Update no.1128

 Update from the Sunland

No.1128

21.8.23 – 27.8.23

Blog version:  http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/

 

To all,

 

Erratum:

The lead item in Update no.1127 was inadvertently referred to as Georgia v. Trump {+18 others}[GA FCSpC Case no. 4:23-mj-01602 (2023)]. The court case number had not yet been provided in the case against the 19 conspirators in the Georgia RICO and election fraud case. I will provide the proper case number identifier as soon as it is publicly available. I offer my most humble apologies for my mistake.

The case number of 23SC188947 was subsequently assigned to the judicial proceedings.

 

The follow-up news items:

-- Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott F. McAfee has been assigned to the Georgia election RICO case—Georgia v. Trump et al [GA FCSpC Case no. 23SC188947 (2023)] [1127]. 

The evolving defense of the charged perpetrator defendants appears to be an attempt to hide behind the Constitution in that their speech and actions were protected by the First Amendment’s right to free speech. Further, they were acting within the color of their federal office. It is a long shot. I cannot imagine any level of the Judiciary accepting that argument in that their actions fomented an insurrection—a violent effort to obstruct a constitutionally mandated process.

On Thursday evening, ahead of the noon Friday deadline, [the person who shall no longer be named] surrendered, was arrested, and booked on 13 felonious counts at the Fulton County Jail at Rice Street. Tiny’s former national security advisor John Bolton observed regarding Tiny’s publicly released booking photograph (mug shot), “He could’ve smiled. He could’ve looked benign. Instead, he looks like a thug.” And of course, being the grifter he has always been, Tiny immediately started ripping off naïve consumers of his snake-oil by selling T-shirt with his mug shot emblazoned on the chest.

Two of the 19 defendants waited until the last minute to surrender. One remains in custody since he claims he cannot make bail. Two different defendants have already filed motions in court to separate their cases and move them to federal court; they claim they were just doing their jobs as federal officers. I honestly did not know that participation in an insurrection against the constitutional government was in their job description. The craziness has begun.

-- Vladimir Putin has extracted his retribution, yet again! On Wednesday, 23.August.2023, an Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 600 bizjet carrying the failed coup leader Yevgeny Prigozhin [1119] and some of his lieutenants crashed near Kuzhenkino, Tver Oblast, northwest of Moscow, killing all 10 on board including Prigozhin. We do not know why, and being well inside Russia proper, we will most likely never know precisely. Early indications suggest a small bomb was placed in one of the main wheel wells, close to the main wing spar, probably with a pressure ignitor that denotated at 28,000 feet 30-minutes after takeoff and subsequently severed the wing. Later in the week, the Russian Investigation Commission publicly announced they had confirmed Prigozhin’s presence among the dead.

And worse, Tiny admires Putin and wants to emulate him.

 

A friend and consistent contributor sent along the following article:

“From Nixon to Trump: The Decline of the Common Good in American Politics – Chapter 5 of The Common Good”

by Robert Reich

Published: AUG 25 [2023]

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-common-good-chapter-5-three-big?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=365422&post_id=133594919&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email

I strongly encourage everyone to read the article as the parallels between history and our current predicament are multitudinous and quite applicable.

I was a captain of Marines in 1974 when justice was denied by President Ford when he issued a full and absolute pardon to Richard Nixon for the crimes he committed while serving We, the People, as president. Arguably, that justice denied 49 years ago contributed directly to the situation we are in today. As a Marine officer, I could not express my opinion about Ford’s pardon of Nixon, but I certainly condemned the president’s selfish choice; it was not for the common good as he claimed. I imagine the pardon made his job easier, but that is NOT the purpose of justice. I hope we collectively learned that lesson from 1974. Unfortunately, I suspect far too many American citizens (and voters) do not recall or are unaware of history, I am sad to say. We absolutely must not make that mistake ever again. POTUS45 must face justice in full measure for his crimes, along with all of his lieutenants and acolytes.

 

Then, with the judicial proceedings and associated maneuverings on-going, the Republican National Committee held its first public debate for its qualified presidential candidates minus one. [The person who shall no longer be named] chose not to participate even though he qualified for the debate, presumably because he thought the event was beneath him as the frontrunner. And, ostensibly, he believes such debates are beneath his status as a former president and now present leading Republican candidate for president. Of course, they are; Tiny is the next thing to God. Regardless, the first Republican presidential debate on Wednesday, 23.August.2023 at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, featured eight of the nine qualified candidates. There were ups and downs during the whole affair, but the two-hour event boiled down to one question. Moderator Brett Baier asked, "You all signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee. If former President Trump is convicted in a court of law, would you still support him as your party's choice? Please raise your hand if you would." The candidates who raised their hand in the affirmative were:

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley

Former Vice President Mike Pence

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott

High-tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy

To me, their affirmative responses to Baier’s direct question disqualify them from being president . . . ever. Two candidates chose not the respond in the affirmative: former New Jersey governor Chris Christie and Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. Christie sort of raised his hand, but he was trying to make a statement. Christie stated, “Someone's got to stop normalizing this conduct. Whether or not you believe that the criminal charges are right or wrong, the conduct is beneath the office of President of the United States.” A bunch of presumably MAGA minions in the audience booed Christie’s statement. “That's the great thing about this country, booing is allowed — but it doesn't change the truth.” Yea verily!

I also think Governor Hutchinson got it spot on correct. Despite my concerns about judicial interpretation [1127], I believe [the person who shall no longer be named] is already disqualified from being president or any other public office down to janitor at the local public school as specified in §3 of Amendment XIV to the U.S. Constitution. I also believe those candidates who raised their hand to Baier’s query noted above are disqualified because they are enablers. But, hey, that’s just me.

