I believe Trumps threats directed at Liz Cheney may be a violation of his bail conditions of his NYC criminal case. If it is he should be held accountable and returned to court for admonishment and possible remand.
Why? He's a rich white man in America. Rich white men go to prison for one reason only: stealing from other rich white men. That is all; that is all. Had Jeffrey Epstein known that, he would not have hanged himself in his jail cell (if, indeed, he did hang himself and wasn't aided off this mortal coil by abettors of Felonious Trump).
The New America. All of our voters watched while Trump assembled the mob, sent them to the Capital, watched and did nothing as they smashed their way in to the building, threatening the lives of Pence and others. And half of those voters are willing to put the traitor to America back in office.
His promises of what he will do have become that of a killer thug dictator, not a citizen of a democracy. And still half of our voters will look the other way so that they might get some BS "thing" they desire. OMG. The New America. I hope and pray the women of our nation will deliver us from this ugliness. Evidently the white uneducated male will not. Sad.
I live in France, and if you think I'm enjoying the distance and am less affected by the election than if I lived in America, think again. Every time my phone rings or dings I tense up, because more likely than not it's a French friend or acquaintance asking me to explain why the election is so close. They're terrified of Trump and cannot understand why ANYone would vote for him. And this is not limited to my circle; I have yet to meet a single French person who thinks Trump should be president.
I've tried earnestly to explain the unexplainable, but really, to any sane person there's no rational argument for how so many people can support a convicted felon who does things like suggest a critic be shot in the face. I'm exhausted from trying, so now I just say it's too painful to discuss. Which it is.
If Trump is elected I may have to move back to America to escape the humiliation. God help us all.
Well, yeah, of course there’s jerks everywhere, France included. At least the jerks around here aren’t packing heat. And if you think I’m being melodramatic, please know that I’ve had two friends murdered by guns in the US while I lived there. It’s one of the (many) reasons why I left.
Enough of them that I was saddened/impressed by the hard-eyed, uniformed, automatic-rifle-toting men guarding synagogues in Paris. But as I commented to difny, there IS the food. Plus, they can be light-hearted *and* serious with the gamay grape (beaujolais). And, sigh, I still miss the last of the four (count 'em) Peugeots I've owned.
While I’d prefer not to have armed <<Gendarmeries>> around, at least I find them comforting rather than intimidating. And after owning around 100 automobiles in my life (yeah, I’m that old) the very first car I ever bought new was a 1.2 liter 3-cylinder Citroën C3 when we moved here. My first two racing bicycles were Peugeot PX-10’s, one of the best affordable top-level racing bikes in the early ‘70’s. And (of course) we have a Peugeot pepper grinder; the best there is. The French don’t do everything great, but the things they do well are what makes life here <<très agreable>>. Keep the faith.
I had a girlfriend who drove a classic (button brake pedal, up and down suspension, etc.) Citroen -- was it a DS-19? At that time (c. 1979) there was exactly one repair shop in L.A. that serviced Citroens. And before the swoopy DS sedans, there was the Deux Chevaux, plus the Citroen Maserati. SM. Looking online at today's Citroen lineup I find myself snoozing.
I go to sleep at night dreaming that I live in France…or Ireland…or the UK…or Italy…or Canada! What do I want to be when I grow up: an Expat. Actually at “close to 80” I want to remain right where I am, and to that end, am doing my damnedest to elect Harris/Walz.
I wonder if the reason the big liar was put on earth was to let people like us know that the country we live in is not the one where we always thought we lived.
Something has happened in the US that has robbed half the population of its mental health. I don't know what it is but I can mention an interesting article in a recent New Yorker by Adam Gopnik, who is a fantastic writer. He says that it's not an economic issue because similar drifts rightward are occurring in robust welfare states like Sweden. He says it's xenophobia. People are afraid of "the other." And with so many countries becoming violent and unlivable, refugees are increasing in number. This, he says, is the main reason Americans and others who are on the receiving end of the outpouring are behaving the way they are. It's tribalism, and it's being exacerbated by the influx of "the other." This makes sense to me.
Cortisol addiction. Fearmongering 24/7 starting with AM hate radio (Limbaugh, Savage, Levin, etc.), and then Fox "News", followed by online fear and hate sewers like OAN, Facebook, etc. Push the fear button constantly, get constant fear... Of the Other.
It's like the herd management issues I dealt with in Montana. The human herd is outgrowing available resources. The UN said we passed sustainability in 2022 when we hit 8 billion. Factions begin to arise over limited resources. Interlopers/immigrants need to be driven off as available targets of the growth stress. Then diseases tend to take care of the rest, which is a fun prospect as we've just gone through a world class plague; which puts a depressing silver lining on trump's atrociously immoral performance with Covid.
Exponentialism will be the death of us. Enjoy your weekend. :)
You would think that with the deaths of a million citizens due to his mishandling of the Covid, no one could possibly want him back in office..and with RFK, Jr. as his Health Secretary - women's health specifically!??? Jesus Christ or as we say in Vermont, JeezumCrow!
Jared Diamond, perhaps in his should-be-required-reading "Guns, Germs and Steel," tells of being in what we call the midst of nowhere, in Borneo, perhaps, or was it Sumatra, with a local guide. Coming the other way on empty trail, nother resident. Two locals have animated conversation. When it was over, Diamond had enough of the local dialect to ask what the back-and-forth was about. Reply, the two men had to find out if they were somehow related. Otherwise, they would have had to fight. What is it, baked into us, that continually prompts the question Rodney King (1965-2012) asked in 1992, as parts of Los Angeles were in flames, 63 died, and the National Guard, regular U.S. Army and Marines had to restore order: "Can we, can we all get along? Can we, can we get along?"
i have heard from friends in some European countries (I won't call them out) who say many people there are pro-DT, even a priest on the pulpit, who believe things were better for them when controlled by a dictatorship. Guess you wouldn't get humiliated there.
While in western Europe in 2017, everyone was very sympathetic and compassionate toward us.
I would expect nothing more of a priest: part of the single issue brigade…anti-choice. One of innumerable reasons that I am now a non practicing Catholic.
@Norris—My wife and I are also French residents, since 2018 after TFG got appointed (not elected; he lost the vote by 3 million) president the first time. We’re in Occitanie in the south. Same thing here: All our friends can’t believe what’s happening in the US. Fortunately, they’re incredibly kind and sympathetic to us, so we feel part of the community. I hope you do, too.
Hi fellow Occitan! Very kind of you. I've found that an admirable trait of most French people is an ability to separate the individual from the nationality. Hence, like you, I encounter nothing but kindness and sympathy – any humiliation I may feel from a Trump win would be self-imposed. But in that case, instead of returning to Ammurica, it's more likely I will just lose myself in a yummy cassoulet or a pot of aligot and an excellent 10€ bottle of wine!
