I had plans to write about a number of things tonight, most importantly, the not-unexpected but still deeply disturbing dismissal of the federal criminal cases against Donald Trump.
"The future is bigger than our imaginations. It’s unimaginable, and then it comes anyway. To meet it we need to keep going, to walk past what we can imagine. We need to be unstoppable. And here’s what it takes: you don’t stop walking to congratulate yourself; you don’t stop walking to wallow in despair; you don’t stop because your own life got too comfortable or too rough; you don’t stop because you won; you don’t stop because you lost. There’s more to win, more to lose, others who need you.
"You don’t stop walking because there is no way forward. Of course there is no way. You walk the path into being, you make the way, and if you do it well, others can follow the route. You look backward to grasp the long history you’re moving forward from, the paths others have made, the road you came in on. You look forward to possibility. That’s what we mean by hope, and you look past it into the impossible and that doesn’t stop you either. But mostly you just walk, right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot. That’s what makes you unstoppable."
This is profound for me. I’m putting it in a document and printing it to be placed on a bulletin board that I’m using to keep sane. Thank you for sharing this.
Enjoy your holiday, Joyce, and hope you find your broccolini (or a suitable substitute). In dark times I’m reminded of a motto ascribed to the Army Corps of Engineers during WWII: “The difficult I will do now. The impossible will take a little while.” Thank you for embodying that spirit and encouraging others to do the same!
My new larger bulletin board came yesterday- knew I needed a larger one for sanity and to remind myself of the beauty and fragility of life and this world.
The header to this remarkable writing by Rebecca Solnit: The Only Way Out is Through. I repeat this phrase in my head and it sometimes allows me to see those stars our VP told us would always be there.
Eric, Thank you for posting Solnit’s gorgeous text, While I lack the acumen to summon her deeply affecting exposition, I would note whatever resilience I’ve been able to muster since the election rests solely with connecting with fellow Indivisibles who are laser-focused on the fight at the local, county, state, and federal levels to preserve the institutions that were created to ensure democracy somehow still would prevail. To learn more visit indivisible.org
Indeed! Bravo! I am in NC and we have a fight here in NC as the NC GOP tries to strip powers away from our newly elected Democratic Gov etc. I joined ACLU, Indivisible and Every State Blue plus Toastmasters so I can practice speaking before groups. I will not go quietly in the night. I have my “we ride at dawn” hat and cape on! But the Dismissal brought me to my knees yesterday.
I'm in NYC where many of my fellow New Yorkers did not vote as expected. Disappointment is an understatement. Yet hearing about what's going on in NC is certainly discouraging. But I must say that I truly
respect you for the plans you are making and steps within to face the power grabs in process. You are my hero right now, and I admit I need one. I hope you'll share your journey with us.
Thanks Trudy for your encouragement. So needed. I am in my 60s very active but I am an introvert. I don’t want to raise my voice my I feel I have no choice. My Mother marched so I could have choices she is now almost 90 and still fierce. I do it for her and many others. Constance Baker Motley’s son spoke to a group of us a few years ago and I am reading a bio about her activism to help push me onward “Civil Rights Queen- Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality” by Tomiko Brown- Nagin and “Courage to Dissent” same author. I subscribe to your Substack Trudy so we can stay connected.
New York was very disappointing, I too live here, native as it happens, a rare breed in NYC. We will be back - we will work to get back - enjoy the holiday and then let's get going.
Pam, In my view, the dismissal yesterday entails both harms and benefits. As for the benefits, the early dismissal allowed Jack Smith to dismiss without prejudice and, more importantly, nearly guarantees the public will see Smith’s report. Admittedly, the section on the Documents Case will be substantially redacted because the case against two of Trump’s aids has not been dismissed. Still, in my view, the benefits of seeing the report outweigh leaving it to Trump’s DOJ to dismiss the case and our seeing nothing. Accordingly, my advice, given the challenges in your state, is to let the dismissal go and reclaim that admirable determination you had summoned prior to yesterday.
The media neglect to report that the dismissal was without prejudice. The case can be brought again once Trump leaves the presidency. I guess this assumes the next president is a Democrat. Trump can delay justice, but he cannot escape it altogether.
Yes they did but current Governor Roy Cooper will veto and then the GOP super majority will have their freaking say and here we go. Ready. Not that I can do much at this point but be a pain in calling GOP offices.
I'm in NC also and not looking forward to governance by a bicameral, legislative committee. I feel certain Stein will be working with other democratic governors across the country to protect citizens from federal overreach.
I had already factored in the dismissal so am looking beyond that. I like your involvement ideas. Best of luck!
Yes, starting on the day after the election, after crying all my tears, I have started greeting everyone with a broad smile and saying loud and strong "We're not going back!" I don't care who they are....it is my way of staying actively engaged in the "opposition party" until "further instructions" and I live in Ohio......the most gerrymandered, corrupt Republican strongholds at this point.....
