Thomas… ugh. Once again I repeat myself, how do these people ‘believe’ themselves into unaccountability? If I, or any of us, negate to enter correct information on taxes, let’s say I didn’t know, or my tax guy or my aide/loving husband missed it or any number of ‘innocent or not so innocent’ omissions, the IRS discovers the ‘mistake’ – Bamb! Fines and late fees for me and I fully expect to pay the consequences. Robert’s ignores every time* Thomas gets discovered doing the exact opposite of what he agreed to do when he became a Justice on the Supreme Court. Thomas fully expects all of us to believe his lame a$$ excuses and explanations-Wash/Rinse/Repeat.
*further more–it’s the ‘every time’ part of that entire paragraph that you should pay attention to…. EVERY TIME???? Dear God we are talking about a Supreme Court Justice. There should never be more than one time.
Apr 19, 2023·edited Apr 19, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Dominion's Dominion
Soon after CNN flashed its Breaking News chyron with the real breaking news that Fox and Dominion had settled, many of the talking heads were circumspect and honest about the outcome. While it was not the spectacle of Fox's humiliating defeat that many had hoped to see, it was probably the best outcome that we should have expected, and certainly better than we were entitled to.
Notably, though, former Fox employee and current CNN star Alisyn Camerota was apoplectic in her view that Fox had escaped accountability. It was a view she later played to her panel, with LZ Granderson accusing Dominion's owners, a venture capital firm, of caring more about their bottom line than our democracy. It was never Dominion's responsibility to stand up for and save our democracy. That's up to us.
Like it or not, Dominion's first responsibility is to maximize the wealth of its shareholders. The fact that they were able to expose Fox as they did in furtherance of that core objective is an unintended but hugely beneficial consequence. As we heard from Dominion's lead attorney, this is not the end of the story, as they still have other related cases pending. All of them just reset their starting points, at least in terms of Dominion's credibility. There are also other cases against Fox (e.g., Smartmatic) that just got a reset.
We should be grateful to Dominion and its attorneys for having the fortitude and determination to take on a formidable and unscrupulous foe. The fact that they made their case in the court of public opinion while wending their way towards a very favorable settlement was a gift that should keep on giving. The domino wall around Trump is starting to fall, and the currents are all moving in the right direction. Our democracy is stronger today than it was yesterday. Let's not be critical of Dominion for not finishing our job.
Thanks Robert! So much here to think about! Dominion made a business decision and I understand that. They missed an opportunity to defend democracy against those who seek to destroy it. I hope their uncovering the facts become blunt weapons in Smartec’s hands. Unfortunately as a private company they will make business decisions also. My heart dropped when I heard Dominion settled.
Yes! Chris and Bruce Willingham deserve to hear from us with big thanks and gratitude for their work. I hope someone can give us their contact info. Thank you, Robert, for pursuing this.
Does it always have to come down to money! The Dominion / Fox "settlement" may allow both businesses to "survive" fiscally but it did NOTHING to support morals, responsibility and resilience in our society. It was too much of a risk that they'd get nothing if one or two members of the jury held out against either party. We would have had Murdoch and the FOX fomentators on the witness stand having to admit to the world that they put ratings over truth. Do schools still teach that George Washington could not tell a lie? Or has that been banned as politically incorrect and a lie itself. Do we have a moral compass any more? Certainly not in the MAGA party? Do Christians believe in Christianity and in the teachings of Christ like love thy neighbor or do they just believe they are holier than thou and hold their noses so high in the air that they'd drown if they stood out in the rain? Where is respect, responsibility and resilience? We must flock together and set an expectation of integrity, truth and caring about others. We need a WEllness culture rather than the Illness culture of ego and no accountability. We have a Bill of Rights that is being trampled on. Where is our Bill of Responsibilities? Let's write one! Let's have an unexceptional culture where we believe in freedom not just for ourselves but assure all of us have those freedoms WITHOUT exception! We, the People, ALL of us this time having the courage of protecting the rights and freedoms of ALL.
I truly believe that if this Extreme Court rules in favor of the Texas judge, Biden should ignore the ruling and tell the FDA to carry on! This should never have come before the Court. There is no standing! It’s a premise that would de disastrous for the creation and production of suitable drugs in this country. We cannot have rogue extremists deciding which products they will allow and which they will not. If Texas wants to keep drugs out of that god-forsaken state, that’s bad enough. But that’s their pigheaded decision. They do not have the right to shut down the FDA throughout the country! These justices know that. They act as if the decisions they are making are some sort of game. But, unfortunately, the pawn is always WOMEN! Tell me where that doesn’t smack of discrimination in every syllable of our vaulted Constitution! Who’s going to enforce a decision of this kind? Possibly only red states, who can’t be bothered to save children through gun control, but will take the time to find and punish such “criminals” as pregnant women seeking an abortion, LGBTQ parents and their children seeking healthcare, Americans who may aid and abet an undocumented immigrant, physicians who have taken an oath to “do no harm” who continue to care for their female patients. The red states are a police state. And maybe that will inspire more voters to “defund the police state” in their next elections! We are sick of being at the mercy of an unrepresentative Court that was “gerrymandered” to carry out a GQP agenda.
