Sorry but the inaction of the DOJ is at fault. Full stop. Trump should have been arrested when the documents were seized. He’s a thief- and if anyone else in the world had done what he did- they would have been arrested. So instead the rules are remade for him and he continues to have NAZI Rallies, inciting hate, and violence toward other Americans. When are their rights going to be protected, instead of his?
(A state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic.) is money, or some would call it greed. Whatever you call it, it’s all about personal enrichment. It’s what has always incentivized Trump and the post Reagan GOP. The Supreme Court’s decision in ‘Citizens United’ allowed unlimited amounts of dark money to corrupt our govt. Most republicans and some democrats in Congress are literally working on behalf of corporations and the wealthy individuals who donated the most money to their campaign. What that has resulted in is a Congress that legislates to protect their big money donors at the expense of their constituents, and that in turn created the necessity to tell elaborate lies and engage in scapegoating in order to get re-elected. The fastest way to get rid of these corrupt, lying, money-grubbing politicians and the infrastructure that supports them is to remove money from the equation. By that, I mean campaign donations (which are just bribes at this point) must be made illegal. Once that’s done, all candidates should be given the same amount of public money to run their campaign. Candidates should be given a finite number of months during which they can campaign and they must be heavily penalized if they violate the rules. In addition, to become a candidate for the presidency, the candidate must 1st release their tax returns for the previous 5 years and most importantly they must agree in writing to abide by election results. If they don’t, their name doesn’t get on the ballot. In addition, no member of Congress, their family members or their employees should be able to engage in stock market transactions for the duration of their time in Congress.
Forewarned is forearmed: If money isn’t removed as an incentive to run for office, it’s guaranteed that our democracy won’t survive.
Yes. The die is cast. As they say, Hillary warned us. But thanks to an overly aggressive media focusing on her innocuous emails, and a media in love with Trump's flare for the dramatic aka insane, here we are. And now they are coming, hammer and tong, to take control of school boards to no doubt inculcate students with principals which foster obedience to the ruling class (i.e., them) and hatred towards the opposition. Maybe there'll be an intellectual "underground" teaching history as it really was. However, I think it is high time to stop calling the anti-American, anti-democratic, anti-inclusiveness, anti-community, and anti-everyone-but-themselves, "conservative." That is such a wrong word for what they are. Notably Elena Kagan is shining a light on the court problem in her book tour. Her insights clearly demonstrate one of the many major problems we face. But sadly, she is not getting the attention she deserves. IMHO.
They’ve effectively rigged the judiciary, largely rigged the legislative branch, and corrupted the executive branch. Give them just a tiny bit more control in rigging all three branches: Checkmate!
This is so scary. Our democracy is at risk. Our American people are at risk. Just watched the first episode of the documentary The US and the Holocaust last night. Excellent production by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein. The errors of the Shoah were on full display, as were the unfortunate responses of many Americans who held power at that time. To think that a former president is again inciting violence after the events of January 6, and to think that his followers are giving Nazi salutes shakes me to my core. I am so afraid. I believe we are all in danger. If no one from the former president's political party have the moral compass to stop him; and if the judicial system is being delayed by a judge who was appointed by that former president, then there are no guardrails. At the beginning probably no one could have imagined how Hitler and his party could have destroyed the European landscape. However, in a webinar last week, Ken Burns explained that one of the purposes of this documentary was to teach what went wrong and to teach us how to prevent it from ever happening again. However, now there is increasing evidence that such atrocities could happen in our country. We have to be afraid. We have to learn from history. we have to act under the mantra "Never Again:".
This is the result of a deliberate strategy by the GOP, for decades and accelerated over since the tea party formed. It’s as anti democratic as it comes.
We are in a war for the survival of our national government, not with foreign countries or the use of soldiers, but with a power crazy ex president and his fanatical followers. Civil liberties have been limited in the past : treasonable language, writ of habeas corpus, criticism of the US gov't. , freedom of speech that incites breaking the law. And these were done by Lincoln and FDR, among the top ranking presidents of the US. Lincoln even prepared an arrest warrant against Chief Justice Taney but did not proceed with it.
Perhaps it is time to put some of these into action now. Perhaps the nat'l govt can proceed to overrule partisan judges.
I do not advocate contradicting the constitution or the rights given our people(i.e. Japanese internment) but there comes a time to act according to the goings on of lawless people who would take down our democratic republic and replace it with trump fascism. We are at war for the survival of this nation. We cannot use a match against a bonfire.
