and are fundamentally racist in their belief system and Trump taught them they could be completely open about that fact. It is OK said Trump, to hate on your fellow American.
Spot on. fpotus made it possible to brandish the racism (and the adjacent "isms") freely and loudly.
Exactly
👍🏼
Yes. Completely true.
I did smile, Michael, about raising my hand because of course I can't. What Rs have made plain is that they do not care about ordinary people, that they are only interested in power and money, and that they have no moral center. They have become completely and totally disgusting.
What remains shocking to me is that millions of Americans not only go along with it, they cheer it at every opportunity.
That gets me every time. I think that the RepubliQans are indeed only after money and have no moral center. What stuns me is the number of people that I once thought were intelligent, decent people that are buying the garbage being spewed and supping up the kool-aid like it was life-giving fluid.
Rupert makes Schitt smell like roses, kicked into high gear when McCarthy trotted to see chump after Biden won. And the propaganda machine was ready
I did know about the National Union party, which gave us Andrew Johnson instead of Hannibal Hamilin as Vice President. And, because of John Wilkes Booth's hatred of Lincoln and his policies, Lincoln's ideas about treating the South "with charity to all" devolved into Radical Reconstruction and the first iteration of the KKK (and the U. S. Justice Department, as Heather has pointed out numerous times).
This is all pretty horrifying except that last part about a cross-party coalition. I mean, how do you write these letters? They are lights in the darkness for many of us but for you, sifting through the news I can't imagine it is easy. It's very hard to understand why so many people have gone off the deep end over someone like Trump. But power corrupts, and that may explain Elon and Kanye- and the loud elephant in the room. They are all loud elephants. It's really encouraging to think of building coalitions with those who do not find inspiration in what is going on in the party. The problem is building in the Democratic party which is fractured into so many factions. Bernie Sander's piece in the Guardian was right on.
I think Abe Lincoln said something about power corrupting or showing character. Do you have the Sanders link?
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/commentisfree/2022/oct/10/democrats-midterms-victory-economy-bernie-sanders
Thank you.
It's a great article. It should be nailed to the door of town halls all across the country.
YES and Amen to that, Mr. Carpenter!
Great article. Thank you.
Bernie is right. The democrats are putting all of their eggs in one basket. The Republicans are pushing the problems that effect all of us. Rising gas prices and price gouging at the grocery stores will be an indefensible argument just in time for the midterms. Neither of which is caused by the Democrats, but we own it none the less.
Yet, I hear no one speak of the R plan to ditch SS, Medicare and Medicaid. A barn burner for sure. Why, oh why.
HI Jeri
I have let my evil twin out of the closet and I spend a part of the day reading Yahoo articles and the crap the cult posts. When it is obviously false, I immediately report it to Yahoo. When it is just stupid stuff, I have been posting EXACTLY that, about the SS, Medicare and Medicaid.
BTW, I look for your comments and want you to know that the forum has your back as you fight the crazy-crones where you live.
I hear plenty of them talk about it. I expect they will strip these away in a middle of the night, carefully hidden in another bill, powerplay.
Humans are incapable of comprehending randomness. That is a foundation of Behavioral Economics. But Heather tonight shocked me about the chance re-election of Lincoln and made me think 'what if Atlanta had fallen after the election'? A divided continent with 2 countries, Lincoln is a one term failed President, no 13th Amendment and slavery suffers on for who knows how long in the South? What if SCOTUS had given the election to Gore? No invasion in Iraq, maybe no Afghanistan, climate change would not be a current disaster, if only some clown had used a better ballot in Palm Beach. Unnerving.
The "culling" of Florida Voter Lists ocurred long before the Gore v. Bush fiasco including valid voters with targeted surnames. See, Brennan Center for Justice for a thorough examination of systematic voter "purging" circa 2007.
True. It is a time honored tradition here in Florida. But no 'Butterfly ballot', no W Bush.
Thank you 100Panthers; we no longer have a SCOTUS that rules lawyers cannot cite Gore v Bush; the 6 use & will continue to use the 'Shadow Docket' i.e. no legal reasoning.
You read my mind
Got any suggestions for what I might take for anxiety? Holy cow, the news is making me more and more nervous. ;)
Voting. And encouraging as many people to vote and/or send in the mail in ballots.
And for me, having a couple quick, friendly convos every day with a store clerk, a neighbor, a teacher, a friend or a stranger. A reminder that community always prevails.
Unita, Michele! 🗽
Take a walk in nature! Or go barefoot around your house.
Plus, switch off the news.
The news encourages me to write more postcards to voters. Last night I received addresses for Texas and Georgia. Fingers crossed they help make a difference.
Right now, thanks to the US Supreme Court I clearly live in a theocracy. I have been studying the map of where women can get abortion in the USA this evening. That is by state law.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/06/24/abortion-state-laws-criminalization-roe/
However, the fact that the Catholic Church is taking over more and more hospitals in the USA, in essence it does not matter whether you live in a state that has strong abortion protection laws or not if you have to get your health care at a Catholic run hospital because they will not cover abortion or birth control no matter the reason.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/10/10/abortion-catholic-hospitals-birth-control/
So instead of living in the United States of America, thanks to some evil, vicious men, and one evil woman, I live in the THEOCRATIC STATES OF AMERICA! This is not the country I am supposed to be a citizen of and I did not get asked or even vote for an amendment to it. Currently I belong to a medical hospital group that is not run by the Catholic hospital system, in a state that protects abortion rights, but at this point my daughter's friends do not know where to go to college. It is quite a debilitating choice. They can choose an elite school like Barnard in New York which is cost and entrance prohibitive for many and be assured of access to abortion care and birth control.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/06/health/abortion-pills-barnard.html Her friends might be able to afford this, or rather their parents, though not all, many girls in this country will not know to go to colleges that will provide for birth control or abortions.--- I too read the article analyzing what a renewal of Trump's term in the White House would be like after I read an article about how he gave access to a Chinese Con Man who might have been part of their intelligence agency.