Wow! That brought me back and reminded me of Passages by Gail Sheehy! I read that so many years ago… Not sure if life was simpler then. Hmmm.Thanks, Steve 🥹
The book passages really affected me -- it encouraged me to go to law school in my 40s, which I did and which I loved -- I practiced for 20 years after that. I'm going to look for that book again - thank you for the reminder!
I , aged & sad w our America today, can return to Rebecca’s clear guidance: “mostly you just walk, right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot. That’s what makes you unstoppable."mostly you just walk, right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot. That’s what makes you unstoppable."
This is powerful, Eric Lin Daub! I just copied it to my journal and will be researching Rebecca Solnit. Thank you for sharing; I believe I can start to let go of my despair.
I agree with your comments but you had me at "fresh-squeezed orange juice ice cubes for use in Thanksgiving morning Mimosas". Ignore Trump et al for a few days, enjoy Thanksgiving and all it entails.
I keep looking at Trump as if I were 50 in the future and writing a screen play about the most foul-mouth disgusting piece of shit ever to have come onto the political stage.
Joyce, take a deep breath. IMHO, there is no one on the planet who deserves those ice cubes. If someone made for one for me, I wouldn't know what to think.
When I saw this news today I felt sorry for all of us and the rule of law. but, mostly, I felt for Jack Smith all those who have worked tirelessly on these cases.
Professor, I respectfully suggest that you underestimate the depth of the depravity of the Trump administration-to-be — after all, imagine what a group it will be if it consists of an evil homunculus like Miller or a pedophile like Gaetz (yes, yes, he withdrew, but he was nominted). I recommend to you and all the Peter Fritzsche book, HITLER’S FIRST 100 HUNDRED DAYS. In Germany in 1933 Hitler took power and those good people of Germany were soon to learn that the not-so-good people were going precisely what they said they were going to do. And if you think Trump is not our own version of Hitler, I suggest you think again. My point is this: these foul things will not stop of their own volition. They will do whatever they can until they are stopped, one way or the other. There is no limit to their pernicious grasping for power and more power, and it matters not to them whether they destroy hundreds or thousands or hundreds of thousands of people….
MSM movedTulsi Gabbard's nomination to 'challenged'. This underestimates Michael Isikoff's Spy Talk expose about 4 days ago detailing Gabbard's Agit-Prop visit to Syria in 2017.
R-OKLA Senator JAMES LANKFORD & Senate Select Committee member promises a full hearing on Gabbard's Pro Assad U.S. group's funding of her trip & actions then in 2017 & now.
Requires a judgment call of the 56 year old from Oklahoman that graduated from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1994. IMO ... No, not a smokescreen.
I grew up down the street from Peter Fritsche, he and his brother and sisters and I all went to the same school. I have a German mom and both of his parents are German.
I agree that we need to at least try to imagine what Trump's administration will be like if the policies written into Project 2025 come to be and prepare for that. A lot relies on Congress and the voters have given him the Congress that he can control. He also has the court that supports what he is doing.
I have written suggestions for making a plan for self preservation in my Substack.
Not "if" the policies come to be, but rather "when." We have learned nothing if not recognizing that the worst of what tRump and MAGAts say they will do, they will do. And SCOTUS has paved their way.
Many are coming to be in Red States, but not everything planned may happen, so for each one, there is an "if" about it. How much can what they intend to do be thwarted by any one of many players in each situation?
Yes, I fear Trump’s depravity. But even more, I fear the depravity of the Brown Shirts, whom Trump has emboldened.
Trump did not prosecute his followers at Charlottesville or on J6. He will turn a blind eye to the mayhem that the Proud Boys and others will unleash. Perhaps then those evangelicals who voted for Trump will recognize the mistake they’ve made. “Father, forgive them, for they did not know what they were doing.”
William & Leslie N: I checked on the DC USAO Office & on-going prosecution work since the Election. The docket review reveals that convicted J6 rioter, EDWARD KELLEY, was convicted for a 2nd time for plotting to murder FBI agents (plural) who were investigating the Capital Attack.
Are you into True Crime? Well you don't have to be in order to understand his proven "overt acts". EDWARD, the recidivist felon was convicted again this time fo planning to attack the KNOXVILLE, Tennessee FBI office with "car bombs, incendiary devices 💥 appended to drones."
What's next in Knoxville --- IEDS's planted along Dowell Springs Road in the center of town? No sitting on the sofa folks!
The orange cubes are divine. The best use of the color orange in a long time.
Not much we can do about what Jack Smith was forced to do. The proof of the pudding is whether AG Garland (thank God he didn't make it to the Supreme Court) will have the cajones to do the right thing and let the country know what they are dealing with. People, let's say those who don't have the brains God gave a goose, are beginning to have second thoughts about having voted for the Felon. You know, their sentences start with, "I didn't know...."or "I didn't realize...." as if elections had Mulligans and a vote could be done over. Now they know. Let's hope Garland makes the decision to increase their knowledge.
