If concern over possible criminality is a potential deterrent to future election fraud, the arrest, trial and conviction of the instigators and perpetrators would be even more effective.
Indeed it does, and I envision a scene something like this: Trump sworn in to testify, the prosecution plays a video recording of the Jan. 6 speech including the "march to the Capital and I'll be with you" segment and asks the witness - Is that you in the video and did you speak those words? Mr. Trump attempts to prevaricate and the prosecutor says "I remind you sir that you are under oath". Mr. Trump says "yes, that is me and I did say those words". At that point, he has confessed to incitement to riot, sedition and intent to overthrow the government of the United States. That should be all it takes, even recognizing that, as far as his disciples are concerned, they were in the same position as the colonists who overthrew the British government a couple of hundred years ago.
Two things: 1) "He is tired. The sea is wide. He needs to fish elsewhere." I burst out laughing. What a great, literary look at this disgraceful subterfuge. 2) Not so funny: Right-wingers are determined to ban books, teach only "pleasant" things about our nation's history, keep LGBTQ students from having rights--all in the name of protecting tender students. But protecting them from deranged people with guns? Oh, heavens, no! One more piece of right-wing, outrageous hypocrisy.
Yes; they are concerned about the "tender feelings" of students who might be "uncomfortable" learning about history, but do not want to protect those same students from being killed by weapons of war.
The Sandy Hook victory is inspirational. A small group of ministers and laypeople met virtually last night to discuss the expansion of health care in North Carolina, (“From Ministry to Movement”), one of the eleven states where medicaid expansion failed to be endorsed by the legislature. Your points echo the collective wisdom of those leaders who emphasized again the importance of persistence, solidarity, and fearlessness in the fight for collective health.
Biden’s steady hand and approach gets little media attention overtaken by the daily dribbling of the Trump Administration’s January 6th corruption and insurrection . Where has the outrage gone..?
The outrage has reached a point of overload and begun to diminish as it becomes increasingly apparent that nothing is being done. The solution is for the Select Committee and the various prosecutors conducting investigations to make public such non-prejudicial information as they can that justifies continuation of the process. People are afraid, and with reasonable historical cause, that Trump & Co. are going to skate.
Last night, Chris Hayes had Jamie Raskin on for a brief interview. At the outset, the expression on Raskin's face was that of "the cat who ate the canary." He quickly got control back and was his usual serious and thoughtful self. But in my opinion, he looked like someone who is bursting at the seams with information and knowledge. I hope I'm not over-reading that first expression!
I think people prefer to be outraged rather than governed. Outrage comes easily; the hard work of governing requires thought, patience, and calm persistence. That's what "sells" in America right now, and that is exactly what we need to change.
Thank you for this and thank you so much for yesterday's blog. I listened to the podcast and was much heartened. It is so good to be reminded (daily) that there are sane people out there working for the common good. I truly believe many people are just exhausted from "culture wars", disinformation, and right-wing wing nuts. Some of the left-wing nuts are also distressing. We won't get very far if we are always mildly depressed. I just finished The Book of Joy which covers a week-long meeting between the Dali Lama and Desmond Tutu. They are inspiring people who can laugh at themselves and who show great generosity of spirit and broadmindedness. It was simply refreshing and uplifting. Biden is correct that now is a battle for the soul of America and, most likely, for the rest of the world as well. Thanks for your work.
Reforming the ECA is indeed no substitute for sensible, reasonable and doable voting rights protection, augmentation and affirmation. On the other hand, a super-miraculous 100% participation rate of the eligible electorate could easily be rendered meaningless by nefarious actors exploiting the weaknesses in the ECA. When it comes to this chicken or egg conundrum, I think bullet proofing the ECA to the greatest extent possible is the more vital task at hand. Once done, the other side of this equation can be addressed perhaps more successfully than what has recently occurred.
Speaking of bullets...I'm a gun owner, but not a part of the "gun culture" that's much discussed these days. Glad to see the SH folks exact a price. And sad to see what storied companies like Remington have become due to market forces, greed and the nefarious promotion of said gun culture by too many people / organizations to list, including the firearms industry itself.
