Here’s someone who isn’t obeying in advance: Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the criminal trial of Donald Trump in Manhattan, which resulted in a guilty verdict against the then-former, now-future president of the United States.
Judge Merchan is my hero. Thanks as always for your detailed review of proceedings and for capturing Trump’s disrespectful rhetoric against the judicial system.
I made it to the court to watch a disgusting, scum slime of a sub human substance slither around the hallways of Justice.
January 18 at 10AM, there will be a rally and a march commencing in Foly Plaza in front of the state Supreme Court of New York. Please pass this around. I will be there in support and I have been given tentative green light to perform my anti Trump songs. I am humbled and proud.
Hi Kathleen, There are several around Portland but I live in Hood River and the closest one to me is actually across the Columbia River in Stevenson, Washington so I will probably attend that one. What part of Oregon are you in?
It’s under People’s March or Women’s March then you scroll on the left to various marches. Alternately I suppose you could search The People’s March in Manhattan. Easy peasy.
I will be standing with the women & men of DeKalb County in Illinois in front of the county court house on 1/18. I hope there are millions around the country who stand together for freedom!
Cut the hotdog in Hal and sell it for a buck. And the diet soda can be refilled for free. How’s dat?
I feel bad for a longtime musician acquaintance who I met leaving Costco empty handed and when I asked him why, he told me he had come in for the hotdog and coke.
For me as well. Great word. 😊 Until I saw your comment, Hope, I thought flagitious was a new word made up by combining flatulent and litigious. 🤭 then I realized I had mis-read a real word as 'flatigious'. 🤢
God, YES! However did I miss that very obvious word?? Just too busy trying to come up with as may appropriate F words and missed one of the most obvious! Duh 🙄.
Even if the punishment were only a fine - one that no doubt Trump would pay with the money of his gullible followers - it would be a closure of sorts. The fact that another rich person got away with something that is illegal, and something that you or I would be in jail or otherwise punished for, is maddening and only encourages more bad behavior from Trump and those of his ilk. I do applaud Judge Merchan for working to save the conviction so at least it will always be on Trump's record and we can truthfully refer to him as a convicted felon.
Third alternative: Project 2025 lets him stay for a year to create as much chaos as possible, implements the 25th Amendment, gers him out of office, JD becomes president for the rest of the term, pardons Trompe and runs for president himself.
The only reply I have for that is "what brain"...? Everything in his head is twisted up into knots of desire for revenge and vindictive payback, rage and hatreds...and a love of winning every single moment. There is no room in there for any sort of intellectual thinking process. It's all a murky mess of seething reactive emotions.
She’l bury him next to Ivana at Bedminster so she can take the tax deduction for the cemetery. But first, she’s gonna dig up the corpse already there to see what secrets she can uncover to monetize and then blacken what will remain of Donny’s legacy.
The suggestion of unconditional release suggests no fine either. A fine would leave the sentence open to appeal and therefore retain jeopardy over Trump. The purpose of the unconditional release as i understand it is to end the case completely right now.
He can still appeal the conviction but he is no longer under ANY jeopardy (no prison, no jail, no fine, no probation) which means his appeal is purely to deal with the verdict and not the sentence.
It's actually a rather clever move by the judge, I think, to basically defang the defense post trial. He isn't going to end up in jail or prison anyway, and a fine unless it is HUGE (which doesn't seem likely) isn't going to really affect him or solve anything (no need for restitution) so this puts a nice final ribbon on the entire package.
I was hoping he would have to do some community service. It seems he has time for golf. But I will have to be happy with anything that seals his conviction.
Why is it that in this country it seems the relatively small crimes that are the ones that are punished?
Small crimes are easy to prosecute. By definition the criminals have little money and no support. Big crimes always get better treatment from our system. Justice isn't really blind. It always has a hand in your wallet or purse.
You are exactly right, Carol, as you wonder about the Legal System in this country as it appears to be at this time. Yes, wealthy people seem to have a distinct advantage, but what is so dangerous for the United States is that millions of people - rich, poor, and in-between - applaud and support breaking the law and getting away with it. Millions of US citizens hate the government and celebrate when someone - not just Trump - “get away” with bad behavior.
Yes, Paul, they hate government more, the less they know about it. I remember the lady with the sign that read “Keep government hands off my Medicare!” Unaware where her Medicare came from, unaware that Republicans wanted to privatize it, as they still do.
That's fine, and I understand that if you're totally boxed into a corner (by America losing its collective mind and voting for the return of Trump) then you have to make the best of it in legal terms.
I was just concerned by notions that (a) being a convicted felon means a whole lot, as if it's punishment in itself, and I have trouble buying that if there is no penalty - why have the law, or the trial at all? It's not a victory at all.
And (b) that Trump in any way whatsoever is being treated like any other average convicted felon - in fact it is the complete reverse - a jury has convicted him on 34 counts, but he pays no penalty, now or ever, because he's too powerful to punish.
Seems to me it's kicking the jurors (and the verdict they reached) in the face.
I understand your frustration. But this is a very unusual situation. We've never faced this before. The constitutional rules governing the presidency are minimal allowing him to be elected even if he is a convicted felon. That should be changed of course, you can't be elected almost anything else if you are. But the Pres. and VP have different rules unfortunately. Given how difficult it is to amend the Constitution, change isn't going to happen for a long time.
I understand it's unusual, but it isn't "unusual" just because legal experts say it is, and further, it doesn't make all solutions impossible.
Millions of sensible Americans would like the quid pro quo - if someone (almost uniquely) can be elected to the office of the president, even though a tried and convicted felon, or in jail, then the reverse should apply: even someone elected to the office of the president can be tried, convicted, sentenced and jailed, despite their role.
