117 Comments
May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

Necheles tried to slut shame Daniels and imply that she was a whore, and it blew up in her twisted face. Karma. Now Trump has been revealed as the disgusting slime he has always been.

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Yes, Linda, that is what she did. Just wait til Cohen takes the stand. What they will do to him will make their cross of Stormy look like a walk in Central Park on a sunny day.

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Michael Cohen : "Bring it on, it's time to thrown down and settle this humbug once and for all!"

cnn.com

The 29 most consequential lines from Michael Cohen’s congressional testimony

Chris Cillizza

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/27/politics/michael-cohen-donald-trump-oversight-committee-russia/index.htm

I argue Michael Cohen has experienced a form of metanoia, realizing that his amoral devotion to Donald Trump severely scarred his entire life up to that point.

Human beings are capable of change, without that capability, for most people, in some form, potentially aided by far too many guides for any possible listing, it's all darkness and fog spiraling into a meaningless void.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metanoia_(psychology)

Metanoia (from the Greek μετάνοια, metanoia, "changing one's mind") has been used in psychology since at least the time of American philosopher/psychologist William James to describe a process of fundamental change in the human personality.[1]

The term derives from the Ancient Greek words μετά (metá) (meaning "beyond" or "after") and νόος (noeō) (meaning "perception" or "understanding" or "mind"), and takes on different meanings in different contexts.

Developments

William James used the term metanoia to refer to a fundamental and stable change in an individual's life-orientation.[1] Carl Gustav Jung developed the usage to indicate a spontaneous attempt of the psyche to heal itself of unbearable conflict by melting down and then being reborn in a more adaptive form – a form of self healing often associated with the mid-life crisis and psychotic breakdown, which can be viewed as a potentially productive process.[2] Jung considered that psychotic episodes in particular could be understood as an existential crisis which might be an attempt at self-reparation: in such instances metanoia could represent a shift in the balance of the personality away from the persona towards the shadow and the self.[3]

Jung's concept of metanoia was an influence on R.D. Laing and his emphasis on the dissolution and replacement of everyday ego consciousness.[4] Laing's colleague, David Cooper, considered that "metanoia means change from the depths of oneself upwards into the superficies of one's social appearance" – a process that in the second of its three stages "generates the 'signs' of depression and mourning".[5] Similarly influenced was the therapeutic community movement. Ideally, it aimed to support people whilst they broke down and went through spontaneous healing, rather than thwarting such efforts at self-repair by strengthening a person's existing character defences and thereby maintaining the underlying conflict.

The Dutch psychiatrist Jan Foudraine wrote extensively about it, tracing its history through the work of Jung and Laing, and eventually considering it “a permanent change in gestalt.” He cites an example where one sees a black vase, then one blinks, and instead one sees two white faces in profile opposite each other (the Rubin vase).[6]

In transactional analysis, metanoia is used to describe the experience of abandoning an old scripted self or false self for a more open one: a process which may be marked by a mixture of intensity, despair, self-surrender, and an encounter with the inner void.[7]

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May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

Wouldn't it be extraordinary if THIS is what finally brings him down?

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If only. I fear that one MAGAAAAT who will cause a hung jury by refusing to convict the criminal.

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I think voir dire weeded anyone like that out.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/voir_dire

I got sidetracked from all other matters the last 90 minutes or so, watching Lawrence O'Donnell and guests dissect just how devastating Stormy Daniels's wit and refusal to be flummoxed or bullied by a defense attorney allegedly so brilliantly qualified to refute her testimony (as promoted previously by assorted pundits) as well as having Todd Blanche's application for Judge Merchan to declare a mistrial slapped down forcefully by the judge, in a stark departure from Merchan's usually unflappable demeanor!

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The most fun part of Lawrence’s program tonight was his quoting from the insipid bastard’s lawyer, referring to him as a “orange turd” over and over again. As I was brushing my teeth tonight I started laughing at the thought of him sitting there with his high priced lawyer referring to him repeatedly as an “orange turd”, he had to be steaming. Made my day 😎

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Yeah, I loved that part, too. I have to wonder if, having taken all of Donald's bitching, whining, unruly courtroom behaviour and Donald's insistence that his lawyers deny that he ever had sex with Daniels, which puts those lawyers in a very untenable position with the judge...that the repeated reference to Donald as the "orange turd" might be just a little passive-aggressive "payback' at Trump. A bit unprofessional if so, but I have to say I would completely understand the impulse. Trump must be a nightmare client from hell.

