Sunday, May 26, 2019

Some Things Are Worth Remembering

I've known a few judges over the years. My association with them often left me feeling disappointed. However there is one that I found inspiring.
Oddly enough, we met at an art show Kathy and I were doing. Kathy is the artist. He came over to our booth with his wife and they introduced themselves.
Geroge W. Bush was president and I was a regular letter writer to our state's daily newspapers. My letters were highly critical of Bush and they drew a lot of heat. I became a magnet for hostility, especially around the issue of Iraq.
At Kathy's shows people usually don't come over to see me, so it was a surprise when they asked me if those were my letters. They liked my letters.
The following week I met with the judge in his chambers. He was impressive not based upon his position, but for his character. He has a genuinely good heart. He must have a very old soul. He writes musical comedies based upon not at all funny novels. He's also a member of the ACLU.
We have remained in touch. When an old friend's grandson was thinking about law school, he was happy to meet with him and answer any questions he might have. We met in his chambers after observing him in the courtroom.
He answered all the questions. He didn't lecture. He told him he didn't have to go to a prestigious law school to be a good lawyer. When asked why he went to law school, he didn't pause. He said when he was a young man he read "To Kill A Mockingbird" and was inspired by the book.
On the ride home, I asked what he thought of the judge. He said, "He's a really nice guy." This young man always holds his cards close to the chest. He measures his responses, but this was actually a telling response.
Yesterday, Kathy had her first art show of the season. It was Déjà vu all over again, only now the judge is retired. I asked him if he's been keeping up with what's going on. He said he couldn't talk about it. He said he "hates" Donald Trump.
His whole affect changed when he said that. He was noticeably shook. He said I have never hated anybody. I don't like that I have hate in my heart. I can't get beyond it.
Outdoor art shows can be draining. This was one of the most draining shows I've ever been to. The sun was hiding and the wind was blowing. I was very cold and we were set up in the shade of a tree. I was too cold to read the book I had hoped to finish.
I think I would've been fine if I'd thought to bring a jacket. Kathy really did well. That's always good. It helps mitigate whatever discomfort the elements bring. Except this time, I can't shake seeing a decent man so distressed and feeling powerless to help.
How many decent Americans have given everything they've had to insure our future and prosperity? How many evils have we confronted at home and abroad? We can't afford to ignore what is happening and pretend things are okay, especially on Memorial Day.
It's time to put aside all political considerations and stop our nation's reckless descent into fascism. It's time to impeach Donald Trump while we still can.
This morning my daughter, who is speaking at a conference in Poland, posted some pictures of her trip. This one in particular caught my attention.
Holy Moly!

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

What's Really Going On?

What Nancy Pelosi says about not impeaching Trump makes no sense when taken at face value. Here are the 4 reasons I've heard:

1. There aren't enough votes in the Senate to convict him.
2.  "He's just not worth it."
3. It might somehow upset voters.
4. The way to replace him is to vote him out in 2020.

I don't believe Nancy is actually this stupid, but I think she thinks we are.
So let's assume Nancy is deliberately lying to us as to her true motivations for not impeaching Trump.

I believe Trump cannot win in 2020. I believe Nancy knows this. I believe she wants to make sure he runs for exactly that reason.

This assumes Trump will actually be the candidate in 2020. It's also shows a callous disregard for the security and well being of the country and the American people.

I believe this is the very definition of malfeasance. I believe it is also criminal negligence.

When we know a crime has been committed, is being committed or will be committed and we do nothing we are abetting the crime. We become accomplices before, during or after the fact.

If this is indeed Pelosi's strategy, it is myopic. It is based upon static reasoning. It assumes Trump is the candidate.

I don't think Trump will be the candidate. I think we are witnessing the beginning of Justin Amash's campaign to unseat Donald Trump as the Republican presidential candidate in 2020.
I think we are witnessing a brilliant political strategy that stands a good chance of succeeding.

Justin Amash has seized both the political high ground and the moral authority to stake his claim for why he should be president.
First, he rises above partisan politics and does the one thing the Democrats have refused to do. He says Trump should be impeached. In the process he validates Mueller and exposes Barr for the fraud he is.
Second, and equally important, he trashes both the Republicans and the Democrats. In a succinct, eloquent way he says they are all hypocrites. And, once again, he's right.
I believe Justin Amash can either unseat Trump in a primary or convince him not to run. Either way, Justin is a formidable candidate for president.