I agree with your assessment about Garland not being on SC. He and President Biden did not have urgency to prosecuting the traitors for four years -- skeptical they would step into Lincoln's shoes now. Lincoln arrested conspirators without evidence, but the irony is the HARD WORK has been done by the prosecutors and the J6 Committee. What in God's name is Biden afraid of?
The job of deciding to prosecute Trump belonged to Merrick Garland, not President Biden. Presidents are not supposed to tell the DOJ what to do. I'm not sure why you're blaming President Biden for not advocating the prosecution of former president Trump.
Like it or not, the President is not supposed to use the Justice Department to go after perceived enemies, a la Richard Nixon. But I think Democrats chose the wrong guy.
When the entire principle of "no one is above the law" has been deep-sixed by the pirates of Mar a Lago, the Electoral College, Citizens United, and last but not least, the Supreme Court -- then pardon me for believing that there is no virtue in the Justice Department sticking by its policy and the President abiding by precedent. What we have is simply acquiescence by the highest level of government in the impending, imminent tyranny of a cabal who are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of overthrowing the Constitution.
Garland answers to President Biden. If President Biden sort of "leaned" on Merrick to bring some urgency to the crime, then do think we would be on our heels allowing a Traitor be President? Is DOJ run by a person who is autonomous from the Executive Branch? Who leads the Executive Branch? Yes the job is on Mr. Garland, but only the President can give urgency to the task.
"We have strayed quite some distance from our model of justice as “blind.” We need to restore balance to the scales of justice. In order to accomplish that, we need to withdraw the President’s tipping finger and affirm that—without exception—no person is above the law."
Your idea of a president who "sort of leaned" on his AG is no different than a president using his/her finger to "tip" the scales of justice. Both are wrong. Trump is using that same idea, only he is taking it to its logical and most destructive extreme, as we would expect him to do.
The American rule of law model is that even though the Department of Justice is part of the Executive Branch, which is led by the president, the U.S. Attorney General is supposed to be independent when making decisions involving the rule of law. That means presidents are not supposed to influence or direct the AG when it comes to how to manage and/or direct the attorneys in the DOJ. Justice is supposed to be blind. Direction from a politician by its nature is not blind, but very partisan.
So yes, for all intents and purposes, the head of the DOJ is supposed to run that department with no directions, orders or interference of any kind from the president. Unlike Donald Trump when he was president, President Biden has followed the rule of law and left Merrick Garland to run the DOJ without political interference from the president.
Trump used his past AG, Bill Barr, as his personal attorney. Trump has made it clear that his new AG will also be his personal attorney to inflict retribution on anyone who has disagreed with or upset Trump in any way...including many people in the media and our American system of justice who were just doing their jobs with fairness and integrity.
Trump plans to follow the behavior of a dictator by retaliating, using public resources like the DOJ, against anyone he doesn't like or who upset him. That is what can happen in America when we allow a president to start breaking down the rule of law for his own benefit. That is how we lose our democracy.
With all the awfulness of the moment, I smiled at Joyce Vance pointing out that Trump and Bondi are trapped in a way. They said they’d hold Smith responsible, but if they do, he can defend himself by revealing all the evidence Trump and his lawyers have so carefully tried to hide. That makes me smile. It’s not enough, but I do like it.
This is one of 5 Thanksgivings until the next phase. Don't postpone your life, look for opportunities to help locally, and be there for your family and community. Thankful for Joyce and other thoughtful substackers with their concerned followers doing what they can. Thank you all!
There are way too many lazy citizens in this country who cannot think beyond their own self interests. Democracy and freedom appear to be concepts too fuzzy for them to contemplate! 🤔
"It appears that if you have money, good attorneys, and political influence, then you can still outsmart the system."
====
I don't want to burst any bubbles, but the criminal justice system going back to 16th century England has always favored those with money and influence. If you didn't have influence, you could find yourself being the subject of a bill of attainder in the House of Lords. If you have money, you can post bail and hire really good defense counsel; without money, you're sitting in the county jail (you get credit towards any jail sentence for the time you're in jail pending trial) and you're represented by a public defender.
Trump's trials are at the extreme end of that spectrum. The only difference between Trump's cases and those of simply rich people is that the pernicious effect of money and political influence was made plain to see. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously stated that “sunlight was the best disinfectant." It might be a long time before the criminal justice system is even slightly cleansed of the effect of money and influence.
Defense counsel only have to be good enough to win an acquittal or a dismissal. The client usually isn't concerned with the intellectual soundness of the evidentiary objection the attorney just made. And as life played out in the Ft. Pierce Division of the Southern District of Florida, having the case heard by a judge who puts a block of lead on the scales of justice increases the likelihood the client will be happy with the end result.
Has anyone given any consideration to the fact that the OLC "policy" about inability to indict a sitting president was written by the Department of Justice that was completely servile to the first great presidential criminal, Richard Nixon - and the second one was written by Reagan's DOJ?
They are both self-serving bullshit written to protect the criminals the authors mistakenly thought were honorable men.
