Aug. 17 Open Thread: We All Know He’s Guilty
Josh Marshall addresses the only important question in American politics:
The greatest conceit in public life today is the notion that we don’t already know President Trump is guilty. … Why there’s such resistance to this reality is an interesting question. My own best guess is that it is too disquieting a reality to grapple with. Someone who has deliberately betrayed his country and who is compromised by and under the thumb of a foreign despot clearly should not be President. But his supporters don’t accept that. And as long as they don’t there’s no path to removing him from power prior to 2020 and maybe even beyond.
There’s no drug stronger than denial.
Remember Trump Steaks? Trump Mortgage? Trump Magazine? Now you can add the Trump Military Parade to the long list of Trump’s Stupid Ideas/Abject Failures. After seeing the $92 million price tag, Trump pulled the plug, though officially it’s only “postponed.” My favorite part of his semi-literate tweet about it was his assertion that “Now we can buy some more jet fighters!” The actual price of a single F-35 is $94.6 million.
One of Trump’s Russian buddies got blunt with him yesterday, tweeting, “If Donald Trump does not extinguish the fire kindling FAKE NEWS Russophobia – it will be his last term,” meaning Republicans will have to hack into voting systems on their own.
Will Trump listen? The Philadelphia Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins thinks not. He wore a shirt that said “You’re Not Listening” onto the field and stood in the tunnel for the national anthem. These protests, and the schadenfreude over the owners’ dilemma, has given me a reason to pay attention to the NFL again.
Just a reminder: 565 migrant children remain in federal custody, proving that we can make something here in America: Orphans!
Here’s an idea: NFL players who wish to protest should stay in the locker room and live stream video of them kneeling while the anthem is playing on the field. You can bet the video clip would be widely circulated. For bonus points, the team could line up with a gap for the missing man.
I believe that many Americans are in denial about Trump’s evident guilt about Russiagate because to admit it would be tantamount to admitting that the American system of government is so flawed that it cannot weed out bad characters and keep them from attaining the highest executive power in the nation. Admitting that could lead to questioning if the system needs to be fundamentally changed and sweeping change seems like a potential ordeal.
This is about the stage in other countries where the military takes over in a coup.
Maybe. I doubt it is that complicated though. For Republicans it is all about tribal identity. They would rather be wrong and stripped of dignity and self-respect than lose their group identity by questioning some tribal orthodoxy.
Which brings me to….
this upcoming midterm election. Unless Democrats match the Republicans in tribal zealousness – we are screwed.
I guess it might have to come to that, but don’t think tribalism in general is a good thing (see: Trump nuts). Prefer something a little more, what’s the word, rational?
The Russians are terrible. They exposed the truth about the DNC resulting in people making a conscious choice. We can’t allow that.
Cool talking point, brah. Make a meme.
I think you have us confused with Blue Delaware.
Don’t make me piss all over your face again. I see you like to be dominated, but I gotta run. Maybe I’ll humiliate you more next week. Deal?
MoveOn.org endorses Chris Johnson:
“The results are in: With overwhelming votes cast in favor, MoveOn members in Delaware have voted to endorse Chris Johnson for attorney general.
In the upcoming primary election on Thursday September 6, Chris Johnson will be running for the Democratic nomination in the race for Delaware attorney general. This election is a prime opportunity to elevate a very progressive Democrat of color in a safe race.
Chris began his legal career by representing low-income criminal and family law defendants who could not afford legal representation. After his time in private practice, he served as an assistant city solicitor for the City of Wilmington Law Department, where he represented the mayor’s office and city council. While there, he drafted public safety and violence reduction legislation, including the city’s first-ever body camera policy and comprehensive firearms control legislation. If elected, Chris’ top priorities include ending mass incarceration, working to reduce the high rate of recidivism, and establishing fairer bail policies that would effectively end cash bail. Of the four Democrats running in the primary, Chris was the only candidate to pledge to oppose efforts to reinstate the death penalty and to instruct prosecutors in the state not to seek the death penalty.
Chris has been endorsed by the Working Families Party, the Political Revolution, and Delaware United. Additionally, he has received the Gun Sense Candidate designation from Moms Demand Action.