I read Roger Stone's violent threats last night. I got up this morning to read of Trump's threats to Liz Cheney. I then went to the Boston Globe to read Chris Sununu proudly declare he was voting for Trump because of Republican common sense solutions to problem. The absolute depth of depravity the Republican Party has come to is the most disgusting thing I've seen in my 75 years.
Ditto. I'm 73 and vividly remember the violence over school desegregation, the murder of Medgar Evers, the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, and the ranting of George Wallace, Strom Thurmond and the rest of them. This is the absolute worst.
What you said rings a big bell with Ted Koppel's report from the Wisconsin State Fair a few weeks back. Fair-goers seemed to be split pretty evenly about who they were going to vote for. When Mr. Koppel asked women about Mr. Trump and why they were going to vote for him, their comments centered on he was a despicable human being whom they would not ever let into their home, BUT, they believed he would do a better job than VP Harris because she will continue to fund give-away programs and not help the average American. Contrary to what the uber-enlightened progressives and wet finger in the air crowd think, the average American is suffering under inflationary pressure and is tired of seeing taxpayer dollars being frittered away on programs that don't benefit American citizens. Despite what the Department of Energy says, my gasoline bill has risen steadily over the past 2+ years and then magically, it went down nearly 20 cents a gallon over the past several days. These folks attending the Wisconsin State Fair think DC in general sucks and the Government doesn't give a damn unless you live in LA, Chicago, NYC, Dallas/Fort Worth, Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Seattle, or Denver.
Actually I would say the government doesn't give a damn unless you're rich and contribute to their campaigns. This is the problem with money in politics, which is why we have to get it out. It's all about campaign contributions and lobbying.
I concur with much of what you wrote. Those cities are the squeaky wheels that get the grease and I left out the worst dumpster fire of them all, San Francisco/Oakland. Businesses are leaving in droves because Mayor London Breed can't control the streets, can't fund the police because businesses are leaving, and really does nothing to make it palatable to live there. One of the government agencies, might be GSA, has ordered their people to work from home because their building is right in the middle of a mega-crime and mega-drug district. We should follow the British example:
1. Money in politics
In the UK, there are no limits on how much individuals and groups can contribute to candidates or parties. There are, however, strict limits on what candidates and parties can spend. In the year before an election, political parties running candidates in Great Britain’s 632 constituencies (which excludes the 18 seats in Northern Ireland) can spend about £19 million ($24 million) each. Candidates themselves can spend based on how many electors there are in a constituency and whether they are urban or rural (they can spend more to reach rural voters). On average, candidates spend about £15,000 during the campaign, according to Justin Fisher, a professor of political science at Brunel University. “There is no comparison to the amount that can be spent in US politics,” Fisher said. “The problem with British politics is there’s too little money. The problem with American politics is there’s too much.”
The parties also operate very differently. “British parties are effectively year-round, in and out of election-year organizations in a way American parties aren’t,” said Samuel Power, a lecturer at the University of Sussex. For example, the Labour Party raised £56 million in 2017, but spent only £11 million on the election, Power said. The Conservatives raised £46 million and spent £18 million on the election that year. In the US 2016 election, the Democratic party raised $1.3 billion, most of which it spent. Ditto the Republicans, who raised $969 million and spent $934 million.
2. The media’s role in elections. The second big difference between US and UK elections, and the most noticeable for anyone who has lived in both places, is Britain’s ban on political advertising on commercial television and radio. The parties are instead given free time to screen short pre-election broadcasts on television. There is also the quirk of “purdah,” a term that derives from a practice in some Muslim and Hindu societies of screening women from men or strangers, especially by means of a curtain. In election parlance, it refers to the period between the time an election is announced and the election itself, during which the civil service and government officials are heavily restricted in what they can say and do in an effort to not give the incumbent party an advantage.
Another big difference in media rules is that UK broadcasters are required by law to give equal time to all the major parties, attempting to balance time spent reporting on Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson with stories and responses from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, for example.
3. The length of campaigns. In the UK, elections are far shorter than the US. The last US presidential campaign lasted nearly 600 days—roughly speaking, forever—as measured from when the first candidate, Ted Cruz, announced his run. The official campaign period in the UK is 25 working days, or roughly five weeks.
Imagine the joy of only 25 working days for campaigning!!!
Thank you for this great information! I knew some of it but the rest will stand me in good stead when I move to the UK in a few months. I agree about the Bay area too. It's a mess.
Thank you for the most kind note and enjoy your move to the UK. I have a life-long friend there from my Army days and he is the epitome of the "Special Relationship" that the US has with England. We must forever nurture that relationship because a strong Special Relationship can successfully endure disagreements from time to time. Wherever you settle, please do a deep dive on the local law enforcement situation. Some areas are excellent but there are a few, especially in certain parts of London where the Mayor of London has ordered the police to err on the side of caution when it comes to dealing with protests. Basically, he's told them to let the protest play out even if a few things get broken.
We are moving to Scotland. We have family in various parts of the UK so we will be seeing a lot of it. I am a history buff but there's so much to learn and experience. I hope I can manage the driving. I almost got us killed once trying to navigate a roundabout. Thank you for your good wishes!
The San Francisco Bay Area? The 19th largest economy in the world? Four of the 10 wealthiest people in the world live here. The best year round weather in the world. The city I live in is 20 years ahead of the rest of the United States, and California is 10 years ahead of the rest of the United States. California is the fifth largest economy in the world and a state that can survive on its own. Enjoy the UK, you'll wish you were in the Bay Area.
I live in a suburb of Los Angeles. I have lived in the LA area all my life. I know California really well. Unfortunately it's time to leave. I wish it weren't because I love it and I greatly resent what's happened to this country.
Where do you live? Neither San Francisco or Oakland are dumpster fires. You're watching too much right wing news. I know all about city governments on the take, and San Francisco is not one of them. Oakland, its mayor is a big disappointment, but compared to my city council, most of whom are tools of the developers and are carpetbaggers, it's angelic. The neighborhoods are where the action is, and we take care of business, and yes, we fight losing battles, but especially in the flatlands, we will be the most survivable during the climate crisis.
I get it, Ellen. The Bay Area has a lot to offer if you're wealthy. If you're not you can't live there unless you bought a house decades ago, as some of my friends did. The same is becoming true here in the LA area and it's ruining everything. I don't want to bore you with my diagnosis and prescriptions, but I think there would be or could be ways of fixing the problems but they won't happen because of greed and the lust for power. I don't have that many years left and I want them to be good ones. That's why I'm leaving my home of 74 years.
I'm not going to argue with you. We're not wealthy, we're living on social security. We bought our foreclosure in 1992, and paid it off in 2018 (I highly recommend 15 year mortgages.) The weather and air quality in LA is never good. I'm sure you have to use air conditioning. Not an issue just across from the Golden Gate. Do you have solar? We put ours on the new roof in 2016. It works wonders on the energy bills, not to mention fueling two EVs. Our water district is great. I'm 74 and the only place I'd move is Iceland, because it is so much like the Bay Area culturally. I think the Bay Area is one of the few places which will survive the climate disaster, and we have all our money in accounts to allow our son live until he dies without starving. We're done.