I appreciate the world isn't neatly symmetrical like that.
I concur Roxanna Springer. I also concur with Professor Vance's earlier statement on MSNBC today that judge Merchan may have "some more" cards, tricks but, more likely court Orders to hand down on Felon 34.
It is a very long time in Trump World between today & July 10, 2025 for Trump to act out with additional contumacious behavior. Once again I will remind folks that Judge Merchan has already determined & banged his gavel down on ten (10) separate Trump contempts. That's unfinished business.
Those prior contempt orders could reappear on July 10, 2025 as part of pending court work yet to become final.
I've been wondering what happened to the contempts. Even if he fined tRump a thousand dollars per contempt, tRump would be totally irked. It doesn't seem right that he can just walk away with no punishment at all
I think the Defendant will show up [virtually]. Everyone is aware that that Trump's position as President Elect expires at noon 1/20/25 which is why the hearing was applied for & set on 1/10/25. Trump applied & the Prosecutor agreed. Trump got what he asked for but, not what he might get.
Also, court security for a live appearance would be costly for all concerned.
Bryan, I'm suggesting that Trump may further flip off the court by refusing to even sit in a virtual sentencing, knowing that the court will be powerless to enforce any action against him. Merchan certainly won't toss him in prison until Jan 20, and what good will a fine do?
Judge Merchan and all the NYC judges are tough and fair. Thank you Judge Merchan. All the people of this country who believe in trial by jury, stand behind you and applaud you.
This is what I don't understand and simply cannot come to terms with. How could they knowing what he has done, what he has been convicted of, and the millions of deaths he is responsible for?
Jena, bear in mind that many so many do not use reason when voting. They vote with their emotions. And that my friend, is the wrong component to use when voting.
His voters think consumer prices will decrease when Trump is president. If he deports undocumented immigrants and slaps tariffs on imports, as he has promised, prices will go up. What will his supporters say then?
I don't think the millions who voted for him thought about any of those things - they just can't stand any black-brown people being near the levers of power - that's white men's business.
And no migrants either - so Kamala Harris crashed and burned on THREE grounds. Mind you, she didn't help her own cause anywhere near enough ... but perhaps nothing she did would have made a difference.
I also cannot wrap my head around his handling of the pandemic and January 6 and the millions who voted for him….just totally forgetting about that. What does that say about the folks of this country??? And the millions who couldn’t be bothered to vote. Months later, I am still dumbfounded and disgusted by the realization that there are people around me who voted for him.
Long article in the NYT today about how MAGA & their minions managed to change the truth of what happened on Jan 6, 2020 into a fairy tale of lies.
This bothers me even more than losing the election - The fact that Fox News & other right wing media can persuade Americans to disbelieve what we all saw happen in real time on television. It's just like the famous lines in Orwell's 1985:
"The party told you to reject the evidence of your own eyes & ears."
2+2 now equals 5, right? We are on the precipice of danger the likes of which we cannot even imagine right now. In 15 days, it will start to take real shape. The GQP army of idiots, incels and misfits is large and willing to do what their orange diapered leader commands. What are the rest of us going to DO to try to keep ourselves and our vulnerable neighbors safe and out of their grips?
Thanks KMD for bringing this story to our attention. I just listened to it. I recommend it. Here is a link and a short excerpt (first paragraph):
‘A Day of Love’: How Trump Inverted the Violent History of Jan. 6
The president-elect and his allies have spent four years reinventing the Capitol attack — spreading conspiracy theories and weaving a tale of martyrdom to their ultimate political gain.
"In two weeks, Donald J. Trump is to emerge from an arched portal of the United States Capitol to once again take the presidential oath of office. As the Inauguration Day ritual conveying the peaceful transfer of power unfolds, he will stand where the worst of the mayhem of Jan. 6, 2021, took place, largely in his name."
p.s. when you see or hear of a Wisconsin member of Congress named Derrick Van Orden, remember this, among other things, that he was present on the grounds of the Capitol on January 6 (having lost his bid that time, not yet elected) and
-his photo was published in Daily Beast
-on January 13, he had an op ed published in La Crosse tribune in his name: here is how he described it:
"On the now notorious January 6, I decided to walk down the mall to the Capitol and wait for the people to march there. The crowd was peaceful, many families with small children, elderly people, and others from all walks of life were mingling. The mood was festive.
When we arrived at the Capitol, several hundreds of people were on the grounds waving flags. There were multiple families with small children walking on the lawn."
What we need is some good journalism on the millions who did not vote versus the 2020 election. I suspect that a good portion of those voters did not want to “hold their noses” and vote for the “lesser of two evils” since in fact the lesser evil was insisting on supporting violence and vengeance and in the process violating numerous laws both of this country and of the international law that we have sworn to uphold. I voted but for neither of the two evils, which, in the end, turned out to be different only on the state and local level.
Jena, completely agree. My family has been in disbelief since the election. No,
we are not way out there. I used to be a Republican as had my husband. Feels like a million years ago. We supported Biden and the Camilla because they
made sense and were smart. How could anyone support a man who 1. speaks like a spoiled 4 year old., 2.how can anyone support the hate spewed constantly from
the toddler’s mouth, and 3. Who are these utter imbeciles who support hatred
and stupidity?
Turns out 77 million morons. It is money, thank you SCOTUS, lack of critical thinking and the
same mentality that Hitler enjoyed that brought all this to power. Propaganda
and the greed that small minded people (the media) kiss up to for access.
History predicts this until people change. Good luck to we thinking people!