There are more than 14,000 MoveOn members in Delaware. Here is why some local MoveOn members are supporting Chris:
“Chris is the only progressive candidate running for AG. I’ve spoken with Chris about some of the issues, and his focus is on making Delaware better for all Delawareans and not just the corporate elites.” –Patrick from Dover
“Mr. Johnson is committed to taking action to end the school-to-prison pipeline and mass incarceration, and increasing diversity in state departments. He is a true progressive.” –Glen from Newark
“He is following in the tradition of Delaware attorneys general who have been the most productive. A career steeped in the reality of challenges of the poor not some elitist.” –Victoria from Newark
“Because Delaware needs a change to be able to help overcome the issues which generate people getting into trouble with the law in the first place, and then in creating a downward spiral that only causes both the individual and society great pain.” –Marilyn from Wilmington
Here’s what Chris had to say about his race and MoveOn’s endorsement: “I am truly honored to receive MoveOn’s endorsement. It’s clear from the growing racial and economic inequality across Delaware that we are not doing enough to meet the needs of working families. Voters want to see meaningful action on the issues that matter most, which is why I ran on a bold, progressive platform from day one of my campaign. MoveOn is all about people-powered progress, which is exactly what we need to fix our broken criminal justice system, combat corporate greed, and fight back against the Trump administration. It’s time for real change and real justice in Delaware.”
As you know, all politics is local. If we want qualified, progressive elected leaders such as Chris Johnson in higher office, we need to support qualified state and local candidates.
We hope you will join us in supporting these progressive champions. Click here to volunteer for Chris’ campaign.
Thanks for all you do.”
John Atkins sentenced to jail time and worse:
https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/delaware/2018/08/17/delaware-john-atkins-strangling-sentenced-assault-harrassment/1021862002/
‘Worse’ meaning an electronic bracelet and 5 years without his beloved guns. He can no longer even pretend to be a law-abiding citizen.
Plus you KNOW that Atkins can’t help himself. He is incapable of walking the straight and narrow for 5 days, much less 5 years. We haven’t heard the last of him.
“President Donald Trump’s comment calling former campaign chairman Paul Manafort a “very good person,” despite 18 criminal charges against him, was a “strategic” message to Manafort that he could be rewarded with a pardon if he keeps his mouth shut, former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance said Friday on MSNBC.”
“Vance noted: “If you’re Paul Manafort and you hear about that — and we all know Paul Manafort’s heard about that — it’s difficult to read that as anything other than a message to Manafort: ‘Hold on, don’t cut a deal with the government while the jury is out.’” A deal would almost certainly involve cooperation in other investigations, possibly including the president.”
Fascist.
https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2018/08/17/joel-arrona-detained-by-ice-san-bernardino-driving-wife-to-deliver-baby/
“ICE Detains Man Driving Pregnant Wife To Hospital To Deliver Baby”
Fuck these ICE people. For real. I got nothing but hate for y’all. And the hope for pain and sadness on your families.
#AbolishICE
I have never read such bullshit as ICE puts out to justify its existence. And why is info on Kirstjen Neilson so difficult to find on the web? Very disturbing.
Buried in the middle of the article linked by RE Vanella: “Arrona-Lara was picked up because he is wanted by law enforcement authorities in Mexico on an outstanding homicide warrant.”
If we can’t detain murder suspects in our country illegally, who can we detain?
Fuck murderers. For real. I got nothing but hate for y’all. And you’ve caused enough pain and sadness on your victims’ families.
#AbolishJumpingToConclusionsAfterReadingObviousPropaganda
If only you had kept reading:
“An attorney representing Arrona-Lara on behalf of the nonprofit San Bernardino Community Service Center said those charges are unconfirmed. Emilio Amaya Garcia told CBS2 he has been in contact with the Mexican consulate who said it currently has no information about ICE’s claim.”
Fuck white people looking to justify their prejudices. I got nothing but hate for y’all.
I stand by what I wrote. ICE makes an unsubstantiated claim yet CBS is propaganda. Honkey rube logic. Very Trumpian.
Whatever the gestapo says is “the charge” the brown person is guilty of it. Even though there’s zero evidence of even of the suspicion much less that the guy is guilty of it.
Kev… From me to you personally…
….choke hard on my scrote.
ICE are fascist pigs.
The attorney for the illegal aliens made a lot of unsubstantiated claims, too.
From what we know, ICE is handling this case lawfully. It is not required that the evidence be laid out to the media before or after people are detained. But it is required that the evidence is produced at the right time, in the right setting, as it most likely will be in this case. The media will be free to report on the evidence or lack thereof.
If we learn that ICE is handling this case unlawfully, you would be right to try to rectify it. I would be right there with you. Laws should be followed on both sides.
And guys, I’m not white. You guys sound like racists when you both bring up race in your replies. Alby says “fuck white people” and RE Vanella says “honkey rube”. If I was white, I would be offended. Race-baiting is a poor substitute for real arguments.
