Like many of the folks in the anti-fascist resistance, I grew up as a hippie, anti-war university student and early member of SDS during the 1960s-early 1970s. We were the dreaded "elite" of our time...and much of "middle America" Nixon voters hated us at the time because we aggressively opposed a purposeless war that was killing the children of the Americans who hated us.
..so it's not really a surprise that the same "elite" in far different form and times just lost an election to a criminal, "no crimes here", juvenile delinquent dressed up as a garbage truck driver, who was peddling cultural intolerance and retribution to America's working class and Christian nationalist.
We were fighting life and death issues then and we'll be fighting life and death issues after Trump is sworen in.
After 3-4 years of unending protests and 58,000 military deaths, America realized the national disaster created by our Vietnam war policies and changed course.
In our democracy, presidents and their governments cannot govern when they lose the consent of the governed.
I'm not sure how this principle will play out in 2025, but I'm 100% confident it will.
I am hanging on to the optimism you expressed here, bolstered by the ongoing count of votes, which as of now, show that the convicted felon did NOT win "a majority", but a "plurality" and that more people did NOT vote for him than did. I am hopeful that those who sat out the election, and those who bought into his snake oil promises, will have their own come-to-Jesus moment when prices go up, the purges begin and their sources of income are affected. As for now, looks like the American Nazi party won another round.
British PM Harold Macmillan on the greatest challenge for statesmen: Events, dear boy, events.
We're tattered, shattered, and I don't know what all, but Trump does not control the future. Chins up, folks. Not even Donald is invincible. Jack Smith did his best under impossible circumstances (meaning Merrick Garland) but we will keep fighting. No choice really.
I am old enough to remember the experience that happened during the Watergate “incident“ there was a huge hue and cry by the public over the firings. We also had decent Republicans in office who believed that nobody is above the law and they went after Nixon regarding his secret tapes.That ended in Nixon’s resignation. None of that applies now. America is in deep Doodoo folks.
The people who still identify as Republicans are the criminals who are allowing this to happen. Why, I don't know. What does T know about them that they don't want anyone else to know? I have believed since 2015 that T is an agent of the Russians, but how could I see it and the FBI and CIA couldn't see what Putin was doing. How long have they been working for Putin too? What about Zuckerberg and his social media cohorts? Zuckerberg lives in the Bay Area. What is he doing here that we can't see? Why are immense amounts of money so important to so many people? All you need is enough to be comfortable, and that's not an immense amount of money.
This is the end of Special Counsels who investigate Republicans. Between the Supreme Court and Republicans in Congress it has become impossible to hold a Republican president to account no matter how egregious the behavior. Think about it -Nixon resigned but lived a long life and was partially rehabilitated in the end. Reagan was allowed a pass on Iran/Contra. GHW Bush was also allowed a pass on Iran/Contra. W Bush has not been held to account for Iraq, for war crimes or for crashing the economy. And we don't even need to discuss Trump. But Hunter Biden will go to jail because of a phoney case brought by a Trumper. This is a national disgrace.
Neville Chamberlain and Merrick Garland serve as figures in history whose inability to act decisively has sparked debates about leadership, responsibility, and the consequences of inaction. While operating in vastly different contexts—Chamberlain as the British Prime Minister facing Nazi Germany and Garland as the U.S. Attorney General navigating complex political and legal challenges—both shared reluctance to confront aggressive fascists head-on, earning both the characterization of being “spineless.”
Neville Chamberlain’s legacy is defined by his policy of appeasement toward Adolf Hitler in the late 1930s. Chamberlain, eager to avoid another catastrophic war, negotiated the Munich Agreement in 1938, allowing Nazi Germany to annex the Sudetenland. This act was widely celebrated as a victory for peace at the time but is now often seen as a grave error that emboldened Hitler and accelerated the path to World War II. Chamberlain’s failure to confront Germany’s aggression early on is frequently criticized as a display of weakness, driven by an aversion to conflict and an inability to grasp the true nature of the threat. His inaction, motivated by the hope that Hitler could be placated, left Britain and its allies unprepared for the larger war that followed.
Merrick Garland, as U.S. Attorney General, operates in a modern context dominated by political polarization and unprecedented challenges to the rule of law. Garland’s cautious and deliberative approach, particularly in handling investigations into former President Donald Trump and attempts to undermine democratic institutions, reflects a lack of urgency and resolve. Garland has been accused of prioritizing the appearance of impartiality and adherence to norms over confronting existential threats to democracy.
