Two justices should have recused (and were advised to do so by others)
And were in fact required to by law, but since the law apparently no longer applies to those who don't like it, I guess that explains it.
(sorry for the snark...it's not directed at you, I promise! 🤗 I just tend to get reaaaallllly sarcastic when I get mad. ;-) )
I was wondering yesterday why I was merely angry not scared,
Yes, this. I was so angry I was shaking, and I could have chewed nails and spit bullets. I am more calm today, but not by much. I will say that I am still certain that Biden/Harris will win, and the moves by the R's over the last week or so have only solidified my certitude that these people have now signed the death warrants of the R party specifically and the right wing in general. I also suspect that there are at least two justices who will be facing impeachment after the D's take over next year.
I knew the snark wasn't directed at me. And the two above quotes/answers go hand in hand. I knew they were required by law 28 US Code § 455, and were reminded of it prior to hearing the case. I guess when individuals have wives who aided and abetted in the insurrection, or harassed neighbors who didn't support it (to the point that the neighbors called the cops) and use of intimidation tactics, and one doesn't recuse, one may well get into some hot water. It still makes me wonder if something can't be done about the other three who lied under oath to get the job. We have them on video claiming that things like Roe were settled law, and then watched them overturn it. If we lied on a resume or during an interview, and then did the same thing, would we still be employed?
The bottom line is that the fascists who are trying to take over picked a showman, a con artist, who's not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Or, as I like to say, "he's not the snappiest cucumber in the chandelier". And no one is going to invite him to bring the noodle salad to the Mensa picnic. But he is a genius at avoiding consequences for his crimes. It was announced today that the sentencing for the 34 felonies he has been convicted of, (which was supposed to be announced in 9 days), has been postponed until September. So, in other words, never.
This all makes so much more sense when you realize that the conservative philosophy of law and order is this: That there is an in-group (the R's) that the law protects, but does not bind. And there is an out-group (the D's) that the law binds, but does not protect
@unk-p look at this bs!!! He is not even President right now and thinks he has complete power and say so!!
I cheered Liz's response!!
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/07/02/trump-boosts-cheney-military-tribunal-post/74281288007/
@unk-p, he couldn't spell Mensa, much less locate their picnic with GPS. Does that noodle salad have ketchup? I'll bet it will be light.
I'm not worried about the postponement of the sentencing. See @allyn's post here. I agree, and will one up her thoughts. I think the judge did so to give the appearance that they are following all the SCOTUS's new rules, etc. Merchan hasn't taken guff so far, and to make sure he's got all his ducks in a row, he'll take the time to do it right. I love that the sentencing will be after the convention. @lawrence and I have both been claiming that we didn't know why, but we see Abbey suddenly not there, leaving the R's scrambling, not knowing what to do. This fits right in. Where I don't agree is with the polls.
@cindy my point is that he seems to always have someone step in at the last moment to delay consequences for him. Just like the SC did with the ridiculous immunity thing. And James Comey days before the 2016 election. I could go on and on, so many examples. And if September ever arrives, it will be blah blah something too close to the election bs. Justice delayed is Justice denied, and it's beyond tiresome, and way too predictable.
@unk-p I get that. Abbey thinks the same way. However, too many of us have seen him fade into oblivion, become a nothing burger. Whether it's all the fines & consequences of his actions, the public finally seeing his mental decline, an actual sentencing, or just his electorial loss, his Karma is coming, sooner vs later. I saw him in jail back in 2016, so maybe that's why I'm more oprimistic about him being held accountable eventually. I literally saw a vision of him in 1940's prison stripes behind bars.
@cindy wait- who is Abbey again? I might be having a senior unPresidential moment lol
@unk-p Abby, as in Abby-normal (abnormal), the brain that was put into Frankenstein's monster in the Mel Brooks comedy "Young Frankenstein" 😁
Now being used to refer to the orange turd. 🤣
@unk-p Young Frankenstein ( a great movie BTW) "Whose brain did you get?" " Abby's ""Abby who" "Abby Normal's"
Yes, I recently was reading an article about the cognative abilities of our candidates and one health professional said Biden had "normal" signs of aging, but nothing major to worry about. My brain automatically said, and the other one is Abby, Abby-normal. It stuck, just like when my brain noted the individual as Mango. I'm also a Downton fan, which is where the added "e" comes from. (Try sending out invitations to a Downton party & omit the "e"‐ I dare you). I guess I've been seaching for a new nickname for a year. My girlfriend & I rescued an orange tabby whose stripes form an O on both sides of his ribs. She & her husband eventually named him Mango.
@jeanne-mayell thank you. I am definitely NOT complacent. I'm probably as angry as I've ever been since I left my abusive ex 24 years ago. I'm willing to fight for Joe!!!
I'm also no longer a COVID virgin. Yup I got it for the first time Sunday. Im sure thats not helpful, but that's not it Jeanne.
It's this world! I just cry and cry and then I get angry. There is so much ugly and I can't stand it anymore. People are suffering now. These laws are so ugly! Homeless is now a CRIME!?!? Who chooses to be homeless?? How far does humanity have to fall? I don't beleieve in any savior is going to come in and fix things for us but I'm truly concerned: are we gonna be able to fix ourselves??