True Tom but, you don't want a Wreck's DOJ to dismiss WITH prejudice. BTW Senator Elect & constitutional law teacher ADAM SCHIFF agrees with you i.e. it is NOT 'required by the Constitution'.
Yeah... I keep wondering why with all these "unprecedented actions" the DOJ feels bound by the policy (and precedent) of not prosecuting a sitting president. It's not a law... it's a self-inflicted policy that lets the felon get away with his crimes... like insurrection and stealing classified documents.
Not correct Sabrina. See, NEAL KATYAL's & Andrew Weissmann's legal analysis on Lawrence's Last Word earlier tonight. Smart dismissal "WITHOUT prejudice".
so the F what, is trump president ? yes, did he get away with hiding top secret docs in his bathroom ? yes, did he get away with insurrection ? yes, etc. legal jargon changes none of that and is no comfort.
Those ice cubes look amazing!! So sorry about the broccolini but…it’s always something. For the first time in many years of making ice cream, my fresh mint base turned to scrambled eggs despite having tempered my eggs. Down the drain it went. These things are the “bad luck” that means you’ll have a great Thanksgiving. Like stomping on the glass at a wedding. I wish you lots of laughter and love.
It totally sucks. Not turning away but forging ahead because honestly, where else do we go? ONWARD! Hope you find the perfect broccolini, Joyce. At least you will have delicious mimosas.
I do LeslieN. The permanent, accurate record of all the process that was due & fundamentally fair has been recorded. I expect further J6 prosecution work by DC USAO up to the day before Wreck's inauguration at which time I will print the case names & numbers for my 2 grandchildren
Are those in the J6 wing of DC’s jail expected to be pardoned in time to attend the Inauguration as honored guests? They, in a New York Mag article, seem to think so.
They are not in the "choir" to my knowledge ... yet. The current DOJ retains a webpage "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA -- CAPITAL BREACH CASES" with detailed evidence, crime photos, case numbers, pleadings, sentencing facts ... I'll check it out later, but, I need some sleep before folks from the Northwest arrive later today.
"The future is bigger than our imaginations. It’s unimaginable, and then it comes anyway. To meet it we need to keep going, to walk past what we can imagine. We need to be unstoppable. And here’s what it takes: you don’t stop walking to congratulate yourself; you don’t stop walking to wallow in despair; you don’t stop because your own life got too comfortable or too rough; you don’t stop because you won; you don’t stop because you lost. There’s more to win, more to lose, others who need you.
"You don’t stop walking because there is no way forward. Of course there is no way. You walk the path into being, you make the way, and if you do it well, others can follow the route. You look backward to grasp the long history you’re moving forward from, the paths others have made, the road you came in on. You look forward to possibility. That’s what we mean by hope, and you look past it into the impossible and that doesn’t stop you either. But mostly you just walk, right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot. That’s what makes you unstoppable."
- Rebecca Solnit
This is profound for me. I’m putting it in a document and printing it to be placed on a bulletin board that I’m using to keep sane. Thank you for sharing this.
Enjoy your holiday, Joyce, and hope you find your broccolini (or a suitable substitute). In dark times I’m reminded of a motto ascribed to the Army Corps of Engineers during WWII: “The difficult I will do now. The impossible will take a little while.” Thank you for embodying that spirit and encouraging others to do the same!
My new larger bulletin board came yesterday- knew I needed a larger one for sanity and to remind myself of the beauty and fragility of life and this world.
The header to this remarkable writing by Rebecca Solnit: The Only Way Out is Through. I repeat this phrase in my head and it sometimes allows me to see those stars our VP told us would always be there.
Thnx for image of always being able to see the stars ..
My thoughts exactly! I need to read this often.
Same!
Printed!
Rebecca Solnit (The Guardian) is such a treasure, truth teller, and inspires us to keep up the fight.
Eric, Thank you for posting Solnit’s gorgeous text, While I lack the acumen to summon her deeply affecting exposition, I would note whatever resilience I’ve been able to muster since the election rests solely with connecting with fellow Indivisibles who are laser-focused on the fight at the local, county, state, and federal levels to preserve the institutions that were created to ensure democracy somehow still would prevail. To learn more visit indivisible.org
Indeed! Bravo! I am in NC and we have a fight here in NC as the NC GOP tries to strip powers away from our newly elected Democratic Gov etc. I joined ACLU, Indivisible and Every State Blue plus Toastmasters so I can practice speaking before groups. I will not go quietly in the night. I have my “we ride at dawn” hat and cape on! But the Dismissal brought me to my knees yesterday.
I'm in NYC where many of my fellow New Yorkers did not vote as expected. Disappointment is an understatement. Yet hearing about what's going on in NC is certainly discouraging. But I must say that I truly
respect you for the plans you are making and steps within to face the power grabs in process. You are my hero right now, and I admit I need one. I hope you'll share your journey with us.