Notice I didn’t say “fuck hispanic people” or “spic rube”. Imagine if I had. That would be wrong and weak.
Your “race” is immaterial to your blatant honkey rube mentality.
Any “law” that allows this behavior/enforcement is immoral and bad. I reject it.
We have a very long history in this country of doing some very heinous, disgusting “legal” behavior.
We should be embarrassed by it not arguing to do it again.
You’re an immoral confused person, Kev. You gotta deal with that.
It’s immoral to have a law that allows the detainment of an illegal alien murder suspect? Wow. You’re the immoral and confused person.
Kev, we’ve covered this. Slow on the pickup, you. I gotta split. God speed.
Your use of “illegal alien” demonstrates your prejudicial character, whatever race you claim to be. Not “racist,” prejudicial. Try to learn the difference between the two before you come back.
@Kevin: OK, fuck the non-white people looking to justify their prejudices, too. Just because you’re not white doesn’t make you innocent. Indeed, it makes me wonder what your problem with empathy might be.
Your mistake here is in thinking ICE follows the law. It doesn’t. It needs to be disbanded and replaced with an agency that hires and trains people to be professionals.
“Laws should be followed on both sides.”
You poor, naive fool. I have to wonder what you are if not white, because most people who aren’t white understand that ICE, and any police agency for that matter, IS the law. Cops don’t follow the law, and the fake cops who staff ICE certainly don’t. The only non-white people I know who might be confused about that are Asians, because middle-class Asians don’t get hassled by the cops.
Just BTW, if you think saying “fuck white people” — and I was only saying it to reflect your sentence construction — is racist, you don’t understand racism.
Fuck murderers, really? Why do you assume his guilt when you have nothing to follow but the word of ICE, which lies as much as Trump does? So I guess I’m saying, fuck you, specifically.
“From what we know, ICE is handling this case lawfully.”
Bullshit. You don’t know anything about how ICE is handling the case beyond the fact they claim he’s wanted for murder.
I think you said “fuck white people” because you’re a hollow man that has been twisted by his faithful adherence to talking points.
You’re right. We don’t have evidence from either side of this situation. But don’t you agree that if authorities do have evidence of this man being wanted for murder, that it is right to detain him? You don’t know anything about this situation beyond the fact his wife and attorney are saying he’s law abiding (even though they go on to say that he’s been living in the US illegally for over a decade lol).
This is how our system works. Not everything is presented to Alby immediately because you are not privy to every situation that goes down. But eventually the evidence is released to everyone, including Alby, that will show you what happened. Do you have any better ideas of how we should handle suspected murderers who are here illegally?
And dude, let up on worrying about my race. You are really sounding like an obsessive racist.
Whereby some random fucking dude pops in.
Makes a dumb comment.
&c…&c…
Now Alby’s obsessed with him.
Wild stuff, folks.
I don’t care what you think my reasons for doing something are. You’re too stupid to understand what’s going on with ICE, so my motivations are well beyond your ken.
“Don’t you agree that if authorities do have evidence of this man being wanted for murder, that it is right to detain him?”
I don’t care anything about this case either way. It was brought up as an example of ICE’s incompetence. Any competent agency would have followed him to the hospital and arrested him there. Since I don’t believe a single word anyone connected to ICE says, your question is moot. I really, really don’t care about immigration and I don’t understand why pants-pissers like you are. I am far more threatened by Americans than immigrants.
“let up on worrying about my race. You are really sounding like an obsessive racist.”
You’re the one who insisted on saying you weren’t white, as if that gave you special standing. If you want to claim special standing, make the case, don’t just pretend you’re not white. That’s unsubstantiated here. And again, you don’t understand what the word “racist” means. What you are describing is prejudice, not racism. There’s a difference, and you don’t know what it is, apparently because you’re just a dumb fuck looking for a fight.
“Do you have any better ideas of how we should handle suspected murderers who are here illegally?”
Stop trying to make this about something besides your authoritarian reaction to what REV wrote.
“This is how our system works. Not everything is presented to Alby immediately because you are not privy to every situation that goes down. But eventually the evidence is released to everyone, including Alby.”
Wow, you really are a dumb fuck. I dealt with the cops professionally for years. The evidence is seldom released to everyone. Instead of telling everyone what you think about something you know nothing about, why don’t you go learn something?
Also, while you’re reassessing your life, kevbow, concentrate very hard on this idea. When you realize it’s true it’ll be an epiphany.
Black and Latino police are racist.
Can you dig it?
It’s a systemic mentality, my dude. Hence the sad predicament you find yourself in.
You can try harder.