This cautiousness is reminiscent of Chamberlain’s failure to act decisively in the face of clear and present danger, risking further erosion of public trust in the justice system and enabling threats to persist unchecked.
Chamberlain’s decisions were made in the shadow of a devastating world war and with limited information about Hitler’s ultimate ambitions. Garland, conversely, has access to clear evidence of anti-democratic actions but faces a legal and political environment fraught with potential backlash. His defenders argue that his careful approach is necessary to preserve the integrity of the Justice Department, a task made more difficult by intense public scrutiny and partisan pressures.
In both cases, the charge of “spinelessness” stems from a perception that fear of conflict or backlash prevented bold action. For Chamberlain, this meant failing to stop a tyrant before he could wreak havoc; for Garland, it reflects a reluctance to address threats to democracy decisively. Both leaders faced a delicate balance between maintaining stability and confronting dangerous forces, but their caution has left them vulnerable to criticism that history may judge their inaction more harshly than their intentions. Ultimately, their legacies highlight the risks of leadership that seeks safety in caution when the moment calls for courage.
Different, certainly, but perhaps not so vastly different. I feel we made the same type of mistake in 2014 with Crimea and will do so again with this current invasion by Putin. Failure to act decisively is an action and ironically, if preserving the "reputation of the DOJ" was Garland's motivation then he failed spectacularly and in fact has darned near destroyed it.
One of the things democrats do that drives me crazy is to say we/they cannot do something because it will set a precedent for Rs later. As if modern Rs wait for any precedent as excuse or permission or revere any precedent whatsoever: "We can't expand the SCOTUS because then the next time the Rs are in power they'll expand it too" is just one example.
Well we can all take solace in the truism that Karma is a Bitch and at some distant point all of this evil-doing will collapse on Teflon Don. The craven weakness of Mueller, Garland and John Roberts have brought us to this point, but who will bring us out?
So much for everyone being equal under the law. It’s disgusting that TCF gets away with EVERYTHING. He’ll always be a convicted felon though not that the hoodwinked rubes care.
It’s the last Special Council for sure, unless you believe as I do that the Supreme Court can be enlarged one day to become more accountable and representative of the needs of the Constitution and citizens of the US. I do believe that can and will eventually happen. Reality insists on itself so it’s all dependent on timing and who can win elections. I also believe the reality that there will be a vast correction in our system that will be years in the making. Again, reality insists on itself. America is after all a Democracy. Our muscle memory is such that taking a system of 250 years and changing into another system in 2 or 4 years is most likely not going happen or be permanent. These are incredible times we need to get through and resist them as much as possible.
We must face the facts, our new president is a convicted felon, and in addition he led an insurrection, is a traitor to our nation, committed other criminal acts and will now never be held accountable for any of them. Even though more than half our voters did not elect him, the inane anachronism of the electoral college continues in the US, and almost half of the voters did elect him. Just like Germany in the '30s, our people now look the other way to get some "want," some desire, over what is moral, ethical and right. The old saying, a people of a nation get the leaders they deserve-- applies. I did not elect him but must suffer. Sadly we are witnessing the end of the America we knew. Sieg Heil!
The Hegemony of Divine intervention has morphed into the insanity of men like House speaker Johnson and kooky current day Christian Nation advocates. And Lenoard Leo.
It may be the last empire eventually falling into prince run city states.
Note: i tried to tell you.
Thomas Malthus.
Me too, Geronimo.
And
I'm sad as a 84 year old white republican I'll never get to vote for BERNIE again.
We can only hope that at some point, after Trump has begun to level his horror show upon us that enough terrified Republicans in the House and Senate will have had enough and switch sides, turning Congress over to Democrats. A pipe dream but a dream no less.
I've read that Bondi is considering appointing special counsel to investigate 2020 "election fraud" in the swing states. Fun, if they aren't constitutional.
I am STRENUOUSLY hoping that Smith's final reports will be a way of preserving evidence. We already know a lot about the evidence in the DC case just from his redacted filings. The UNREDACTED pleading is in the hands of Judge Chutkan. So it is out there. And the Mar a Lago files, including discovery, can be ordered preserved by the 11th circuit. (Sound of shredding machines coming from Cannon's offices?)