Thanks Trudy for your encouragement. So needed. I am in my 60s very active but I am an introvert. I don’t want to raise my voice my I feel I have no choice. My Mother marched so I could have choices she is now almost 90 and still fierce. I do it for her and many others. Constance Baker Motley’s son spoke to a group of us a few years ago and I am reading a bio about her activism to help push me onward “Civil Rights Queen- Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality” by Tomiko Brown- Nagin and “Courage to Dissent” same author. I subscribe to your Substack Trudy so we can stay connected.
New York was very disappointing, I too live here, native as it happens, a rare breed in NYC. We will be back - we will work to get back - enjoy the holiday and then let's get going.
Pam, In my view, the dismissal yesterday entails both harms and benefits. As for the benefits, the early dismissal allowed Jack Smith to dismiss without prejudice and, more importantly, nearly guarantees the public will see Smith’s report. Admittedly, the section on the Documents Case will be substantially redacted because the case against two of Trump’s aids has not been dismissed. Still, in my view, the benefits of seeing the report outweigh leaving it to Trump’s DOJ to dismiss the case and our seeing nothing. Accordingly, my advice, given the challenges in your state, is to let the dismissal go and reclaim that admirable determination you had summoned prior to yesterday.
The media neglect to report that the dismissal was without prejudice. The case can be brought again once Trump leaves the presidency. I guess this assumes the next president is a Democrat. Trump can delay justice, but he cannot escape it altogether.
Your legislature just handed your governor and AG a big slap in the face. Remember that in 2026
Yes they did but current Governor Roy Cooper will veto and then the GOP super majority will have their freaking say and here we go. Ready. Not that I can do much at this point but be a pain in calling GOP offices.
Keep up your solid schedule for support of your Democratic Gov!
Your life and your state is a leading light in these very difficult times!
I'm in NC also and not looking forward to governance by a bicameral, legislative committee. I feel certain Stein will be working with other democratic governors across the country to protect citizens from federal overreach.
I had already factored in the dismissal so am looking beyond that. I like your involvement ideas. Best of luck!
I too am a member of Indivisible. Great organization. Together we fight. Together we win.
Good reminder!
Thanks Carol. I post such comments because I believe, quoting from Indivisible, that “together, we have the power to fight back—and win.”
Yes, starting on the day after the election, after crying all my tears, I have started greeting everyone with a broad smile and saying loud and strong "We're not going back!" I don't care who they are....it is my way of staying actively engaged in the "opposition party" until "further instructions" and I live in Ohio......the most gerrymandered, corrupt Republican strongholds at this point.....
Reminds me of a Churchill quote: "When you're going through hell, keep going!"
“Never give up‼️” was Churchill’s mantra
Rebecca's essay posted by Eric conjures up for me the book Pathfinders by the late, great Gail Sheehy. ✊✌🖖
Wow! That brought me back and reminded me of Passages by Gail Sheehy! I read that so many years ago… Not sure if life was simpler then. Hmmm.Thanks, Steve 🥹
The book passages really affected me -- it encouraged me to go to law school in my 40s, which I did and which I loved -- I practiced for 20 years after that. I'm going to look for that book again - thank you for the reminder!
Wow. Me too.
yeah, that was a great book. It didn't inspire me to go to law school, but it sure helped with raising my four kiddos.
Thank you for reminding us of Solnit's ode to persistence as a core tenet of intentional life.
I found a source for this quote. A blog post at TomDispatch gives the publishing history as well as Solnit's own words as of May 19, 2023.
https://tomdispatch.com/rebecca-solnit-what-comes-after-hope/
These ideas, an enduring part of her messaging, were apparently republished in her book "Hope in the Dark."
Bob,
That is exactly where I got the quote, in 2013. There are other timeless, "keeper" passages in there. Highly recommended.
From Proverbs and Songs, by Antonio Machado
#29
Walker, your footsteps
are the road, and nothing more.
Walker, there is no road,
the road is made by walking.
Walking you make the road,
and turning to look behind
you see the path you never
again will step upon.
Walker, there is no road,
only foam trails on the sea.
Antonio Machado, trans. Willis Barnstone from Antonio Machado, Border of a Dream: Selected Poems, Copper Canyon Press, 2004
Awesome quote. Thank you. Posting on FB and making a copy.
Unbelievable.... tears here.... what a Thanksgiving gift... thank you
So clear, comforting, that even
I , aged & sad w our America today, can return to Rebecca’s clear guidance: “mostly you just walk, right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot. That’s what makes you unstoppable."mostly you just walk, right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot. That’s what makes you unstoppable."
This is powerful, Eric Lin Daub! I just copied it to my journal and will be researching Rebecca Solnit. Thank you for sharing; I believe I can start to let go of my despair.
So lovely Eric. Thankyou
phooey, we're in big trouble here.....
BEAUTIFUL
Thank you. Early morning reminder today that will be my background music throughout the day.
I agree with your comments but you had me at "fresh-squeezed orange juice ice cubes for use in Thanksgiving morning Mimosas". Ignore Trump et al for a few days, enjoy Thanksgiving and all it entails.
