PROFOUND CONSEQUENCES?

There is NOTHING in American history that approaches the tumult of the charging and possible trial and conviction of a former president – especially since Donald John Trump and his minions are ALREADY claiming that the indictment represents the ‘weaponized politicization’ of the justice system.

As to weaponing the law, the Re’Trump’licans should keep in mind that they prosecuted an impeachment against a sitting President for lying about soiling the dress of a willing adult woman.

So many unthinkable firsts have occurred since Trump was elected to the White House in ’16, so many inviolable lines have been crossed, so many unimaginable events have shocked the world that it is easy to lose sight of just how astonishing this particular moment really is.

For more than two centuries, presidents have been held on a pedestal, even the ones swathed in scandal, declared immune from prosecution while in office and, effectively, even afterward.

NO longer… that taboo has been broken. 

Will it tear the country apart??!

We’re ALREADY divided!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just step back, boys and girls, for a moment…

The issue is accountability.

Leave it to the only president ever impeached in Congress twice to face so many prosecutions that lawyers need a scorecard just to keep track.

But…

Others worry about the long-term consequences for the presidency, NOT least because this indictment is being brought by a local prosecutor rather than the Department of Justice, opening the door to prosecutors around the country taking it upon themselves to go after a president.

Trump would NOT be barred from running for his old office by an indictment or even a conviction. 

Holy James Michael Curley!!!

Allow me to leave you with this simple thought: The indictment of Trump, a lifelong criminal, perpetrator of an Insurrection and big-time grifter of our nation’s treasury, will be a profound political issue only if his political party does NOT believe in the rule of law or support our Constitution.

The Law: It has honored us, may we honor it!” ~ Daniel Webster.

$$$ FOR EVIL!!!

Fact: Donald John Trump has NOT been an occasional breaker of the law!

Fact: More indictments by more states in more cases may be filed soon!!!

The Orange Despot incited a mob of Insurrectionists that ended!!! the American tradition of the peaceful transfer of power; and, that inflicted unnecessary injury and avoidable death BOTH upon law-enforcement officers and Trump’s own deceived supporters.

In addition, Trump tried to intimidate!!! state-level election officials to manipulate vote totals to fraudulently preserve his hold on office.

The jeopardy will only accumulate.

To my way of thinking about this piece of vermin, Trump may well regard the present indictment and those to come as a political resource.

Boy Orange has surged in Republican polls since he announced the indictment was on its way, with his leading party rival cratering, to a degree, in the polls.

Trump has raised millions of dollars on the news, and will in the next hours, days and weeks raise much more.

There’s NO denying that he’s now the overwhelming favorite to be the next Republican nominee, and therefore stands an excellent chance of winning the presidency in ’24.

So-o-o, of ALL the personal questions one should confront oneself with – atop ALL others – on the ballot in the upcoming ’24 election, it should be this: Crime and violence and Trump, or law and the Constitution – where do I stand??!!!?

The shame is crushing and the wrong is overwhelming!

EVIL IS INDICTED

Donald John Trump, after becoming the first president to be impeached twice, now has the added distinction of being the first ex-president to face criminal charges.

Although the indictment remains under seal and the specific charges Trump faces are NOT yet public, the accompanying investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg over the past several months has focused on the $130,000 in alleged hush money Trump had paid an adult film star through an intermediary to keep her from talking about a years-old affair during his run for the White House in 2016.

The old Lobsterman is loath to speculate on the strength of an indictment we have yet to see.

But…

Bragg’s case – based on publicly available evidence – seems far from a slam dunk.

Keep in mind, NOT only did federal prosecutors opt NOT to pursue similar charges against Trump when his former lawyer Michael Cohen was put through the wringer back in 2018, but the two-year statute of limitations on falsifying business records would have ALREADY passed if NOT for a New York rule that time spent out-of-state does NOT!!! count against the clock.

Of note, the New York Times is also reporting that Bragg is looking for a way to convert the record-falsification misdemeanor charges into a felony by proving Trump’s actions were carried out with the intent to commit or conceal a second crime [in this case, likely an election-related one].

Can Bragg draw in a federal law, over which he has NO jurisdiction, for a state case??!