It is on video that Trump used the word "shooting" at Liz Cheney. Yet, I see some stories where "shooting" has been softened to "pointing". There is a big difference between "I pointed at her" and "I poked her eye out". Just gross.
Early this morning I checked Fox News website to see how they were handling this story. Answer: They aren't! Not one bit, unless they buried it somewhere.
Here is their current lead story headline:
"Harris slammed for hiring adviser with ties to dark money group pushing gas stove ban: 'Par for the course'"
Fox dug deep to get this incredibly irrelevant stupid story.
And this is not unusual for the media. CBS Sunday Morning did one of the most lame puff pieces since the dawn of time on VP Harris this past Sunday. I don't recall any of the majors ever asking Governor Walz about his decades long relationship with China and the CCP nor why he waited four days and let Minneapolis burn. It's like none of these things ever happened. Both sides of the media do stupid stuff so why watch any of the USA Talking Heads. The mere fact some folks consider The View legitimate news and journalism is absolutely mind blowing. Do your own homework and cross check everything.
Tim Walz taught school in China and if you know of some potentially subversive relationship he had with the Chinese Communist Party, and are failing to disclose probative details of it, why? Could it be it's just a rightwing crackpot slur?
I live in Minneapolis and have since July, 1982 - no one "waited four days and let Minneapolis burn," of course. There was this, though, arsons committed by other rightwing kooks:
Minneapolis police have identified a suspect whom they believe helped initiate the riots and destruction in the city following the killing of George Floyd.
According to a search warrant filed earlier this week, the man is associated with the “Aryan Cowboys,” which the Anti-Defamation League lists as a White supremacist prison and street gang.
An excerpt from the quote is a necessity and it's practical. There was no necessity to write a headline because the excerpt wrote it for the news org. You're speaking about events. This story is all about words. Dangerous, lethal, threatening words.
There is no need to ever add one's own words into the thoughts or mouths of another. Same with substracting. Doing so is not only bad form/etiquette, misleading, deceptive, a cheap parlor trick, and plain weird, it is a moral deficiency.
So, while I do hold developed positions on news presentation as well as a litany of others, they are rooted and begin with the first test and/or principle of right from wrong in the moral sense.
Study after study reveals more and more people read no further than the headline or lead. It best be accurate to precise. One of the many reasons given by consumers of news in general and print of any kind in particular, is the text and hed are in conflict or worse, deceptive, misleading, etc. In teevee land the lead often comes with a promise implying THAT story is up next when it's not.
Those bad practices began with the big names in news presentation, filtered down to local papers and affiliates. The last bastion of news presentation is often seen in "Mom and Pop" weekly publications or news shows (4eg 60Minutes) as well as deep dives from what remains of investigative journalism.
Trump-Liz Cheney story: The headline in print or the lead on radio, teevee, internet shoulda all be an exact excerpt from the full quote. And the story should begin with the full quote. Only then should a journo, reporter, re-writer, ... write their own words. Nothing is superior to seeing or hearing a person's own words.
Gettysburg Address goes from '".four score and seven ..." to Lincoln dedicates a cemetery that was short on words. Today: A visibly drawn and barely audible Lincoln surrounded by lost souls blah blah blah
FDR's " Yesterday December 7, 1941 a date which will live in infamy...to FDR addresses a Joint Session of Congress. Today: "The warmongering Democrat FDR appears in front of Congress after allowing the slaughter at Pearl Harbor.
JFK's "...My fellow Americans ask not what your country..." to JFK gives 14 minute Inaugural Address in Frigid DC Weather. Today: JFK's soaring Inaugural oratory warmed the air and hearts across America with hope (NYT) v. FNC A naïve JFK waves the white surrender flag to the USSR.
To supplement your point, Rich one need only how Trump's infamous I could shoot someone ...was covered v. how his latest was watered-down, sterilized, or by omission while on the opposite side of the spectrum jammed up by the editorializing of the headline, lead, and story.
One thumb on the scale is one too many. Two is two too many.
He considers violence carried out on his behalf to be the ultimate show of loyalty. He's too much of a coward to do it himself. Stochastic Terrorism needs to be a crime if isn't one already. Enough already!
Over the decades of my career, I've worked and coordinated with a trainload of FBI folks and I can tell you this. The average FBI agent drives to work in the AM, does their thing, goes home in the evening, mows their lawn and enjoys their family. Every organization has a few slugs in it. I don't care if you work for public or private industry. The challenge comes with the political appointees and let me tell you, neither party has a monopoly when it comes to ineffective and incompetent appointees. Most appointees try to do a decent job, some are there just to pad their resume, and then there are the bottom feeders who got appointed because either they or their parents donated a trainload to the campaign. The appointees who generally do mediocre work are those that got their appointment via Plum Book under the category of "Presidential Appointee, Senate Confirmation Not Required." Most are good people, they just lack experience and are put in positions where they are dealing with SES's and General/Flag officers. Those folks get sniffed out pretty easily and are kept from doing damage because the professionals who are on the job make things go well. Again, fear not!
Thanks for the reassurance that the job is still getting done by professionals and not by the incompetent deluded appointees who hopefully remain window dressing which is where they belong. Maybe a "no more political appointments" could become a thing. :)
A new one will come out after the election because there are over 9,000 positions that need appointing. The tough category is "PAS", Presidential Appointment Requiring Senate Confirmation.
Plum Book was an unknown term to me and a disturbing one in that it seems to intentionally allude to picking the ripe plums off the tree.
9000 of them, huh? As Desi use to tell Lucy, "Splains a lot." Thanks for that tip. The more you know, the more you know, which in itself is getting a bit weighty. :)
If what I've read is true he's never even fired anyone face to face - except when he was pretending to be a bigly billionaire executive on The Apprentice
I am a poll worker, and on Tuesday, I will be at my post as a greeter responsible for helping maintain civility. It is my duty and pleasure to help uphold our sacred right to vote. I am not afraid. If there is violence, I am not a fool, but I will stand my ground and do my job in the face of it.
Roger that and your fellow citizens will be there for you. I work very near a government building and we get whack-job folks showing up all of the time, often armed and on drugs. Law enforcement has never let us down and I am confident your local law enforcement professionals will be there for you as well. Trash talking and threats only stiffen the spine of true American citizens who believe in the Constitution because they have actually read it and understand the value and power of voting. As I have written before, I have voted in person since '72 (19 not 18!) except when my military service required me to vote absentee. I want to see long lines on Tuesday because it shows that real American citizens give a Big Damn about doing what's right! I do understand that some folks need to vote early (health, military service, employment travel, etc) but by and large, it's just awesome to show up on Election Day and knock it out of the park. I can't speak for Native-born US Citizens, but many of us who are Naturalized Citizens get a little emotional on Election Day because of the feeling it gives us to stand there, make our choices, and cast that ballot. Come on Tuesday, get here so we can vote, and then engage in very bad eating habits (burgers, fries, pizza, etc) while we watch the returns. No fancy food on Tuesday night. Maybe some decent red wine to go with the burgers and pizza plus something chocolate for desert and a bottle of champagne for later on. Cheers!