Thank you, Robert, for putting the Dominion case into perspective, and helping me put my feet back on the ground.
Reading your piece regarding the Oklahoma sheriff’s comment to the journalist’s recording, made me recall this Texas Tribune article of January 13, 2023.
This bone-chilling article highlights the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, a growing far-right group, claiming sheriffs have the power to override federal and state authority on matters from border enforcement to gun control to election security.
Apr 19, 2023·edited Apr 19, 2023Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
The OK story is horrific but, sadly, not surprising. According to Google, the paper’s address is McCurtain Gazette, 107 S Central, PO Box 179, Idabel OK 74745
Wherever she is right now, I hope Anita Hill is deriving satisfaction from the exposure of the character of Clarence Thomas. Bravo to courageous reporters, in Oklahoma and elsewhere!
As Jon Stewart said, Fox's business model is lying, and they just paid their liar's tax. I am somewhat heartened by the many pending cases against Fox and other extremist sites.
Robert may tell us that we should “treat the ruling for what it is—a broadside attack on the equality and liberty of women everywhere.” That is certainly true.
But, it is and the Supreme Court’s ruling will be a continuation of the assault on separation is church and state. Although I decided to stop my Atlantic subscription this headline (“The New Pro-life Movement Has a Plan to end Abortion: And It Does Care If American Voters Don’t Agree With It” by Elaine Godfrey - regretfully it is behind a paywall) says it all: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2023/04/pro-life-anti-abortion-roe-mifepristone-pill-ban/673763/.
As for InJustice Thomas, Mitch McConnell returned to the Senate and quickly offered a statement that he has full confidence in Thomas. The Republicans offer such wonderful circus fare every day in every way. Too bad they don’t offer governance instead of obstruction.
Yesterday I heard McConnell say Republican Senators would block allowing Dems to replace Feinstein on judiciary because he didn’t want them to be able to ram thru unqualified judges. I laughed out loud - that’s what he did in the trump years. Case in point: the guy in Amarillo TX
Thomas… ugh. Once again I repeat myself, how do these people ‘believe’ themselves into unaccountability? If I, or any of us, negate to enter correct information on taxes, let’s say I didn’t know, or my tax guy or my aide/loving husband missed it or any number of ‘innocent or not so innocent’ omissions, the IRS discovers the ‘mistake’ – Bamb! Fines and late fees for me and I fully expect to pay the consequences. Robert’s ignores every time* Thomas gets discovered doing the exact opposite of what he agreed to do when he became a Justice on the Supreme Court. Thomas fully expects all of us to believe his lame a$$ excuses and explanations-Wash/Rinse/Repeat.
*further more–it’s the ‘every time’ part of that entire paragraph that you should pay attention to…. EVERY TIME???? Dear God we are talking about a Supreme Court Justice. There should never be more than one time.
Dominion's Dominion
Soon after CNN flashed its Breaking News chyron with the real breaking news that Fox and Dominion had settled, many of the talking heads were circumspect and honest about the outcome. While it was not the spectacle of Fox's humiliating defeat that many had hoped to see, it was probably the best outcome that we should have expected, and certainly better than we were entitled to.
Notably, though, former Fox employee and current CNN star Alisyn Camerota was apoplectic in her view that Fox had escaped accountability. It was a view she later played to her panel, with LZ Granderson accusing Dominion's owners, a venture capital firm, of caring more about their bottom line than our democracy. It was never Dominion's responsibility to stand up for and save our democracy. That's up to us.
Like it or not, Dominion's first responsibility is to maximize the wealth of its shareholders. The fact that they were able to expose Fox as they did in furtherance of that core objective is an unintended but hugely beneficial consequence. As we heard from Dominion's lead attorney, this is not the end of the story, as they still have other related cases pending. All of them just reset their starting points, at least in terms of Dominion's credibility. There are also other cases against Fox (e.g., Smartmatic) that just got a reset.
We should be grateful to Dominion and its attorneys for having the fortitude and determination to take on a formidable and unscrupulous foe. The fact that they made their case in the court of public opinion while wending their way towards a very favorable settlement was a gift that should keep on giving. The domino wall around Trump is starting to fall, and the currents are all moving in the right direction. Our democracy is stronger today than it was yesterday. Let's not be critical of Dominion for not finishing our job.
Thanks Robert! So much here to think about! Dominion made a business decision and I understand that. They missed an opportunity to defend democracy against those who seek to destroy it. I hope their uncovering the facts become blunt weapons in Smartec’s hands. Unfortunately as a private company they will make business decisions also. My heart dropped when I heard Dominion settled.
Jess Craven has actions ( Extra Credit and Resistbot Letter) we can take regarding “Justice” Thomas.
https://open.substack.com/pub/chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions/p/chop-wood-carry-water-412?r=fqsxl&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Oklahoma😡…happening in a rural county. Most likely he’s a “constitutional” sheriff like ours here in
our populous Fl county. His lawyers claim he’s allowed to say whatever he wants, in the course of his duties,even it’s “false or malicious”.
