The unabashed corruption of Trump and family from the beginning, from the Kushner financing of the property in New York to the trade marks that Ivanka gained from China alone would be the most corrupt dealings of those employed in the service of the citizens of the US. Remember that Kushner removed the White House logs when this was happening only later to be restored by General Kelly. Hunter Biden if he is guilty of anything was a private citizen. The hypocrisy could not be more acute. Thanks Robert!
Re: Jennifer Rubin's article about the emergence of strong Democrat voices: While I absolutely agree with her praise of Representatives Ocasio-Cortez, Goldman and Raskin, I was surprised that she didn't include Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida. There was a link in her article to another piece which was enthusiastic about him, but she didn't mention him herself.
Frost, 26 years old, was brilliant in his questioning of witnesses. This included his skillfully making the point that it was the Trump administration (not Biden's) that asked Twitter to remove negative posts about the president. Frost did this though simple questioning that got the witness to tell of this by first asking her to quote the "offending" tweet, thereby getting into the congressional record that Chrissy Tiegen tweeted that Trump was a "p**sy-a*sed b**ch. (apologies if I ddn't get the asterisks right!) We've talked a lot in this community about Dem. messaging needing to improve. Well, here's another of our younger generation who seems to a good way to do that when exposing lies.
One of the more egregious actions of Trump has been successfully corrupting reality. Petty grudges, malicious gossip and unfiltered tall tales flood our bandwidths, obscuring sleights of hand and audacious lawlessness in plain sight.
The revenge hearings are clearly built with the same house of cards corrupting reality. In contrast to hit and run sound bites, these hearings force a decorum and process that allows Democrats to shatter the conspiratorial hogwash and hoist the Republicans on their own petards.
The Democratic bench is indeed deep, bright, articulate and commanding. Real reality ultimately prevails in the end.
They're invaders from Mars! But fear not, after ten days wrecking the planet, they'll die from the microbes. (Just saw the George Pal 1953 original that scared me as a kid last night, and it still stands the test of time, 40 years after I last saw it)
Today's installment of reality-based information reveals to me the ineptitude of our species. For all our technological advances, including AI, we botch using them intelligently again and again. The failure of the human mind to comprehend the physical world goes unobserved by us in our world of arrogance and selfishness. Individuals like Steven Hawking and Tesla can shine their focused intelligence on our physical world. But the median of our collective society brings us down to the commission of mundane error everywhere. We can't see the simplest solutions to our problems nor how we create our worst conundrums. The knowledge in the universe that could elevate the human race above hunger and suffering somehow eludes the smartest of us. Despite being able to split the atom, some leaders among us aren't ruling out UFOs.
The fun part is watching good old fashioned talent at oration like the Romans showed turn the tables on those stupid, ignorant, arrogant MAGA leaders of 2023 America, who have no talents at all.
In the final analysis, it's the grass roots efforts that hold the power because it is rooted in our hearts, not our brains, which are too flawed -- notwithstanding advancements in science and technology.
What powers the universe is the stuff of humanity--- that Shakespeare understand so well.
The Democrats couldn’t have designed a better hearing than this revenge hearing to expose the idiocy and lack of substance of the Republican Party. Some MAGA stalwarts might buy the kool-aid the Republicans on this committee is attempting to sell, but anyone with half a brain can see they’re flailing. And they did this to themselves!
Those of us who have watched for years as Republican lies have proliferated can celebrate the strength, knowledge and dedication of the Democrats on this committee who are so skillfully countering the Republicans nonsense.
Wonderful summary - I learned so much! One typo- in the final sentence in the paragraph below the quote from the Washington Post about the research findings concealed by the Trump team, I think you mean “ leaker” rather than “ leader.”
Feb 13, 2023·edited Feb 13, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Robert, you could have titled today's letter "Airborne Idiot Tests". Jeez. But silly me. I guess in politics today, if you don't use every news item as a weapon, you are a wuss. I for one, am willing to wait for experts to give us a report.
The following is off today's topics. But it is part of a greater conversation at this letter and others we follow.
Last night I did something completely uncharacteristic. I watched the Super Bowl Game. Fortunately, it was carried by Fox (be patient with me). That meant I could watch in glorious 4K HDR via an antenna. We are cord cutters. No cable. And I am not going to pay YouTube $65/month.
I wanted to get a sampling, a taste of the current popular culture which I admit to having worked very hard to insulate myself from. I don't know what turns me off more: the music or the ads. Just my taste, not a condemnation. But I wanted to learn and feel what most of America experiences. I am all set now.
Two things were stunning to me.
The first was the ad called "He Gets Us". Now Jesus has an ad budget. It's true. Of course, he has help from bigots like the owner of Hobby Lobby. The ad says that "he" loves us - all of us. Surprise, even a lib is loved! It truly is a brave new world when the Son of God buys multi-million dollar ads on TV. I guess there must be plenty of money for kids who need food, healthcare and education. Why not use the cash to spread the word?
