OT: At the Federalist today, an essay from "Tell Me How This Ends" reader Chad Williams: "Why Are Elected Republicans Helping Democrats Reward A Failed Education System?"
I have a few reoccurring themes that seem to emerge from my subconscious as I gaze on the world.
One of these is 'everything is a Tower of Babel'. I'm no Biblical scholar, nor the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I now cringe when I hear the words 'at scale' together.
Not sure of all the sins early man was demonstrating when building the Tower, but Pride/Hubris was obviously one of them.
The school districts are where I would begin chopping things down to size. I'm now beginning to think there should only be one high school per district, and the school board must have at least 50% from parents of current students.
School choice would, IMHO, would likely be less important if all families intimately knew everyone who was involved in their educations.
Oh, and I know this is a pipe dream--but all public sector unions must be outlawed.
They are a black plague on our nation. Did you ever see the documentary 'waiting for superman'? Don't watch it at night because the anger and disgust will keep you up all night.
Thank you. I’ve become an accidental observer of the public school bureaucracy based on my Kafkaesque experience with the institution. Chris was kind enough to write about my story, which led to The Federalist giving me the opportunity to tell it further. I’m truly grateful.
Your story about Republican officials and legislators empowering the destructive Democrat education grift/political agenda is another sad example of how the GOP party establishment abuses its voters and sells out the nation. This garbage is repeated daily at every level of power. The Marxist Democrat policies are clearly insane and destructive. But it’s the phony RINOs who enable their agenda.
Which is why, with very few exceptions, one should not give these backstabbing mfers any money. You should trust a politician like you trust a rattlesnake.
It’s problem/reaction/solution on a state and local scale. The politicians and school “experts” created the problem, the results speak for themselves, and now the “solution” is to give them billions more to perpetuate a failed institution. I haven’t found a single Republican official in the state who is willing to do anything about it. We know what to expect from Democrat politicians, but the real betrayal is by Republicans at every level who sell us out year after year.
I took a look at the Unionville-Chads Ford website. From the images I'm reminded of the movie STEPFORD WIVES, except in reverse. Instead of WIVES for STEPFORD MEN, the objective is to produce STEPFORD WEFS for STEPFORD QUEERS.
Having grown up in an adjacent county, I am not surprised by the reception Chad received from the Unionville-Chads Ford school board. That particular area is very close to an town that needs large quantities of horse shit to remain the "Mushroom Capital of the World." As the farms around that area are being developed, the horse shit supply was starting to dry up. The area found a fresh local supply; the school board . . .
Ha! Must be near Kutztown, no? Chris Bray has NOOOOO idea what Pennsylvania Dutch is. It's like a whole different planet. This is my memory of Clarence the School Bus Driver for Upper Perkiomen School District: "Hey, no smoken dem wackey weed mit der boos! Ve chus go zee ein bitts chus vonce!"
Grew up in Lancaster County. Where the "Ayemish" (as the New Yorkers would say) live. I was born in Lebanon County which is about as "dutchified" as you can get but Kutztown and Macungie would be viable guesses too.
Ha yes, MASCUMGIE! You can actually get much, much deeper, like SIESHOLTZVILLE or ZIONSVILLE. Of course, I´m talking about a bygone era. Everybody went extinct. These places are now only a SHELL of their former selves. Of course, sometimes just the SHELL is prettier and cleaner than what used to live in it.
Same reason they just bought the FBI a big fat new building, and have funded Volody baby's next mansion. They are, nearly without exception, whores who will do nothing to jeopardize their grift.
A stroke with aphasia as a result. The same brain degeneracy that could turn you catatonic like Bruce Willis has. Current state of America: Generals signing off in Amicus briefs who have severe TDS and Aphasia\other mental disorders. Frigging gross. Do I detect a Jill Biden 2.0 behind the scenes?
I think there could be something else here, Chris. What they are really saying is that if Trump isn’t prosecuted and becomes President, then civilians may not have control of the military because they will attempt a military coup against the elected President.
This strikes me as one of those things that these power class groups do from time time to signal to the entire herd of traitors what’s up.
Hayden is a treasonous reptile.
You’ve managed to translate the absurdity of the newspeak into satirical English. I didn’t know I’d be living in a Monty Python skit with humorless skit writers and bad crisis actors , but it helps to lampoon them effectively.
I have a theory. It’s not mine, so I can’t do it total justice, but it rings true for me.
I think DJT WANTS them to find that he has no immunity. I think he knows how much they hate him and will do completely irrational things - like ruling that presidents do not have criminal immunity.
Because what happens when that precedent is set? What happens when a new court order now says PRESIDENTS are prosecutable for crimes while they were in office? Clinton, anyone? Obama? Even Bush Jr? Not to mention the current potato in the WH.
I’ve been watching the trials and prosecutions be put together and they seem to be weaving a story. Like Trump is inviting it all to set the precedent that can be used against the absolute criminals that have run our country for decades.
It’s baffling to watch, but it feels like Trump is playing a character. And he’s setting the stage for some crazy stuff. And it seems like they know it.
Trump derangement is gonna go even more nuclear than it has. I hope we’re ready for the meltdown. 😂
I always wonder why these people become ‘barking mad’ whenever they are involved with DJT. I expect to walk outdoors and hear them howling at the moon.
I find the lack of self awareness in those suffering from massive TDS to be somewhat like Wil E Coyote s attempts to catch the road runner. Massive complicated plans that no one but the road runner and DJT can see how it ends. I don’t want to say that DJT is playing 5 dimensional chess against a group of buggereating morons. But can’t they see the natural outcome of stripping a president of immunity puts every past president in jeopardy? The crimes Obama committed would have him sent to The Hague for immediate trial of war crimes not that that would bother me I’d consider it just desserts. I can always hope
Agree 100%. TDS is a kernel now compared to August and September. We're going to test whether this country can hate each other this much and still function.
