Day: August 14, 2023

But We Love Him

The lovable orange man from Florida arouses two emotions….you either hate him or you love him….and those are the only two emotions that this man can muster from the American public.

I know why I dislike the man and his policies….I am sure you know why as well….but what about all those millions that adore the man?

Why?

There is one possibility…..according to one website…..

Donald Trump faces three separate indictments — over 70 criminal and felony counts — with additional charges likely to come in the days ahead.

But more stunning than the unprecedented legal cases against the former president is that Trump stands a solid chance of being re-elected president of the United States in 2024.

In most democracies, someone facing serious legal proceedings would not be able to run for office due to constitutional barriers or the inability to be nominated by a political party. Although ex-leaders in other nations are investigated, prosecuted and sometimes even jailed, they very rarely return to power.

What accounts for Donald Trump’s continuing appeal to many American voters?

American presidents have always been seen to be exceptional individuals. The myths around U.S. presidents are large and grow over time.

George Washington’s bravery and leadership ensuring victory during the War of Independence. Abraham Lincoln’s honesty and idealism prevailing during the Civil War. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s vision and determination defeating both the Great Depression in the 1930s and the Axis powers during the Second World War.

Even for a presidency deemed less than successful, post-White House actions — as demonstrated by Jimmy Carter’s human rights activism — can redeem a legacy and elevate the former president to near mythic status.

Being a typical or average politician running for president will not entice political donors, supporters and voters. Instead, Americans like to believe their presidential candidates have fought their way to the party’s nomination and to election day.

The Secret Reason Millions of People Love Donald Trump

Personally I think the author is a bit too poetic….or maybe a bit romantic…..

I think millions love him because he voices their deep hatred for others….voices they had not dared utter in the past….but now that gate is open and I do not think it will ever completely shut ever again.

Even conserv scholars are saying that Trump is not qualified under the 14th amendment….

A pair of conservative legal scholars argue in a newly released paper that, under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, former President Donald Trump is disqualified to hold office again, echoing a case long made by progressive experts and watchdogs.

In an in-depth analysis of Section 3, William Baude of the University of Chicago and Michael Stokes Paulsen of the University of St. Thomas contend that the clause “remains of direct and dramatic relevance today” even though it arose from “a particular historical situation and acute problem arising in the aftermath of the Civil War”—namely, the decision by Southern states to send supporters of secession and rebellion to Congress.

“Fast-forward a century and a half. The events surrounding efforts to overturn the result of the presidential election of 2020 have sparked renewed scholarly, judicial, and political interest in Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment,” noted Baude and Paulsen, both active members of the right-wing Federalist Society. “Several of the people involved in these events—most notably the defeated president, Donald Trump—had previously taken oaths to support the Constitution.”

“If they engaged in or gave aid and comfort to an insurrection against the constitutional government,” they added, “Section 3 would appear to bar them from holding office again.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/conservative-scholars-trump-disqualified

Of course these scholars are in a vast minority because most confessed conservs will bow down and kiss the feet of Donald the Orange.

Why?

What Say You?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The First Amendment–WTF?

We have people telling us that the jack boots are on the way…..dismiss their thoughts if you will but think about this incident in Kansas…..

Police officers and sheriff’s deputies raided the offices of a Kansas newspaper on Friday, taking computers and cellphones, apparently in response to a confidential source providing documents to the paper’s staff. The officers seized “everything we have,” said Eric Meyer, owner and publisher of the Marion County Record. The message of the raid was clear, Meyer said, per the Kansas Reflector: “Mind your own business or we’re going to step on you.” With the equipment gone, Meyer said he’s not sure how the weekly’s staff will be able to send the next edition to press on Tuesday night.

The Record had run news articles about Kari Newell, a restaurant owner, having been convicted of drunken driving and continuing to drive without a license. Its reporters were expelled from a public session with Republican US Rep. Jake LaTurner, though he had invited them, by Newell last week, which the Record published a story about here. The officers brought a search warrant with them for the raid, which involved the City of Marion’s entire police force, but it seems to be in violation of federal law—which requires law enforcement officers to subpoena materials, not just seize them. The magistrate judge who signed the warrant did not answer a request by the Reflector for comment. Nor did the police chief immediately respond to a request by Courthouse News Service.