Can he apply a New York election law to a federal election??!

We’re about to find out…

The Trump campaign ALREADY has jumped at the news, sending out multiple emails fundraising [but, of course!!!] off the indictment, but it’s also resulted in Re’Trump’licans of ALL stripes – including would-be rivals – lining up behind him.

“I think the unprecedented indictment of a former president of the United States on a campaign finance issue is an outrage,” former Vice President Mike “Pastor” Pence told CNN last night. “This will only further serve to divide our country.”

NOT to be outdone, another fraud, Florida Governor Ron “Con” DeSantis, a likely Trump challenger, leapt to “the former guy’s” defense, decrying the ‘weaponization’ of the legal system. “Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda,” DeSantis tweeted last night.

Trump’s lawyers insist he will turn himself in, so DeSantis’ declaration is likely a moot point; it’s also a dramatic change from last week when DeSantis reporters he would “not get involved in [the case] in any way” and that “I’ve got real issues I’ve got to deal with here in the state of Florida.”

Do an inventory of your popcorn levels, the show is about to start.

GAMESMANSHIP BY TOADS

As the deadline approaches for a debt ceiling increase, without one sign of progress on this critical issue to show for his nearly three months as House speaker, Kevin “Squatter” McCarthy is trying to blame inaction on anyone and everyone, starting with Joey.

Congress is about to leave town for a two-week recess and has a handful of days left at work to produce a budget by April 15th – a statutory deadline, yet meaningless one.

The recent banking crisis has brought more volatility to the markets, making the case for reaching resolution immediately and NOT taking these negotiations to the brink of default: When this happened in 2011, it resulted in a credit rating downgrade that cost the taxpayers $1.3 billion.

Every day that goes by without a GOP list of spending cuts to start negotiations is a wasted day…which “Squatter” does NOT seem to grasp, in any way, shape and/or form.

Let’s be perfectly clear, this is NOT Biden’s negotiation to initiate.

Yes, he released a budget, but NO president’s budget is ever passed as released, and in a divided government, as we have now, such plans are merely laughed at.

Nothing Joey proposed – new taxes on the rich, or $3 trillion in debt reduction over the next decade – is happening, nor are these ideas part of a negotiation over how to raise the debt ceiling.

Congress raises the debt ceiling – NOT the president in the executive branch.

Biden has said he will NOT negotiate over the debt limit, but Re’Trump’licans control the House and have vowed NOT to raise the debt ceiling without steep spending reductions.

Of course Dems should debate, and compromise on, spending cuts. Those could be contained in the annual spending bills passed in September, and do NOT have to be attached to the debt ceiling.

But…

Re’Trump’licans can NOT begin to force Dems to compromise on cuts if they don’t have any yet.

h/t: CNBC and Business Insider.

A CURIOUS INVITE…maybe

The Associated Press, within the last hour, is reporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has invited Chinese leader Xi Jinping to visit Ukraine.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to the request, telling reporters that they had NO information on whether an invitation had actually been extended to Xi or if he would even accept an invitation to visit Ukraine, according to the AP.

Remember, days after Xi’s visit to Russia, Putin announced a transfer of nuclear weapons to Belarus just ahead of a anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia.

This move was/is likely intended to raise fear with Western allies that could see the move as a significant escalation in the conflict.

3 RULE CHANGES

The 2023 Major League Baseball season opens tomorrow.

With that being the case, there will be three major changes, which come with the nuance typical of a complicated game: the pitch clock; a ban on the infield shift; and, limits on pickoff throws.

The ‘powers-to-be’ of the game hope, as a result, contests will be crisper…packed with more hits, more stolen bases and more chances for players to use their athleticism, especially on defense.

Rule changes alone will NOT fix everything, and much of baseball’s quirky charm [for many of us] – the pitch-by-pitch rhythms, the absence of timed quarters or periods – will ALWAYS remain…one hopes.

Pitchers have 15 seconds to start their delivery with the bases empty, and 20 seconds with a runner on base. Batters must be looking at the pitcher with eight seconds left on the clock.

Before, pitchers had unlimited opportunities to pick runners off. Now, they can disengage from the rubber only twice per plate appearance; a third pickoff try, if unsuccessful, would result in a balk.