Whether or not this is Trump playing 4D chess, and despite the (D)erranged Amicus Brief, I am against SCOTUS finding for criminal Presidential Immunity. That will give future Tyrants an open door in my opinion. I realize the a lack of criminal immunity will give Presidents pause prior to acting, but that ain't necessarily a bad thing.
I think Trumps team is buying time with this move. Its like throwing a long pass on 2nd down, trying to end the game with one throw. They probably won't succeed and then will have to get there in smaller steps.
In the end, what happened on Jan 6 was not an insurrection, it was attempt to seek a redress of grievances. It got out of hand perhaps, but I'm not certain that the whole thing wasn't a put-up job by FBI plants and Capitol Police. The charges against Trump in this case assume an "insurrection" so in my view the predicate offense can't be proved or supported. Because MSM/Leftoids have been yelling insurrection from the moment it happened doesn't mean it was one.
The problem for Trump with this particular attempt at disabling him is the venue. Every single J6 Jury trial resulted in a conviction, and this will be tried in DC. The Judge has refused to honor the change of venue. The current problems are very troubling. But let's not open the door to tyrants because of these current problems.
They knew it was coming and left the place undefended. They wanted this, then got it, and now they're getting the most of it. Dangerous fucking group they are.
Agreed. I think he wants them to deny immunity. Especially because the “crime” they want to convict him of wasn’t one. But past presidents, or the current one? There are some pretty terrible skeletons in those closets.
Just like I think he wants them to overturn the immunity and privilege for keeping documents after a presidency. I mean, what an odd battle over a couple of documents they’re waging against him…when others have much, much more than he does. But then, just imagine what’s buried in the presidential libraries of Obama and Clinton...
It’s a pretty dangerous game he’s playing here. Who knows how it will turn out. But I’m pretty convinced he’s pushing them into a pretty damning stripping of presidential privilege. I have my doubts about Trump the leader. But because he’s waging a legit war against the entrenched bureaucracy and goading them into unfathomable behavior…I figure we have to hope he’s actually pushing the rot to the surface. Gonna be a wild ride.
I see your point, but SCOTUS has already ruled that the President enjoys immunity for actions taken within the outer limits of his duties. From Wikipedia:
“The Supreme Court of the United States found in Nixon v. Fitzgerald (1982) that the president has absolute immunity from civil damages actions regarding conduct within the "outer perimeter" of their duties. However, in Clinton v. Jones (1997), the court ruled against temporary immunity for sitting presidents from suits arising from pre-presidency conduct.”
Yes. I understand the civil damages concept, and its an important tenet. Imagine the chaos if someone could sue for damages any time a president made a policy decision that affected someone.
I understood that criminal immunity is not a settled matter. I could be wrong about that.
Reasonably the same concept would apply to all acts reasonably taken by the President within his authority as President, generously interpreted. So, you would have to show that the President acted clearly beyond the scope of his duties AND in a criminal fashion. An example of where this was done would be Bill Clinton who was impeached over perjury in the Lewinsky Affair, but not removed from office. He was later tried and disbarred for said perjury after he left office. But that underlying act and the subsequent perjury were clearly not within his duties as President. Ford pardoned Nixson for the Watergate break-in implying that said break-in would have been criminal act for which Nixon could be prosecuted after leaving office. The break-in was also clearly outside of his Presidential responsibilities.
"The notion of such immunity, both as a general matter, and also specifcally in the
context of the potential negation of election results, threatens to jeopardize our nation’s security and international leadership."
Flattened, yes, and they can't spell, either.
President Trump's legal team cobbled together various types of challenges, none of which were unprecedented, few of which were even particularly uncommon.
I downgraded the administration to regime during the reign of Bush the elder. When generalissimo Biden was installed, there was really no rational way of describing it as anything but a junta, once he began tearing the country apart in earnest.
I'm no great fan of President Trump, but his peculiar authoritarian leanings have seemed far less intrusive than those of his predecessors over the last four decades or so. In one sense, every presidency is an "imperial presidency." They all aspire to reign and rule; it goes with the territory.
The separation of powers used to (largely) keep them in check, but when radical extremists have infested the legislature and align ideologically with el commandante, trouble always follows.
American democracy is safest when the executive and legislative branches are in opposition to each other.
As far as the amici are concerned, their brief suggests that they are true to type. I'll say this much, Chris; it's been quite interesting to watch the "soft" coup unfold, and election interference by military types at this juncture reminds me of what follows when a soft coup begins to unravel as this one seems likely to do.
I don't disagree, Jason. President Trump tried to restore a small amount of accountability, returning power to the legislative, executive and judicial branches where it belongs, and that's when the coup began in earnest.
Mind you, I'm not making the assertion that the president was systematic in the way he went about it, nor am I saying that his reforms would have been effective, and perhaps that's to your point; the unelected bureaucracy has wrapped itself in its interpretive ruleset, winding its procedural tentacles around anyone unfortunate enough to come to its attention.
"Process as policy" is an inevitable byproduct of imprecise administrative guidelines in any complex system. We see this everywhere. Partly, it's the result of ignorance on the part of those imposing the guidelines, in this case, the legislative and executive branches. In many instances, the vagueness is intentional; a means of avoiding political responsibility for adverse impacts. This is how the bureaucracy was ceded disproportionate influence.
The balance of power skews when legislation is overly broad in intent and unnecessarily complex. That complexity derives from regulatory capture.