Trump cannot afford not to run. If he loses, he's going to prison along with most of his family. He has no way out and he knows it.
If Trump was absolutely convinced he would lose and if he were offered pardons for himself and his family if he stepped down would he do so? Would he decline a Get Out Of Jail Free card?

The Republicans would gladly vote for Amash. What about the real swing voters, the Independents? Would the Independents vote for Amash?

If the choice was between the honest, non-partisan guy who took on his own party to defend our country as opposed to whatever candidate the Democrats offered - the same Democrats who wouldn't do the right thing and impeach Trump while holding overwhelming evidence to justify it - odds are good the Independents would go for the honest, non-partisan guy.
Candidate Amash turns the 2020 elections into a horse race as opposed to another Republican drubbing.

Can Amash fund such a campaign? Well, Amash is a member of the House Freedom Caucus. He's a Libertarian. Guess who the Kochs would deliver the bucks for? Remember, the Kochs didn't want Trump in the first place. Trump was/is Putin's boy. Putin outwitted the Kochs in 2016.
Could Amash get away with pardoning Trump? He could. He could say he did it for the good of the country. Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon based on that. After winning the Presidency, Barack Obama told the Democrats not to go after Geroge W. Bush based on that.

What would Trump say if he chose not to run? He could say he is getting old and campaigning is taking its toll. He could say he's doing it for the good of the country, because it's the only way to stop the endless witch hunt conspiracy, He could say noting at all.

I think this or some variation of this is what's really going on. Take some time and consider this. Form your own conclusions.
Holy Moly!

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Amo, Amas, Amash

Justin Amash has actually read the Mueller report and done a perfect legal analysis of it. What's more he did it in a series of simple, eloquent Tweets. We love you Justin Amash.
I'm a guy wanting to see the entire Republican criminal house of cards come down.
I want to see these guys and gals held accountable for their many crimes. I want them arrested, tried, convicted and sent to prison.
And Justin, well Justin is a member of the House Freedom Caucus. That's him with some of his buds. Whoa, that's Jim Jordan he's hanging with.
So what's the deal here? Well, you've got to give the devil his due. A flawless legal analysis is a flawless legal analysis no matter who writes it. That's called intelligence over party.
On the other hand, Justin is a Libertarian. Libertarian is a code word for Koch head. The Kochs are as much a threat to this country as the Russians - maybe even more of a threat.
So lets' look at some of what Justin wrote.
Holy shit - literally holy shit. That says it all in one. simple, concise and perfectly clear sentence.
The guy is eloquent and non-partisan. He's become the freakin' poster boy for impeaching Trump - deservedly so.
By comparison Pelosi and Nadler look weak, ineffective and stupid - yeah, I said stupid.
Pelosi has said she won't impeach Trump because the votes just aren't there in the Senate to convict him. She's also said, "He's just isn't worth it." when it comes to impeaching Trump.
First, Pelosi has no idea what will happen if the House impeaches Trump. It could cause an angry groundswell that completely sweeps Trump and the Republicans out of Washington.
Foremost, the question is whether or not our country is worth it Nancy. We all know Trump is worthless, but the country is worth saving.
So, in a matter of days a Republican member of the House Freedom Caucus has taken the lead when it comes to impeaching Trump. He is now the face of impeachment. He is also a potential presidential candidate in 2020.
He's also got a campaign slogan to run on. Jeeze, the Koch boys are having wet dreams over this. They never wanted Trump, not ever.
Call me crazy, but I think the House Democrats should be leading the efforts to impeach Trump because it's the right, patriotic and smart thing to do. Democrats who advocate for it show leadership and strength.
Holy Moly!