One thing to remember is the time it takes cases to work up to the Extremes (outside of Shadow Docket rulings). Trump is only around for 4 years (maybe less if the nation turns Democratic in force in 2026 and impeachment once again looms). Cases take longer than that to get to the top of the food chain, and the Extremes may well punt on some of them. Unless the civil service rules get actually reversed by Congress, Smith's crew can go though the wrongful termination procedures, eventually being able to sue in Federal Court. Same is true of anyone fired without cause. And the House margin isn't all THAT strong for changing those rules.
So the Schumer deal is probably a GOOD thing, as it guarantees way more Biden nominations to District Court judges than if the 4 appellate judges were in the mix. We've SEEN with Cannon how a District Court judge can drag things out, probably with more skill than Cannon's attempts were. Better to have lots of choices as to where to start the legal proceedings for pretty much any challenge to Trumpian attempts. As for prosecuting the prosecutors, the cry of "witch hunt" isn't exactly evidence. Are ALL the prosecutions going to be filed in front of Judge K or his ilk?
Some say that dropping the charges now without prejudice was the only way to ensure that Trump can be charged again when he leaves office. If the cases were still open, the new AG could close them permanently.
Feels as though Democracy died because the Democratic Party let it. . . . Pls dear God make Biden stop saying there's nothing we can't do. He and Kamala are Exh A that this tired bromide is irrelevant and meaningless. As is the national democratic party.
Like many of the folks in the anti-fascist resistance, I grew up as a hippie, anti-war university student and early member of SDS during the 1960s-early 1970s. We were the dreaded "elite" of our time...and much of "middle America" Nixon voters hated us at the time because we aggressively opposed a purposeless war that was killing the children of the Americans who hated us.
..so it's not really a surprise that the same "elite" in far different form and times just lost an election to a criminal, "no crimes here", juvenile delinquent dressed up as a garbage truck driver, who was peddling cultural intolerance and retribution to America's working class and Christian nationalist.
We were fighting life and death issues then and we'll be fighting life and death issues after Trump is sworen in.
After 3-4 years of unending protests and 58,000 military deaths, America realized the national disaster created by our Vietnam war policies and changed course.
In our democracy, presidents and their governments cannot govern when they lose the consent of the governed.
I'm not sure how this principle will play out in 2025, but I'm 100% confident it will.
Be ready to act
I am hanging on to the optimism you expressed here, bolstered by the ongoing count of votes, which as of now, show that the convicted felon did NOT win "a majority", but a "plurality" and that more people did NOT vote for him than did. I am hopeful that those who sat out the election, and those who bought into his snake oil promises, will have their own come-to-Jesus moment when prices go up, the purges begin and their sources of income are affected. As for now, looks like the American Nazi party won another round.
British PM Harold Macmillan on the greatest challenge for statesmen: Events, dear boy, events.
We're tattered, shattered, and I don't know what all, but Trump does not control the future. Chins up, folks. Not even Donald is invincible. Jack Smith did his best under impossible circumstances (meaning Merrick Garland) but we will keep fighting. No choice really.
Garland is an easy target for people who don't know what they're talking about.
Then it's incumbent for ppl who do know what they're talking about to explain. Pls do enlighten me.
I am old enough to remember the experience that happened during the Watergate “incident“ there was a huge hue and cry by the public over the firings. We also had decent Republicans in office who believed that nobody is above the law and they went after Nixon regarding his secret tapes.That ended in Nixon’s resignation. None of that applies now. America is in deep Doodoo folks.
The people who still identify as Republicans are the criminals who are allowing this to happen. Why, I don't know. What does T know about them that they don't want anyone else to know? I have believed since 2015 that T is an agent of the Russians, but how could I see it and the FBI and CIA couldn't see what Putin was doing. How long have they been working for Putin too? What about Zuckerberg and his social media cohorts? Zuckerberg lives in the Bay Area. What is he doing here that we can't see? Why are immense amounts of money so important to so many people? All you need is enough to be comfortable, and that's not an immense amount of money.
Will you help me? Can you help me?
You don’t need my help. You always had the power to go back to Kansas.
I had?
Then why didn’t you tell her before?
Because she wouldn’t have believed me. She had to learn it for herself.
What have you learned, Dorothy?