It's a wicked problem. Complexity is baked into the system at this point. If the legislative branch had aligned with President Trump the way it has with possibly-president Biden, a bit of accountability may have been achieved, but only a bit.
To your point again; too much power is concentrated in the bureaucracy for anything but dismantling many of the agencies to restore the right of self-determination to the American people. Such dismantling is fraught with risk. There are predators and parasites hovering 'round, ready to take advantage of any opportunity, any lack of restraining authority. The irony is that administrative bloat has attracted a large percentage of predators and parasites into the ranks of the bureaucracy itself.
Leviathan will rule. Leviathan will destroy. There is no other outcome once government has been allowed to outgrow it's natural boundaries. Leviathan cannot easily be killed and it is no possible to persuade it to shrink in size and impact. Every possible effort will be made to destroy any threat; and Trump was, and is, an existential threat or he would be ignored.
1) Members of the U.S. military are INDIVIDUALLY responsible for refusing to obey unlawful orders. (True)
2) The legal liability of POTUS for issuing illegal orders makes it less likely he will issue such orders. (Pure hypothetical, since no such orders have been issued in 235 yrs, or at least none are known, and no POTUS has been investigated, let alone prosecuted for such.)
3) It is more difficult for the military to follow the law and refuse to follow an illegal order when the author of the order is immune, than it would be to refuse to follow an illegal order when the author of the order is prosecutable.
This is the comedic center – there is no coherent connection between a superior’s legal status and the inclination and requirement of subordinates to follow his orders.
An order is legal or illegal on its own merits, and that is the only consideration. Its author’s legal immunity is irrelevant.
Any military member or civilian official who thinks otherwise does not deserve to serve the people of the U.S.
I do think Madison issued a bunch of illegal orders, even if they didn't constitute prosecutable crimes, and everyone at the Hartford Convention leaps to their feet to agree.
I may be a “technical bastard” (old joke), but I’ve always distinguished between “illegal,” “unconstitutional,” “ultra vires” acts.
There is no criminal penalty for committing “unconstitutional” or “ultra vires” acts unless relevant laws have been enacted making them “illegal” and prescribing a penalty.
This hairsplitting is relevant because it’s the crux of the generals’ and military officials’ brief – that POTUS must be subject to CRIMINAL prosecution lest they succumb to his Rasputin-like influence.
However as they have demonstrated by their actions they have not succumbed to the Rasputin-like influence. So, their brief, by its very existence, repudiates their argument.
Actually, the military is the most careerist institution in the U.S. It cannot help but be – retention and advancement (particularly at O-6 (Colonel) and above) is utterly dependent on having no out-of-favor opinions and not being perceived as “resistant to command suggestions.” Being good at your job only gets you so far.
Much of the above describes civilian office politics, but there is only one employer for career members of the military, ergo there is no fallback employment.
We hold the men at the pointy end of the spear in awe (and properly so), but there is no civilian role for them to take up if the military passes them over.
This case was made
In 2011-12 when Obama had general/flag officers (and prospective candidates) interviewed about their views on “equity.” Less than full enthusiasm got the career off-ramp, i.e., a meaningless staff job at some backwater base like Thule, Greenland or Minot, North Dakota.
We are intentionally left with those susceptible to Rasputin.
And that is how we got the ‘excellence’ that was exhibited by Miley and Austin in Afghanistan and constantly since. Anyone promoted to O-6 or above under Obama or Biden should be viewed as suspect.
Everyday I exhaust myself trying to figure out how this kind of non thinking garbage, written by people trying to sound smart, permeates almost everything. And then I turn on the tv and it’s worse. Or listen in on peoples conversations. Or enter a courtroom.
And when I’m completed depleted with no explanation and wishing living on a deserted island appealed to me …..
Chris writes this , even from the utopia of our home state of California, and I can get up tomorrow with a tiny spark of hope ….. Until I turn on the news. Thanks Chris
Amici are deeply interested in this case because presidential immunity from criminal prosecution would threaten the military’s role in American society, our nation’s constitutional order, and our national security.
Interesting, because Presidents have always had immunity for the things done while they were in office. If this weren't the case, then every president from Nixon to Biden could be tried for war crimes against every nation that we didn't declare war against. That's up to and including the Ukrainian and Israeli conflict that are ongoing.
It's not just the illegal wars that they could be tried for, it's the civilian crimes that the DOJ, FBI, CIA, and NSA have participated in.
The Constitution subjects the armed forces of the United States to civilian control and the rule of law.
Again, every conflict since Vietnam has been an illegal war, without the consent of Congress. There have been no wars declared.
If the president doesn't get the immunity, neither do the members of the three letter agencies that have broken the law. I personally would find it highly amusing if every agent was pulled in and taken to court for violating the constitution.
The Time Magazine quote from the “Protect Democracy” website, citing the group’s own words, brings some extra irony by analogizing democracy’s role (as they see it) of protecting institutions (rather than enabling the people’s power over those institutions) to the proper response to “a virus sweeping the globe,” since a hallmark of covid propaganda was the need to protect medical *institutions*: that idea underlay the initial “flatten the curve” gambit, as well as vaccine mandates (mustn’t let those anti-vax kooks clog up our emergency rooms). In fact, “Protect the NHS” was the signature rallying cry of covid in the UK.
So the corporatist (in the old sense lately espoused by the men hanging upside down in the photo above) logic is pervasive with our new-normal overlords.
Military is only ever under civilian control at the sufferance (suffering?) of the military; these generals surely knows that.
America spreads democracy? News to me. Rather, America spreads corruption intending to make nations dependent on America (for trade deals and such) and Pax Americana, giving not a used fig for democracy.