https://www.propublica.org/article/liu-tao-trump-meeting-china-investigation
So, there is national security, of which we will have none, and neither will anyone else if Trump gets it into his head to be a menace. As far as I am concerned, if Trump or a Trump-like person wins we can kiss the planet good bye much, much sooner than if we have Biden. MAGAs do not believe in Climate change, nor do they care. The faster it heats up the more likely we are to have global wars over resources and space. We are also talking about a climate that humans can tolerate in terms of temperature as well as access to drinking water.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2022/extreme-heat-risk-map-us/
That is the world the MAGA Republicans have in store for us along with poor health care, underfunded education, underfunded social security, crumbling infrastructure, lack of oversight and consumer protections, lack of job protections, and civil war according to Professor Barbara F. Walter.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/03/08/they-are-preparing-war-an-expert-civil-wars-discusses-where-political-extremists-are-taking-this-country/
Putin has upset people so much on energy and inflation they are less excited about his nuclear threats. We know that he is part of the reason why people are scrambling to pay exorbitant costs for energy. Even more Ukrainians are going to probably have to crowd into other European countries as they face Putin bombing their electric infrastructure just as he is trying along with his OPEC buddies to raise fossil fuel prices on everyone. However, he is making most of Europe want to get off of Fossil fuel energy, each time that he does these things, and that is making less of a market in the long run. People are going to suffer a big hurt this winter but with that memory will not want to be dependent on that dirty energy. Everyone needs to forge ahead to renewables.
https://whyy.org/articles/un-ipcc-climate-change-report-uninhabitable-planet-code-red/
" MAGAs do not believe in Climate change" isn't really it. They, by this point, understand that it's the problem, and they choose to lie about it to make as much money as possible off the fossil fuels before they're taken away from them.
Good point. I worry thought that with Trump in charge it won't be taken from them.
Linda, While not an “elite” university, my alma mater is in a blue state that codified the right to abortion in 2019. I believe there is only one Catholic hospital in RI. Perhaps an option for your daughter’s friends ?
https://www.uri.edu/
I will get out the word. Thank you.
Republicans oppose innovation when it comes to replacing oil and gas, but they’re all in favor of it if it’ll produce new drugs. But then again they oppose easier access to older proven drugs through negotiation over pricing. And they oppose funding for the national science foundation or other public funding for addressing the most common diseases.
Try as one might, it’s impossible to find any any other rationale for these positions than money. Is legislating to override citizens union viewed as even more of a fool‘s errand than gun regulation?
Money and power: the only motivations that I have found in virtually all of the repugnicants at the national level. Horrifying, to have come to this. Plenty of greed and corruptions in the past, no question about that. However, what's happening now goes WAY beyond past events, other than the Civil War.
Much of the corporate innovation I've seen has been finding new, underhanded, strategies for wringing more cash from the customer, for the same or less of, or downgraded product. The most salient exception for some decades has been in the area of high tech, though in some respects, that is creeping in there too.
A special feature of politics is you can claim things that are demonstrably false indefinitely and never get audited or forced lay out the case in detail. The idea that the fewer responsibilities we hold corporations to, the better things get for the consumer or worker (most people are both) defies both logic and historical record. What it does do is make the very, very rich far richer and democracy weaker. Why do we listing to folks like Elon Musk about foreign policy? Or anyone else with no more authority than a mountain of cash on any subject outside of their experience or expertise.
Note that numerous articles on the very serious problem of antibiotic resistant pathogens is being badly neglected by for-profit industries because, as yet, they don't see enough profit in it.
The real innovation happened during and after WWII by the U.S. government which then gave it to corporations to develop for profit.
And how long has Elon Musk been initiating foreign policy? Does anybody take him seriously? Is he buying Twitter after all?
“… you can claim things that are demonstrably false indefinitely and never get audited…”. Damn, ain’t that republicans today. The tv ads are proof positive, at least in Texas. The Republican way…
Maine, too. The things that the Repub candidates for Governor and for U.S. Representative are claiming in their tv ads are demonstrably false and have been proven so on the local news show....but the ads are still running. It's infuriating.
They are fine with price gouging. And basic research has taken a hit.
I just want to stuff Elon Muck into one of his tinny cars and stick it in one of his rockets and fire it into the sun. You know, Make the Universe Great Again. The scumbag's an embarrassment to Aspergians everywhere.
As far as the Republicans are concerned, they have become the epitome of what President Truman was talking about 74 years ago when he said "The only 'good Republicans' are pushing up daisies."
As Rachel is demonstrating in her new podcast, Ultra, they've been traitors before, back when they played footsie with Hitler to oppose Roosevelt and the New Deal.
Ha! Too late now, but it would have been instructive to have stuffed him into the TINY submarine he sent to Thailand and suggested he man it himself in the underwater caves. His response was very rude when they told him Thanks but no thanks.
Yes, she has definitely uncovered some things I certainly never knew about before and that maybe my parents didn’t either.