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Stormy's definitely in the wrong business!

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If you mean she would have made a fine legal advocate, I concur!

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Got to disagree. It should not be what "brings him down." That should be on his violation of the laws which he is charged with. Like it or not this court is not the morality police. IMHO some of her testimony went a bit too far afield. Evidently, the judge agreed because he had to admonish the Prosecution and, by definition her to cut back on the salacious. He is doing his best to minimize/elimimate the likely Defense motions on appeal for a mistrial or directed verdict.

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well of course it's about breaking the laws! I wasn't referring to "morality police". I was referring to the phenom that after all that this man has done , after all of the laws he has broken, he might be removed from our lives by a tax fraud violation. Think Al Capone.

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As I've been saying for 2 (or is it 3 now?!), "Trump will be Al Caponed."

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I'm not really clear on the reason that details would be the cause of a mistrial or directed verdict. I don't really understand the doctrine of directed verdicts either. Anyone care to enlighten me. I guess if there was ever going to be a directed verdict it would be Aileen Cannon.

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May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

So the bigly billionaire who's selling golden sneakers, Bibles, attaching pieces of the suit he wore for his mug shot to his trading cards and exhorting oil company execs to fork over a billion dollars is accusing someone else of being a money grubber? Surreal!

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Hypocrisy and egomania are part of his charm!

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Yes. He defies logic and his ardent followers never seem to catch that, never question. Therein lies his power.

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May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

More lawyers whose reputations will die at the hands of Donald Trump.

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ETTD, Kevin. The machinations of a lesser mind. Roy Cohn taught him his tricks, but he lacks Roy's charm. LOL

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Or iQ

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Yup!

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May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

As with all MAGAts, it's always projection. The 'orange turd' (in the transcript now) always demands his lawyers follow his instructions, which are nominally to be aggressive, retributive and demeaning. That this always backfires he seems not to recognize - or is unable to change his hubristic approach to anyone deemed deserving of his condescension. Lawyers take the extreme risk of damaging their reputations and credibility representing him. Most don't last long. His deny, deny, deny theme does not sit well with juries - note the E Jean Carroll verdict. I expect a repeat here. It may be the only conviction we see before November, but it highlights his moral repugnance and misogyny better than the remaining indictments/trials.

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And I am sure that he is telling his lawyers what he wants them to say and do, and therefore being hoisted on his own petard!

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I've loved the phrase "hoist on his own petard" since hearing in a first year Evidence law school class. It's fitting to see his own hubris to be the thing that may finally bring him down.

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May 10·edited May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

The best victory for the people would be for the jury to deliberate about 20 minutes before returning the verdict of guilty..

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Unfortunately neither Trump's defiant immorality nor his rampant misogyny seems to be viewed as a negative by his "base".

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We just need to turn out more of us than them. Which is a sad commentary, in itself, on the polarization that has been inflicted on the electorate.

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May 10·edited May 10

Joe Klein sez djt has a solid 46% of the vote—one of the most discouraging things I ever read. If you don't look at Klein's Sanity Clause Substack you're missing a good read. While I often disagree with his conclusions, his analysis is usually brilliant.

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May 10·edited May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

Saying this softly: don't understand the reason 99% of the media find that it is important/necessary to include any mention one of Stormy's occupations before her name. Media doesn't do that to stars of other movie genres nor is it something added to people who don't have a professional title whether in medicine, science, law, mil, education, royalty...

Having listened (not watched) the ongoing cable coverage am struck how many times most men feel there is a need to do so as many times as they can. And sadly a few wimmin.

