What’s the over-under on some recently pardoned Redhat ridding Trump of this turbulent priest former National Security Advisor?

Yep, he wants his Brownshirts, or more accurately for the new era, Redhats.

This is actually scary. I had thought that that Trump’s promise to pardon the Jan-6 terrorists was just blather to get him elected. I assumed that once in office he would just go full throttle on grifting and forget about his campaign promises. Since he cannot run again, I didn’t think there would be any direct benefit for Trump to actually follow through with them so I assumed he wouldn’t bother because Trump doesn’t do anything unless he personally benefits.

Now I have to wonder how Trump directly benefits from this. All I can think is that his slathering hordes will now assume, rightly or not, that they can do whatever they want in his name and they’ll get pardoned. In the coming months, Trump will drop hints on Truth Social that he doesn’t like certain people, and those people are going to be found beaten half, or even all the way to death that night.

I don’t think they are preemptive pardons in the sense that they are pardons for future crimes. They are pardons for unspecified past crimes that have not yet been charged. That is not unheard of. For example, Carted issued blanket pardons for everyone who dodged the draft during the Vietnam war whether they had been charged or not.

Where it is untested is if he tried to pardon himself. That has never been tested in the courts and is generally considered invalid on the premise that you cannot be the judge in your own trial.

You’re right and we’re not that far from the absolute chaos that will come with a new Constitutional Convention.

Article V of the Constitution of the USA

The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by the Congress; provided that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article; and that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate.

If two thirds of the state legislatures call for it, there will be a new convention to propose amendments to the constitution. Currently, there are four groups pushing states for a new constitutional convention; the Balanced Budget Amendment campaign, the Convention of States campaign, the Wolf-PAC campaign, and the term limits campaign. These groups have it total convinced 28 states to call for it. They need just six more states. It could happen during Trump’s term because the right has been pushing for one for a long time. Here’s why it would be a mess.

But here’s the catch: there are absolutely no rules for an Article V Convention outlined in the Constitution.

That means the group of people convening to rewrite our Constitution could be totally unelected and unaccountable. There is nothing that could limit the convention to a single issue, so the delegates could write amendments that revoke any of our most cherished rights – like our right to peaceful protest, our freedom of religion, or our right to privacy. There are also no rules preventing corporations from pouring money into the convention to ensure they get their way.

In short, an Article V Convention would be a disaster. It would lead to long and costly legal battles, uncertainty about how our democracy functions, and likely economic instability.

Because, for the last four or five decades, the wealthy in America have used assorted media to foment never ending religious, economic, and racial culture wars between different elements of the middle and lower classes. That constant state of conflict keeps the American people from ever being able to unite and accomplish anything at all.

For those who may not know, Charles Kushner was pardoned by Trump during his last term.

Kushner hired a prostitute to lure his brother-in-law, then arranged to have the encounter in a New Jersey motel room recorded with a hidden camera and the recording sent to his own sister, the man’s wife, prosecutors said.

Kushner eventually pleaded guilty to 18 counts including tax evasion and witness tampering. He was sentenced in 2005 to two years in prison — the most he could receive under a plea deal, but less than what Chris Christie, the U.S. attorney for New Jersey at the time and later governor and Republican presidential candidate, had sought.

First, I can certainly understand why MAGAts want the Dept. of Education demolished. They are probably tired of so many people being better educated than them and want to even things out without actually going to the effort of educating themselves.

Second, this is a step in wrecking the education department. He chose a charter school supporter from Tennessee, after all. It could be worse, I suppose. He could have dredged someone up from Alabama or Missouri to appoint, Still, this is not someone who will be good for the Dept. of Ed.

Imagine how much the world could be improved by one lucky meteor strike.

Not to mention that Nixon was the one who started the whole thing so he would have a tool to use to harass and arrest blacks and hippies.

In a 1994 interview, Mr. Ehrlichman [Nixon’s domestic policy chief] said, “You want to know what this was really all about?” He went on:

“The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and Black people. You understand what I’m saying? We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or Black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and Blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”

You’re not supposed to try and overthrow the government either, but I guess the times they are a changin’.

I am going to buy a flag just so I can fly it at full staff when this orange turd goes to meet his maker.

Tilting at windmills is one of my few pleasures in life.

The president-elect concluded that he won a second term “in a landslide” (he didn’t), adding that American voters “have spoken” — which is true, though not at all relevant in this context, since the electorate’s verdict was not directly related to the defendant’s criminal indictment.

Um, what? True? He won, yes, but he did not win in a landslide by any definition. He didn’t even win with more than 50% of the voters. Trump won 49.9 percent of the vote… in what world (other than in his own addled mind) is that a landslide?

Be fair. The billionaire class is starting to find it hard to get richer. The poors will just have to tighten their belts for the sake of the insanely wealthy.

And if anyone would know an evil racist, it’d be someone who looks at one in a mirror every day.

*POOF* He’s now your manager for the next 40 years at a restaurant where you work for $1.79/hour plus tips.

*glances at Bernie Sanders*

Maybe not.

Why wouldn’t they be able to tell him to fuck off? Trump has no authority whatsoever over the New York State Bar. They can and will simply ignore his tantrum.

“I was holding it so it didn’t get lost,” he said. “I felt like it could get lost if it was turned over.”

When the judge asked if he understood that the watch was required to be turned over, he said he “wasn’t trying to hide it from anyone” and would give it up “if you can assure me you’ll put it in a safe place.”

Shit’s not yours anymore, Rudy. They can Sell it or smash it or do whatever the fuck they want with it. Is he really this stupid? The judge really needs to toss him in jail for a few days or something.