Carlson asserts in his interview with Joe Kent that, "The Founding Fathers were Christian, the founding stock were Puritan Quaker Christians. . . ." Let me assure you that there was no such thing as a "Puritan Quaker". The Puritans were intractable religious purists and would not allow Quakers to live in the Massachusetts Bay colony. In addition to denying Quaker-owned ships permission to dock in their port, they hanged Quaker Mary Dyer on June 1, 1660, in Boston after having previously hanged William Robinson and Marmaduke Stevenson, for the crime of being Quakers.
As usual, Carlson doesn't know what he's talking about.
Trump, like anybody else, is entitled to invoke the Fifth Amendment to avoid self-incrimination. Constitutional rights for everyone are just that, for everyone. But it's deeply ironic that he does so now, after telling everyone that anyone who invokes the Fifth is guilty as the sun. And we shouldn't forget that either.
The thing that gets me about the white nationalists is how they always talk about America's unique, white "Judeo-Christian" culture. You know they don't mean the Judeo part.
I am so tired of the MAGA/America First white nationalist Christians whining about removing statues from the public square. It seems to be one Joe Kent's go to arguments when grooming white nationalist voters.
One of my favorite prints from the 1770s shows New Yorkers toppling the statue of George III. We have been toppling statues of ENEMIES of the Republic since--- well forever.
It is pretty clear that our post-Reconstruction history is one of rehabilitating enemies of the nation as if they were not enemies. They were in fact TRAITORS no matter how they, and their apologists, spin the facts or try to gussy it all up as some form of alternative patriotism. Revisionist history must not stand.
They were enemies. They are enemies.
We should recoil from the leaders of the Confederacy in just the same way we recoil from Hitler, Stalin and Mao.
It took 150 years but the Confederate flag was finally flown proudly and triumphantly throughout the Capitol on January 6. Think about that.
So, I've noticed this week that there have been several summaries of Trump's current legal liabilities. What I don't understand is why none of these lists mention the E. Jean Carroll defamation case, which is scheduled for February.
Maybe it's just that writers are only referencing what touches this week's events. But it feels a bit like there's a media moratorium on mentioning Trump's legal liabilities due to the women he's sexually assaulted. Now, if it were up to me, every single article that mentions Trump would mention the E Jean Carroll case, or at least use the term "accused rapist Donald J. Trump." But I consider rape and sexual assault to be serious crimes.
Am I imagining a news blackout on this upcoming case? Is anyone else hearing or seeing it mentioned? How come people keep saying they're deeply concerned about the FBI warrant, but nobody has any concern about, you know, Trump raping women? Has reading Ronan Farrow's Catch and Kill radicalized me? The man is going to trial in February because he raped a woman and then denied it.
Biden has been on a bit of a roll lately. Has anyone taken notice? It looks more and more like success in November on either side will come down to marketing and messaging. How effectively the Democrats can sell their recent and ongoing successes should go a long way toward wiping out some of those expected losses in close races.
The logical side of me finds it hard to believe that they can't take advantage of that, plus the insurrectionist GOP implosion, to make inroads with open-minded voters. Perhaps they should hire some of those famously liberal Hollywood movie directors to put a visually effective promotional campaign together and then get it in front of the eyes of the electorate, well in advance of election day and before the GOP talking points settle in like cement.
When the case law is on your side, argue the case law.
When nothing is on your side, Pound on the table.
Trump took the fifth in NY and he could release the warrant materials and the inventory of what was removed. Not a soul has claimed that there were no classified materials taken in the search. Trump has publicly stated that only gangsters plead the fifth.
I loved a quote from Morning Joe today: "It's no fun when the rabbit's got the gun."
"Reports suggest that the feds had an informant on the inside, who tipped them off that Team Trump was lying about the government records."
Can we all agree that, despite Republican attempts to take ownership of the word as if a birthright, under the circumstances this is the definition of a Patriot?
He is the poor victim of a witch hunt/partisan abuse of the DoJ. Just ask him. He says he now knows why an innocent person would plead the 5th. If it was not so disgusting (and predictable) it would be hilarious.
Things must be pretty damn serious--Trump actually listened to his (apparently at least minimally competent) lawyers. That is a seeming small miracle in itself. He usually only appears to listen to the loons... that tell him what he wants to hear. If only he had been so thoughtful and aware during his Presidency... on a wide range of things.
This also seems like a huge case of projection. Trump (and his cult) would obviously corrupt and misuse the DoJ for personal and partisan reasons. In a heartbeat. Any "smart" person would do the same, amiright?
We have already had threats from the various House Repbuli-critters about payback when they get power back. DeSantis has made and carried through on threats against Disney. Others are lining up for it.
