5 Comments
Nov 12, 2021Liked by Steven Beschloss

You wrote "Garland has an enormous, almost unfathomable task to turn things around. But that has to include recognizing his role in publicly addressing the traumatic events of the Trump years, especially the trauma of January 6 that I think millions of Americans are still struggling to process. This can’t wait."

This is true. And the magical thinking that we would be rescued by Mueller was, in the end, just that: magical, wishful thinking. We know this now.

We live in a time of persistent media. We have come to expect timely accurate information. This isn't 1850, it 2021. A part of Garland's job, whether he likes it or not, is to effectively demonstrate to the citizens of the US that he is addressing these matters. We can't hope, we can't take his word for it. We can't pretend it's not important. We need to know, to see evidence of, to be assured of - demonstrably- that he is actively pursuing justice. We can't pretend to not need this, nor can he, nor can the Biden administration. Honestly if Garland is not able to communicate effectively (and the evidence is piling up that he cannot) then he's not doing his job and someone else who can both administer justice AND communicate effectively should be appointed. It's not realistic in this day and age to pretend that things will automatically be OK. THAT's magical thinking. We need proof. We need to know. He needs to tell us, to assure us, to show us. It's professional malpractice to not manage constituents and expectations more effectively.

Whatever Garland may be doing beneath his green eyeshade, it's not enough. He needs to step up and to acknowledge his pubic-facing information responsibilities or be replaced. It's a new world.

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Nov 12, 2021Liked by Steven Beschloss

Thank you for what having sent what may well be the most important writing I'll read today. My sense is a lot of citizens have shaken off the magical thinking, fairly clearly see reality, and are in a demoralized state. We thought we beat the forces of autocracy in the last election; we won, didn't we? No. The demoralization needs to be shaken off. As always, citizens will need to take things into our own hands. Our institutions clearly will not do the job for us now. At the very least, the facts in the Bannon case are self-evident. There is no need to take the time to "build a case on complex legal matters," and still, no charges. Garland is failing. The system is failing, may have already failed.

Once again it will be up to citizens to take matters into our own hands. The forces of autocracy certainly have been and are. We do have to hope it's not too late while keeping in mind it might well be. So..."Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?"

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Nov 12, 2021Liked by Steven Beschloss

Maybe, just maybe, someone in the DOJ is reading Beschloss. Or is that magical thinking?

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The recent sad passing of a great American, General Colin Powell, brings his "40% - 70%" maxim to my mind. Let us remember it:. Make no decisions with less than 40 percent of the information available, but never stall past 70 percent being in hand, as that indecision is mere waste of time

Everyone who wasn't hiding in a cave on January 6th, 2021 knows who was primarily responsible. Take appropriate action, already

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perhaps there is no evidence to bring charges, jus sayin, kinda like the russia collusion, mueller didn't bring charges bc he is an "institutionalist" he didn't bring charges bc they would have been dismissed, or proven false, kind of like this statement -

murderous teenager roaming the streets with an AR-15 assault rifle,

he was acquitted - someone acquitted of murder is NOT a murderer, by definition. do your readers know the people that 3 people were shot - two were killed - were all white? one was a child rapist that anally raped 5 boys between 9-11 years of age and served 15 years in prison ( he's lucky he didn't die inside) , and the other was a spousal abuser with multiple convictions for domestic abuse?

I get it - things are bad - but why not hold the BLM protestors to the same standards as the Jan 6 protestors?

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