I am a retired federal prosecutor, and very anxious that Trump and others will be held accountable for the offenses committed against our country. I wrote just this morning in response to your last post, Joyce, describing my frustration at the hiring of the special counsel. Your thoughts in this post have thankfully calmed my fears to a large extent and allows me to resume being hopeful that justice will be done after all, when all is said and done. Thank you, as always, for your detailed, thoughtful, and common sense thoughts.
Me too. The conflagration of disbelief and disappointment is just shouldering now. And I am still highly suspicious of whether Smith's low conviction rate will prove out against the high level criminals.
Please describe Smith’s low conviction rate! Isn’t a not guilty verdict at least in part due to the facts of the case rather than the skill of the prosecutor?
It is both. The case against The Psychopath has never been attempted ever before anywhere in the world with a successful outcome. Why Smith was in The Hague. Prosecution by Cosovo govt did not succeed. He certainly is the right person with the right intentions and determination. And failure will devastate our democracy.
I'm sorry to say that of all the places for an event like last night to happen, Colorado Springs only surprises me that it hasn't happened there earlier. It used to be a nice little town; my grandparents lived there and I loved to go stay with them on vacations in the 50s. Beginning in the late 70s and into the 80s, it tuned into what has been for the past 30 years the "New Jerusalem" of the far far (non)Christian Fundamentalist Right. The site of Fundie scandal after Fundie scandal at the Air Force Academy as Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation is always busting them for. The HQ of James Dobson's hateful Focus on the Family organization that teaches gay children are possessed by the devil that has to be beaten out of them. The site of the Vineyard Church scandal in the late 90s with the fundie pastor who was a meth-snorting gay who hired gay prostitutes and preached against gays. I told a gay friend 20 years ago who was thinking of taking a job in that city that he might as well move into a lion's den.
As to Mr. Smith, I am comforted by his response to a question from a reporter when he took command of the Public Integrity Section of DOJ, who asked if he was worried about the political power those he was going after could bring to bear: "If I was the kind of person who could be intimidated, I'd have sought a different line of work."
We really are in uncharted waters, no matter what we want to say about "all citizens being equal" before the law and all. Name another country that has successfully prosecuted one of these monsters domestically. It's like the Germans overthrowing Hitler in 1938 and then giving him a fair trial, or the Soviets arresting Stalin. Try him and do it according to the rules. This has never been done anywhere before - it's why there is a Hague Court where Smith worked, because nations had demonstrated they couldn't do this.
Anderson Lee Aldrich, the 22-year old gunman in last night's shooting, has been identified as the grandson of far right California politician Republican State Assemblymember Randy Voepel, the former mayor of Santee, California. Voepel represents the 71st district in the San Diego area, but was defeated in a primary election this past summer. There were calls to expel Voepel from the State Assembly after he made comments comparing the January 6 attacks to the Revolutionary War. Aldrich’s mother, Laura Voepel, has written posts praising Randy Voepel on Facebook and confirming he is her father.
In other words, the road apple didn't fall far from the horse's posterior.
Gee, what a surprise. Almost all mass shootings are by people radicalized y the far right crazies and armed with AR-15s from them, a very lethal combination and with Loretta Bobbit Boebert continuing to glorify murder Kyle Bobblehead as a hero, this type of horror is just ripe for the picking. As far as Colorado Springs, any place that has signs in public announcing you are entering the Bible Belt and crosses all over, in my opinion is just the opposite. Loving caring Christians are not radical and don’t preach hate and intolerance. Enough said.
Justice is tired holding those heavy scales outstretched... for this man who has tried so hard to tear the country apart. I hope she gets a rest soon, the sooner the better.
I wonder if one other reason a Special Counsel may have also been considered is because GOP members of Congress may also be under investigation along with trump as co-conspirators. Multiple indictments of GOP senior members could be viewed by some as a political act, despite evidence to the contrary. I do hope those members of congress who did act in support of Jan 6, are held to account - as well as the former guy.
Bringing Mueller into the conversation, as you did, reminds me of an oddity of that situation. Very few people were willing to say publicly what I figured out just from watching Mueller testify: the man had slipped a stitch. He clearly was having cognitive difficulties, and apparently none of his posse of prosecutors was willing to save him from himself. I don't know if it was respect, or fear, but none of his team tried to grab the wheel. This allowed Barr to more easily grab the ball and run with it. And where did he take it? Nowhere ... leaving Trump to fight another day, as it were.