There’s only two inevitable outcomes. Either expand all the courts and add DC and Puerto Rico to the Senate and kill the filibuster or acquiesce to an antebellum rump Republican Party.
The irreverence of Trump has been on full display, throughout his life. He conned his way through business enterprises, misrepresenting his assets, absconded with funds from the Trump Charity, launched businesses which ultimately failed (think Wine and Steaks), started a University (how bizarre is that?) and claimed multiple Bankruptcies. And yet he flew under the radar of accountability, virtually unscathed. There is a plethora of wrong-doing in his resume, which is also deeply imprinted in the DNA of his supportive family members. Trump's behaviour was, and is, nothing short of a maniacal and diabolical psychopath, masked under the shiny veneer of master illusionist and actor. His desire for attention and validation manifests in his hubris and overt bravado persona. He even claimed that 'he is the chosen one', and believes he can do anything he wants, because he has been able to do so, up until now. What I see is an epic failure within the Republican party and their inability to rein him in. The 'Party faithful' seemed to acquiesce to Trump's disturbing behaviour, and cowered in the face of his never-ending threats, often being the subjects of his verbal critiques. Some impressionable GOP jumped on 45's bandwagon, championing conspiracy theories and carrying the wayward mantle proudly, as a way of gaining media attention They likewise suffered few consequences. Trump is adept at mesmerising supporters, who fell under the spell of his Vaudeville act. He played to their dissatisfaction, and promised that he alone would fix their problems. He forged a link of co-dependency which prospered in emotionally needy individuals, who want to be rescued. They see Trump as their Saviour. The country is divided in a virtual tale of two different worlds, with contrasting beliefs, lifestyles and educational levels. The division within the country are optically undeniable. The over-arching question is why was 'Individual 1' able to circumvent accountability and responsibility for his egregious actions, statements and falsehoods, for SO long? Where were the checks and balances enshrined in the Constitution and the rule of Law? The issue is much bigger than the compliant Judges who came to power during Trump's 'reign'. They represent misplaced influencers, dancing to his tune. America's democracy and civil liberties will remain on tenuous ground until Trump is taken to task, and removed from public platforms; a process which should have occurred LONG BEFORE now. Godspeed USA.
Sorry but the inaction of the DOJ is at fault. Full stop. Trump should have been arrested when the documents were seized. He’s a thief- and if anyone else in the world had done what he did- they would have been arrested. So instead the rules are remade for him and he continues to have NAZI Rallies, inciting hate, and violence toward other Americans. When are their rights going to be protected, instead of his?
The thing at the heart of the republican dystopia
(A state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic.) is money, or some would call it greed. Whatever you call it, it’s all about personal enrichment. It’s what has always incentivized Trump and the post Reagan GOP. The Supreme Court’s decision in ‘Citizens United’ allowed unlimited amounts of dark money to corrupt our govt. Most republicans and some democrats in Congress are literally working on behalf of corporations and the wealthy individuals who donated the most money to their campaign. What that has resulted in is a Congress that legislates to protect their big money donors at the expense of their constituents, and that in turn created the necessity to tell elaborate lies and engage in scapegoating in order to get re-elected. The fastest way to get rid of these corrupt, lying, money-grubbing politicians and the infrastructure that supports them is to remove money from the equation. By that, I mean campaign donations (which are just bribes at this point) must be made illegal. Once that’s done, all candidates should be given the same amount of public money to run their campaign. Candidates should be given a finite number of months during which they can campaign and they must be heavily penalized if they violate the rules. In addition, to become a candidate for the presidency, the candidate must 1st release their tax returns for the previous 5 years and most importantly they must agree in writing to abide by election results. If they don’t, their name doesn’t get on the ballot. In addition, no member of Congress, their family members or their employees should be able to engage in stock market transactions for the duration of their time in Congress.
Forewarned is forearmed: If money isn’t removed as an incentive to run for office, it’s guaranteed that our democracy won’t survive.
Yes. The die is cast. As they say, Hillary warned us. But thanks to an overly aggressive media focusing on her innocuous emails, and a media in love with Trump's flare for the dramatic aka insane, here we are. And now they are coming, hammer and tong, to take control of school boards to no doubt inculcate students with principals which foster obedience to the ruling class (i.e., them) and hatred towards the opposition. Maybe there'll be an intellectual "underground" teaching history as it really was. However, I think it is high time to stop calling the anti-American, anti-democratic, anti-inclusiveness, anti-community, and anti-everyone-but-themselves, "conservative." That is such a wrong word for what they are. Notably Elena Kagan is shining a light on the court problem in her book tour. Her insights clearly demonstrate one of the many major problems we face. But sadly, she is not getting the attention she deserves. IMHO.