Yes Joyce, please take the rest of the week off. We need our star player well rested for the marathon ahead. You deserve the respite.
I keep looking at Trump as if I were 50 in the future and writing a screen play about the most foul-mouth disgusting piece of shit ever to have come onto the political stage.
How about “You Can’t Shine A Turd” as a working title for your production!
Professor Toni Morrison - and Jeffrey Wright as recently as just last night - would say this is the time for that
Joyce, take a deep breath. IMHO, there is no one on the planet who deserves those ice cubes. If someone made for one for me, I wouldn't know what to think.
I don't even drink and those sound good.
I would think they would be delicious in sparkling water!
Or a glass of Grey Goose on the rocks… A really really big glass of Grey Goose on the rocks! 🧊🍸
There's a thought.
So I have to ask...and I'm late reading all these great comments, but I'd love to have the recipe for those cubes!
When I saw this news today I felt sorry for all of us and the rule of law. but, mostly, I felt for Jack Smith all those who have worked tirelessly on these cases.
No worries about Jack Smith as will be demonstrated shortly.
Trump threats of recrimination. As a preemptive matter, Biden can issue tens of thousands of pardons -- to people like us.
He just pardoned two turkeys.....
My thought as well.
Professor, I respectfully suggest that you underestimate the depth of the depravity of the Trump administration-to-be — after all, imagine what a group it will be if it consists of an evil homunculus like Miller or a pedophile like Gaetz (yes, yes, he withdrew, but he was nominted). I recommend to you and all the Peter Fritzsche book, HITLER’S FIRST 100 HUNDRED DAYS. In Germany in 1933 Hitler took power and those good people of Germany were soon to learn that the not-so-good people were going precisely what they said they were going to do. And if you think Trump is not our own version of Hitler, I suggest you think again. My point is this: these foul things will not stop of their own volition. They will do whatever they can until they are stopped, one way or the other. There is no limit to their pernicious grasping for power and more power, and it matters not to them whether they destroy hundreds or thousands or hundreds of thousands of people….
MSM movedTulsi Gabbard's nomination to 'challenged'. This underestimates Michael Isikoff's Spy Talk expose about 4 days ago detailing Gabbard's Agit-Prop visit to Syria in 2017.
R-OKLA Senator JAMES LANKFORD & Senate Select Committee member promises a full hearing on Gabbard's Pro Assad U.S. group's funding of her trip & actions then in 2017 & now.
That’s good news about Langford. Not a smokescreen?
Requires a judgment call of the 56 year old from Oklahoman that graduated from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1994. IMO ... No, not a smokescreen.
Lankford with a "k".
I believe Joyce totally understands this.
Precisely. He is an untethered psychopath with congress in his control.
I grew up down the street from Peter Fritsche, he and his brother and sisters and I all went to the same school. I have a German mom and both of his parents are German.
I agree that we need to at least try to imagine what Trump's administration will be like if the policies written into Project 2025 come to be and prepare for that. A lot relies on Congress and the voters have given him the Congress that he can control. He also has the court that supports what he is doing.
I have written suggestions for making a plan for self preservation in my Substack.
Not "if" the policies come to be, but rather "when." We have learned nothing if not recognizing that the worst of what tRump and MAGAts say they will do, they will do. And SCOTUS has paved their way.
Many are coming to be in Red States, but not everything planned may happen, so for each one, there is an "if" about it. How much can what they intend to do be thwarted by any one of many players in each situation?
I agree.
This is what keeps me awake at night. I’m like the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other in my thinking and hoping right now.
Yes, I fear Trump’s depravity. But even more, I fear the depravity of the Brown Shirts, whom Trump has emboldened.
Trump did not prosecute his followers at Charlottesville or on J6. He will turn a blind eye to the mayhem that the Proud Boys and others will unleash. Perhaps then those evangelicals who voted for Trump will recognize the mistake they’ve made. “Father, forgive them, for they did not know what they were doing.”
William & Leslie N: I checked on the DC USAO Office & on-going prosecution work since the Election. The docket review reveals that convicted J6 rioter, EDWARD KELLEY, was convicted for a 2nd time for plotting to murder FBI agents (plural) who were investigating the Capital Attack.
Are you into True Crime? Well you don't have to be in order to understand his proven "overt acts". EDWARD, the recidivist felon was convicted again this time fo planning to attack the KNOXVILLE, Tennessee FBI office with "car bombs, incendiary devices 💥 appended to drones."
What's next in Knoxville --- IEDS's planted along Dowell Springs Road in the center of town? No sitting on the sofa folks!
Yes. "Stopped, one way or another." I do not care how.
This is why they should not be allowed to waltz into power.
Joyce, have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am thankful for you and the work you’re doing to help save our democracy. Salut!
The orange cubes are divine. The best use of the color orange in a long time.