One foot went out the door for my G.O.P. affiliation when Party Elders failed to intervene in 2016 and give the nomination to someone fit for the office with similar politics. 🤬
Those Elders may have been intimidated by Trumps veiled threat of violence in Cleveland if he did not receive the nomination. The other foot went out when Justice Kavanaugh was confirmed. 😢
Deidre, don't forget how many have been marinating in deliberate lies and obfuscation through the Right Wing Propaganda Machine led by Fox "News" and its ilk.
a) they are working with different info than you, AND
b) most of them are less concerned about misinfo, or disinfo, than you.
MANY Americans today think it is clever to lie; this is the largest cultural change since my youth, half a century ago. Trust IS an absolute prerequisite for governance, national security, preservation of property, and stable money.
In short, Civilization depends on BOTH trust AND trustworthiness.
PS Simon Sinek would say that LIARS make of the mistake of being "Finite players in an Infinite game" - that they don't know the game they are in, or WHY they play.
If you are unfamiliar, he defines Finite and Infinite Games in the opening several minutes of a great talk at the 2019 World Government Summit, here:
Biden finally admitted last week that appointing Garland as AG was "a mistake." He followed the advice of Ron Klain, his Chief of Staff, that they would have a 'squeaky clean" DOJ.
I disagree that A.G. Garland's appointment was a mistake. Governance these days is a tight-rope. He had to proceed by the book and, with all of the flying scheiße coming from Trump, the wheels of Justice turned slowly, too slowly. Had the Attorney General been impetuous and apparently or truly motivated by political animus, there may have been a civil war. So, prudence had to be the order of the day.
Dems and Klain kept trying for clean optics. So that "Trump couldn't say we were too political."
But Trump says whatever he wants and his followers swallow it whole.
Too many Dem decisions based on how Trump would spin it. He spins it no matter what!!!
We could have had a strong AG who hired Jack Smith. Trump would have cried foul. So what. Getting him to a jury should have been the point, not being so passive that Trump doesn't attack you. Like Garland.
Trump won that one, but if Jack Smith had been hired earlier, we wouldn't be here right now.
It NEVER works to appease your enemy. Didnt we learn anything in WW2?
"Defendant’s disdain for the Third Branch of government, whether state or federal, in New York or elsewhere, is a matter of public record. Indeed, Defendant has gone to great lengths to broadcast on social media and other forums his lack of respect for judges, juries, grand juries and the justice system as a whole."
- Judge Merchan
"Similarly, judges, lawyers, and the law were among the things Hitler most despised, and his regime was one long assault on the rationality, predictability, and integrity of the law."
Benjamin Carter Hett, The Death of Democracy: Hitler's Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic
Actually, I don't want trump to die before facing the music. I thought that sentencing without a prison sentence, even being detained for one night to be useless, until I read that if trump died without being sentenced his criminal record would be wiped clean and so I thank Joyce for that.
mump may think that now that they've won they've got the world by the tail. But intelligence not being their strongest asset, they forget about what happens at the midterms. Already pissed off MAGAs who are angrily posting on Reddit and twitter, HONESTLY, are just figuring out that they have been bamboozled...oops!
If it's any consolation, when he dies, he probably dies of either a stroke or a heart attack. Now, in my own opinion-which usually gets me in a lot of trouble-I'm hoping for a stroke. The idea of him lying in a bed, slobbering all over himself and being unable to move while the world revolves is the ultimate revenge.
Agreed, Barbara. I’d like to see him suffer a debilitating stroke, incontinent (as he is now), confined to a wheelchair, drooling, having to be spoon fed green jello and unable to speak. This would be a fitting end for such a nasty, lying, horrible subpar thing that has caused so much pain and suffering in our world.
Jimmy Carter’s death cannot be more timely to illustrate the incomprehensible starkness of contrast of character between these two presidents. We all need to do everything in our power that this piece-of-shit-president-elect never lies in state in the very Capitol he had desecrated.
Here’s the deal though, Barbara, we probably will never know again if he gets severely ill. His family and staff won’t reveal anything about him. Let’s be careful what we wish for because I wanted Henry Kissinger to die after the Vietnam War ended. What did that SOB do? He lived until 100 years old and only croaked last year!
Trump's power comes from his 30 million hard core base fanatics. They're the club he holds over Republicans to bully his way to making them bow to him.
However they're only fanatically bonded to Trump personally. Their is no heir and he doesn't want one.
So when Trump is out of the picture, those core fanatics will go home. Theyll worship Trump forever privately but will ignore Vance, Don Jr. and any other substitute hero. Whatever hold Trump has on them, nobody else has.
So that weapon the bully wielded will disappear. Repubs won't be so beholden to Trumps core to get elected any more.
I think most of his followers don't vote anyway except for him.
Without that cudgel and those threats at their disposal, new leaders will be significantly weaker than Trump. So more infighting, more fragmentation.
Ideally, on that gold toilet. In my EMS days I found a number of folks who'd died that way and they'd probably consumed less cheeseburgers than he has.
If I were to tell you how I phrase it in my head, I'd be booted out, LOL! I speak 2 languages-English and trucker. The trucker vocabulary is definitively raw core.
Judge Merchan is so courageous for doing this. I am hoping that when not if it happens there will be a final conviction of guilt. don-old’s name will be synonymous with being the first convicted felon as
He definitely cares. Thats why he's fighting it. He knows its not a badge of honor. He'd pay big bucks to make it disappear. He just pretends to like it.
Agreed what Marshan is doing, despite some criticism, is just within the boundaries of the law. At least, he’s doing something. And after the crazy circus the last two weeks, is starting the new terrifying year with correct action, not loud posturing.
Trump not showing up (insert sarcasm here). He knows there will be a big audience and surely cannot resist to spout his ridiculous assertions about he has been persecuted. Do the crime; you do the time!