—The Wizard of Oz (M-G-M 1939)
The American People will have to learn the hard way.
Getting back to Kansas looks like a long trip right now, but yes we have hope.
This is the end of Special Counsels who investigate Republicans. Between the Supreme Court and Republicans in Congress it has become impossible to hold a Republican president to account no matter how egregious the behavior. Think about it -Nixon resigned but lived a long life and was partially rehabilitated in the end. Reagan was allowed a pass on Iran/Contra. GHW Bush was also allowed a pass on Iran/Contra. W Bush has not been held to account for Iraq, for war crimes or for crashing the economy. And we don't even need to discuss Trump. But Hunter Biden will go to jail because of a phoney case brought by a Trumper. This is a national disgrace.
Neville Chamberlain and Merrick Garland serve as figures in history whose inability to act decisively has sparked debates about leadership, responsibility, and the consequences of inaction. While operating in vastly different contexts—Chamberlain as the British Prime Minister facing Nazi Germany and Garland as the U.S. Attorney General navigating complex political and legal challenges—both shared reluctance to confront aggressive fascists head-on, earning both the characterization of being “spineless.”
Neville Chamberlain’s legacy is defined by his policy of appeasement toward Adolf Hitler in the late 1930s. Chamberlain, eager to avoid another catastrophic war, negotiated the Munich Agreement in 1938, allowing Nazi Germany to annex the Sudetenland. This act was widely celebrated as a victory for peace at the time but is now often seen as a grave error that emboldened Hitler and accelerated the path to World War II. Chamberlain’s failure to confront Germany’s aggression early on is frequently criticized as a display of weakness, driven by an aversion to conflict and an inability to grasp the true nature of the threat. His inaction, motivated by the hope that Hitler could be placated, left Britain and its allies unprepared for the larger war that followed.
Merrick Garland, as U.S. Attorney General, operates in a modern context dominated by political polarization and unprecedented challenges to the rule of law. Garland’s cautious and deliberative approach, particularly in handling investigations into former President Donald Trump and attempts to undermine democratic institutions, reflects a lack of urgency and resolve. Garland has been accused of prioritizing the appearance of impartiality and adherence to norms over confronting existential threats to democracy.
This cautiousness is reminiscent of Chamberlain’s failure to act decisively in the face of clear and present danger, risking further erosion of public trust in the justice system and enabling threats to persist unchecked.
Chamberlain’s decisions were made in the shadow of a devastating world war and with limited information about Hitler’s ultimate ambitions. Garland, conversely, has access to clear evidence of anti-democratic actions but faces a legal and political environment fraught with potential backlash. His defenders argue that his careful approach is necessary to preserve the integrity of the Justice Department, a task made more difficult by intense public scrutiny and partisan pressures.
In both cases, the charge of “spinelessness” stems from a perception that fear of conflict or backlash prevented bold action. For Chamberlain, this meant failing to stop a tyrant before he could wreak havoc; for Garland, it reflects a reluctance to address threats to democracy decisively. Both leaders faced a delicate balance between maintaining stability and confronting dangerous forces, but their caution has left them vulnerable to criticism that history may judge their inaction more harshly than their intentions. Ultimately, their legacies highlight the risks of leadership that seeks safety in caution when the moment calls for courage.
Different, certainly, but perhaps not so vastly different. I feel we made the same type of mistake in 2014 with Crimea and will do so again with this current invasion by Putin. Failure to act decisively is an action and ironically, if preserving the "reputation of the DOJ" was Garland's motivation then he failed spectacularly and in fact has darned near destroyed it.
Yes. His four years of slow walking will be flipped in a heartbeat when Bondi takes over. All of that for nothing.
One of the things democrats do that drives me crazy is to say we/they cannot do something because it will set a precedent for Rs later. As if modern Rs wait for any precedent as excuse or permission or revere any precedent whatsoever: "We can't expand the SCOTUS because then the next time the Rs are in power they'll expand it too" is just one example.
Well we can all take solace in the truism that Karma is a Bitch and at some distant point all of this evil-doing will collapse on Teflon Don. The craven weakness of Mueller, Garland and John Roberts have brought us to this point, but who will bring us out?
Are Childern
So much for everyone being equal under the law. It’s disgusting that TCF gets away with EVERYTHING. He’ll always be a convicted felon though not that the hoodwinked rubes care.