The second was the shot of Rupert Murdoch and Elon Musk sitting together chatting it up as the game proceeded. If you had ANY questions about the future of Twitter, they have been answered.
But wait. An honorable mention needs to go to Sarah McLachlan for mocking her work with saving animals in a beer commercial.
I have disconnected the antenna. I know America now.
I'm not a lawyer, but I don't see why it would be necessary to prove that Trump knew he lost the election to establish a "guilty mind." He knew that he was organizing and inciting a mob, including many who were armed, to break into the Capital, violently attack and perhaps kill the leaders of Congress, and change the count of the Electoral vote by force. Those are all crimes, and he knew that.
If I break into my neighbor's house and kill her because I believe that she is a witch who is making my children ill by magic, I am guilty whether or not I sincerely believed that she was a witch.
The unabashed corruption of Trump and family from the beginning, from the Kushner financing of the property in New York to the trade marks that Ivanka gained from China alone would be the most corrupt dealings of those employed in the service of the citizens of the US. Remember that Kushner removed the White House logs when this was happening only later to be restored by General Kelly. Hunter Biden if he is guilty of anything was a private citizen. The hypocrisy could not be more acute. Thanks Robert!
Re: Concluding thoughts. One additional Dem deserves credit for her questioning acumen: Stacey Plaskett of the USVI.
From Denialad: donbialostosky.substack.com
The point I’m going to make is deja vu,
But a Post headline calls me to renew
Comparison of MAGA agitprop
Still going after poor Hunter’s laptop
With Kushner’s cashing in family connection
To garner an enormous cash injection
To his new firm from his pal MBS—
Two billion dollars of Saudi largesse—
After he was White House liaison,
Who with his father-in-law chose to fawn
On the Crown Prince and helped cover his ass
When he was outed as snake-in-the-grass
Who ordered Kashoggi’s dismemberment—
A pre-return on his big investment!
And Trump of course got something for the gift,
Not missing any chance for further grift:
He got the Saudis to fatten his purses
By bringing their tourneys to his golf courses.
He’d really boasted that “I saved his ass”
By letting the Kashoggi report pass
And paying MBS a full state visit—
Not hard to add up this two and two, is it?
And there’s a new Trump Hotel in the works
In Oman on the list of other perks.
BTW, his son Eric’s a player
In this deal with his dad’s Saudi defrayer.
Let’s see, then, Oversight, what have we here?
Father and son-in-law and son in clear
Use of Trump’s public role to rake in cash,
And you are wasting your time to rehash
A son’s efforts to use his father’s name
To try and make a buck in the big game
Of businesses in China and Ukraine.
You so far have not ever ascertained
That father Biden lent a helping hand
When he was Barack’s second-in-command
To link him to his son’s failed enterprises,
Despite repeated loud public surmises
And a whole impeachment that revealed
Only how Trump used power to appeal
To Zelensky to make the Biden case
And failed to. All he did was to debase
His office and reveal how he abused it,
Just as in the Saudi case he used it
For nothing more than his personal gain.
Could someone out there help me to explain
How MAGA committees keep chasing after
Will-o’-the-wisps to make Biden a grafter
While turning a blind eye on public crimes
And corruption committed many times
By their party’s ostensible leader,
Who’s boasted about being a tax cheater
And helped his kids rake bucks in from their name
And power from their parts in his big game?
Should it take this many verses to show
What anyone with half a brain must know?
Re: Jennifer Rubin's article about the emergence of strong Democrat voices: While I absolutely agree with her praise of Representatives Ocasio-Cortez, Goldman and Raskin, I was surprised that she didn't include Rep. Maxwell Frost of Florida. There was a link in her article to another piece which was enthusiastic about him, but she didn't mention him herself.
Frost, 26 years old, was brilliant in his questioning of witnesses. This included his skillfully making the point that it was the Trump administration (not Biden's) that asked Twitter to remove negative posts about the president. Frost did this though simple questioning that got the witness to tell of this by first asking her to quote the "offending" tweet, thereby getting into the congressional record that Chrissy Tiegen tweeted that Trump was a "p**sy-a*sed b**ch. (apologies if I ddn't get the asterisks right!) We've talked a lot in this community about Dem. messaging needing to improve. Well, here's another of our younger generation who seems to a good way to do that when exposing lies.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/02/10/maxwell-frost-house-gop-hearings-twitter/
One of the more egregious actions of Trump has been successfully corrupting reality. Petty grudges, malicious gossip and unfiltered tall tales flood our bandwidths, obscuring sleights of hand and audacious lawlessness in plain sight.
The revenge hearings are clearly built with the same house of cards corrupting reality. In contrast to hit and run sound bites, these hearings force a decorum and process that allows Democrats to shatter the conspiratorial hogwash and hoist the Republicans on their own petards.