Stormy owns who she is but she doesn't own what others say she is. And since adult film and or entertainment continually comes up there are many common threads that bind wimmin in that field and in the field of sex workers. That is sexual abuse as a child or young girl by MEN. Not boys. MEN. All sorts of men from family members to relatives to neighbors. It's only recently wimmin began taking control out of the hands of men as writers, directors, and producers. It was MEN who demanded the wimmin perform what they wanted to see. That included snuff films. Yes, actually killings of wimmin. And no group has the highest missing person or murdered than wimmin in that field. In both categories, the crimes are least likely to be solved. We do them no favors by pretending they are less than us and blaming them for certain outcomes inflicted on them by men. And sometimes worse as Stormy testified, blamed her self for not contemplating another man would see her as just a fuck. Wimmin need not be in that industry to have that happen to them, or worse.

Abused girls and wimmin are more than sexually abused. They are abused mentally, physically and emotionally. Those scars develop scar tissue and manifest in all sorts of ways.

Stormy didn't say when I was young I wanted to grow up to be a porn star or adult film star or an exotic dancer. She told her story of how it came to be, Her story is not the exception. Find her braver and more authentic than most men I know. So, to me, Storny is a woman, not just a someone who needs to be further explained by her eventual choice of work.

If someone wants to apply any iteration of porn to Stormy then they are obliged to qualify Trump with sexual predator ( Access Hollywood, EG Carroll, Karen Mcdougal, Stormy added to the dozens who came forward) Donald Trump rather than former President or worse, President Trump. And how did the GREAT NYC media long portray a known sexual predator, as a mere playboy?

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May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

Damn right. You deliver truths I would also vouch for.

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TY

The exploitation of gurlz and wimmin and the tolerance thereof are indefensible. There is no denying the crime data on the missing and murdered due to their occupation and it extends to all wimmin. And as far as ethnicity ~indigenous~ wimmin have experienced it the longest and by far the mostest beginning w/the first yt-invaders and continuing to this day.

So, if slapping better-sounding labels on individual wimmin, or different groupings of wimmin is society's idea of progress all the while retaining the same deeply rooted disrespect, want no part of that civilized society. None. Nada. Zilch.

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May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

Great comment, THANK YOU!

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May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

Excellent truths! Thank you!

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You're welcome.

As an ~indigenous~ man if there is one cultural difference that my kind would like to see in the non-indigenous world is to view people, places, and events from as close to their beginning as possible rather than a point of their choosing.

Much credit to the Manhattan prosecutors ( ironically a so-called loaner word from the~Lenape ~) for laying out the case that way and introducing Stormy Daniels by allowing her to begin with her beginning. Shame on the Trump defense team for attempting to criminalize Stormy (extortion) while arguing they are entitled to pass moral judgment on her life which somehow gave Trump the license to do to her as he pleases as he did w/EG Carroll.* while denying he did anything including knowing her (is Trump's position).

That appeal to jurors and the general population to judge her as immoral while the media and legal eagles pretend all they were doing was pointing out inconsistencies disgusts me. And sure as chit there was no defense of her honor nor any mention of her life experiences. Instead, every version and derivative of the word pornography was attached to her, even those who said she did well...for a porn star or adult film star which remain euphemisms for whore, slut, loose woman, prostitute, classless, stripper, and on and on. All the while rejecting and/or dismissing the rest of her life story from childhood to the present. Who does that? Love to see their browser history.

*EG Carroll case. The similarities are all there. So too are the differences. The number one difference is plain, so-called societal status, Wouldn't surprise me iif/when Ms. Carroll helps Stormy's financial position as she vowed to do for other wimmin who were wronged. She knows her societal status was one major reason she prevailed.

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Caste system alive and well in the good ole USA!

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Sad yet true. Especially since many here claim this is a Christian nation, Although am a non-believer do respect those who try to live their lives according to any code including religion. Have no respect for those who falsely claim they do while spitting at others rather than reaching out w/a helping hand. Does come down to givers and takers.

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May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

Bravo, Counselor Truscott. That was a great read!!!

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May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

Stormy was great!

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Clearly *Rump’s attorneys didn’t know how smart Daniels is. Neither do they understand the depth and extent of *Rump’s depravity. Every time they tried to shame her as a money-grubbing prostitute she had precisely the right answer that exposed *Rump for the money-grubbing immoral low-life that he is. The whole idea of trying to paint *Rump as a caring, virtuous, ethical, family man is hilarious. Can you disbar attorneys for being stupid? Kudos to the judge for being prepared for the mistrial motions. Trying to get a mistrial is a delaying tactic, and likely there will be more mistrial motions especially after *Rump explodes at Cohen while he’s on the stand. I think that’s inevitable. Blowing it all up might even be the plan. Sparing the jury from I predict *Rump’s uncontrollable outbursts is going to be the judge’s magnum opus. *Rump has met his match in this judge.