Barr was the bad actor in this situation. If he hadn’t interfered maybe things would have been different. I watched Mueller throughout that period and wonder what else may have been going on behind the scenes. Yes he was older and hadn’t done this type of work in a while but I saw in him bravery and committed to do the right thing. But this isn’t the same situation with Jack Smith. I too am optimistic. We need a win.
Joyce, this clarifies much for the many questions that were floating around in my head and has shown me a structure I’d never quite been able to see before. Excellent. Thank you.
Softly I greet you Joyce this fair night for your clear accounting of what we might expect from Jack Smith and events that are about to unfold. I remind myself that a lot of the negative commentary or spin on Smith is meant to destroy any momentum or hope we might have to hold FPOTUS accountable. I can only listen to so much of it than go off script to quiet my mind and climb out of the abyss. But I too am cautiously optimistic. Thanks for helping us through the maze once again.
Thank you for such a comprehensive article. In the news today, the GOP demanded a Special Counsel to look into Biden. Is there anything to justify this? Or is it just more Republican insanity?
Shenanigans and wasting taxpayers’ money but Biden himself will not stand in their way. Let the clown car show who they are. It will work against them in 2024.
I imagine that the DOJ has amassed ample evidence, and that what remains is for Smith to review it all, put it together into two cohesive packages, and move to convict. And I bet this will happen relatively quickly. (Am I being overly optimistic?)
If the 11th Circuit overturns Judge Cannon will the DOJ be able to go full steam ahead on interviewing witnesses or does Trump have any appeals left?
Also, the Jan 6 Committee will be issuing their report by the end of the year. Will this impact the ongoing investigations by the DOJ? I would hope it would sway parts of the public who are on the fence but am not holding my breath.
I am a retired federal prosecutor, and very anxious that Trump and others will be held accountable for the offenses committed against our country. I wrote just this morning in response to your last post, Joyce, describing my frustration at the hiring of the special counsel. Your thoughts in this post have thankfully calmed my fears to a large extent and allows me to resume being hopeful that justice will be done after all, when all is said and done. Thank you, as always, for your detailed, thoughtful, and common sense thoughts.
Me too. The conflagration of disbelief and disappointment is just shouldering now. And I am still highly suspicious of whether Smith's low conviction rate will prove out against the high level criminals.
Please describe Smith’s low conviction rate! Isn’t a not guilty verdict at least in part due to the facts of the case rather than the skill of the prosecutor?
It is both. The case against The Psychopath has never been attempted ever before anywhere in the world with a successful outcome. Why Smith was in The Hague. Prosecution by Cosovo govt did not succeed. He certainly is the right person with the right intentions and determination. And failure will devastate our democracy.
I'm sorry to say that of all the places for an event like last night to happen, Colorado Springs only surprises me that it hasn't happened there earlier. It used to be a nice little town; my grandparents lived there and I loved to go stay with them on vacations in the 50s. Beginning in the late 70s and into the 80s, it tuned into what has been for the past 30 years the "New Jerusalem" of the far far (non)Christian Fundamentalist Right. The site of Fundie scandal after Fundie scandal at the Air Force Academy as Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation is always busting them for. The HQ of James Dobson's hateful Focus on the Family organization that teaches gay children are possessed by the devil that has to be beaten out of them. The site of the Vineyard Church scandal in the late 90s with the fundie pastor who was a meth-snorting gay who hired gay prostitutes and preached against gays. I told a gay friend 20 years ago who was thinking of taking a job in that city that he might as well move into a lion's den.
As to Mr. Smith, I am comforted by his response to a question from a reporter when he took command of the Public Integrity Section of DOJ, who asked if he was worried about the political power those he was going after could bring to bear: "If I was the kind of person who could be intimidated, I'd have sought a different line of work."
We really are in uncharted waters, no matter what we want to say about "all citizens being equal" before the law and all. Name another country that has successfully prosecuted one of these monsters domestically. It's like the Germans overthrowing Hitler in 1938 and then giving him a fair trial, or the Soviets arresting Stalin. Try him and do it according to the rules. This has never been done anywhere before - it's why there is a Hague Court where Smith worked, because nations had demonstrated they couldn't do this.
Well at least a few went to a final meeting with the executioner after the Nuremberg trials.
Exactly my sentiments. Thank you for saying this so succinctly.
Thanks. You bring clarity.