Fantasy vs. Reality defines the election, and our only hope is that enough people understanding this actually vote. Every word that comes out of Fuhrer Drumpf's mouth reveals more dark fantasies, he yearns for a Ministry of Love to extract vengeance against all non-believers. Ignore the doom-peddling pundits and pearl clutchers, as Kamala says, "when we fight we win."
Garland is a right-wing stooge. That's been clear for a long time, but Biden refused to do anything about him. I believe that Biden did not want Trump prosecuted and hoped he would just go away. Biden is a fool.
My wife voted by mail. I feel duty bound to present at our polling place and be counted in person. They will try to suppress her vote, mine will be a little tougher to suppress, I hope.
Fear not! Do not let ignorant, mindless rhetoric dissuade you from standing tall and casting your ballot. I am confident our local law enforcement professionals will be "Johnny/Jane on the Spot" if any issue develops.
Roger that - I have voted in person since 1972 except for when my military service required me to vote absentee. At the end of the day, this will all work out the way it's supposed to. My one concern is why VP Harris wanted PM Starmer to send a bunch of his folks over here to pimp for her. I have friends in England and talk about Buyer's Remorse. Starmer and Reeves are going after the elderly, those with pension, those with savings, and those with property. Reeves has tried to eliminate the winter fuel subsidy for the elderly while billing the government for thousands of pounds to heat her second home in London. VP Harris and Governor Walz need to stay far away from Starmer and his crew for sure. As for Governor Walz, he needs to cut all ties with the CCP because it's a very bad image for sure. His 3+ decades of relations with China and the CCP is right up there with former President Trump's relationship with Russia and Putin. The really big concern is that Taiwan still holds the world's largest chip manufacturing plant and the US has not been able to bring large chip manufacturing either back to the US or allied countries. I've had people ask me if Governor Walz, should be elected as our VP, would have the courage to stand up to China or would he fold given how he's been groomed over the decades. This is why VP Harris should have selected Senator Warner because of his position on the Intelligence Committee and his deep understanding of what's really going on with our adversaries.
We have had a long history of civilian control of the military and of the military staying out of politics. What are the chances of the military obeying his orders if they are ordered against US citizens? Any chance of a mutiny? Any chance of a military coup? I worry that we may need the calvary to come and save us from this guy.
I'm hoping that John Kelly and Mark Milley represent the sentiments of our military leaders, and that all of them consider Dump a threat to our country and totally unfit to serve.
Note: "Calvary" and "cavalry" are confused online so often that anyone can be forgiven for using one when they mean the other.
"Calvary" = The hill outside of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified. The name comes from the Latin word calvaria, which means "skull". Calvary is also known as Golgotha.
"Cavalry" = (Merriam Webster) a: an army component mounted on horseback;
b: an army component moving in motor vehicles or helicopters and assigned to combat missions that require great mobility.
Origin: mid 16th century: from French cavallerie, from Italian cavalleria, from cavallo ‘horse’, from Latin caballus .
Ever see, "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" with John Wayne, Joanne Dru, John Agar, Ben Johnson, and Harry Carey Jr.? Now, there's some U.S. Cavalry for you! The best part, the cast and crew lived in relatively primitive conditions in Monument Valley. Most slept in dirt-floor cabins that only had communal cold-water drum showers. The film was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.
One of our other real favorites is Fort Apache. Isn't that the one where Wayne says "If you saw them, sir, they weren't Apache." Or is it She Wore a Yellow Ribbon?
Let's see what they need to fear more, Trump's bullshit threats or the combination of an outraged citizenry and a judge. They pull this shit and they will be taken to court. They will lose. And they will be lucky if they don't get indicted in the process.
WTAF??? The last few weeks he's been getting worse and worse and worse, but when this came out -- my first thought was that he needs to be put in preventive detention, but my second thought was "No, he needs to have his mouth duct-taped shut. Because he doesn't know one end of a rifle from another, but plenty of his deranged followers do."
I wish we had only one person to blame. If only, instead of voting for the orange goofball, all those millions of Americans in 2015 had just laughed at him instead. No wonder he loves the poorly educated.
I believe Trumps threats directed at Liz Cheney may be a violation of his bail conditions of his NYC criminal case. If it is he should be held accountable and returned to court for admonishment and possible remand.
It doesn’t seem that anyone is ever going to actually penalize trump for his numerous and vicious attacks against truth and the rule of law. WHY?????
Such an important question!
Why? He's a rich white man in America. Rich white men go to prison for one reason only: stealing from other rich white men. That is all; that is all. Had Jeffrey Epstein known that, he would not have hanged himself in his jail cell (if, indeed, he did hang himself and wasn't aided off this mortal coil by abettors of Felonious Trump).
Never - it's outrageous!!
Holding Trump accountable for anything is a standing joke. He's running free making nonstop threats, hate and lies. ENOUGH ALREADY!!!
The Las Vegas Sun has endorsed Kamala Harris which included a comprehensive list of reasons why Trump is unfit for office.
Go Kamala!
I was thinking the same thing. He also re-offended months ago by re-defaming E. Jean Carroll.
The New America. All of our voters watched while Trump assembled the mob, sent them to the Capital, watched and did nothing as they smashed their way in to the building, threatening the lives of Pence and others. And half of those voters are willing to put the traitor to America back in office.
His promises of what he will do have become that of a killer thug dictator, not a citizen of a democracy. And still half of our voters will look the other way so that they might get some BS "thing" they desire. OMG. The New America. I hope and pray the women of our nation will deliver us from this ugliness. Evidently the white uneducated male will not. Sad.
As he warned us, he "loves the poorly educated."
Not ALL of them. And they are outnumbered.
I live in France, and if you think I'm enjoying the distance and am less affected by the election than if I lived in America, think again. Every time my phone rings or dings I tense up, because more likely than not it's a French friend or acquaintance asking me to explain why the election is so close. They're terrified of Trump and cannot understand why ANYone would vote for him. And this is not limited to my circle; I have yet to meet a single French person who thinks Trump should be president.
I've tried earnestly to explain the unexplainable, but really, to any sane person there's no rational argument for how so many people can support a convicted felon who does things like suggest a critic be shot in the face. I'm exhausted from trying, so now I just say it's too painful to discuss. Which it is.
If Trump is elected I may have to move back to America to escape the humiliation. God help us all.
You can tell your French friends that their attitude is why so many Americans would dearly love to move there.
I definitely would move to France (not Paris; Brittany) to escape Trumpism if I had the resources. But that day could still come.
Trust me, some of them are jerks too.