Though the good judge is almost *certainly above such pettiness, I am not; I would love to see Judge Merchan needle the scheiße out of the drumpfer-in-chief. 🤭🫣🤫🤔🥳
It appears that he won't serve time for any of his crimes, unless an international court convicts and extradites him. He is never held accountable here, so nothing will happen to him unless his goons flip out on him. This sentencing, as lame as it seems, is the most we can expect.
Judge Merchan is my hero. Thanks as always for your detailed review of proceedings and for capturing Trump’s disrespectful rhetoric against the judicial system.
I made it to the court to watch a disgusting, scum slime of a sub human substance slither around the hallways of Justice.
January 18 at 10AM, there will be a rally and a march commencing in Foly Plaza in front of the state Supreme Court of New York. Please pass this around. I will be there in support and I have been given tentative green light to perform my anti Trump songs. I am humbled and proud.
May we all somehow survive this mayhem.
I will be joining a local march here in Oregon on the 18th. I will miss your songs Bill but the spirit is strong.
Hope,Karen. Here they are ( momentarily); And I welcome any posted comments on the YouTube channel
"Blue Daze" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYtTGIzb7OA
"Broken Road and Broken Trails -- Inauguration Day" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf7KHm3nLzA
"The Shithole Song" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BSaG6I77RU
(Please leave comments. I love them.)
Bill, love your " sets"..... especially the one for the Shithole Song!!
I agree Carol. They are great and the Shithole Song is my favorite. Perfect venue too!
Hum… maybe I’ll begin with that one, lol.
Hi Karen. I'm in Oregon also. What March will you be attending?
Hi Kathleen, There are several around Portland but I live in Hood River and the closest one to me is actually across the Columbia River in Stevenson, Washington so I will probably attend that one. What part of Oregon are you in?
I’m also in Portland Oregon. I have to find where it is here
https://action.womensmarch.com/events/people-s-march-portland-or?source=web-share-api-button&utm_source=web_share_api&share=72add435-796c-4bec-acbc-080494a8a067
I'm in McMinnville
Great good luck, great good man.
Thanks Bill -- I was wondering where the NYC March would be!
Foley Square is on Centre St in front of the state Supreme Court. You take the number 6.
Do you have a link to the event on the 18th?
It’s under People’s March or Women’s March then you scroll on the left to various marches. Alternately I suppose you could search The People’s March in Manhattan. Easy peasy.
Thanks! I’ll check again. Last I looked there was nothing in NYC but that was a while ago!
I will be standing with the women & men of DeKalb County in Illinois in front of the county court house on 1/18. I hope there are millions around the country who stand together for freedom!
I absolutely agree, Heather, and hope Judge Merchan & his family have plenty of security.
I really hope for the security. Good and brave (wo)men need to be protected.
Sadly. And who would ever think the threats would come from our president.
Not to be a great President in the White House but a grating resident of the White House.
Here's the problem with the jury of his peers concept— in the opinion of Trump and his supporters he has no peer. /s
Yeah, well that and a dollar will buy him a Diet Coke too.
Agreed. It’s amazing how many of Trump's lawyers’ motions have failed.
It's amazing how many of his lawsuits have failed. But most were just nuisance suits.
Where can you buy a Diet Coke for a dollar any more? ROFLMAO!
That was my point. It won’t.
Costco. Soda and a hotdog = $1.50
Yeah but the hot dog is only worth $0.25! LOL!
Cut the hotdog in Hal and sell it for a buck. And the diet soda can be refilled for free. How’s dat?
I feel bad for a longtime musician acquaintance who I met leaving Costco empty handed and when I asked him why, he told me he had come in for the hotdog and coke.
He just got another $200,000,000 for that opinion. That's a lot of Diet Cokes SPW
It doesn’t matter what he thinks!
Unfortunately...!WRONG! with obnoxious buzzer
Good one. 😊
My reaction, exactly…
CNN and Stephanopoulus just fed that intimidation lie!
We must be related, Heather! At least you have written what I would have, too. Thanks to Joyce for clarifying it all.
Never enough coverage of his disrespectful...and dangerous...rhetoric against the judicial system.
Agreed. The good counsellor counselled us well. ⚖️🥳🙏
May that damned scarlet letter remain.🤞
may it remain always!
Which letter is it? Or, an alphabet?
How about F as in felon, failure, fascist, fabulist, failure, fake,flatulent, fractious, flagitious.
Flagitious is a new word for me! Add that to 'kakistocracy,' a government by its worst citizens, and I've been enlightened this week.
For me as well. Great word. 😊 Until I saw your comment, Hope, I thought flagitious was a new word made up by combining flatulent and litigious. 🤭 then I realized I had mis-read a real word as 'flatigious'. 🤢
🤭 That would be a great word to describe the orange stink. And it gave me a chuckle! TY!
Me, too.
I'd add 'f**ker' to that great descriptive list!
God, YES! However did I miss that very obvious word?? Just too busy trying to come up with as may appropriate F words and missed one of the most obvious! Duh 🙄.
I’ll just say out loud…fucking fucker!
FRAUD!
A flagitious diaper wearing fascist about to become president? Good for you SPW and others speaking truth to coward. Brava Joyce and Judge Merchant.
Fuckwad
Love it!! ❤️
It’s an “F” of course!
For "Failure" - which the damned traitor has been all his worthless life - and for "Felon"
Shoot. I thought it was Fucker.
That too.
It could also be an A for adulterer, just like in the original. But F is better.
A is for Asshole
B is for Bastard
C is for Coward
D is for Dildo
E is for Empty-headed
F is for Fuckwit
G is for Gander
H is for Halfwit
I is for Idiot
J is for Jagoff
K is for Klutz
L is for Loser
M is for Motherfucker
N is for Nitwit
O is for Obtuse
P is for Putz
Q is for Quarterwit
R is for Ripoff
S is for Shithead
T is for Twit
U is for Ungovernable
V is for Villain
W is for Whackjob
X is for Elmo
Y is for Yutz
Z is for Zero
BINGO!