Hard for me to gainsay a company selling a legal product legally, or to understand some of the legal principals involved for holding such a company accountable for the illegal misuse of its product. But when I see and ad with a picture of an AR style weapon (not going to attribute a brand here) and a tagline that says Re-up your Man Card or something similar, I sure as hell don't have any sympathy for them.
I have a safe full of firearms, each purchased for a specific purpose. Not an AR or AK or other military style weapon among them, save one semi-auto pistol, which says something about their purpose and my intent in owning them. And I stand by my right to do so. But I sure as hell don't stand with the promulgators for profit, either financial or political, of the current "gun culture" under the guise of 2A rights and foisted on people through fearmongering and appeals to their fantasies of Minutemanism and Wild West frontier justice. A pox on all their houses.
I agree with your comments but based on certain recent developments they have now tied January 6th before during and after actives to Trump himself. I think the issue in getting to indict Trump himself is direct connection between Trump and what is illegal or indictable.
In my bank account, there suddenly appeared 23 charges of $10.88 from Microsoft. I'm a Mac-er and do not business w/Microsoft. The charge was from MSN. In today's newsletter, I notice one link to an MSN article. Is it possible that MSN is charging for use of the links I've been using in your newsletter?
My bank is treating this as a stolen credit card, canceling the charges, and issuing a new card. Has this happened to anyone else? Thanks. L&B&L
I'm glad I took your advice to read the WaPo opinion piece about reasons to alter the Electoral College Act. It's not too long and is packed with good points that one can use in conversation with people with a range of political views.
Me too. But I'd rather put my energy in the direction of hope than despair. Plus, I find it too discouraging to be constantly bombarded by angst. I watched Biden's speech and kept reminding myself of how lucky we are not to have Donald Trump and Co. at the helm just now.
If concern over possible criminality is a potential deterrent to future election fraud, the arrest, trial and conviction of the instigators and perpetrators would be even more effective.
Agree! But by definition, that includes Trump.
Indeed it does, and I envision a scene something like this: Trump sworn in to testify, the prosecution plays a video recording of the Jan. 6 speech including the "march to the Capital and I'll be with you" segment and asks the witness - Is that you in the video and did you speak those words? Mr. Trump attempts to prevaricate and the prosecutor says "I remind you sir that you are under oath". Mr. Trump says "yes, that is me and I did say those words". At that point, he has confessed to incitement to riot, sedition and intent to overthrow the government of the United States. That should be all it takes, even recognizing that, as far as his disciples are concerned, they were in the same position as the colonists who overthrew the British government a couple of hundred years ago.
Two things: 1) "He is tired. The sea is wide. He needs to fish elsewhere." I burst out laughing. What a great, literary look at this disgraceful subterfuge. 2) Not so funny: Right-wingers are determined to ban books, teach only "pleasant" things about our nation's history, keep LGBTQ students from having rights--all in the name of protecting tender students. But protecting them from deranged people with guns? Oh, heavens, no! One more piece of right-wing, outrageous hypocrisy.
Yes; they are concerned about the "tender feelings" of students who might be "uncomfortable" learning about history, but do not want to protect those same students from being killed by weapons of war.
The Sandy Hook victory is inspirational. A small group of ministers and laypeople met virtually last night to discuss the expansion of health care in North Carolina, (“From Ministry to Movement”), one of the eleven states where medicaid expansion failed to be endorsed by the legislature. Your points echo the collective wisdom of those leaders who emphasized again the importance of persistence, solidarity, and fearlessness in the fight for collective health.
Hemingway! Hahaha! Good job, Robert! A little comic relief is welcomed. 🙂
I needed a break from the unrelenting seriousness of it all.
We call that "self-care." We need you to care for yourself!
If President Juan Orlando Hernandez of Nicaragua can be arrested and led away in handcuffs for corruption, why not Donald J. sTrump?
Good question.
Biden’s steady hand and approach gets little media attention overtaken by the daily dribbling of the Trump Administration’s January 6th corruption and insurrection . Where has the outrage gone..?