Why else no embargoes against China and Saudi Arabia, both nations that far outstrips Cuba, Iran or DPRK in being anti-democratic? Or Burma? Or...?
Oh right, certain clans of corporate capitalists and politicians have financial interests there.
Honestly, the British Empire was far better at this and much more honest about it too. Playing at empire at home and abroad hurts you, and is probably one of the main reasons for how far apart US leaders - corporate and political - are from american citizens. You rarely hear (in my personal experience) normal americans argue for military adventurism and "spreading peace and democracy". Defend the homeland, sure - as should all people feel. Not tolerate outright acts of terrorism or hostage taking of citizens - abso-flipping-lutely, but that doesn't mean "Send the Marines" or build how many dozens of bases around the world.
Sometimes, reading about and commenting on US politics from without, I feel like Ash in 'Alien': "I can't lie to you about your chances, but. . . You have my sympathies." Pretty sure that goes both ways, seeing what's happening here in the EUSSR?
I didn't have the patience to open the door to the discussion, with complete tone-deaf confidence, about America promoting democracy overseas. But also an incredibly telling piece of the brief.
I always wonder when reading such pieces as theirs (there's been a deluge of equivalent pieces here during the NATO-application process) if they really believe their own words, or if they are just being clever (or rather, think themselves being clever).
This amicus brief is what you get when you have a segment of the military whose only job is to try and get promoted to the next higher rank. Not via merit, but by punching tickets and networking. Flag officers have decided it isn’t in their best interest to share a battlefield with the troops they are supposed to lead. They command from sometimes hundreds of miles away from the front lines and never see what is actually going on in a combat situation. While they can see images through eye in the sky drones and airplanes, top down doesn’t always show what it looks like on the battlefield. So they develop a sense of self importance and see themselves more than what they are. Colonel David Hackworth called them Perfumed Princes because of this. Hackworth commanded his troops from the same field his subordinates were fighting in.
The damndest thing is the flag officers have to know this because the troops know it and begrudge them for it. Sometimes a little more openly than they should. A units First Sausage(sergeant) is the one who usually quells these sentiments. But will send them up the chain regardless. The units Sausage Major does the same when the First Sausages start complaining.
If flag officers paid more attention to their actual jobs and commanding troops at ground level we would t have to worry about a group of retarded old coots making amicus briefs in political circles. They think that being retarded separates them from being called up under the UCMJ for partaking in political demonstrations (which technically they are doing by submitting this amicus brief) they are sadly wrong. It would be hilarious to have someone like oh say Gaetz to file a motion which would strip all these retarded flag officers of their commission. This would shut them up forthwith. They wouldn’t want their pensions revoked nor base privileges taken away. These flag officer’s wives would flay them alive at the town square if this happened.
Which of these fine “apolitical” flag officers spoke up when General Milley went behind the back of his Commander-in-Chief and communicated to the enemy that he would let them know if/when an attack was coming? Which one called out Milley for his treasonous actions? Did they think going behind the back of one’s CinC was acceptable conduct for a senior officer, or did they think it was acceptable only if the CinC happened to be a Republican?
On a graphic representation of the collapse of the the richest, freest society the world has ever known, the x axis, (time), is stalled at 2024, and the y axis line, (rate of collapse), is vertical, and setting new lows every hour.
And the saddest aspect is - that book is writing itself.
Just extract headlines from MSM newscasts, "news" releases from government agencies, clips from politicians phot ops, and, to add a soupcon of academic veracity. Insert accurate captions, (per your suggestions) - and voila! A 2044 high school history text.
OT: At the Federalist today, an essay from "Tell Me How This Ends" reader Chad Williams: "Why Are Elected Republicans Helping Democrats Reward A Failed Education System?"
https://thefederalist.com/2024/04/08/why-are-elected-republicans-helping-democrats-reward-a-failed-education-system/
Thank you, Chris. Only possible because you shared my story. You are incredibly generous.
Well done!
I have a few reoccurring themes that seem to emerge from my subconscious as I gaze on the world.
One of these is 'everything is a Tower of Babel'. I'm no Biblical scholar, nor the sharpest knife in the drawer, but I now cringe when I hear the words 'at scale' together.
Not sure of all the sins early man was demonstrating when building the Tower, but Pride/Hubris was obviously one of them.
The school districts are where I would begin chopping things down to size. I'm now beginning to think there should only be one high school per district, and the school board must have at least 50% from parents of current students.
School choice would, IMHO, would likely be less important if all families intimately knew everyone who was involved in their educations.
Oh, and I know this is a pipe dream--but all public sector unions must be outlawed.
bsn
Especially banish all teacher unions.
They are a black plague on our nation. Did you ever see the documentary 'waiting for superman'? Don't watch it at night because the anger and disgust will keep you up all night.
bsn
The Federalist! My favorite. I did not realize you did work over there.
Thank you. I’ve become an accidental observer of the public school bureaucracy based on my Kafkaesque experience with the institution. Chris was kind enough to write about my story, which led to The Federalist giving me the opportunity to tell it further. I’m truly grateful.
Your story about Republican officials and legislators empowering the destructive Democrat education grift/political agenda is another sad example of how the GOP party establishment abuses its voters and sells out the nation. This garbage is repeated daily at every level of power. The Marxist Democrat policies are clearly insane and destructive. But it’s the phony RINOs who enable their agenda.
Which is why, with very few exceptions, one should not give these backstabbing mfers any money. You should trust a politician like you trust a rattlesnake.