I keep thinking about history and how we (the people of the world) keep repeating it. I feel like we're not really learning anything, well maybe some of us are. But most keep arguing about the same damn stuff year after year, decade after decade. Every so often it reaches a fever pitch (like now) and something eventually breaks and we go back to the endless game. Now everyone is in their own corner feeding each other BS until it's time to rise again.
I'm tired of this merry-go-round. I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of ugly selfish people. I believe in the Light, I do. But there is also a place for darkness and right now I'm black, unfortunately. I know myself and my good and bad qualities. I know where I am and it's not great. But I have a ton of company and hopefully we can pull each other out somehow. But nope, I'm not giving up the fight, whatever or wherever that leads me.
I don't think we are okay. None of this is okay. I am angry too. I am choosing the light to try to keep myself centered.
I am also deciding to accept that trump will not be held accountable. I will do my part to defeat him at the ballot box, I will donate to AOC and the other rep whose name escapes me, who are challenging the Supreme Court. These actions make me feel less anxious.
It is possible to hold opposing emotions at the same time. Anger and hope can coexist. It is my nature to believe for the best and also feel deeply depressed. Depression is anger turned inward.
Believe me in my heart I am beyond furious for all the destruction. I look to the leaders of the past for strength.
I share that vision here to attempt to comfort others. That is also my nature. I don't know how it's going to end. Will our democracy hold?
I believe it will. Good people will rise and vote.
@ghandigirl Who knows when accountability will happen and what it will look like, and if we'll even know when it happens.
45 is repulsive, both in terms of personality and physicality. Republicans who claim to support him really hate him (though they fear him too) and laugh behind his back. The only people who are truly devoted to him are people so damaged and they are not the people whose support he wants. He wants to be accepted by the very people who despise him.
He doesn't have the life he wants. I seriously doubt he ever really wanted to be president, and now he can't walk away from it because he's trying to stay out of prison. His final years are spent in constant turmoil, and there will be no end to it. He is pathetic.
I know he's turned our democracy on its head but that story is still being written. We may, hopefully, look back on these terrible years and remember them as a time when our country was tested and survived, We may end ip with stronger guardrails and protections so that we can survive many more years as a functioning democracy. And who would have ever known that 45 would have led us all to find each other? That's a gift that came out of something to awful.
The past week has been awful for all of us, and I have felt terror that I hadn't felt since that monster was first elected, but I feel like that has lifted, at least for now. I am feeling optimistic again. I think this is all going to turn out ok.
Happy 4th of July, everyone. 45 made me realize how much I love this country, and that's a lesson that will never leave me. I wish you all a peaceful day.
@impassionate, can you do a little role playing with me for a moment? Maybe it will help just a little.
Imagine you are a senior in high school. You and a few friends have been asked to help out at the next door elementary school. You find yourself surrounded by those in kindergarten and younger grades. It is daunting, now, isn't it? How do you get them to listen? How do you get them to stop throwing tantrums? How do you get them to understand the messages and instructions you are trying to convey? How do you and a few classmates control this mob? I worked for a number of years as an assistant teacher in the second grade. I've witnessed parents left alone with the class for just a few minutes become overwhelmed at having to herd 20+ 7 to 8 year olds. It's like herding cats, right?
Now think about how you feel about these uneducated little ones. You don't hate them, you understand they are young, they haven't fully developed their brains, they have lots to learn. They certainly can't understand the subjects you study in school now, can they? The major issue is communication and understanding with such a gap in knowledge, compassion, human interaction, right. They are often lacking in empathy, and can be self-centered. Your life experiences and physical growth have shown you how to be these things they haven't mastered yet.
Realize this is our reality here on Earth right now. There are those of us (adults) who are here to teach (or to simply lead by example) and those who are spiritually much younger who are here to learn. Some of the older souls here are still in school themselves, and haven't a clue how to teach, some are post-graduates who are here to lead and teach both the older and younger souls (think Dali Lama, Mother Theresa).
All of us come here from the spiritual realm. We're just not all segregated like we were in school-according to our learning levels. We have k-PhD all in one melting pot. We all live, work, play, eat together. There are no neat classroom assignments, no differentiation in school buildings. There are no formal daily classrooms for our life lessons. I look at those who are looking out only for themselves, those who idolize or emulate folks like Abbey as the kindergarteners and pre-schoolers in our spiritual school. Some are older souls than that, but they still are following not because they can't see his moral deficiencies, but because they will promote anyone who will benefit their own objectives-like their bank account or quest for personal power.
We have a "christian" sect who is pushing this man as a leader. They actually believe he's the anti-Christ who is here to usher in the rapture. They've been fed the kool-aide that says he'll be their salvation because when he brings on the rapture, they are the only true followers, so they will go to heaven. This too is a cult (in addition to the cult of Trumpism). Neither of these things are Christ like in any way, shape or form. These are the hard core believers that none of us (including a master) could reach. Don't waste your energy here.