The Democratic bench is indeed deep, bright, articulate and commanding. Real reality ultimately prevails in the end.
They're invaders from Mars! But fear not, after ten days wrecking the planet, they'll die from the microbes. (Just saw the George Pal 1953 original that scared me as a kid last night, and it still stands the test of time, 40 years after I last saw it)
Today's installment of reality-based information reveals to me the ineptitude of our species. For all our technological advances, including AI, we botch using them intelligently again and again. The failure of the human mind to comprehend the physical world goes unobserved by us in our world of arrogance and selfishness. Individuals like Steven Hawking and Tesla can shine their focused intelligence on our physical world. But the median of our collective society brings us down to the commission of mundane error everywhere. We can't see the simplest solutions to our problems nor how we create our worst conundrums. The knowledge in the universe that could elevate the human race above hunger and suffering somehow eludes the smartest of us. Despite being able to split the atom, some leaders among us aren't ruling out UFOs.
The fun part is watching good old fashioned talent at oration like the Romans showed turn the tables on those stupid, ignorant, arrogant MAGA leaders of 2023 America, who have no talents at all.
In the final analysis, it's the grass roots efforts that hold the power because it is rooted in our hearts, not our brains, which are too flawed -- notwithstanding advancements in science and technology.
What powers the universe is the stuff of humanity--- that Shakespeare understand so well.
The question now is whether Jack Smith will give us a national Valentine present. Time's a wasting.
The Democrats couldn’t have designed a better hearing than this revenge hearing to expose the idiocy and lack of substance of the Republican Party. Some MAGA stalwarts might buy the kool-aid the Republicans on this committee is attempting to sell, but anyone with half a brain can see they’re flailing. And they did this to themselves!
Those of us who have watched for years as Republican lies have proliferated can celebrate the strength, knowledge and dedication of the Democrats on this committee who are so skillfully countering the Republicans nonsense.
Thank you, Robert, once again for your intrepid support of The States Project Giving Circles.
For folks looking for one, here is the Tending to Democracy Giving Circle:
https://www.grapevine.org/giving-circle/1XQhnyD/Tending-to-Democracy
Have a wonderful time in Alaska--bon voyage!
Wonderful summary - I learned so much! One typo- in the final sentence in the paragraph below the quote from the Washington Post about the research findings concealed by the Trump team, I think you mean “ leaker” rather than “ leader.”
Robert, you could have titled today's letter "Airborne Idiot Tests". Jeez. But silly me. I guess in politics today, if you don't use every news item as a weapon, you are a wuss. I for one, am willing to wait for experts to give us a report.
The following is off today's topics. But it is part of a greater conversation at this letter and others we follow.
Last night I did something completely uncharacteristic. I watched the Super Bowl Game. Fortunately, it was carried by Fox (be patient with me). That meant I could watch in glorious 4K HDR via an antenna. We are cord cutters. No cable. And I am not going to pay YouTube $65/month.
I wanted to get a sampling, a taste of the current popular culture which I admit to having worked very hard to insulate myself from. I don't know what turns me off more: the music or the ads. Just my taste, not a condemnation. But I wanted to learn and feel what most of America experiences. I am all set now.
Two things were stunning to me.
The first was the ad called "He Gets Us". Now Jesus has an ad budget. It's true. Of course, he has help from bigots like the owner of Hobby Lobby. The ad says that "he" loves us - all of us. Surprise, even a lib is loved! It truly is a brave new world when the Son of God buys multi-million dollar ads on TV. I guess there must be plenty of money for kids who need food, healthcare and education. Why not use the cash to spread the word?
The second was the shot of Rupert Murdoch and Elon Musk sitting together chatting it up as the game proceeded. If you had ANY questions about the future of Twitter, they have been answered.
But wait. An honorable mention needs to go to Sarah McLachlan for mocking her work with saving animals in a beer commercial.
I have disconnected the antenna. I know America now.
I'm not a lawyer, but I don't see why it would be necessary to prove that Trump knew he lost the election to establish a "guilty mind." He knew that he was organizing and inciting a mob, including many who were armed, to break into the Capital, violently attack and perhaps kill the leaders of Congress, and change the count of the Electoral vote by force. Those are all crimes, and he knew that.
If I break into my neighbor's house and kill her because I believe that she is a witch who is making my children ill by magic, I am guilty whether or not I sincerely believed that she was a witch.
Re Marj Greene's "idea that sounds stupid when you say it out loud," when has sounding stupid ever stopped Marj?
Trump is a big, fat, malicious balloon hanging over all of us!
Changing the subject. Robert Reich on how to change (it is already started) the elctoral votes without changing the Constitution. VERY hopeful? https://robertreich.substack.com/p/how-do-we-get-democracy-back-into-c4d?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email#details