It’s problem/reaction/solution on a state and local scale. The politicians and school “experts” created the problem, the results speak for themselves, and now the “solution” is to give them billions more to perpetuate a failed institution. I haven’t found a single Republican official in the state who is willing to do anything about it. We know what to expect from Democrat politicians, but the real betrayal is by Republicans at every level who sell us out year after year.
💯
Here if you've ever wondered why RINO'S care about what "Pravda" thinks of them.
I can just see Schumer and McConnell laughing over lunch why they read WAPO.
They really do think we're troglodytes.
Whoops forgot link:
https://thefederalist.com/2024/04/09/the-washington-post-is-more-dangerous-than-so-called-russian-propaganda/
And I benefit thereby. I heartily approve, and congratulations.
Different topic, but one you might be interested in. Interesting 20 minute documentary. Speaking of the deep state, https://vigilantnews.com/post/how-the-deep-state-sabotaged-president-trumps-covid-response/
I watched it. It was great.
But I still think Trump has some responsibility
I took a look at the Unionville-Chads Ford website. From the images I'm reminded of the movie STEPFORD WIVES, except in reverse. Instead of WIVES for STEPFORD MEN, the objective is to produce STEPFORD WEFS for STEPFORD QUEERS.
Having grown up in an adjacent county, I am not surprised by the reception Chad received from the Unionville-Chads Ford school board. That particular area is very close to an town that needs large quantities of horse shit to remain the "Mushroom Capital of the World." As the farms around that area are being developed, the horse shit supply was starting to dry up. The area found a fresh local supply; the school board . . .
Ha! Must be near Kutztown, no? Chris Bray has NOOOOO idea what Pennsylvania Dutch is. It's like a whole different planet. This is my memory of Clarence the School Bus Driver for Upper Perkiomen School District: "Hey, no smoken dem wackey weed mit der boos! Ve chus go zee ein bitts chus vonce!"
Grew up in Lancaster County. Where the "Ayemish" (as the New Yorkers would say) live. I was born in Lebanon County which is about as "dutchified" as you can get but Kutztown and Macungie would be viable guesses too.
Ha yes, MASCUMGIE! You can actually get much, much deeper, like SIESHOLTZVILLE or ZIONSVILLE. Of course, I´m talking about a bygone era. Everybody went extinct. These places are now only a SHELL of their former selves. Of course, sometimes just the SHELL is prettier and cleaner than what used to live in it.
Same reason they just bought the FBI a big fat new building, and have funded Volody baby's next mansion. They are, nearly without exception, whores who will do nothing to jeopardize their grift.
That was a fantastic article.
Brilliant piece of writing.
I heard Mike Hayden had a stroke, which slightly sucked some of the fervor out of my seething disgust and hatred for this turd.
He tweeted that the unvaccinated should be sent to Afghanistan on the planes return trips.
I’d prefer to watch him tweet in prison without his thumbs….in a Trump Presidency…that would be his 10th bite of poo.
Laughed out loud a few times, CB always has a way to help the news go down with humor.
bsn
A stroke with aphasia as a result. The same brain degeneracy that could turn you catatonic like Bruce Willis has. Current state of America: Generals signing off in Amicus briefs who have severe TDS and Aphasia\other mental disorders. Frigging gross. Do I detect a Jill Biden 2.0 behind the scenes?
Woodrow Wilson 2.0.
I doubt it’s Jill. (Have you read her dissertation?) More likely an Anthony Blinken reboot or maybe Merrick Garland.
He's still evil. I don't care if he had a stroke. Sucks to be you, Lucifer.
I think there could be something else here, Chris. What they are really saying is that if Trump isn’t prosecuted and becomes President, then civilians may not have control of the military because they will attempt a military coup against the elected President.
This strikes me as one of those things that these power class groups do from time time to signal to the entire herd of traitors what’s up.
Hayden is a treasonous reptile.
You’ve managed to translate the absurdity of the newspeak into satirical English. I didn’t know I’d be living in a Monty Python skit with humorless skit writers and bad crisis actors , but it helps to lampoon them effectively.
If they try a military coup against Trump they will finally get to see if their red vs. blue simulations are accurate.
I have a theory. It’s not mine, so I can’t do it total justice, but it rings true for me.
I think DJT WANTS them to find that he has no immunity. I think he knows how much they hate him and will do completely irrational things - like ruling that presidents do not have criminal immunity.
Because what happens when that precedent is set? What happens when a new court order now says PRESIDENTS are prosecutable for crimes while they were in office? Clinton, anyone? Obama? Even Bush Jr? Not to mention the current potato in the WH.
I’ve been watching the trials and prosecutions be put together and they seem to be weaving a story. Like Trump is inviting it all to set the precedent that can be used against the absolute criminals that have run our country for decades.
It’s baffling to watch, but it feels like Trump is playing a character. And he’s setting the stage for some crazy stuff. And it seems like they know it.
Trump derangement is gonna go even more nuclear than it has. I hope we’re ready for the meltdown. 😂
I think you’re giving potatoes a bad name.
I always wonder why these people become ‘barking mad’ whenever they are involved with DJT. I expect to walk outdoors and hear them howling at the moon.
I find the lack of self awareness in those suffering from massive TDS to be somewhat like Wil E Coyote s attempts to catch the road runner. Massive complicated plans that no one but the road runner and DJT can see how it ends. I don’t want to say that DJT is playing 5 dimensional chess against a group of buggereating morons. But can’t they see the natural outcome of stripping a president of immunity puts every past president in jeopardy? The crimes Obama committed would have him sent to The Hague for immediate trial of war crimes not that that would bother me I’d consider it just desserts. I can always hope
Agree 100%. TDS is a kernel now compared to August and September. We're going to test whether this country can hate each other this much and still function.