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Maybe his lawyers will drug him for Cohen's testimony. He can sleep through it.

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Nurses' motto--" You can't fix stupid, but you can medicate it"

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Where's Ambien when you need it??

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I want to see him lose it - no Prozac!

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May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

TFG's attorneys are hoping that the jury will be so distracted by a salacious shiny object that they will lose sight of the reason for the trial. They underestimate the intelligence of the jury and are also showing arrogant disdain for them. They are frantically trying to find something, anything, to win because they got nothin'.

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This jury is a sophisticated educated bunch of Manhattanites and I I don't think Drumpf's lawyers can pull any tricks on them!

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May 10·edited May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

As somebody by residence eligible myself for that jury, I agree w/ Arne Link. As I recall, prosecutors had exhausted their challenges when that dude surfaced. When the big liar first hit the tabloid gossip columns most Manhattanites were turned off, but one fashionable adv saleswoman I worked with bought the whole package. Some people just have a big blind spot.

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IDK, one guy stated that he gets his news from FAUX so there is that.

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They will receive instructions from the judge that which the trial is really about why the hush money was covered up. It should be interesting to hear Michael Cohen. Is he going to testify tomorrow? I was busy today and had to hear everything on the news with Alex Wagner and Lawrence O'Donnell.

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May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

Stormy Daniels tore Necheles to shreds. Then, just for good measure, she chewed her up, spit her out and threw her in the trash. This attorney knows better than to forget to object. That was a desperate ploy and it will fail when the defense tries to use it in summation.

Daniels was brilliant.

The Trump team is getting slaughtered.

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First thing, on this site don't edit your comment or it will disappear when you save it.

My experience has been that jurors tend to find God during deliberations. There is tremendous peer pressure in that room. When the decision is not in doubt it is a rare individual who can, with no evidence to support him or her, say "I just don't think he's guilty." We have seen this in other Trump related trials which have had MAGAs on the jury. It's very different from Facebook or a bar. They all know it's BS and people don't like to feel shame.

If the prosecution proves its case they will convict.

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Let's hope so as this is the only trial before the election!

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Eric, I'm curious about your experience with editing. I edit my comments frequently and I have not had a problem.

(edit)

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May 10·edited May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

Refresh after you edit and repost. Nothing wrong w/ the UI in that regard.

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Eric, it seems to disappear, but it doesn't. Refresh the page and you will see edited comment

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This. After saving the comment, it will appear at the top for a bit, then jump back to its original chronological location.

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Don't forget that it takes only one juror to say that he or she has a reasonable doubt.

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That is my great fear.

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I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed🤞🤞!

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May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

She was great. Trumps problem is his personality (aside from criminal acts). Anyone that spends time in the same room is repulsed.

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May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

I'd say that's his effect on anyone who spends time on the same planet.

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May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

After hearing the salacious testimony I wanted to take a shower -

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Kinda reminds me of Jabba the Hutt with Princess Leia

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Oh, so gross! Now I have to shower!

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We learned it was the missionary position, and Ms. Daniels' prayers were answered quickly. If Ms. Daniels had called me after being pinned under the shifting blob, I would have asked her what John Malkovich asked Clint Eastwood in "In the Line of Fire." -- "Did you delouse?"

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Me too, in bleach! Ick.

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Made my skin crawl

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May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

Please that the entire jury sees Trump as the perpetrator of this corporate fraud. Unfortunately, being a liar and a scum isn’t enough to convict, and not enough to convince followers that he is totally unfit.

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Fortunately his followers don’t have to be convinced, just the jury.

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May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

Maybe this will be enough to get him to lose enough votes to lose the election, since we won't be getting all the other trials! The state of NY is doing a great job!

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May 10Liked by Lucian K. Truscott IV

Stormy would make a better president than Trump. She's got more integrity.

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