Even if the punishment were only a fine - one that no doubt Trump would pay with the money of his gullible followers - it would be a closure of sorts. The fact that another rich person got away with something that is illegal, and something that you or I would be in jail or otherwise punished for, is maddening and only encourages more bad behavior from Trump and those of his ilk. I do applaud Judge Merchan for working to save the conviction so at least it will always be on Trump's record and we can truthfully refer to him as a convicted felon.
Hopefully, one day it will also be in the first line of his obituary
Soon and in our lifetime...
Two choices: (1), tRump dies in office, vacating the conviction, or (2), tRump remains alive, felony conviction maintained permanently.
"I'll take Choice #1 for $1000, Alex".
Third alternative: Project 2025 lets him stay for a year to create as much chaos as possible, implements the 25th Amendment, gers him out of office, JD becomes president for the rest of the term, pardons Trompe and runs for president himself.
Cremate and flush down the golden toilet.
'loving wife'? - the one he had thrown down a stair, or his handler?
The only reply I have for that is "what brain"...? Everything in his head is twisted up into knots of desire for revenge and vindictive payback, rage and hatreds...and a love of winning every single moment. There is no room in there for any sort of intellectual thinking process. It's all a murky mess of seething reactive emotions.
She’l bury him next to Ivana at Bedminster so she can take the tax deduction for the cemetery. But first, she’s gonna dig up the corpse already there to see what secrets she can uncover to monetize and then blacken what will remain of Donny’s legacy.
The suggestion of unconditional release suggests no fine either. A fine would leave the sentence open to appeal and therefore retain jeopardy over Trump. The purpose of the unconditional release as i understand it is to end the case completely right now.
He can still appeal the conviction but he is no longer under ANY jeopardy (no prison, no jail, no fine, no probation) which means his appeal is purely to deal with the verdict and not the sentence.
It's actually a rather clever move by the judge, I think, to basically defang the defense post trial. He isn't going to end up in jail or prison anyway, and a fine unless it is HUGE (which doesn't seem likely) isn't going to really affect him or solve anything (no need for restitution) so this puts a nice final ribbon on the entire package.
I was hoping he would have to do some community service. It seems he has time for golf. But I will have to be happy with anything that seals his conviction.
Why is it that in this country it seems the relatively small crimes that are the ones that are punished?
Small crimes are easy to prosecute. By definition the criminals have little money and no support. Big crimes always get better treatment from our system. Justice isn't really blind. It always has a hand in your wallet or purse.
Sigh....
Yes,as always, it’s all about money.
You are exactly right, Carol, as you wonder about the Legal System in this country as it appears to be at this time. Yes, wealthy people seem to have a distinct advantage, but what is so dangerous for the United States is that millions of people - rich, poor, and in-between - applaud and support breaking the law and getting away with it. Millions of US citizens hate the government and celebrate when someone - not just Trump - “get away” with bad behavior.
Yes, Paul, they hate government more, the less they know about it. I remember the lady with the sign that read “Keep government hands off my Medicare!” Unaware where her Medicare came from, unaware that Republicans wanted to privatize it, as they still do.
I was also hoping for community service! A thousand hours of emptying bedpans in a DC hospital seems appropriate.
Agree, really hoped for community service with him picking up trash on a NY freeway on a cold rainy Sunday or 10.
That's fine, and I understand that if you're totally boxed into a corner (by America losing its collective mind and voting for the return of Trump) then you have to make the best of it in legal terms.
I was just concerned by notions that (a) being a convicted felon means a whole lot, as if it's punishment in itself, and I have trouble buying that if there is no penalty - why have the law, or the trial at all? It's not a victory at all.
And (b) that Trump in any way whatsoever is being treated like any other average convicted felon - in fact it is the complete reverse - a jury has convicted him on 34 counts, but he pays no penalty, now or ever, because he's too powerful to punish.
Seems to me it's kicking the jurors (and the verdict they reached) in the face.
I understand your frustration. But this is a very unusual situation. We've never faced this before. The constitutional rules governing the presidency are minimal allowing him to be elected even if he is a convicted felon. That should be changed of course, you can't be elected almost anything else if you are. But the Pres. and VP have different rules unfortunately. Given how difficult it is to amend the Constitution, change isn't going to happen for a long time.
Sigh...
I understand it's unusual, but it isn't "unusual" just because legal experts say it is, and further, it doesn't make all solutions impossible.
Millions of sensible Americans would like the quid pro quo - if someone (almost uniquely) can be elected to the office of the president, even though a tried and convicted felon, or in jail, then the reverse should apply: even someone elected to the office of the president can be tried, convicted, sentenced and jailed, despite their role.
I appreciate the world isn't neatly symmetrical like that.
Judge Juan Merchan sets a good example which is dearly needed in the midst of Musk and Bezos and McConnell and Thomas and...
I concur Roxanna Springer. I also concur with Professor Vance's earlier statement on MSNBC today that judge Merchan may have "some more" cards, tricks but, more likely court Orders to hand down on Felon 34.
It is a very long time in Trump World between today & July 10, 2025 for Trump to act out with additional contumacious behavior. Once again I will remind folks that Judge Merchan has already determined & banged his gavel down on ten (10) separate Trump contempts. That's unfinished business.
Those prior contempt orders could reappear on July 10, 2025 as part of pending court work yet to become final.
I've been wondering what happened to the contempts. Even if he fined tRump a thousand dollars per contempt, tRump would be totally irked. It doesn't seem right that he can just walk away with no punishment at all
None of this is really right to normal people.