Whether or not this is Trump playing 4D chess, and despite the (D)erranged Amicus Brief, I am against SCOTUS finding for criminal Presidential Immunity. That will give future Tyrants an open door in my opinion. I realize the a lack of criminal immunity will give Presidents pause prior to acting, but that ain't necessarily a bad thing.
I think Trumps team is buying time with this move. Its like throwing a long pass on 2nd down, trying to end the game with one throw. They probably won't succeed and then will have to get there in smaller steps.
In the end, what happened on Jan 6 was not an insurrection, it was attempt to seek a redress of grievances. It got out of hand perhaps, but I'm not certain that the whole thing wasn't a put-up job by FBI plants and Capitol Police. The charges against Trump in this case assume an "insurrection" so in my view the predicate offense can't be proved or supported. Because MSM/Leftoids have been yelling insurrection from the moment it happened doesn't mean it was one.
The problem for Trump with this particular attempt at disabling him is the venue. Every single J6 Jury trial resulted in a conviction, and this will be tried in DC. The Judge has refused to honor the change of venue. The current problems are very troubling. But let's not open the door to tyrants because of these current problems.
They knew it was coming and left the place undefended. They wanted this, then got it, and now they're getting the most of it. Dangerous fucking group they are.
Agreed. I think he wants them to deny immunity. Especially because the “crime” they want to convict him of wasn’t one. But past presidents, or the current one? There are some pretty terrible skeletons in those closets.
Just like I think he wants them to overturn the immunity and privilege for keeping documents after a presidency. I mean, what an odd battle over a couple of documents they’re waging against him…when others have much, much more than he does. But then, just imagine what’s buried in the presidential libraries of Obama and Clinton...
It’s a pretty dangerous game he’s playing here. Who knows how it will turn out. But I’m pretty convinced he’s pushing them into a pretty damning stripping of presidential privilege. I have my doubts about Trump the leader. But because he’s waging a legit war against the entrenched bureaucracy and goading them into unfathomable behavior…I figure we have to hope he’s actually pushing the rot to the surface. Gonna be a wild ride.
I see your point, but SCOTUS has already ruled that the President enjoys immunity for actions taken within the outer limits of his duties. From Wikipedia:
“The Supreme Court of the United States found in Nixon v. Fitzgerald (1982) that the president has absolute immunity from civil damages actions regarding conduct within the "outer perimeter" of their duties. However, in Clinton v. Jones (1997), the court ruled against temporary immunity for sitting presidents from suits arising from pre-presidency conduct.”
Yes. I understand the civil damages concept, and its an important tenet. Imagine the chaos if someone could sue for damages any time a president made a policy decision that affected someone.
I understood that criminal immunity is not a settled matter. I could be wrong about that.
Reasonably the same concept would apply to all acts reasonably taken by the President within his authority as President, generously interpreted. So, you would have to show that the President acted clearly beyond the scope of his duties AND in a criminal fashion. An example of where this was done would be Bill Clinton who was impeached over perjury in the Lewinsky Affair, but not removed from office. He was later tried and disbarred for said perjury after he left office. But that underlying act and the subsequent perjury were clearly not within his duties as President. Ford pardoned Nixson for the Watergate break-in implying that said break-in would have been criminal act for which Nixon could be prosecuted after leaving office. The break-in was also clearly outside of his Presidential responsibilities.
Very interesting indeed. It's giving a lot of credit to Trump's intelligence, but at this stage anything is possible.
If there’s one thing I don’t doubt, it’s Trump’s intelligence. Character or personality? Totally up for debate.
"The notion of such immunity, both as a general matter, and also specifcally in the
context of the potential negation of election results, threatens to jeopardize our nation’s security and international leadership."
Flattened, yes, and they can't spell, either.
President Trump's legal team cobbled together various types of challenges, none of which were unprecedented, few of which were even particularly uncommon.
I downgraded the administration to regime during the reign of Bush the elder. When generalissimo Biden was installed, there was really no rational way of describing it as anything but a junta, once he began tearing the country apart in earnest.
I'm no great fan of President Trump, but his peculiar authoritarian leanings have seemed far less intrusive than those of his predecessors over the last four decades or so. In one sense, every presidency is an "imperial presidency." They all aspire to reign and rule; it goes with the territory.
The separation of powers used to (largely) keep them in check, but when radical extremists have infested the legislature and align ideologically with el commandante, trouble always follows.
American democracy is safest when the executive and legislative branches are in opposition to each other.
As far as the amici are concerned, their brief suggests that they are true to type. I'll say this much, Chris; it's been quite interesting to watch the "soft" coup unfold, and election interference by military types at this juncture reminds me of what follows when a soft coup begins to unravel as this one seems likely to do.
Would that the Legislature were the chief problem. The Administrative State is now supreme and there is little that can be done about it.
Speaking of the deep state, https://vigilantnews.com/post/how-the-deep-state-sabotaged-president-trumps-covid-response/
I don't disagree, Jason. President Trump tried to restore a small amount of accountability, returning power to the legislative, executive and judicial branches where it belongs, and that's when the coup began in earnest.
Mind you, I'm not making the assertion that the president was systematic in the way he went about it, nor am I saying that his reforms would have been effective, and perhaps that's to your point; the unelected bureaucracy has wrapped itself in its interpretive ruleset, winding its procedural tentacles around anyone unfortunate enough to come to its attention.
"Process as policy" is an inevitable byproduct of imprecise administrative guidelines in any complex system. We see this everywhere. Partly, it's the result of ignorance on the part of those imposing the guidelines, in this case, the legislative and executive branches. In many instances, the vagueness is intentional; a means of avoiding political responsibility for adverse impacts. This is how the bureaucracy was ceded disproportionate influence.