It’s the last Special Council for sure, unless you believe as I do that the Supreme Court can be enlarged one day to become more accountable and representative of the needs of the Constitution and citizens of the US. I do believe that can and will eventually happen. Reality insists on itself so it’s all dependent on timing and who can win elections. I also believe the reality that there will be a vast correction in our system that will be years in the making. Again, reality insists on itself. America is after all a Democracy. Our muscle memory is such that taking a system of 250 years and changing into another system in 2 or 4 years is most likely not going happen or be permanent. These are incredible times we need to get through and resist them as much as possible.
WAS a democracy. There may be no going back. Did the Roman Empire ever become a republic again?
We must face the facts, our new president is a convicted felon, and in addition he led an insurrection, is a traitor to our nation, committed other criminal acts and will now never be held accountable for any of them. Even though more than half our voters did not elect him, the inane anachronism of the electoral college continues in the US, and almost half of the voters did elect him. Just like Germany in the '30s, our people now look the other way to get some "want," some desire, over what is moral, ethical and right. The old saying, a people of a nation get the leaders they deserve-- applies. I did not elect him but must suffer. Sadly we are witnessing the end of the America we knew. Sieg Heil!
Lucian, it's the end of another Empire.
The Hegemony of Divine intervention has morphed into the insanity of men like House speaker Johnson and kooky current day Christian Nation advocates. And Lenoard Leo.
It may be the last empire eventually falling into prince run city states.
Note: i tried to tell you.
Thomas Malthus.
Me too, Geronimo.
And
I'm sad as a 84 year old white republican I'll never get to vote for BERNIE again.
But I'll keep sending him coffee money.
Cal, you know we love you and we hope you are feeling better. Take care.
Thank you Ellen.
Modern Mecidine.
Hmm best medicine was about 16000 years ago.
Humans passed at 35 years.
We can only hope that at some point, after Trump has begun to level his horror show upon us that enough terrified Republicans in the House and Senate will have had enough and switch sides, turning Congress over to Democrats. A pipe dream but a dream no less.
Thank You LT Sir, for laying it on a plate.
I was a kid on a paper route, reading every article and column of the twisted tales and roots of that sorted episode in Our National Memory.
Trump too shall pass into history,
As Time Goes On.
Alan 'Not Again' just South of Boston
...sordid episode... non spellcheck
I thought that was a nod to your paper boy status at the time...
I've read that Bondi is considering appointing special counsel to investigate 2020 "election fraud" in the swing states. Fun, if they aren't constitutional.
I am STRENUOUSLY hoping that Smith's final reports will be a way of preserving evidence. We already know a lot about the evidence in the DC case just from his redacted filings. The UNREDACTED pleading is in the hands of Judge Chutkan. So it is out there. And the Mar a Lago files, including discovery, can be ordered preserved by the 11th circuit. (Sound of shredding machines coming from Cannon's offices?)
One thing to remember is the time it takes cases to work up to the Extremes (outside of Shadow Docket rulings). Trump is only around for 4 years (maybe less if the nation turns Democratic in force in 2026 and impeachment once again looms). Cases take longer than that to get to the top of the food chain, and the Extremes may well punt on some of them. Unless the civil service rules get actually reversed by Congress, Smith's crew can go though the wrongful termination procedures, eventually being able to sue in Federal Court. Same is true of anyone fired without cause. And the House margin isn't all THAT strong for changing those rules.
So the Schumer deal is probably a GOOD thing, as it guarantees way more Biden nominations to District Court judges than if the 4 appellate judges were in the mix. We've SEEN with Cannon how a District Court judge can drag things out, probably with more skill than Cannon's attempts were. Better to have lots of choices as to where to start the legal proceedings for pretty much any challenge to Trumpian attempts. As for prosecuting the prosecutors, the cry of "witch hunt" isn't exactly evidence. Are ALL the prosecutions going to be filed in front of Judge K or his ilk?
Some say that dropping the charges now without prejudice was the only way to ensure that Trump can be charged again when he leaves office. If the cases were still open, the new AG could close them permanently.
Feels as though Democracy died because the Democratic Party let it. . . . Pls dear God make Biden stop saying there's nothing we can't do. He and Kamala are Exh A that this tired bromide is irrelevant and meaningless. As is the national democratic party.