Not much we can do about what Jack Smith was forced to do. The proof of the pudding is whether AG Garland (thank God he didn't make it to the Supreme Court) will have the cajones to do the right thing and let the country know what they are dealing with. People, let's say those who don't have the brains God gave a goose, are beginning to have second thoughts about having voted for the Felon. You know, their sentences start with, "I didn't know...."or "I didn't realize...." as if elections had Mulligans and a vote could be done over. Now they know. Let's hope Garland makes the decision to increase their knowledge.
I agree with your assessment about Garland not being on SC. He and President Biden did not have urgency to prosecuting the traitors for four years -- skeptical they would step into Lincoln's shoes now. Lincoln arrested conspirators without evidence, but the irony is the HARD WORK has been done by the prosecutors and the J6 Committee. What in God's name is Biden afraid of?
The job of deciding to prosecute Trump belonged to Merrick Garland, not President Biden. Presidents are not supposed to tell the DOJ what to do. I'm not sure why you're blaming President Biden for not advocating the prosecution of former president Trump.
Like it or not, the President is not supposed to use the Justice Department to go after perceived enemies, a la Richard Nixon. But I think Democrats chose the wrong guy.
When the entire principle of "no one is above the law" has been deep-sixed by the pirates of Mar a Lago, the Electoral College, Citizens United, and last but not least, the Supreme Court -- then pardon me for believing that there is no virtue in the Justice Department sticking by its policy and the President abiding by precedent. What we have is simply acquiescence by the highest level of government in the impending, imminent tyranny of a cabal who are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of overthrowing the Constitution.
Last Sunday, Jen Psaki on 'Inside with Jen Psaki" marked the accurate timeline of "How we got Here" presented in fair context.
Well Traitor is going to turn that on its head, isn't he?
Garland answers to President Biden. If President Biden sort of "leaned" on Merrick to bring some urgency to the crime, then do think we would be on our heels allowing a Traitor be President? Is DOJ run by a person who is autonomous from the Executive Branch? Who leads the Executive Branch? Yes the job is on Mr. Garland, but only the President can give urgency to the task.
"We have strayed quite some distance from our model of justice as “blind.” We need to restore balance to the scales of justice. In order to accomplish that, we need to withdraw the President’s tipping finger and affirm that—without exception—no person is above the law."
Your idea of a president who "sort of leaned" on his AG is no different than a president using his/her finger to "tip" the scales of justice. Both are wrong. Trump is using that same idea, only he is taking it to its logical and most destructive extreme, as we would expect him to do.
The American rule of law model is that even though the Department of Justice is part of the Executive Branch, which is led by the president, the U.S. Attorney General is supposed to be independent when making decisions involving the rule of law. That means presidents are not supposed to influence or direct the AG when it comes to how to manage and/or direct the attorneys in the DOJ. Justice is supposed to be blind. Direction from a politician by its nature is not blind, but very partisan.
So yes, for all intents and purposes, the head of the DOJ is supposed to run that department with no directions, orders or interference of any kind from the president. Unlike Donald Trump when he was president, President Biden has followed the rule of law and left Merrick Garland to run the DOJ without political interference from the president.
Trump used his past AG, Bill Barr, as his personal attorney. Trump has made it clear that his new AG will also be his personal attorney to inflict retribution on anyone who has disagreed with or upset Trump in any way...including many people in the media and our American system of justice who were just doing their jobs with fairness and integrity.
Trump plans to follow the behavior of a dictator by retaliating, using public resources like the DOJ, against anyone he doesn't like or who upset him. That is what can happen in America when we allow a president to start breaking down the rule of law for his own benefit. That is how we lose our democracy.
https://yalelawandpolicy.org/inter_alia/too-close-comfort-insiders-view-presidents-and-their-attorneys-general
God Bless us all.
No, god help us all
garland would have caused less trouble in the sc.
With all the awfulness of the moment, I smiled at Joyce Vance pointing out that Trump and Bondi are trapped in a way. They said they’d hold Smith responsible, but if they do, he can defend himself by revealing all the evidence Trump and his lawyers have so carefully tried to hide. That makes me smile. It’s not enough, but I do like it.
Exactly!
This is one of 5 Thanksgivings until the next phase. Don't postpone your life, look for opportunities to help locally, and be there for your family and community. Thankful for Joyce and other thoughtful substackers with their concerned followers doing what they can. Thank you all!
There are state, county, and local elections every year. It's only the presidential election that occurs every four years.
2025 - Governors in NJ and VA
2026 - Midterms (the entire House of Reps. 1/3 of the Senate (more GOP than Dem terms are over).
The most important thing is to VOTE IN EVERY ELECTION.
That's one way of not obeying in advance.
EVERY ELECTION!!!!
There are way too many lazy citizens in this country who cannot think beyond their own self interests. Democracy and freedom appear to be concepts too fuzzy for them to contemplate! 🤔
🎯
Thank you! I needed this today! My faith in our justice system is badly shaken to say the least.
It appears that if you have money, good attorneys, and political influence, then you can still outsmart the system.