Anderson Lee Aldrich, the 22-year old gunman in last night's shooting, has been identified as the grandson of far right California politician Republican State Assemblymember Randy Voepel, the former mayor of Santee, California. Voepel represents the 71st district in the San Diego area, but was defeated in a primary election this past summer. There were calls to expel Voepel from the State Assembly after he made comments comparing the January 6 attacks to the Revolutionary War. Aldrich’s mother, Laura Voepel, has written posts praising Randy Voepel on Facebook and confirming he is her father.
In other words, the road apple didn't fall far from the horse's posterior.
Gee, what a surprise. Almost all mass shootings are by people radicalized y the far right crazies and armed with AR-15s from them, a very lethal combination and with Loretta Bobbit Boebert continuing to glorify murder Kyle Bobblehead as a hero, this type of horror is just ripe for the picking. As far as Colorado Springs, any place that has signs in public announcing you are entering the Bible Belt and crosses all over, in my opinion is just the opposite. Loving caring Christians are not radical and don’t preach hate and intolerance. Enough said.
He and his family will have plenty of time to think about their beliefs and their actions. And what, in the end, will they conclude?
Justice is tired holding those heavy scales outstretched... for this man who has tried so hard to tear the country apart. I hope she gets a rest soon, the sooner the better.
I wonder if one other reason a Special Counsel may have also been considered is because GOP members of Congress may also be under investigation along with trump as co-conspirators. Multiple indictments of GOP senior members could be viewed by some as a political act, despite evidence to the contrary. I do hope those members of congress who did act in support of Jan 6, are held to account - as well as the former guy.
Thank you, Joyce! I'm not set to face the coming week!
As uplifting as one can possibly hope for. Thank you, Joyce. Fingers crossed.....
Bringing Mueller into the conversation, as you did, reminds me of an oddity of that situation. Very few people were willing to say publicly what I figured out just from watching Mueller testify: the man had slipped a stitch. He clearly was having cognitive difficulties, and apparently none of his posse of prosecutors was willing to save him from himself. I don't know if it was respect, or fear, but none of his team tried to grab the wheel. This allowed Barr to more easily grab the ball and run with it. And where did he take it? Nowhere ... leaving Trump to fight another day, as it were.
Barr was the bad actor in this situation. If he hadn’t interfered maybe things would have been different. I watched Mueller throughout that period and wonder what else may have been going on behind the scenes. Yes he was older and hadn’t done this type of work in a while but I saw in him bravery and committed to do the right thing. But this isn’t the same situation with Jack Smith. I too am optimistic. We need a win.
Joyce, this clarifies much for the many questions that were floating around in my head and has shown me a structure I’d never quite been able to see before. Excellent. Thank you.
Thanks for the careful explanation. You settle the mind.
Softly I greet you Joyce this fair night for your clear accounting of what we might expect from Jack Smith and events that are about to unfold. I remind myself that a lot of the negative commentary or spin on Smith is meant to destroy any momentum or hope we might have to hold FPOTUS accountable. I can only listen to so much of it than go off script to quiet my mind and climb out of the abyss. But I too am cautiously optimistic. Thanks for helping us through the maze once again.
Thank you for such a comprehensive article. In the news today, the GOP demanded a Special Counsel to look into Biden. Is there anything to justify this? Or is it just more Republican insanity?
Just more Republican horse manure. Hot air from the gasbags.
Shenanigans and wasting taxpayers’ money but Biden himself will not stand in their way. Let the clown car show who they are. It will work against them in 2024.
I imagine that the DOJ has amassed ample evidence, and that what remains is for Smith to review it all, put it together into two cohesive packages, and move to convict. And I bet this will happen relatively quickly. (Am I being overly optimistic?)
https://youtu.be/t739_57RqPQ
Check out this MeidasTouch video for more information.
From your lips to God’s ear!
I always read your essays to settle my mind and as a reminder to be patient.
Much appreciated, Joyce. Hope you and yours have a Happy Thanksgiving!
If the 11th Circuit overturns Judge Cannon will the DOJ be able to go full steam ahead on interviewing witnesses or does Trump have any appeals left?
Also, the Jan 6 Committee will be issuing their report by the end of the year. Will this impact the ongoing investigations by the DOJ? I would hope it would sway parts of the public who are on the fence but am not holding my breath.
Thank you for all you do.
I think he can ask SCOTUS to intervene, but that’s not guaranteed.