Police went to Meyer’s home at the same time with the warrant, which lists allegations of identity theft and unlawful use of a computer. The executive director of the Kansas Press Association said the police raid is unprecedented in the state. “An attack on a newspaper office through an illegal search is not just an infringement on the rights of journalists but an assault on the very foundation of democracy and the public’s right to know,” Emily Bradbury said. “This cannot be allowed to stand.” Meyer, whose journalism career has included nearly a half-century at the Milwaukee Journal and the University of Illinois, said he’s never heard of such a raid. “It’s going to have a chilling effect on us even tackling issues,” he said, and “a chilling effect on people giving us information.”

This raid has caused one death….a 98 year old mother…..

The day after police raided the office of the Kansas newspaper she co-owned, along with her own home, Joan Meyer collapsed and died. Meyer co-owned the Marion County Record with her son Eric Meyer, the paper’s publisher, and along with the newspaper office, police also descended on their home Friday. According to the Record, Joan Meyer, who was 98 and “otherwise in good health for her age,” watched in tears as police seized her computer as well as a router used by her Alexa smart speaker (leaving her unable to use it for assistance, the paper notes), left a mess of cords tangled on the floor, and pawed through her son’s papers. She wasn’t able to eat or sleep after that, the paper says, and on Saturday, she collapsed at her home and died. The paper says the raids contributed to Meyer’s death, leaving her “stressed beyond her limits.”

  • “Died in the line of duty”: In an opinion piece at the Kansas City Star, Melinda Henneberger agrees with the Record‘s assessment, writing of Meyer, a journalist since 1953, “It is not hyperbole to say that this attack on the people’s right to know appears to have killed her.” Henneberger says that one of the last comments Meyer made was to tell a colleague of the police raid, “These are Hitler tactics.”
  • News organizations condemn raid: Thirty-four media outlets, including the AP, CNN, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, signed a four-page letter to Marion’s police chief condemning the raid and calling on the department to immediately return all the materials that were seized, CNN reports. “There appears to be no justification for the breadth and intrusiveness of the search … and we are concerned that it may have violated federal law strictly limiting federal, state, and local law enforcement’s ability to conduct newsroom searches,” the letter reads.
  • Business owner’s involvement: The raid appears to be connected to local businesswoman Kari Newell. The Record received a tip that Newell had her driver’s license suspended after a DUI and yet continued to drive without a license; ultimately, suspecting the information had been leaked “as part of legal sparring” between Newell and her estranged husband amid divorce proceedings, the newspaper decided against publishing a story about it. (It did, however, publish a story about Newell kicking its reporters out of a congressman’s open forum and a follow-up story about Newell herself, at a city council meeting, falsely accusing the paper of having illegally obtained the DUI info about her; that story goes into great detail about the timeline of the paper’s involvement with Newell.)
  • Business owner’s statement: Newell released a lengthy statement on Facebook denying any involvement in the police raid. “It’s truly beyond me how people think I alone am capable of having a newspaper raided. Even in small town America we have the same processes any larger city does to make this happen,” she writes, going on to allege that identity theft was involved in gaining information about her.
  • As for those allegations: The newspaper denies Newell’s allegations, and explains that a reporter legally used her own personal information to obtain the same information that had been received in the tip, which was available publicly—and that, after deciding not to publish a story about the matter, the paper instead notified local police about the allegations that Newell drove without a license. Local police then alerted Newell to what was going on, and the raid followed.
  • Police respond: According to the Kansas Reflector, the Marion Police Department posted its own statement to Facebook Saturday claiming that while federal law protects journalists from searches and seizures, that law doesn’t apply if reporters are suspected of a crime (in this case, apparently, the supposed identity theft Newell alleges took place). “I believe when the rest of the story is available to the public, the judicial system that is being questioned will be vindicated,” the statement reads.

https://www.alternet.org/marion-county-record/

I know I bitch about the media and its antics but with all that aside I still believe in a free press….and that the people have a right to know the whole story.

SO if you do not believe we are heading in the wrong direction then maybe you should open your eyes and pay closer attention to what is happening in our beloved country.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”