WOW... I don't usually think of myself as normal :)
Me neither. These days we pass for normal. In my case a first.
Bryan, Judge Merchan is allowing the convicted felon to appear virtually at his sentencing. What happens if he doesn't show up? More contempt charges?
Yes.
I think the Defendant will show up [virtually]. Everyone is aware that that Trump's position as President Elect expires at noon 1/20/25 which is why the hearing was applied for & set on 1/10/25. Trump applied & the Prosecutor agreed. Trump got what he asked for but, not what he might get.
Also, court security for a live appearance would be costly for all concerned.
Bryan, I'm suggesting that Trump may further flip off the court by refusing to even sit in a virtual sentencing, knowing that the court will be powerless to enforce any action against him. Merchan certainly won't toss him in prison until Jan 20, and what good will a fine do?
So what happens then: sentencing in absentia?
I am not certain but, another contempt order would likely follow.
Like I said yesterday, it still a long time until January 10, 2025.
Just last night there was sorta a Seditionist Rave at Mar-a-lago featuring JOHN EASTMAN on stage.
Also on stage with ... Michel Flynn;
Jeffrey Clark,
Peter Navarro' (Attention: Ari Melber booking Team)
And, of course Rudy G.
But wait ... there's more: Italian Prime Minister, GEORGIA MELONI, was present as well. Apparently the group binged on a propaganda film.
H/t MSNBC reporter Vaughn Hillyard this am from MAL-Florida.
Question: Some sort of "Sixth Sense" psychosis?
All this on the Eve of a lawful transfer of power administered by Kamala!
A few minutes ago Sunday Morning from Jamie Raskin (D-MD):
"We're still in the fight of our Lives; it's far from over."
Virtual ones.
Wow. Is that true? Does Judge Merchan have to make sentences on the Trump contempts?
Per PBS News 4/30/24 attaching the Order from last Spring 2024 Judge Merchan fined the felon $9000 & warned against further violations.
Thank you for filling me in, Bryan. 🤝
I know you mean January not July.
The date is January 10, not July. Next week.
I didn't even notice the error, Jon -- it began with J ;-)
Correct Jon.
...and Roberts
Judge Merchan and all the NYC judges are tough and fair. Thank you Judge Merchan. All the people of this country who believe in trial by jury, stand behind you and applaud you.
Trump is disgusting. The77 million who voted for him? Revolting .
This is what I don't understand and simply cannot come to terms with. How could they knowing what he has done, what he has been convicted of, and the millions of deaths he is responsible for?
Jena, bear in mind that many so many do not use reason when voting. They vote with their emotions. And that my friend, is the wrong component to use when voting.
Hey Bill. Good point. What the hell emotion sways a vote for a man like Trump? I just cannot comprehend…..
His voters think consumer prices will decrease when Trump is president. If he deports undocumented immigrants and slaps tariffs on imports, as he has promised, prices will go up. What will his supporters say then?
I don't think the millions who voted for him thought about any of those things - they just can't stand any black-brown people being near the levers of power - that's white men's business.
And no migrants either - so Kamala Harris crashed and burned on THREE grounds. Mind you, she didn't help her own cause anywhere near enough ... but perhaps nothing she did would have made a difference.
Psy ops works.
I also cannot wrap my head around his handling of the pandemic and January 6 and the millions who voted for him….just totally forgetting about that. What does that say about the folks of this country??? And the millions who couldn’t be bothered to vote. Months later, I am still dumbfounded and disgusted by the realization that there are people around me who voted for him.
Long article in the NYT today about how MAGA & their minions managed to change the truth of what happened on Jan 6, 2020 into a fairy tale of lies.
This bothers me even more than losing the election - The fact that Fox News & other right wing media can persuade Americans to disbelieve what we all saw happen in real time on television. It's just like the famous lines in Orwell's 1985:
"The party told you to reject the evidence of your own eyes & ears."
2+2 now equals 5, right? We are on the precipice of danger the likes of which we cannot even imagine right now. In 15 days, it will start to take real shape. The GQP army of idiots, incels and misfits is large and willing to do what their orange diapered leader commands. What are the rest of us going to DO to try to keep ourselves and our vulnerable neighbors safe and out of their grips?
I’ve been reading “I Will Bear Witness,” Victor Klemperer’s diaries of his life in Nazi Germany as a form of stress inoculation.
Thanks KMD for bringing this story to our attention. I just listened to it. I recommend it. Here is a link and a short excerpt (first paragraph):
‘A Day of Love’: How Trump Inverted the Violent History of Jan. 6
The president-elect and his allies have spent four years reinventing the Capitol attack — spreading conspiracy theories and weaving a tale of martyrdom to their ultimate political gain.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/05/us/politics/january-6-capitol-riot-trump.html
By Dan Barry and Alan Feuer
Jan. 5, 2025, 3:00 a.m. ET
"In two weeks, Donald J. Trump is to emerge from an arched portal of the United States Capitol to once again take the presidential oath of office. As the Inauguration Day ritual conveying the peaceful transfer of power unfolds, he will stand where the worst of the mayhem of Jan. 6, 2021, took place, largely in his name."
p.s. when you see or hear of a Wisconsin member of Congress named Derrick Van Orden, remember this, among other things, that he was present on the grounds of the Capitol on January 6 (having lost his bid that time, not yet elected) and
-his photo was published in Daily Beast
-on January 13, he had an op ed published in La Crosse tribune in his name: here is how he described it:
"On the now notorious January 6, I decided to walk down the mall to the Capitol and wait for the people to march there. The crowd was peaceful, many families with small children, elderly people, and others from all walks of life were mingling. The mood was festive.
When we arrived at the Capitol, several hundreds of people were on the grounds waving flags. There were multiple families with small children walking on the lawn."