The shape of things to come when the GoP regains control (note that I did not say if. If would only apply if a quarter to a third of the American electorate weren't acting as (barely) functional idiots because of their hatred and fear of the Other).
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
(Yeats)
I have almost come to grips with the realization that, for the rest of my life (and probably longer) we are one lost election away from a disaster of epic proportions. Almost. There is some dim spark of hope in me somewhere that hopes that it isn't so. It gets weaker all the time.
There ARE solutions... but that would require people to want and work towards those solutions. They would require massive changes in culture and in the institutions of our government... and in our character.
'“I once asked, ‘If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?’” he said while reading from a prepared statement, ..... I now know the answer to that question.” He said that he (and his family and associates were) being targeted by lawyers, prosecutors and the news media, and that left him with “absolutely no choice” but to do so.
Of course, Don Jr., Ivanka, Jared and many "associates" have testified, presumptively truthfully, rather than hiding behind the same paranoid horror-scenario excuse. And what a better chance to "put the record straight" than by giving truthful answers when presented with the opportunity? Telling the truth is easy; you don't have to remember the various lies you told before so that you can repeat them.
What he really means is because he is under scrutiny by truth-seekers, he has to lie or shut up. His "truth" is based upon his "alternative facts (thanks Kellyanne)" and has no chance of connecting with the "truth" understood by the law. He also just saw an "associate", Alex Jones, caught on camera while testifying under oath committing perjury.
Not that we will definitely get to see it, but I wonder if there is any delightful footage of Trump taking the 5th on questions like Flynn got about the peaceful transfer of power.
"Mr. Trump, are you aware that taking things that aren't yours is against the law?"
Everyone is speculating about the docs at Mar-A-Lago. All we know is that Trump took 20+ boxes of docs illegally from the White House. When caught, he only turned over a portion. He or his aides then apparently lied to the FBI when asked if they were still in possession of the remaining docs. This led to the search warrant.
The speculation is why would Trump do this? My leading guess is that there is some seriously incriminating stuff that Trump wanted to hide. This goes hand in hand with him taking the Fifth 440 times. Trumps not even trying to hide his criminality anymore.
Carlson asserts in his interview with Joe Kent that, "The Founding Fathers were Christian, the founding stock were Puritan Quaker Christians. . . ." Let me assure you that there was no such thing as a "Puritan Quaker". The Puritans were intractable religious purists and would not allow Quakers to live in the Massachusetts Bay colony. In addition to denying Quaker-owned ships permission to dock in their port, they hanged Quaker Mary Dyer on June 1, 1660, in Boston after having previously hanged William Robinson and Marmaduke Stevenson, for the crime of being Quakers.
As usual, Carlson doesn't know what he's talking about.
Trump, like anybody else, is entitled to invoke the Fifth Amendment to avoid self-incrimination. Constitutional rights for everyone are just that, for everyone. But it's deeply ironic that he does so now, after telling everyone that anyone who invokes the Fifth is guilty as the sun. And we shouldn't forget that either.
Did Trump manage to give his name without lying?
Baby steps.
The thing that gets me about the white nationalists is how they always talk about America's unique, white "Judeo-Christian" culture. You know they don't mean the Judeo part.
I am so tired of the MAGA/America First white nationalist Christians whining about removing statues from the public square. It seems to be one Joe Kent's go to arguments when grooming white nationalist voters.
One of my favorite prints from the 1770s shows New Yorkers toppling the statue of George III. We have been toppling statues of ENEMIES of the Republic since--- well forever.
It is pretty clear that our post-Reconstruction history is one of rehabilitating enemies of the nation as if they were not enemies. They were in fact TRAITORS no matter how they, and their apologists, spin the facts or try to gussy it all up as some form of alternative patriotism. Revisionist history must not stand.
They were enemies. They are enemies.
We should recoil from the leaders of the Confederacy in just the same way we recoil from Hitler, Stalin and Mao.
It took 150 years but the Confederate flag was finally flown proudly and triumphantly throughout the Capitol on January 6. Think about that.
So, I've noticed this week that there have been several summaries of Trump's current legal liabilities. What I don't understand is why none of these lists mention the E. Jean Carroll defamation case, which is scheduled for February.
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/19/trial-for-trump-rape-defamation-lawsuit-by-e-jean-carroll-scheduled.html
Maybe it's just that writers are only referencing what touches this week's events. But it feels a bit like there's a media moratorium on mentioning Trump's legal liabilities due to the women he's sexually assaulted. Now, if it were up to me, every single article that mentions Trump would mention the E Jean Carroll case, or at least use the term "accused rapist Donald J. Trump." But I consider rape and sexual assault to be serious crimes.