Then there are those who are just young and need to grow. No one is saying you have to go out and educate them all, or even one for that matter. Just be your highest self, and let them see your example. That too is a lesson. Think of a power outage at night. All is dark. You have your candle burning in your room to give yourself some light, just like the rest of the household members. You aren't doing anything extraordinary, just lighting a simple candle. What happens when everyone in the house is hungry and ends up in the kitchen at the same time? Everyone brought their candle to see their way and not stumble in the dark. What happened in the kitchen with so many candles? It is no longer dim, it has become brighter, it has become the center of socialization. That's what light workers are here for. To simply shine what light we have, and when we join forces, our luminosity is undeniable. It attracts others, and helps illuminate them in the process.
It took me a long time to realize that Karma isn't "what you've done in past lives will be done to you in this one." Too many people can't believe in Karma because of this misperception. How I treat others is my Karma, how they respond is theirs. How others treat me is their Karma, how I respond is mine. Karma isn't just about this lifetime. Sometimes Karma is spread from one life to another. I believe from things I've experienced in this lifetime that my ex and I knew each other in a former lifetime. He was being given the chance to repay his Karmic debt to me. He blew it again. That's on him. He had millennia to learn, and he failed. He'll have to try again to repay his Karmic debt (hopefully not with me). The same is true for all those who currently are showing their not so nice side. It's their Karmic debt, and the when and how of how it is to be repaid is not our business.
I'm not an Abbey fan. He's turned my stomach since he started his tv show ages ago. However, I shouldn't judge him. Think about a self-defense class. Isn't one of the teachers supposed to attack the other to show the class how to properly defend themselves? Is the attacking teacher a bad person? No, not in this instance. We don't know what Abbey agreed to do in this life before he came here from the spiritual realm. Maybe this is his Karma for a past life-to agree to come here as someone who is detested most of his life, to sow discord to expose others who have the same inclination. So it's possible he's just making a Karmic payment to help advance society. To show who is still in the underbelly, to give those who've become complacent renewed appreciation for how far we've come in order to protect and advance it, and to aid us in crafting our path towards more advanced goals. Or, he could be a reincarnation of someone-a tyrant of the past, who like my ex has had plenty of time and opportunity to get it right this time, and failed yet again. My point is, that these are their lessons and Karmic debt to deal with, not ours. We are just a part of the equation, not the solution. Don't stress yourself thinking you need to do more or be more when that may not be your role. Simply let your light shine, and do what FEELS right for you.
We all have our roles to fill. Some of us are spectators, some are activists, some are record keepers, some are teachers and leaders. If we look inside, we'll know when we feel we've done enough, when we've done too much, when we shirked what we should have done. Our Karmic balance will be affected accordingly. Our Karma is ours to deal with alone.
The bottom line is, progress ebbs and flows. Two steps forward, one back all too often. We all sometimes need to step back and let others lead. This is nature. Look at flocks of migrating birds. One takes the lead, and when tired, moves to the back of the lines to draft and make their flight easier. The flock understands that it is a group effort, and all give what they can when they can. Progress is still coming, the light will win, even when the battle weary take their necessary respite.
Don't worry, collectively, we've got this.
I had a vision many years ago that feels erily like this whole "presidents have legal immunity" business.
In my vision I saw the republicans would twist the laws to prepare the ground for their dictatorking, thinking democrats wouldn't have the balls to actually shamelessly abuse that power in any meaningful way before they took over. I didn't see exactly how, but it would ending up biting their asses hard. If the rest of my prediction is anything to go by there's some very interesting times ahead, both conservatives and liberals are in for a few reality checks. Neither side has only bad or good actors and that will teach most of us some humility and prepare the ground for some much needed reconciliation. Over all, I feel like things are about to finally improve.
@fjellvandre humour me please. My dream unity ticket in the US is Cheney-Cortez. Not this election but at some point - I’m just crazy enough that love of country over all else and unbridled progressive enthusiasm when combined in that combination would do wonders and get way more done and done well and center the US again away from this drift to the right post Regan.
@lovendures I will add them to my list. Thank you for the reminder. I have goosebumps reading your posts.
It is possible to hold opposing emotions at the same time. Anger and hope can coexist. It is my nature to believe for the best and also feel deeply depressed. Depression is anger turned inward.
For me, the most disheartening and scary part is when I read the Comments Sections of YouTube videos, TwitterX, and online articles. You see multiple people chiming in who clearly DON'T want a Trump dictatorship; yet, they express defeatism and helplessness, declaring that democracy is now permanently dead.
I don't know if, for these people, it's just the initial shock of the past week's events (Biden's bad debate + the SCOTUS decision happening within days of one another) and, as the election draws nearer, they will find the courage and tenacity to fight. Or, at least, to encourage others to vote. *Or* have they truly given up, once and for all, based on the events of this past week?
My fear is that their defeatism will become contagious, and that contagion will grow amongst the rest of the electorate for the next four months.
It won't individually stop me from voting or putting out the messages that I do, publicly; but I'm only one person.
People SHOULD be angry and ready to fight back. They SHOULDN'T be succumbing to visions of "inevitable" dystopia.