None of the video accounts of January 6 which I have watched, including the Proud Boys trial montage seem to support this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyqbtViH6FE
sorry for going "off topic" but with tomorrow being January 6 .....
What we need is some good journalism on the millions who did not vote versus the 2020 election. I suspect that a good portion of those voters did not want to “hold their noses” and vote for the “lesser of two evils” since in fact the lesser evil was insisting on supporting violence and vengeance and in the process violating numerous laws both of this country and of the international law that we have sworn to uphold. I voted but for neither of the two evils, which, in the end, turned out to be different only on the state and local level.
Jena, completely agree. My family has been in disbelief since the election. No,
we are not way out there. I used to be a Republican as had my husband. Feels like a million years ago. We supported Biden and the Camilla because they
made sense and were smart. How could anyone support a man who 1. speaks like a spoiled 4 year old., 2.how can anyone support the hate spewed constantly from
the toddler’s mouth, and 3. Who are these utter imbeciles who support hatred
and stupidity?
Turns out 77 million morons. It is money, thank you SCOTUS, lack of critical thinking and the
same mentality that Hitler enjoyed that brought all this to power. Propaganda
and the greed that small minded people (the media) kiss up to for access.
History predicts this until people change. Good luck to we thinking people!
One foot went out the door for my G.O.P. affiliation when Party Elders failed to intervene in 2016 and give the nomination to someone fit for the office with similar politics. 🤬
Those Elders may have been intimidated by Trumps veiled threat of violence in Cleveland if he did not receive the nomination. The other foot went out when Justice Kavanaugh was confirmed. 😢
Thank you, Deirdre. 🤝
It is very very upsetting to me, as I know it is for you.
Deidre, don't forget how many have been marinating in deliberate lies and obfuscation through the Right Wing Propaganda Machine led by Fox "News" and its ilk.
"How could they vote for him???"
a) they are working with different info than you, AND
b) most of them are less concerned about misinfo, or disinfo, than you.
MANY Americans today think it is clever to lie; this is the largest cultural change since my youth, half a century ago. Trust IS an absolute prerequisite for governance, national security, preservation of property, and stable money.
In short, Civilization depends on BOTH trust AND trustworthiness.
PS Simon Sinek would say that LIARS make of the mistake of being "Finite players in an Infinite game" - that they don't know the game they are in, or WHY they play.
If you are unfamiliar, he defines Finite and Infinite Games in the opening several minutes of a great talk at the 2019 World Government Summit, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgErG3NHBvw
Hurray for the Judge. If only he could be on the Supreme Court!
If only he could have been Attorney General for the last 4 years.
Biden finally admitted last week that appointing Garland as AG was "a mistake." He followed the advice of Ron Klain, his Chief of Staff, that they would have a 'squeaky clean" DOJ.
I always felt that his appointment to AG was the consolation prize for not being appointed to the SC (Curse you, Mitch McConnell!)
I disagree that A.G. Garland's appointment was a mistake. Governance these days is a tight-rope. He had to proceed by the book and, with all of the flying scheiße coming from Trump, the wheels of Justice turned slowly, too slowly. Had the Attorney General been impetuous and apparently or truly motivated by political animus, there may have been a civil war. So, prudence had to be the order of the day.
All he had to do was have the stones to start the damn investigation in March 2021.
You remind me of another Ned - the one on The Simpsons.
Lot of good that did when you're playing with the Devil. Sigh....🙄
Let Garland be disgraced forever.
Dems and Klain kept trying for clean optics. So that "Trump couldn't say we were too political."
But Trump says whatever he wants and his followers swallow it whole.
Too many Dem decisions based on how Trump would spin it. He spins it no matter what!!!
We could have had a strong AG who hired Jack Smith. Trump would have cried foul. So what. Getting him to a jury should have been the point, not being so passive that Trump doesn't attack you. Like Garland.
Trump won that one, but if Jack Smith had been hired earlier, we wouldn't be here right now.
It NEVER works to appease your enemy. Didnt we learn anything in WW2?
Noted without comment.
"Defendant’s disdain for the Third Branch of government, whether state or federal, in New York or elsewhere, is a matter of public record. Indeed, Defendant has gone to great lengths to broadcast on social media and other forums his lack of respect for judges, juries, grand juries and the justice system as a whole."
- Judge Merchan
"Similarly, judges, lawyers, and the law were among the things Hitler most despised, and his regime was one long assault on the rationality, predictability, and integrity of the law."
Benjamin Carter Hett, The Death of Democracy: Hitler's Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic
https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1362209.Benjamin_Carter_Hett
Come Jan 21, we will find out whether he will use executive orders to defund any aspect of the jusitice system that MAGATs feel will be a threat to autocracy. https://www.ncja.org/crimeandjusticenews/career-doj-lawyers-may-leave-if-they-fear-turbulence-under-trump
I fear that several agencies will be defunded via executive orders.Will he try to immediately deport or incarcerate DACA? Reinstate the Muslim ban?
Maybe kismet will be achieved. trump could still die in office. Or in the bathroom. I don’t really care where.
Actually, I don't want trump to die before facing the music. I thought that sentencing without a prison sentence, even being detained for one night to be useless, until I read that if trump died without being sentenced his criminal record would be wiped clean and so I thank Joyce for that.
mump may think that now that they've won they've got the world by the tail. But intelligence not being their strongest asset, they forget about what happens at the midterms. Already pissed off MAGAs who are angrily posting on Reddit and twitter, HONESTLY, are just figuring out that they have been bamboozled...oops!
If it's any consolation, when he dies, he probably dies of either a stroke or a heart attack. Now, in my own opinion-which usually gets me in a lot of trouble-I'm hoping for a stroke. The idea of him lying in a bed, slobbering all over himself and being unable to move while the world revolves is the ultimate revenge.