Am I imagining a news blackout on this upcoming case? Is anyone else hearing or seeing it mentioned? How come people keep saying they're deeply concerned about the FBI warrant, but nobody has any concern about, you know, Trump raping women? Has reading Ronan Farrow's Catch and Kill radicalized me? The man is going to trial in February because he raped a woman and then denied it.
Gosh, I wonder why all those people spitting fire on talk shows about Peter Meijer don't seem to care about Jaime Herrera Beutler.
Biden has been on a bit of a roll lately. Has anyone taken notice? It looks more and more like success in November on either side will come down to marketing and messaging. How effectively the Democrats can sell their recent and ongoing successes should go a long way toward wiping out some of those expected losses in close races.
The logical side of me finds it hard to believe that they can't take advantage of that, plus the insurrectionist GOP implosion, to make inroads with open-minded voters. Perhaps they should hire some of those famously liberal Hollywood movie directors to put a visually effective promotional campaign together and then get it in front of the eyes of the electorate, well in advance of election day and before the GOP talking points settle in like cement.
when the facts are on your side, argue the facts.
When the case law is on your side, argue the case law.
When nothing is on your side, Pound on the table.
Trump took the fifth in NY and he could release the warrant materials and the inventory of what was removed. Not a soul has claimed that there were no classified materials taken in the search. Trump has publicly stated that only gangsters plead the fifth.
I loved a quote from Morning Joe today: "It's no fun when the rabbit's got the gun."
Pound away/
"Reports suggest that the feds had an informant on the inside, who tipped them off that Team Trump was lying about the government records."
Can we all agree that, despite Republican attempts to take ownership of the word as if a birthright, under the circumstances this is the definition of a Patriot?
Thanks for your hard work Charlie! I do always enjoy your writing; it is always well-crafted yet easy to read, always informative. Thanks.
That Alex Jones article literally made me throw up in my mouth a little bit.
WRT Trump and the Fifth:
He is the poor victim of a witch hunt/partisan abuse of the DoJ. Just ask him. He says he now knows why an innocent person would plead the 5th. If it was not so disgusting (and predictable) it would be hilarious.
Things must be pretty damn serious--Trump actually listened to his (apparently at least minimally competent) lawyers. That is a seeming small miracle in itself. He usually only appears to listen to the loons... that tell him what he wants to hear. If only he had been so thoughtful and aware during his Presidency... on a wide range of things.
This also seems like a huge case of projection. Trump (and his cult) would obviously corrupt and misuse the DoJ for personal and partisan reasons. In a heartbeat. Any "smart" person would do the same, amiright?
We have already had threats from the various House Repbuli-critters about payback when they get power back. DeSantis has made and carried through on threats against Disney. Others are lining up for it.
The shape of things to come when the GoP regains control (note that I did not say if. If would only apply if a quarter to a third of the American electorate weren't acting as (barely) functional idiots because of their hatred and fear of the Other).
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
(Yeats)
I have almost come to grips with the realization that, for the rest of my life (and probably longer) we are one lost election away from a disaster of epic proportions. Almost. There is some dim spark of hope in me somewhere that hopes that it isn't so. It gets weaker all the time.
There ARE solutions... but that would require people to want and work towards those solutions. They would require massive changes in culture and in the institutions of our government... and in our character.
As was printed on another site:
'“I once asked, ‘If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?’” he said while reading from a prepared statement, ..... I now know the answer to that question.” He said that he (and his family and associates were) being targeted by lawyers, prosecutors and the news media, and that left him with “absolutely no choice” but to do so.
Of course, Don Jr., Ivanka, Jared and many "associates" have testified, presumptively truthfully, rather than hiding behind the same paranoid horror-scenario excuse. And what a better chance to "put the record straight" than by giving truthful answers when presented with the opportunity? Telling the truth is easy; you don't have to remember the various lies you told before so that you can repeat them.
What he really means is because he is under scrutiny by truth-seekers, he has to lie or shut up. His "truth" is based upon his "alternative facts (thanks Kellyanne)" and has no chance of connecting with the "truth" understood by the law. He also just saw an "associate", Alex Jones, caught on camera while testifying under oath committing perjury.
Not that we will definitely get to see it, but I wonder if there is any delightful footage of Trump taking the 5th on questions like Flynn got about the peaceful transfer of power.
"Mr. Trump, are you aware that taking things that aren't yours is against the law?"
"Taking the 5th."
Everyone is speculating about the docs at Mar-A-Lago. All we know is that Trump took 20+ boxes of docs illegally from the White House. When caught, he only turned over a portion. He or his aides then apparently lied to the FBI when asked if they were still in possession of the remaining docs. This led to the search warrant.
The speculation is why would Trump do this? My leading guess is that there is some seriously incriminating stuff that Trump wanted to hide. This goes hand in hand with him taking the Fifth 440 times. Trumps not even trying to hide his criminality anymore.