Well, yeah, of course there’s jerks everywhere, France included. At least the jerks around here aren’t packing heat. And if you think I’m being melodramatic, please know that I’ve had two friends murdered by guns in the US while I lived there. It’s one of the (many) reasons why I left.
Patris—Not like what's oozed to the top of the U.S. Republican party. Marine Le Pen et al. have tamed their rhetoric, not gone psycho.
Enough of them that I was saddened/impressed by the hard-eyed, uniformed, automatic-rifle-toting men guarding synagogues in Paris. But as I commented to difny, there IS the food. Plus, they can be light-hearted *and* serious with the gamay grape (beaujolais). And, sigh, I still miss the last of the four (count 'em) Peugeots I've owned.
While I’d prefer not to have armed <<Gendarmeries>> around, at least I find them comforting rather than intimidating. And after owning around 100 automobiles in my life (yeah, I’m that old) the very first car I ever bought new was a 1.2 liter 3-cylinder Citroën C3 when we moved here. My first two racing bicycles were Peugeot PX-10’s, one of the best affordable top-level racing bikes in the early ‘70’s. And (of course) we have a Peugeot pepper grinder; the best there is. The French don’t do everything great, but the things they do well are what makes life here <<très agreable>>. Keep the faith.
I have always been in love with Citroens! My parents had a friend who drove one.
I had a girlfriend who drove a classic (button brake pedal, up and down suspension, etc.) Citroen -- was it a DS-19? At that time (c. 1979) there was exactly one repair shop in L.A. that serviced Citroens. And before the swoopy DS sedans, there was the Deux Chevaux, plus the Citroen Maserati. SM. Looking online at today's Citroen lineup I find myself snoozing.
I go to sleep at night dreaming that I live in France…or Ireland…or the UK…or Italy…or Canada! What do I want to be when I grow up: an Expat. Actually at “close to 80” I want to remain right where I am, and to that end, am doing my damnedest to elect Harris/Walz.
I wonder if the reason the big liar was put on earth was to let people like us know that the country we live in is not the one where we always thought we lived.
I truly believe the Fabulist Felon wasn’t “put” on this earth. He slithered up from the bowels of it.
Of course! i stand corrected.
There IS the food. [Insert laughing-so-hard-it's-crying emoji.]
Something has happened in the US that has robbed half the population of its mental health. I don't know what it is but I can mention an interesting article in a recent New Yorker by Adam Gopnik, who is a fantastic writer. He says that it's not an economic issue because similar drifts rightward are occurring in robust welfare states like Sweden. He says it's xenophobia. People are afraid of "the other." And with so many countries becoming violent and unlivable, refugees are increasing in number. This, he says, is the main reason Americans and others who are on the receiving end of the outpouring are behaving the way they are. It's tribalism, and it's being exacerbated by the influx of "the other." This makes sense to me.
Cortisol addiction. Fearmongering 24/7 starting with AM hate radio (Limbaugh, Savage, Levin, etc.), and then Fox "News", followed by online fear and hate sewers like OAN, Facebook, etc. Push the fear button constantly, get constant fear... Of the Other.
This. Multiple networks pushing a fabricated reality to half the population for what? 40 or 50 years now.
Terrifying!
Yes. Agreed.
What do we ever do in counterpoint?
It's like the herd management issues I dealt with in Montana. The human herd is outgrowing available resources. The UN said we passed sustainability in 2022 when we hit 8 billion. Factions begin to arise over limited resources. Interlopers/immigrants need to be driven off as available targets of the growth stress. Then diseases tend to take care of the rest, which is a fun prospect as we've just gone through a world class plague; which puts a depressing silver lining on trump's atrociously immoral performance with Covid.
Exponentialism will be the death of us. Enjoy your weekend. :)
You would think that with the deaths of a million citizens due to his mishandling of the Covid, no one could possibly want him back in office..and with RFK, Jr. as his Health Secretary - women's health specifically!??? Jesus Christ or as we say in Vermont, JeezumCrow!
Very true. I agree.
Jared Diamond, perhaps in his should-be-required-reading "Guns, Germs and Steel," tells of being in what we call the midst of nowhere, in Borneo, perhaps, or was it Sumatra, with a local guide. Coming the other way on empty trail, nother resident. Two locals have animated conversation. When it was over, Diamond had enough of the local dialect to ask what the back-and-forth was about. Reply, the two men had to find out if they were somehow related. Otherwise, they would have had to fight. What is it, baked into us, that continually prompts the question Rodney King (1965-2012) asked in 1992, as parts of Los Angeles were in flames, 63 died, and the National Guard, regular U.S. Army and Marines had to restore order: "Can we, can we all get along? Can we, can we get along?"
I was just thinking about Rodney King. He really had it figured out. What a tragedy that so many people still don't.
And Drumpf made all of that alright. The only thing wrong with this country is Drumpf!
And all the maggots.
"If Trump is elected I may have to move back to America to escape the humiliation. God help us all." Now there's a reality check.
i have heard from friends in some European countries (I won't call them out) who say many people there are pro-DT, even a priest on the pulpit, who believe things were better for them when controlled by a dictatorship. Guess you wouldn't get humiliated there.
While in western Europe in 2017, everyone was very sympathetic and compassionate toward us.
I would expect nothing more of a priest: part of the single issue brigade…anti-choice. One of innumerable reasons that I am now a non practicing Catholic.
@Norris—My wife and I are also French residents, since 2018 after TFG got appointed (not elected; he lost the vote by 3 million) president the first time. We’re in Occitanie in the south. Same thing here: All our friends can’t believe what’s happening in the US. Fortunately, they’re incredibly kind and sympathetic to us, so we feel part of the community. I hope you do, too.
Hi fellow Occitan! Very kind of you. I've found that an admirable trait of most French people is an ability to separate the individual from the nationality. Hence, like you, I encounter nothing but kindness and sympathy – any humiliation I may feel from a Trump win would be self-imposed. But in that case, instead of returning to Ammurica, it's more likely I will just lose myself in a yummy cassoulet or a pot of aligot and an excellent 10€ bottle of wine!
Three cheers!
I read Roger Stone's violent threats last night. I got up this morning to read of Trump's threats to Liz Cheney. I then went to the Boston Globe to read Chris Sununu proudly declare he was voting for Trump because of Republican common sense solutions to problem. The absolute depth of depravity the Republican Party has come to is the most disgusting thing I've seen in my 75 years.
Ditto. I'm 73 and vividly remember the violence over school desegregation, the murder of Medgar Evers, the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy, and the ranting of George Wallace, Strom Thurmond and the rest of them. This is the absolute worst.
The rank cowardice of GOP politicians in the face of Trump and MAGA will be the subject of many a Poll Sci dissertation in years to come.
SMH! Chris Sununu is nuts!
GOP now RINO/CINO
The man is a traitor to this nation and every value anyone who claims to be a patriot. And he should be prosecuted and sentenced as such.
What a despicable almost human. I don't actually understand how anyone could vote for him. It is a sad commentary on our society.