The balance of power skews when legislation is overly broad in intent and unnecessarily complex. That complexity derives from regulatory capture.
It's a wicked problem. Complexity is baked into the system at this point. If the legislative branch had aligned with President Trump the way it has with possibly-president Biden, a bit of accountability may have been achieved, but only a bit.
To your point again; too much power is concentrated in the bureaucracy for anything but dismantling many of the agencies to restore the right of self-determination to the American people. Such dismantling is fraught with risk. There are predators and parasites hovering 'round, ready to take advantage of any opportunity, any lack of restraining authority. The irony is that administrative bloat has attracted a large percentage of predators and parasites into the ranks of the bureaucracy itself.
Leviathan will rule. Leviathan will destroy. There is no other outcome once government has been allowed to outgrow it's natural boundaries. Leviathan cannot easily be killed and it is no possible to persuade it to shrink in size and impact. Every possible effort will be made to destroy any threat; and Trump was, and is, an existential threat or he would be ignored.
The reasoning in this brief is laughable.
1) Members of the U.S. military are INDIVIDUALLY responsible for refusing to obey unlawful orders. (True)
2) The legal liability of POTUS for issuing illegal orders makes it less likely he will issue such orders. (Pure hypothetical, since no such orders have been issued in 235 yrs, or at least none are known, and no POTUS has been investigated, let alone prosecuted for such.)
3) It is more difficult for the military to follow the law and refuse to follow an illegal order when the author of the order is immune, than it would be to refuse to follow an illegal order when the author of the order is prosecutable.
This is the comedic center – there is no coherent connection between a superior’s legal status and the inclination and requirement of subordinates to follow his orders.
An order is legal or illegal on its own merits, and that is the only consideration. Its author’s legal immunity is irrelevant.
Any military member or civilian official who thinks otherwise does not deserve to serve the people of the U.S.
You said this better than I did.
I do think Madison issued a bunch of illegal orders, even if they didn't constitute prosecutable crimes, and everyone at the Hartford Convention leaps to their feet to agree.
I may be a “technical bastard” (old joke), but I’ve always distinguished between “illegal,” “unconstitutional,” “ultra vires” acts.
There is no criminal penalty for committing “unconstitutional” or “ultra vires” acts unless relevant laws have been enacted making them “illegal” and prescribing a penalty.
This hairsplitting is relevant because it’s the crux of the generals’ and military officials’ brief – that POTUS must be subject to CRIMINAL prosecution lest they succumb to his Rasputin-like influence.
However as they have demonstrated by their actions they have not succumbed to the Rasputin-like influence. So, their brief, by its very existence, repudiates their argument.
Actually, the military is the most careerist institution in the U.S. It cannot help but be – retention and advancement (particularly at O-6 (Colonel) and above) is utterly dependent on having no out-of-favor opinions and not being perceived as “resistant to command suggestions.” Being good at your job only gets you so far.
Much of the above describes civilian office politics, but there is only one employer for career members of the military, ergo there is no fallback employment.
We hold the men at the pointy end of the spear in awe (and properly so), but there is no civilian role for them to take up if the military passes them over.
This case was made
In 2011-12 when Obama had general/flag officers (and prospective candidates) interviewed about their views on “equity.” Less than full enthusiasm got the career off-ramp, i.e., a meaningless staff job at some backwater base like Thule, Greenland or Minot, North Dakota.
We are intentionally left with those susceptible to Rasputin.
And that is how we got the ‘excellence’ that was exhibited by Miley and Austin in Afghanistan and constantly since. Anyone promoted to O-6 or above under Obama or Biden should be viewed as suspect.
Even being retained is grounds for suspicion.
Everyday I exhaust myself trying to figure out how this kind of non thinking garbage, written by people trying to sound smart, permeates almost everything. And then I turn on the tv and it’s worse. Or listen in on peoples conversations. Or enter a courtroom.
And when I’m completed depleted with no explanation and wishing living on a deserted island appealed to me …..
Chris writes this , even from the utopia of our home state of California, and I can get up tomorrow with a tiny spark of hope ….. Until I turn on the news. Thanks Chris
The performative nature of absolutely everything is exhausting.
From the Amica:
Amici are deeply interested in this case because presidential immunity from criminal prosecution would threaten the military’s role in American society, our nation’s constitutional order, and our national security.
Interesting, because Presidents have always had immunity for the things done while they were in office. If this weren't the case, then every president from Nixon to Biden could be tried for war crimes against every nation that we didn't declare war against. That's up to and including the Ukrainian and Israeli conflict that are ongoing.
It's not just the illegal wars that they could be tried for, it's the civilian crimes that the DOJ, FBI, CIA, and NSA have participated in.
The Constitution subjects the armed forces of the United States to civilian control and the rule of law.
Again, every conflict since Vietnam has been an illegal war, without the consent of Congress. There have been no wars declared.
If the president doesn't get the immunity, neither do the members of the three letter agencies that have broken the law. I personally would find it highly amusing if every agent was pulled in and taken to court for violating the constitution.
Obama's war in Libya. Biden's war in Yemen.
Bidens war in Ukraine
“…every president from Nixon to Biden could be tried for war crimes against every nation that we didn't declare war against.”
Congressional approval can be inferred from subsequent appropriations to fund the supposedly “illegal” activity.
I can only remember one Cobgressional defunding – the 1982 “Boland amendment” that cut off aid
to the Nicaraguan Contras.
A gerontokakistocracy, if you can keep it... (BFranklin,).