Agreed, Barbara. I’d like to see him suffer a debilitating stroke, incontinent (as he is now), confined to a wheelchair, drooling, having to be spoon fed green jello and unable to speak. This would be a fitting end for such a nasty, lying, horrible subpar thing that has caused so much pain and suffering in our world.
I like it. Twisting in the wind as karma for the evilness he has released into the world.
After stuffing his face with Big Macs and Colonel Sanders.
Jimmy Carter’s death cannot be more timely to illustrate the incomprehensible starkness of contrast of character between these two presidents. We all need to do everything in our power that this piece-of-shit-president-elect never lies in state in the very Capitol he had desecrated.
Here’s the deal though, Barbara, we probably will never know again if he gets severely ill. His family and staff won’t reveal anything about him. Let’s be careful what we wish for because I wanted Henry Kissinger to die after the Vietnam War ended. What did that SOB do? He lived until 100 years old and only croaked last year!
If a cat can look at a king, I can wish and hope all I want to. Doesn't mean that I will receive what I want, but I can still dream.
And I trust Senator Vance even less than Trump.
Trump's power comes from his 30 million hard core base fanatics. They're the club he holds over Republicans to bully his way to making them bow to him.
However they're only fanatically bonded to Trump personally. Their is no heir and he doesn't want one.
So when Trump is out of the picture, those core fanatics will go home. Theyll worship Trump forever privately but will ignore Vance, Don Jr. and any other substitute hero. Whatever hold Trump has on them, nobody else has.
So that weapon the bully wielded will disappear. Repubs won't be so beholden to Trumps core to get elected any more.
I think most of his followers don't vote anyway except for him.
Without that cudgel and those threats at their disposal, new leaders will be significantly weaker than Trump. So more infighting, more fragmentation.
I can hardly wait!
Oh to God's ears!
Really? That is interesting news.
Ideally, on that gold toilet. In my EMS days I found a number of folks who'd died that way and they'd probably consumed less cheeseburgers than he has.
More ideally with his head stuck in the bowl.
Hmmm-happy thought!
I always wondered what the Bidens did with those toilets, or if the former occupant took them with him.
My guess is Trump took his golden throne with him.
Probably will bring it back with him...
hahaha
I agree!
of natural causes is what Barb means I'm sure. Better safe than sorry Barb xo
Of course. I wouldn’t want anything that wasn’t natural to happen.
I was sure that was what you meant.
You two are being polite about it. I would be satisfied with the stroke that disabled. Actually, that's me being polite.
If I were to tell you how I phrase it in my head, I'd be booted out, LOL! I speak 2 languages-English and trucker. The trucker vocabulary is definitively raw core.
All those hamburgers coming home to roost.....
Would you settle for lightening, Barbara? I would welcome it!! Aa natural as can be. A "God has spoken" moment.....wishful thinking!
Well, seeing as I am an atheist, any god wouldn't cut it. In my fantasy, biological events and inherited DNA should do the trick!!!
The flag flying at half mast does scare him. It's an omen to him.
I know you know it's half staff. Unless we're all on a cruise to a safe place for 4 years.
I stand corrected Hannah. Would be nice to go on a cruise for 4 years. I'm surrounded by red hats.
My condolences.
I don’t think the Felon will last 4 years for whatever reason!
He is evil enough to survive for a long time.
Be careful what you wish for. Vance is just as awful, but he is smart.
smart? I don't believe so. He's a wishy-washy lightweight.
He isn't smart. He regurgitates what his handlers tell him. He claims his best time in college was a talk by Peter Thiel.
Judge Merchan is so courageous for doing this. I am hoping that when not if it happens there will be a final conviction of guilt. don-old’s name will be synonymous with being the first convicted felon as
President. Justice will be served.
He doesn’t care. It would be his badge of honor if he believed in honor.
IMHO, he is nutsy ko koo. As # 45, members of his own cabinet tried to remove him on that basis.
He definitely cares. Thats why he's fighting it. He knows its not a badge of honor. He'd pay big bucks to make it disappear. He just pretends to like it.
No matter how this goes, Judge Merchan is a hero with impeccable moral compass. My respect for him grows daily.
Agreed 111%, Ellie.
Agreed what Marshan is doing, despite some criticism, is just within the boundaries of the law. At least, he’s doing something. And after the crazy circus the last two weeks, is starting the new terrifying year with correct action, not loud posturing.
Trump not showing up (insert sarcasm here). He knows there will be a big audience and surely cannot resist to spout his ridiculous assertions about he has been persecuted. Do the crime; you do the time!
With him, ya do the crime then do the whine when prosecuted.
Though the good judge is almost *certainly above such pettiness, I am not; I would love to see Judge Merchan needle the scheiße out of the drumpfer-in-chief. 🤭🫣🤫🤔🥳
I’ve asked myself a thousand times how this ignorant, uncharismatic, arrogant, self absorbed criminal, with 34 felonies, became president?
Unfathomable still.
Prison time would be fair. But here we are. It's not even close to perfect, but it's something.
I never expected this particular case to generate jail time. The next felony (or 40) yes, but not this one.
It appears that he won't serve time for any of his crimes, unless an international court convicts and extradites him. He is never held accountable here, so nothing will happen to him unless his goons flip out on him. This sentencing, as lame as it seems, is the most we can expect.
I mwonder if probation would work. Likely not. Perhaps the judge can say that Trump is on probation to the American people.
I'm with you Joyce, but I am so distressed at how this criminal has slipped out of any accountability for so many crimes that I have lost hope.
Me too to the point where I just say “what bullshit!”. I am sorry, but it’s just come to that.