What you said rings a big bell with Ted Koppel's report from the Wisconsin State Fair a few weeks back. Fair-goers seemed to be split pretty evenly about who they were going to vote for. When Mr. Koppel asked women about Mr. Trump and why they were going to vote for him, their comments centered on he was a despicable human being whom they would not ever let into their home, BUT, they believed he would do a better job than VP Harris because she will continue to fund give-away programs and not help the average American. Contrary to what the uber-enlightened progressives and wet finger in the air crowd think, the average American is suffering under inflationary pressure and is tired of seeing taxpayer dollars being frittered away on programs that don't benefit American citizens. Despite what the Department of Energy says, my gasoline bill has risen steadily over the past 2+ years and then magically, it went down nearly 20 cents a gallon over the past several days. These folks attending the Wisconsin State Fair think DC in general sucks and the Government doesn't give a damn unless you live in LA, Chicago, NYC, Dallas/Fort Worth, Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Seattle, or Denver.
Actually I would say the government doesn't give a damn unless you're rich and contribute to their campaigns. This is the problem with money in politics, which is why we have to get it out. It's all about campaign contributions and lobbying.
I concur with much of what you wrote. Those cities are the squeaky wheels that get the grease and I left out the worst dumpster fire of them all, San Francisco/Oakland. Businesses are leaving in droves because Mayor London Breed can't control the streets, can't fund the police because businesses are leaving, and really does nothing to make it palatable to live there. One of the government agencies, might be GSA, has ordered their people to work from home because their building is right in the middle of a mega-crime and mega-drug district. We should follow the British example:
1. Money in politics
In the UK, there are no limits on how much individuals and groups can contribute to candidates or parties. There are, however, strict limits on what candidates and parties can spend. In the year before an election, political parties running candidates in Great Britain’s 632 constituencies (which excludes the 18 seats in Northern Ireland) can spend about £19 million ($24 million) each. Candidates themselves can spend based on how many electors there are in a constituency and whether they are urban or rural (they can spend more to reach rural voters). On average, candidates spend about £15,000 during the campaign, according to Justin Fisher, a professor of political science at Brunel University. “There is no comparison to the amount that can be spent in US politics,” Fisher said. “The problem with British politics is there’s too little money. The problem with American politics is there’s too much.”
The parties also operate very differently. “British parties are effectively year-round, in and out of election-year organizations in a way American parties aren’t,” said Samuel Power, a lecturer at the University of Sussex. For example, the Labour Party raised £56 million in 2017, but spent only £11 million on the election, Power said. The Conservatives raised £46 million and spent £18 million on the election that year. In the US 2016 election, the Democratic party raised $1.3 billion, most of which it spent. Ditto the Republicans, who raised $969 million and spent $934 million.
2. The media’s role in elections. The second big difference between US and UK elections, and the most noticeable for anyone who has lived in both places, is Britain’s ban on political advertising on commercial television and radio. The parties are instead given free time to screen short pre-election broadcasts on television. There is also the quirk of “purdah,” a term that derives from a practice in some Muslim and Hindu societies of screening women from men or strangers, especially by means of a curtain. In election parlance, it refers to the period between the time an election is announced and the election itself, during which the civil service and government officials are heavily restricted in what they can say and do in an effort to not give the incumbent party an advantage.
Another big difference in media rules is that UK broadcasters are required by law to give equal time to all the major parties, attempting to balance time spent reporting on Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson with stories and responses from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, for example.
3. The length of campaigns. In the UK, elections are far shorter than the US. The last US presidential campaign lasted nearly 600 days—roughly speaking, forever—as measured from when the first candidate, Ted Cruz, announced his run. The official campaign period in the UK is 25 working days, or roughly five weeks.
Imagine the joy of only 25 working days for campaigning!!!
Thank you for this great information! I knew some of it but the rest will stand me in good stead when I move to the UK in a few months. I agree about the Bay area too. It's a mess.
Thank you for the most kind note and enjoy your move to the UK. I have a life-long friend there from my Army days and he is the epitome of the "Special Relationship" that the US has with England. We must forever nurture that relationship because a strong Special Relationship can successfully endure disagreements from time to time. Wherever you settle, please do a deep dive on the local law enforcement situation. Some areas are excellent but there are a few, especially in certain parts of London where the Mayor of London has ordered the police to err on the side of caution when it comes to dealing with protests. Basically, he's told them to let the protest play out even if a few things get broken.
We are moving to Scotland. We have family in various parts of the UK so we will be seeing a lot of it. I am a history buff but there's so much to learn and experience. I hope I can manage the driving. I almost got us killed once trying to navigate a roundabout. Thank you for your good wishes!
The San Francisco Bay Area? The 19th largest economy in the world? Four of the 10 wealthiest people in the world live here. The best year round weather in the world. The city I live in is 20 years ahead of the rest of the United States, and California is 10 years ahead of the rest of the United States. California is the fifth largest economy in the world and a state that can survive on its own. Enjoy the UK, you'll wish you were in the Bay Area.
I live in a suburb of Los Angeles. I have lived in the LA area all my life. I know California really well. Unfortunately it's time to leave. I wish it weren't because I love it and I greatly resent what's happened to this country.
Where do you live? Neither San Francisco or Oakland are dumpster fires. You're watching too much right wing news. I know all about city governments on the take, and San Francisco is not one of them. Oakland, its mayor is a big disappointment, but compared to my city council, most of whom are tools of the developers and are carpetbaggers, it's angelic. The neighborhoods are where the action is, and we take care of business, and yes, we fight losing battles, but especially in the flatlands, we will be the most survivable during the climate crisis.
I get it, Ellen. The Bay Area has a lot to offer if you're wealthy. If you're not you can't live there unless you bought a house decades ago, as some of my friends did. The same is becoming true here in the LA area and it's ruining everything. I don't want to bore you with my diagnosis and prescriptions, but I think there would be or could be ways of fixing the problems but they won't happen because of greed and the lust for power. I don't have that many years left and I want them to be good ones. That's why I'm leaving my home of 74 years.
I'm not going to argue with you. We're not wealthy, we're living on social security. We bought our foreclosure in 1992, and paid it off in 2018 (I highly recommend 15 year mortgages.) The weather and air quality in LA is never good. I'm sure you have to use air conditioning. Not an issue just across from the Golden Gate. Do you have solar? We put ours on the new roof in 2016. It works wonders on the energy bills, not to mention fueling two EVs. Our water district is great. I'm 74 and the only place I'd move is Iceland, because it is so much like the Bay Area culturally. I think the Bay Area is one of the few places which will survive the climate disaster, and we have all our money in accounts to allow our son live until he dies without starving. We're done.
It is on video that Trump used the word "shooting" at Liz Cheney. Yet, I see some stories where "shooting" has been softened to "pointing". There is a big difference between "I pointed at her" and "I poked her eye out". Just gross.
What stories where have softened "shooting?" Name names.