And with bigger bases [18 inches square, from 15], the distance between first and second [and between second and third] is four and a half inches shorter than before.

Third, teams must now keep two infielders on either side of second base, and infielders must keep both feet on the dirt as the pitch is thrown. Players could turn more grounders into outs with the shift in place, but few embraced the concept of playing out of position, which kept them from using their instincts and showing off their range.

Spitting is still under review…

THE PASTOR is LICKSPITTLE

The New York Times is reporting that a federal judge has ordered former Vice President Mike “Pastor” Pence to appear in front of a grand jury investigating the Orange Despot‘s attempts to overturn the ’20 election, largely sweeping aside two separate legal efforts by Pence and Trump to limit his testimony.

Pence has ALWAYS been NOTHING more than a caricature of a noble politician.

On 1/6, this lickspittle did NOTHING heroic or patriotic, he just didn’t break the law at that moment.

The “Pastor” will ALWAYS be remembered as the very definition of a sycophant for his lapdog loyalty to Boy Orange.

A S-I-C-K NATION!!!

Enough of listening to comments like “we send our thoughts and prayers.”

In the latest episode of gun violence that has devastated American families and communities, a 28-year-old from Nashville fatally shot three children and three adults yesterday at a private Christian elementary school, officials said, leaving behind writings and detailed maps of the school and its security protocols.

A human chain of children, hand-in-hand, shepherded by police officers, fled the latest school struck by this unfathomable tragedy.

The shooter had entered the building by firing through a side door, armed with two assault-style weapons [purchased legally, by the way] and a handgun, according to John Drake, the chief of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, and went to the second floor, firing shots before being killed by the police. 

Chief Drake said it was too early to discuss a possible motive for the shooting, though he confirmed that the attack was targeted. The authorities were reviewing writings, and had made contact with the shooter’s father.

There is NO consensus on what constitutes a mass shooting; groups define it differently, depending on the circumstances.

But…

The Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit research group that tracks gun violence using police reports, news coverage and other public sources, defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people are killed or injured.

As of late March, the archive has counted 130 mass shootings in the United States in 2023!!!!!!!!!

https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting

ALL gun-loving elected officials and lobbyists should have to sit, with justification/reason, with the parents and family members of any gun-related shootings to explain their personal logic behind supporting!!! assault weapons being made available for purchase by the general public.

Seriously, why is this single-issue s-o-o-o difficult for adults [supposedly!] to confront, discuss and resolve??!

FDU BLOWS UP BRACKETS

For just the second time in MENS NCAA TOURNAMENT history, a #16 seed has done the improbable! and taken down a # 1 seed, as Fairleigh Dickinson University shocked top-seeded Purdue and won 63–58 last night.

The Knights became the first and only other # 16 seed to knock off a # 1 since UMBC stunned Virginia in the first round of he 2018 tournament. 

Play on…

PROTEST CONCERNS

In a social media post, within the last hour, the Orange Despot, referring to himself, said the “leading Republican candidate and former president of the United States will be arrested on Tuesday of next week.”

Trump said he expects to be arrested in connection with the investigation by the Manhattan DA and called for protests!!! as New York law enforcement prepares for a possible indictment.

“Protest, take our nation back,” Boy Orange wrote.

Trump offered NO details on why he expects to be indicted, but his legal team has been anticipating that it will happen soon and has been preparing behind the scenes for the next steps.

As I bang away at the keyboard, he, Trump, is expected to present himself in Manhattan following the formal charges and has expressed interest in making a speech after [but, of course!], though whether he ultimately does remains to be see.

I’ll just conclude with these sentiments:

• The slow slog of justice in Trump’s case(s) is/are more of a scandal than any crime Trump himself could conjure up;
• Trump’s existence will pass but the meandering and perverted pursuit of justice will endure;
• Multiple special prosecutors, a hand full of attorney generals, and what does America have to show for it??!;
• Justice delayed. Justice denied.

Release the hounds, Alvin Bragg, Jack Smith and Fani Willis…as well as you, Judge Beryl Howell.

At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst. ~ Aristotle.