Running for the presidency of the United States ought not be a 'get out of jail free' card.
"It appears that if you have money, good attorneys, and political influence, then you can still outsmart the system."
====
I don't want to burst any bubbles, but the criminal justice system going back to 16th century England has always favored those with money and influence. If you didn't have influence, you could find yourself being the subject of a bill of attainder in the House of Lords. If you have money, you can post bail and hire really good defense counsel; without money, you're sitting in the county jail (you get credit towards any jail sentence for the time you're in jail pending trial) and you're represented by a public defender.
Trump's trials are at the extreme end of that spectrum. The only difference between Trump's cases and those of simply rich people is that the pernicious effect of money and political influence was made plain to see. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously stated that “sunlight was the best disinfectant." It might be a long time before the criminal justice system is even slightly cleansed of the effect of money and influence.
Those are all valid points. Thank you!
Your attorneys do not even have to be very good. His aren’t.
Defense counsel only have to be good enough to win an acquittal or a dismissal. The client usually isn't concerned with the intellectual soundness of the evidentiary objection the attorney just made. And as life played out in the Ft. Pierce Division of the Southern District of Florida, having the case heard by a judge who puts a block of lead on the scales of justice increases the likelihood the client will be happy with the end result.
“Good attorneys..” No. They are complicit.
Thank you Joyce. I’m not giving up either !Have a wonderful holiday. 🧡
You are a big inspiration to me every day to stay in the fight for democracy.
Has anyone given any consideration to the fact that the OLC "policy" about inability to indict a sitting president was written by the Department of Justice that was completely servile to the first great presidential criminal, Richard Nixon - and the second one was written by Reagan's DOJ?
They are both self-serving bullshit written to protect the criminals the authors mistakenly thought were honorable men.
True Tom but, you don't want a Wreck's DOJ to dismiss WITH prejudice. BTW Senator Elect & constitutional law teacher ADAM SCHIFF agrees with you i.e. it is NOT 'required by the Constitution'.
Yeah... I keep wondering why with all these "unprecedented actions" the DOJ feels bound by the policy (and precedent) of not prosecuting a sitting president. It's not a law... it's a self-inflicted policy that lets the felon get away with his crimes... like insurrection and stealing classified documents.
Policy is simply a made-up thing standing without the rule of statute behind it. It's a poster hiding a big hole in a wall.
I can make up a policy faster than writing this sentence.
This is not over. Enjoy the holiday.
Yes it is. The dismissals prove he can do whatever he wants.
Not correct Sabrina. See, NEAL KATYAL's & Andrew Weissmann's legal analysis on Lawrence's Last Word earlier tonight. Smart dismissal "WITHOUT prejudice".
so the F what, is trump president ? yes, did he get away with hiding top secret docs in his bathroom ? yes, did he get away with insurrection ? yes, etc. legal jargon changes none of that and is no comfort.
Exactly this.
Chances are high that the Duck of Mar-a-fucko will die in the next couple of years and thus will all this effort go with him.
His legacy of lawlessness and fascism shall remain in the form of JV Vance and the rest of the oligarchy.
just leagal words that mean nothing anymore...rule of law is GONE as far as trump is concerned.....see supreme court. (legal)
trump will NEVER pay for his treason...NEVER
Those ice cubes look amazing!! So sorry about the broccolini but…it’s always something. For the first time in many years of making ice cream, my fresh mint base turned to scrambled eggs despite having tempered my eggs. Down the drain it went. These things are the “bad luck” that means you’ll have a great Thanksgiving. Like stomping on the glass at a wedding. I wish you lots of laughter and love.
It totally sucks. Not turning away but forging ahead because honestly, where else do we go? ONWARD! Hope you find the perfect broccolini, Joyce. At least you will have delicious mimosas.
The evidence must come to light for all the world to see. Sunshine, as it is said, is an excellent disinfectant.
This will affect no result. Norms are no longer viable against these nazis.
True, and the J6 Committee evidence was all the light President Biden needed to arrest the Tres Diablos, but he did not do it. What is he afraid of?
There were 2 arrests of J6 Perps today. One who attacked a policeman, one with a metal pole with a Wreck Flag on it. Brings the total to around 590.
And Traitor intends to pardon them all. He's said it. Believe him.
I do LeslieN. The permanent, accurate record of all the process that was due & fundamentally fair has been recorded. I expect further J6 prosecution work by DC USAO up to the day before Wreck's inauguration at which time I will print the case names & numbers for my 2 grandchildren
Are those in the J6 wing of DC’s jail expected to be pardoned in time to attend the Inauguration as honored guests? They, in a New York Mag article, seem to think so.
They are not in the "choir" to my knowledge ... yet. The current DOJ retains a webpage "DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA -- CAPITAL BREACH CASES" with detailed evidence, crime photos, case numbers, pleadings, sentencing facts ... I'll check it out later, but, I need some sleep before folks from the Northwest arrive later today.
Biden better not pardon Trump!!
Not going to happen.