They’ve effectively rigged the judiciary, largely rigged the legislative branch, and corrupted the executive branch. Give them just a tiny bit more control in rigging all three branches: Checkmate!
This is so scary. Our democracy is at risk. Our American people are at risk. Just watched the first episode of the documentary The US and the Holocaust last night. Excellent production by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein. The errors of the Shoah were on full display, as were the unfortunate responses of many Americans who held power at that time. To think that a former president is again inciting violence after the events of January 6, and to think that his followers are giving Nazi salutes shakes me to my core. I am so afraid. I believe we are all in danger. If no one from the former president's political party have the moral compass to stop him; and if the judicial system is being delayed by a judge who was appointed by that former president, then there are no guardrails. At the beginning probably no one could have imagined how Hitler and his party could have destroyed the European landscape. However, in a webinar last week, Ken Burns explained that one of the purposes of this documentary was to teach what went wrong and to teach us how to prevent it from ever happening again. However, now there is increasing evidence that such atrocities could happen in our country. We have to be afraid. We have to learn from history. we have to act under the mantra "Never Again:".
This is the result of a deliberate strategy by the GOP, for decades and accelerated over since the tea party formed. It’s as anti democratic as it comes.
We are in a war for the survival of our national government, not with foreign countries or the use of soldiers, but with a power crazy ex president and his fanatical followers. Civil liberties have been limited in the past : treasonable language, writ of habeas corpus, criticism of the US gov't. , freedom of speech that incites breaking the law. And these were done by Lincoln and FDR, among the top ranking presidents of the US. Lincoln even prepared an arrest warrant against Chief Justice Taney but did not proceed with it.
Perhaps it is time to put some of these into action now. Perhaps the nat'l govt can proceed to overrule partisan judges.
I do not advocate contradicting the constitution or the rights given our people(i.e. Japanese internment) but there comes a time to act according to the goings on of lawless people who would take down our democratic republic and replace it with trump fascism. We are at war for the survival of this nation. We cannot use a match against a bonfire.
There’s only two inevitable outcomes. Either expand all the courts and add DC and Puerto Rico to the Senate and kill the filibuster or acquiesce to an antebellum rump Republican Party.
I really enjoy your writing. Thank you. One suggestion to commenters: Paragraphs help encourage reading. Lots of good comments here as usual.
The irreverence of Trump has been on full display, throughout his life. He conned his way through business enterprises, misrepresenting his assets, absconded with funds from the Trump Charity, launched businesses which ultimately failed (think Wine and Steaks), started a University (how bizarre is that?) and claimed multiple Bankruptcies. And yet he flew under the radar of accountability, virtually unscathed. There is a plethora of wrong-doing in his resume, which is also deeply imprinted in the DNA of his supportive family members. Trump's behaviour was, and is, nothing short of a maniacal and diabolical psychopath, masked under the shiny veneer of master illusionist and actor. His desire for attention and validation manifests in his hubris and overt bravado persona. He even claimed that 'he is the chosen one', and believes he can do anything he wants, because he has been able to do so, up until now. What I see is an epic failure within the Republican party and their inability to rein him in. The 'Party faithful' seemed to acquiesce to Trump's disturbing behaviour, and cowered in the face of his never-ending threats, often being the subjects of his verbal critiques. Some impressionable GOP jumped on 45's bandwagon, championing conspiracy theories and carrying the wayward mantle proudly, as a way of gaining media attention They likewise suffered few consequences. Trump is adept at mesmerising supporters, who fell under the spell of his Vaudeville act. He played to their dissatisfaction, and promised that he alone would fix their problems. He forged a link of co-dependency which prospered in emotionally needy individuals, who want to be rescued. They see Trump as their Saviour. The country is divided in a virtual tale of two different worlds, with contrasting beliefs, lifestyles and educational levels. The division within the country are optically undeniable. The over-arching question is why was 'Individual 1' able to circumvent accountability and responsibility for his egregious actions, statements and falsehoods, for SO long? Where were the checks and balances enshrined in the Constitution and the rule of Law? The issue is much bigger than the compliant Judges who came to power during Trump's 'reign'. They represent misplaced influencers, dancing to his tune. America's democracy and civil liberties will remain on tenuous ground until Trump is taken to task, and removed from public platforms; a process which should have occurred LONG BEFORE now. Godspeed USA.