Sunday, May 19, 2019

Country Over Party - Bullshit Is Not Palatable

Trump and Barr are shredding our Constitution on a daily basis. Our government is being dismantled and we are under attack by a hostile foreign power. Putin is having his way with us.
Trump is heading up an international organized crime organization. His actions and those of his crime family have been under investigation since 2016. In 2017, Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to look into the whole affair.
Mueller turned in a damning report on March 22nd. Prior to that Mueller was subjected to constant personal attacks by Donald Trump who referred to the investigation as a "witch hunt". 
Since receiving the report, Barr has done everything he can to bury it and falsely report Mueller's findings. At Trump's request, Barr opened an investigation into the investigation. Trump calls the investigation "treason". In his efforts to protect Trump, Barr is attacking his own agency - he has subverted the rule of law.
Barr is being aided and abetted in his efforts to hide the Administration's treason and efforts at obstructing justice by the Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, who has been covering for Trump all along. Mitch is Trump's point man in Congress.
Our Constitution provides the exact remedy for this. The remedy is impeachment. The House is given the sole authority to begin and carry out impeachment proceedings. The good news is the Democrats control the House.
The bad news is the Democrats control the House. That's right. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler are preventing the House from initiating impeachment proceedings.
Speaker Pelosi has turned into Double Speaker Pelosi and we are being fed a line of bullshit that is equal to anything the Republicans have come up with.
The main reason given for not impeaching Trump is that there are not enough Republicans in the Senate who will vote to convict him. If you question this, Pelosi supporters respond with "I trust Pelosi. She has a lot of experience and knows what she is doing. She knows things we don't". I call this "blind trust".
Pelosi became Speaker of the House when the Democrats took it from the Republicans in 2006. She was the first ever female Speaker of the House. It was a midterm election and people were fed up with George W. Bush.
In 2008, Obama won the Presidential election in a landslide that had many predicting that the Republican Party was "dead". Public outrage over the scandals of the Bush administration - a war in Iraq and a failed economy - drove the nails in the Republican Party's coffin.
It only took two more years for the Republican Party to return from the dead and take back the House in record setting numbers. The Democrats maintained control of the Senate in 2010, but the House was lost. Hmmm ...
So last year, the Democrats regained the House and Pelosi is now once again Speaker. The Republicans had held the House since 2010, but, once again, public outrage over Republican lies and corruption determined the outcome of the elections.
I would argue that public outrage over corruption and lies is a powerful force not to be taken either lightly or ignored. I would argue that public outrage determined the outcome last year. It was not political experience or secret knowledge that flipped the House.
So much for blind trust. I supported Pelosi for Speaker. I urged patience when others pushed for impeachment before Mueller completed his investigation.
I was freaked when Pelosi put the kibosh on impeachment after the results of the Mueller investigation became public.
Nancy's argument that there are not enough Republicans in the Senate who will vote to convict Trump if we impeach him is such obvious bullshit.
How do I know this, let me count the ways -

1. Impeachment is a very public process. During the course of the hearings public outrage will go through the roof. Any Senator not voting to convict will be voted out of office.

2. If she truly believed this she wouldn't bother passing legislation and sending it to the Senate. McConnell won't let any Democrat legislation come up for a vote. Yet, she is passing legislation.

3. On "Face The Nation" on May 19th, Adam Schiff discussed this and said that "we may get there". He didn't say we may get there if the numbers in the Senate change. He was talking about exhausting all other means. He also acknowledged that impeachment gives the Democrats "a tool". He didn't talk about new evidence, he talked about the Mueller report.

4. It's the House's duty under the Constitution to do so. There is nothing that says only if the numbers are there in the Senate to convict.

5. More and more damage is being done everyday. Lawlessness is spreading. The forces of lawlessness are emboldened and taking action.

In the meantime, Democrats are starting to argue among themselves about this. Lack of action is tearing the voters apart. Experienced leaders do not create dissension they build cohesion.
I saw "Little Murders" in 1971. I haven't seen it since. If I want to refresh my memory, all I have to do is watch the daily news.
I saw "Network" in 1976. It too is still resonating and relevant.  
Is there anybody out there listening? Couldn't we at least try to make things better? Is it expecting too much from a politician to simply try?
All this waiting may not be working for us or the country, but it is working for Donald Trump and the Republicans and Vladimir Putin. Putin has already launched a new wave of cyber warfare against us.Why leave elections to chance? Democracy is just more bullshit, right?
Holy Moly!