The outrage has reached a point of overload and begun to diminish as it becomes increasingly apparent that nothing is being done. The solution is for the Select Committee and the various prosecutors conducting investigations to make public such non-prejudicial information as they can that justifies continuation of the process. People are afraid, and with reasonable historical cause, that Trump & Co. are going to skate.
Last night, Chris Hayes had Jamie Raskin on for a brief interview. At the outset, the expression on Raskin's face was that of "the cat who ate the canary." He quickly got control back and was his usual serious and thoughtful self. But in my opinion, he looked like someone who is bursting at the seams with information and knowledge. I hope I'm not over-reading that first expression!
I hope so too Ellen. The revelation can't come too soon.
I sincerely hope you are correct!
I think people prefer to be outraged rather than governed. Outrage comes easily; the hard work of governing requires thought, patience, and calm persistence. That's what "sells" in America right now, and that is exactly what we need to change.
Thank you for this and thank you so much for yesterday's blog. I listened to the podcast and was much heartened. It is so good to be reminded (daily) that there are sane people out there working for the common good. I truly believe many people are just exhausted from "culture wars", disinformation, and right-wing wing nuts. Some of the left-wing nuts are also distressing. We won't get very far if we are always mildly depressed. I just finished The Book of Joy which covers a week-long meeting between the Dali Lama and Desmond Tutu. They are inspiring people who can laugh at themselves and who show great generosity of spirit and broadmindedness. It was simply refreshing and uplifting. Biden is correct that now is a battle for the soul of America and, most likely, for the rest of the world as well. Thanks for your work.
Reforming the ECA is indeed no substitute for sensible, reasonable and doable voting rights protection, augmentation and affirmation. On the other hand, a super-miraculous 100% participation rate of the eligible electorate could easily be rendered meaningless by nefarious actors exploiting the weaknesses in the ECA. When it comes to this chicken or egg conundrum, I think bullet proofing the ECA to the greatest extent possible is the more vital task at hand. Once done, the other side of this equation can be addressed perhaps more successfully than what has recently occurred.
Speaking of bullets...I'm a gun owner, but not a part of the "gun culture" that's much discussed these days. Glad to see the SH folks exact a price. And sad to see what storied companies like Remington have become due to market forces, greed and the nefarious promotion of said gun culture by too many people / organizations to list, including the firearms industry itself.
Hard for me to gainsay a company selling a legal product legally, or to understand some of the legal principals involved for holding such a company accountable for the illegal misuse of its product. But when I see and ad with a picture of an AR style weapon (not going to attribute a brand here) and a tagline that says Re-up your Man Card or something similar, I sure as hell don't have any sympathy for them.
I have a safe full of firearms, each purchased for a specific purpose. Not an AR or AK or other military style weapon among them, save one semi-auto pistol, which says something about their purpose and my intent in owning them. And I stand by my right to do so. But I sure as hell don't stand with the promulgators for profit, either financial or political, of the current "gun culture" under the guise of 2A rights and foisted on people through fearmongering and appeals to their fantasies of Minutemanism and Wild West frontier justice. A pox on all their houses.
I agree with your comments but based on certain recent developments they have now tied January 6th before during and after actives to Trump himself. I think the issue in getting to indict Trump himself is direct connection between Trump and what is illegal or indictable.
In my bank account, there suddenly appeared 23 charges of $10.88 from Microsoft. I'm a Mac-er and do not business w/Microsoft. The charge was from MSN. In today's newsletter, I notice one link to an MSN article. Is it possible that MSN is charging for use of the links I've been using in your newsletter?
My bank is treating this as a stolen credit card, canceling the charges, and issuing a new card. Has this happened to anyone else? Thanks. L&B&L
I'm glad I took your advice to read the WaPo opinion piece about reasons to alter the Electoral College Act. It's not too long and is packed with good points that one can use in conversation with people with a range of political views.
Me too. But I'd rather put my energy in the direction of hope than despair. Plus, I find it too discouraging to be constantly bombarded by angst. I watched Biden's speech and kept reminding myself of how lucky we are not to have Donald Trump and Co. at the helm just now.
This is a wonderful summation of a rather pathetic man who should know better: "He is tired. The sea is wide. He needs to fish elsewhere."