Let’s help Donna Deegan win big and give DeSantis yet another reason to go apoplectic !
Yes! Chris and Bruce Willingham deserve to hear from us with big thanks and gratitude for their work. I hope someone can give us their contact info. Thank you, Robert, for pursuing this.
Does it always have to come down to money! The Dominion / Fox "settlement" may allow both businesses to "survive" fiscally but it did NOTHING to support morals, responsibility and resilience in our society. It was too much of a risk that they'd get nothing if one or two members of the jury held out against either party. We would have had Murdoch and the FOX fomentators on the witness stand having to admit to the world that they put ratings over truth. Do schools still teach that George Washington could not tell a lie? Or has that been banned as politically incorrect and a lie itself. Do we have a moral compass any more? Certainly not in the MAGA party? Do Christians believe in Christianity and in the teachings of Christ like love thy neighbor or do they just believe they are holier than thou and hold their noses so high in the air that they'd drown if they stood out in the rain? Where is respect, responsibility and resilience? We must flock together and set an expectation of integrity, truth and caring about others. We need a WEllness culture rather than the Illness culture of ego and no accountability. We have a Bill of Rights that is being trampled on. Where is our Bill of Responsibilities? Let's write one! Let's have an unexceptional culture where we believe in freedom not just for ourselves but assure all of us have those freedoms WITHOUT exception! We, the People, ALL of us this time having the courage of protecting the rights and freedoms of ALL.
I truly believe that if this Extreme Court rules in favor of the Texas judge, Biden should ignore the ruling and tell the FDA to carry on! This should never have come before the Court. There is no standing! It’s a premise that would de disastrous for the creation and production of suitable drugs in this country. We cannot have rogue extremists deciding which products they will allow and which they will not. If Texas wants to keep drugs out of that god-forsaken state, that’s bad enough. But that’s their pigheaded decision. They do not have the right to shut down the FDA throughout the country! These justices know that. They act as if the decisions they are making are some sort of game. But, unfortunately, the pawn is always WOMEN! Tell me where that doesn’t smack of discrimination in every syllable of our vaulted Constitution! Who’s going to enforce a decision of this kind? Possibly only red states, who can’t be bothered to save children through gun control, but will take the time to find and punish such “criminals” as pregnant women seeking an abortion, LGBTQ parents and their children seeking healthcare, Americans who may aid and abet an undocumented immigrant, physicians who have taken an oath to “do no harm” who continue to care for their female patients. The red states are a police state. And maybe that will inspire more voters to “defund the police state” in their next elections! We are sick of being at the mercy of an unrepresentative Court that was “gerrymandered” to carry out a GQP agenda.
Simon Rosenberg interviewed Donna Deegan this week and posted this recording and more info on how to help! https://simonwdc.substack.com/p/my-discussion-with-donna-deegan-our?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Thank you, Robert, for putting the Dominion case into perspective, and helping me put my feet back on the ground.
Reading your piece regarding the Oklahoma sheriff’s comment to the journalist’s recording, made me recall this Texas Tribune article of January 13, 2023.
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/01/13/constitutional-sheriffs-texas/
This bone-chilling article highlights the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, a growing far-right group, claiming sheriffs have the power to override federal and state authority on matters from border enforcement to gun control to election security.
The OK story is horrific but, sadly, not surprising. According to Google, the paper’s address is McCurtain Gazette, 107 S Central, PO Box 179, Idabel OK 74745
Wherever she is right now, I hope Anita Hill is deriving satisfaction from the exposure of the character of Clarence Thomas. Bravo to courageous reporters, in Oklahoma and elsewhere!
As Jon Stewart said, Fox's business model is lying, and they just paid their liar's tax. I am somewhat heartened by the many pending cases against Fox and other extremist sites.
I did not know about the Oklahoma story. Yikes! Thank you, Robert.
Robert may tell us that we should “treat the ruling for what it is—a broadside attack on the equality and liberty of women everywhere.” That is certainly true.
But, it is and the Supreme Court’s ruling will be a continuation of the assault on separation is church and state. Although I decided to stop my Atlantic subscription this headline (“The New Pro-life Movement Has a Plan to end Abortion: And It Does Care If American Voters Don’t Agree With It” by Elaine Godfrey - regretfully it is behind a paywall) says it all: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2023/04/pro-life-anti-abortion-roe-mifepristone-pill-ban/673763/.
As for InJustice Thomas, Mitch McConnell returned to the Senate and quickly offered a statement that he has full confidence in Thomas. The Republicans offer such wonderful circus fare every day in every way. Too bad they don’t offer governance instead of obstruction.
What exactly is keeping the brakes on expanding the court?
Yesterday I heard McConnell say Republican Senators would block allowing Dems to replace Feinstein on judiciary because he didn’t want them to be able to ram thru unqualified judges. I laughed out loud - that’s what he did in the trump years. Case in point: the guy in Amarillo TX