Reuters headline: "Trump suggests Liz Cheney should have 'guns trained on her face"
ABC News: "2024 election updates: Trump uses violent rhetoric to attack 'war hawk' Liz Cheney
He said she should face "nine barrels," appearing to suggest a firing squad." (SUGGESTS?!)
Thanks, Rich. I hope the stories under the heds, which often of practical necessity can't be specific, are exact.
Early this morning I checked Fox News website to see how they were handling this story. Answer: They aren't! Not one bit, unless they buried it somewhere.
Here is their current lead story headline:
"Harris slammed for hiring adviser with ties to dark money group pushing gas stove ban: 'Par for the course'"
Fox dug deep to get this incredibly irrelevant stupid story.
If they're going after immigrants there's gotta be a law that will allow returning Musk, two Murdochs, and Ted Cruz to sender.
And this is not unusual for the media. CBS Sunday Morning did one of the most lame puff pieces since the dawn of time on VP Harris this past Sunday. I don't recall any of the majors ever asking Governor Walz about his decades long relationship with China and the CCP nor why he waited four days and let Minneapolis burn. It's like none of these things ever happened. Both sides of the media do stupid stuff so why watch any of the USA Talking Heads. The mere fact some folks consider The View legitimate news and journalism is absolutely mind blowing. Do your own homework and cross check everything.
Tim Walz taught school in China and if you know of some potentially subversive relationship he had with the Chinese Communist Party, and are failing to disclose probative details of it, why? Could it be it's just a rightwing crackpot slur?
I live in Minneapolis and have since July, 1982 - no one "waited four days and let Minneapolis burn," of course. There was this, though, arsons committed by other rightwing kooks:
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/28/us/umbrella-man-associated-white-supremacist-group-george-floyd/index.html
Minneapolis CNN —
Minneapolis police have identified a suspect whom they believe helped initiate the riots and destruction in the city following the killing of George Floyd.
According to a search warrant filed earlier this week, the man is associated with the “Aryan Cowboys,” which the Anti-Defamation League lists as a White supremacist prison and street gang.
******* Next.
An excerpt from the quote is a necessity and it's practical. There was no necessity to write a headline because the excerpt wrote it for the news org. You're speaking about events. This story is all about words. Dangerous, lethal, threatening words.
I recognize that you have deeply felt beliefs of how news ought to be presented.
There is no need to ever add one's own words into the thoughts or mouths of another. Same with substracting. Doing so is not only bad form/etiquette, misleading, deceptive, a cheap parlor trick, and plain weird, it is a moral deficiency.
So, while I do hold developed positions on news presentation as well as a litany of others, they are rooted and begin with the first test and/or principle of right from wrong in the moral sense.
Study after study reveals more and more people read no further than the headline or lead. It best be accurate to precise. One of the many reasons given by consumers of news in general and print of any kind in particular, is the text and hed are in conflict or worse, deceptive, misleading, etc. In teevee land the lead often comes with a promise implying THAT story is up next when it's not.
Those bad practices began with the big names in news presentation, filtered down to local papers and affiliates. The last bastion of news presentation is often seen in "Mom and Pop" weekly publications or news shows (4eg 60Minutes) as well as deep dives from what remains of investigative journalism.
I just remembered the joke I made months ago when the faux outrage over gas stoves broke out:
"First they came for our guns. Then they came for our stoves..."
Trump-Liz Cheney story: The headline in print or the lead on radio, teevee, internet shoulda all be an exact excerpt from the full quote. And the story should begin with the full quote. Only then should a journo, reporter, re-writer, ... write their own words. Nothing is superior to seeing or hearing a person's own words.
Gettysburg Address goes from '".four score and seven ..." to Lincoln dedicates a cemetery that was short on words. Today: A visibly drawn and barely audible Lincoln surrounded by lost souls blah blah blah
FDR's " Yesterday December 7, 1941 a date which will live in infamy...to FDR addresses a Joint Session of Congress. Today: "The warmongering Democrat FDR appears in front of Congress after allowing the slaughter at Pearl Harbor.
JFK's "...My fellow Americans ask not what your country..." to JFK gives 14 minute Inaugural Address in Frigid DC Weather. Today: JFK's soaring Inaugural oratory warmed the air and hearts across America with hope (NYT) v. FNC A naïve JFK waves the white surrender flag to the USSR.
To supplement your point, Rich one need only how Trump's infamous I could shoot someone ...was covered v. how his latest was watered-down, sterilized, or by omission while on the opposite side of the spectrum jammed up by the editorializing of the headline, lead, and story.
One thumb on the scale is one too many. Two is two too many.
He considers violence carried out on his behalf to be the ultimate show of loyalty. He's too much of a coward to do it himself. Stochastic Terrorism needs to be a crime if isn't one already. Enough already!
Just like on Jan 6, his motto should be "I'll be with you," while he cowers in his bunker watching on tv.
I fear there are a lot of fellow travelers in the DOJ and FBI.
Over the decades of my career, I've worked and coordinated with a trainload of FBI folks and I can tell you this. The average FBI agent drives to work in the AM, does their thing, goes home in the evening, mows their lawn and enjoys their family. Every organization has a few slugs in it. I don't care if you work for public or private industry. The challenge comes with the political appointees and let me tell you, neither party has a monopoly when it comes to ineffective and incompetent appointees. Most appointees try to do a decent job, some are there just to pad their resume, and then there are the bottom feeders who got appointed because either they or their parents donated a trainload to the campaign. The appointees who generally do mediocre work are those that got their appointment via Plum Book under the category of "Presidential Appointee, Senate Confirmation Not Required." Most are good people, they just lack experience and are put in positions where they are dealing with SES's and General/Flag officers. Those folks get sniffed out pretty easily and are kept from doing damage because the professionals who are on the job make things go well. Again, fear not!
Thanks for the reassurance that the job is still getting done by professionals and not by the incompetent deluded appointees who hopefully remain window dressing which is where they belong. Maybe a "no more political appointments" could become a thing. :)
I like that thought, we definitely need to cut way back on appointees. If you want a thrill, Google the Plum Book and see how many appointees there are, the agencies where they are located, and the categories they fall under. In fact, here's the link to the 2020 Plum Book. https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/united-states-government-policy-and-supporting-positions-plum-book-2020
A new one will come out after the election because there are over 9,000 positions that need appointing. The tough category is "PAS", Presidential Appointment Requiring Senate Confirmation.
Here's another link where you can see all of the positions by agency the President has to appoint. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-PLUMBOOK-2020/pdf/GPO-PLUMBOOK-2020.pdf
Fortunately, a large percentage are not PAS. Enjoy!
Plum Book was an unknown term to me and a disturbing one in that it seems to intentionally allude to picking the ripe plums off the tree.
9000 of them, huh? As Desi use to tell Lucy, "Splains a lot." Thanks for that tip. The more you know, the more you know, which in itself is getting a bit weighty. :)
I think so too because otherwise where are they????