"gerontokakistocracy"
Term embraced!
slap a "beribboned" adjective on that
The Time Magazine quote from the “Protect Democracy” website, citing the group’s own words, brings some extra irony by analogizing democracy’s role (as they see it) of protecting institutions (rather than enabling the people’s power over those institutions) to the proper response to “a virus sweeping the globe,” since a hallmark of covid propaganda was the need to protect medical *institutions*: that idea underlay the initial “flatten the curve” gambit, as well as vaccine mandates (mustn’t let those anti-vax kooks clog up our emergency rooms). In fact, “Protect the NHS” was the signature rallying cry of covid in the UK.
So the corporatist (in the old sense lately espoused by the men hanging upside down in the photo above) logic is pervasive with our new-normal overlords.
"Protect the NHS" is a perfect example. Absolutely yes.
Military is only ever under civilian control at the sufferance (suffering?) of the military; these generals surely knows that.
America spreads democracy? News to me. Rather, America spreads corruption intending to make nations dependent on America (for trade deals and such) and Pax Americana, giving not a used fig for democracy.
Why else no embargoes against China and Saudi Arabia, both nations that far outstrips Cuba, Iran or DPRK in being anti-democratic? Or Burma? Or...?
Oh right, certain clans of corporate capitalists and politicians have financial interests there.
Honestly, the British Empire was far better at this and much more honest about it too. Playing at empire at home and abroad hurts you, and is probably one of the main reasons for how far apart US leaders - corporate and political - are from american citizens. You rarely hear (in my personal experience) normal americans argue for military adventurism and "spreading peace and democracy". Defend the homeland, sure - as should all people feel. Not tolerate outright acts of terrorism or hostage taking of citizens - abso-flipping-lutely, but that doesn't mean "Send the Marines" or build how many dozens of bases around the world.
Sometimes, reading about and commenting on US politics from without, I feel like Ash in 'Alien': "I can't lie to you about your chances, but. . . You have my sympathies." Pretty sure that goes both ways, seeing what's happening here in the EUSSR?
I didn't have the patience to open the door to the discussion, with complete tone-deaf confidence, about America promoting democracy overseas. But also an incredibly telling piece of the brief.
I always wonder when reading such pieces as theirs (there's been a deluge of equivalent pieces here during the NATO-application process) if they really believe their own words, or if they are just being clever (or rather, think themselves being clever).
They have the moral benefit of not having to believe the Narrative, it is only necessary to believe in the Cause.
". . . we risk jeopardizing America’s standing as a guardian of democracy in the world"
Quite a few decades late to be worrying about that. The world now sees America for the manipulative monster our treasonous "leaders" have made it.
https://twitter.com/MikeBenzCyber/status/1777916294274449712
Confessions of an Economic Hitman, 3rd edition. Tells you everything about spreading democracy you need to know.
This amicus brief is what you get when you have a segment of the military whose only job is to try and get promoted to the next higher rank. Not via merit, but by punching tickets and networking. Flag officers have decided it isn’t in their best interest to share a battlefield with the troops they are supposed to lead. They command from sometimes hundreds of miles away from the front lines and never see what is actually going on in a combat situation. While they can see images through eye in the sky drones and airplanes, top down doesn’t always show what it looks like on the battlefield. So they develop a sense of self importance and see themselves more than what they are. Colonel David Hackworth called them Perfumed Princes because of this. Hackworth commanded his troops from the same field his subordinates were fighting in.
The damndest thing is the flag officers have to know this because the troops know it and begrudge them for it. Sometimes a little more openly than they should. A units First Sausage(sergeant) is the one who usually quells these sentiments. But will send them up the chain regardless. The units Sausage Major does the same when the First Sausages start complaining.
If flag officers paid more attention to their actual jobs and commanding troops at ground level we would t have to worry about a group of retarded old coots making amicus briefs in political circles. They think that being retarded separates them from being called up under the UCMJ for partaking in political demonstrations (which technically they are doing by submitting this amicus brief) they are sadly wrong. It would be hilarious to have someone like oh say Gaetz to file a motion which would strip all these retarded flag officers of their commission. This would shut them up forthwith. They wouldn’t want their pensions revoked nor base privileges taken away. These flag officer’s wives would flay them alive at the town square if this happened.
Jail and claw back any pay or pension down to the lowest enlisted level.
Sentence all of them to death!
Which of these fine “apolitical” flag officers spoke up when General Milley went behind the back of his Commander-in-Chief and communicated to the enemy that he would let them know if/when an attack was coming? Which one called out Milley for his treasonous actions? Did they think going behind the back of one’s CinC was acceptable conduct for a senior officer, or did they think it was acceptable only if the CinC happened to be a Republican?
Apolitical my ass!
There’s gotta be something in the water?
Looks like the Hunter Laptop group is trying to get the band back together again.
On a graphic representation of the collapse of the the richest, freest society the world has ever known, the x axis, (time), is stalled at 2024, and the y axis line, (rate of collapse), is vertical, and setting new lows every hour.
Imagine being these guys. We have to win just so the history books can deliver the right take on these clowns.
“ Here are the morons who destroyed the U.S. dollar and economy.”
“Here are the lunatics who destroyed San Francisco.”
“ Once upon a time these people thought men could be women just by saying they were.”
“Here’s the imbecile who decided to blame CO2 for all the woes of the planet and destroyed civilization.”
You get the picture.
And the saddest aspect is - that book is writing itself.
Just extract headlines from MSM newscasts, "news" releases from government agencies, clips from politicians phot ops, and, to add a soupcon of academic veracity. Insert accurate captions, (per your suggestions) - and voila! A 2044 high school history text.
Now I we could just find a publisher...
...and that is why Trump, and all conservatives, must be destroyed.