If what I've read is true he's never even fired anyone face to face - except when he was pretending to be a bigly billionaire executive on The Apprentice
All show, no go. The only thing he's ever punched is air while wallowing around like a walrus and tiny fist pumping to WMCA.
And that was scripted.
I am a poll worker, and on Tuesday, I will be at my post as a greeter responsible for helping maintain civility. It is my duty and pleasure to help uphold our sacred right to vote. I am not afraid. If there is violence, I am not a fool, but I will stand my ground and do my job in the face of it.
Roger that and your fellow citizens will be there for you. I work very near a government building and we get whack-job folks showing up all of the time, often armed and on drugs. Law enforcement has never let us down and I am confident your local law enforcement professionals will be there for you as well. Trash talking and threats only stiffen the spine of true American citizens who believe in the Constitution because they have actually read it and understand the value and power of voting. As I have written before, I have voted in person since '72 (19 not 18!) except when my military service required me to vote absentee. I want to see long lines on Tuesday because it shows that real American citizens give a Big Damn about doing what's right! I do understand that some folks need to vote early (health, military service, employment travel, etc) but by and large, it's just awesome to show up on Election Day and knock it out of the park. I can't speak for Native-born US Citizens, but many of us who are Naturalized Citizens get a little emotional on Election Day because of the feeling it gives us to stand there, make our choices, and cast that ballot. Come on Tuesday, get here so we can vote, and then engage in very bad eating habits (burgers, fries, pizza, etc) while we watch the returns. No fancy food on Tuesday night. Maybe some decent red wine to go with the burgers and pizza plus something chocolate for desert and a bottle of champagne for later on. Cheers!
Brava, celeste k!
Fantasy vs. Reality defines the election, and our only hope is that enough people understanding this actually vote. Every word that comes out of Fuhrer Drumpf's mouth reveals more dark fantasies, he yearns for a Ministry of Love to extract vengeance against all non-believers. Ignore the doom-peddling pundits and pearl clutchers, as Kamala says, "when we fight we win."
Where the hell is the DOJ?
Meritless Garland went after drug addict Hunter while leaving Trump alone.
If Trump gets in again it is on garland and Biden.
Biden didn’t interfere in his own son’s persecution and Trump threatens everyone.
Garland is a right-wing stooge. That's been clear for a long time, but Biden refused to do anything about him. I believe that Biden did not want Trump prosecuted and hoped he would just go away. Biden is a fool.
Exactly right James
My wife voted by mail. I feel duty bound to present at our polling place and be counted in person. They will try to suppress her vote, mine will be a little tougher to suppress, I hope.
I enjoy walking to the polls in my neighborhood but somehow this year I wish I had voted by mail. I feel uneasy not having voted yet.
Fear not! Do not let ignorant, mindless rhetoric dissuade you from standing tall and casting your ballot. I am confident our local law enforcement professionals will be "Johnny/Jane on the Spot" if any issue develops.
After performing it so often, I cherish the whole election day ritual. My polling place is only my third in a long succession of elections.
Roger that - I have voted in person since 1972 except for when my military service required me to vote absentee. At the end of the day, this will all work out the way it's supposed to. My one concern is why VP Harris wanted PM Starmer to send a bunch of his folks over here to pimp for her. I have friends in England and talk about Buyer's Remorse. Starmer and Reeves are going after the elderly, those with pension, those with savings, and those with property. Reeves has tried to eliminate the winter fuel subsidy for the elderly while billing the government for thousands of pounds to heat her second home in London. VP Harris and Governor Walz need to stay far away from Starmer and his crew for sure. As for Governor Walz, he needs to cut all ties with the CCP because it's a very bad image for sure. His 3+ decades of relations with China and the CCP is right up there with former President Trump's relationship with Russia and Putin. The really big concern is that Taiwan still holds the world's largest chip manufacturing plant and the US has not been able to bring large chip manufacturing either back to the US or allied countries. I've had people ask me if Governor Walz, should be elected as our VP, would have the courage to stand up to China or would he fold given how he's been groomed over the decades. This is why VP Harris should have selected Senator Warner because of his position on the Intelligence Committee and his deep understanding of what's really going on with our adversaries.
We have had a long history of civilian control of the military and of the military staying out of politics. What are the chances of the military obeying his orders if they are ordered against US citizens? Any chance of a mutiny? Any chance of a military coup? I worry that we may need the calvary to come and save us from this guy.
I'm hoping that John Kelly and Mark Milley represent the sentiments of our military leaders, and that all of them consider Dump a threat to our country and totally unfit to serve.
Note: "Calvary" and "cavalry" are confused online so often that anyone can be forgiven for using one when they mean the other.
"Calvary" = The hill outside of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified. The name comes from the Latin word calvaria, which means "skull". Calvary is also known as Golgotha.
"Cavalry" = (Merriam Webster) a: an army component mounted on horseback;
b: an army component moving in motor vehicles or helicopters and assigned to combat missions that require great mobility.
Origin: mid 16th century: from French cavallerie, from Italian cavalleria, from cavallo ‘horse’, from Latin caballus .
Ever see, "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" with John Wayne, Joanne Dru, John Agar, Ben Johnson, and Harry Carey Jr.? Now, there's some U.S. Cavalry for you! The best part, the cast and crew lived in relatively primitive conditions in Monument Valley. Most slept in dirt-floor cabins that only had communal cold-water drum showers. The film was completed ahead of schedule and under budget.
One of our favorite movies, we watch it every time it's on TV.
Roger that - Too bad Maureen O'Hara wasn't it in. She and John Wayne were magical together!
One of our other real favorites is Fort Apache. Isn't that the one where Wayne says "If you saw them, sir, they weren't Apache." Or is it She Wore a Yellow Ribbon?
It was Fort Apache indeed with John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Shirley Temple, Ward Bond, and of course, John Agar.
I love words😺
And yet, I've heard some military people telling us that in every military installation in the country, Fox (Faux) News is playing all day long!
We are the cavalry! Get ready to saddle up, win or lose. This doesn’t end even if the orange stain is washed away.
Let's see what they need to fear more, Trump's bullshit threats or the combination of an outraged citizenry and a judge. They pull this shit and they will be taken to court. They will lose. And they will be lucky if they don't get indicted in the process.
WTAF??? The last few weeks he's been getting worse and worse and worse, but when this came out -- my first thought was that he needs to be put in preventive detention, but my second thought was "No, he needs to have his mouth duct-taped shut. Because he doesn't know one end of a rifle from another, but plenty of his deranged followers do."
We have one person to blame for this horrendous evil and meanness that has come over this country since 2015.
I wish we had only one person to blame. If only, instead of voting for the orange goofball, all those millions of Americans in 2015 had just laughed at him instead. No wonder he loves the poorly educated.
One person - Mark Burnett. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/01/07/how-mark-burnett-resurrected-donald-trump-as-an-icon-of-american-success
YUP!