 

Comments and contributions from Update no.1127:

Comment to the Blog:

“It’s as appropriate as it is ironic to use the RICO statute against Rudy Giuliani, who in a different decade pioneered the use of that same law.

“I still object to your describing us as ‘complacent’ about voting. If we don’t believe it will do any good, why bother? Ohio saw plenty of turnout for our recent referendum.

“Tiny’s voters are motivated by their fear of losing their privilege and by the damage done to their finances. The financial damage is serious, but the MAGAts blame the wrong people.

“I see Tiny as having ‘engaged’ in the insurrection, and let’s remember that the current Supreme Court has interpreted the Constitution in ways nobody thought of, including ignoring a clause of the 2^nd Amendment. If Tiny no longer serves their needs, they could get rid of him.”

My response to the Blog:

Quite so and fully agree. The corruption of Rudy Giuliani . . . very sad. I hope he thinks it was worth it.

Well, my friend, I acknowledge your long-standing objection to my use of words like ‘complacency’ or ‘apathy’ with respect to voting practice in the United States. I see my voting opinion in quite the same light as other community obligations like “see something say something,” assisting police, not littering, not expectorating on sidewalks, et al. I lump it all together as respect for others and respect for the community . . . participation. We benefit from community; we should give back to the community. As always, “That’s just my opinion, but I could be wrong.”

I do as well. However, the law takes a more critical view of such actions. You are, of course, also quite correct in your observation of the current Supreme Court. My point was that of interpretation, like with all laws, and I make no assumptions. For the record, I see no doubt that he engaged in insurrection and is thus disqualified . . . but, it is not up to you or me. What happened on January 6^th would not have occurred without his lies, falsehoods, instigation, and baseless protestations. “Find 11,780 votes” . . . indeed! He instigated and encouraged the whole damn fiasco.

 . . . Round Two:

“Those loaded/emotional words don’t persuade anyone to vote and don’t address reasons why people might not bother. It’s wise to remember that others aren’t obligated to share my values and rarely have the same personal context I do.

“I have no doubt that Tiny engaged in insurrection. My point is that I hesitate to predict the future, either positive or negative. When I first voted, I never dreamed that a Tiny would come along. Despite reading ‘futurology,’ I didn’t imagine the Internet, either.”

 . . . my response to round two:

Oh, I respect everyone’s entitlement, including yours, to hold and share opinions, views, and beliefs. That is the very nature and basis of this humble forum and all democracies. I want people to disagree, to argue, to debate contemporary matters. We have long disagreed on a citizen’s obligation to vote, and I suspect that disagreement will persist in perpetuity. As you remind me, I will continue to express my opinion. We all have different contexts, unique life experiences, and knowledge of history, and thus the precise reason to debate issues publicly. And so it goes.

I have no doubt either, but we are not the law. There probably would have been and perhaps should have been a protest of the constitutional election process and president’s inauguration, but there is an astronomical difference between a peaceful protest (disagreement) and the insurrection that transpired (crime). There is zero doubt in my little pea brain that the insurrection would NOT have occurred without [the person who shall no longer be named], who instigated, stoked, and encouraged the insurrection. Like you, I never dreamed of the fiasco playing out today. I have seen his type before as well as the destruction & chaos that personality type creates, but I never imagined him going this far and pulling so many people down with him. But it is what it is. We must prosecute this debacle to the end and deal with the collateral damage.

I will be watching and listening to the Republican debate tonight, despite the professed absence of [the person who shall no longer be named].

 . . . Round three:

“I agree that it’s a citizen’s obligation to vote (I still do), but I doubt your way of stating that will persuade anyone.

“I know the difference between protest and insurrection. I merely pointed out that enormous surprises come in law as in other aspects of life.

“I’d have nausea if I watched the Republican debates.”

 . . . my response to round three:

Perhaps not. I have been lacking many times before. I will continue my efforts to improve and become more effective. Regardless, I have no idea how many are listening.

Yes, surprises come in judicial interpretation and even more so in jury judgment of the evidence under the law. We shall hope for the best from all the prosecutors, the juries, and the judges as well as the appeals process.

Quite understandable. Yet, I believe it is a necessary suffering, especially since so many American citizens suck that stuff up.

 . . . Round four:

“We're pretty much in agreement. News note: Tiny's mugshot is terrible. Most of his co-defendants don't have that insane look, or at least not as bad.”

 . . . my response to round four:

Yea verily! He looks like an angry bull about to charge, which is probably the look he wanted to convey. But, it is a ridiculous look. They should have made him pick his chin up for better facial recognition. John Eastman’s mug shot is downright creepy. The most disgusting aspect beyond the physical fact is the marketing effort that started seemingly within minutes of his mug shot being publicly released. He is a huckster looking for every possible way to suck money out of naïve people. Oddly, he chose the caption “Never Surrender,” when that image marks exactly what he had just done—surrender.

 

Another contribution:

“Good morning young man- my God this going to take some careful reading this evening probably supported with a glass of something to keep my spirits up!

“The mess gets messier and dirtier.”

My reply:

Yes, it is getting very complicated. Tiny seeks chaos, which is exactly why he creates it, so he can stand up and ‘say only he can fix it.’ I have confidence that the Judiciary will methodically, carefully, and deliberately work through each and every piece of all these cases despite the chaos he creates. A glass of something stiff is quite appropriate. In many ways, this is disgusting, disappointing, and outright depressing. The very man we chose to be the chief law enforcement officer was and remains so bloody disrespectful of the law. He anointed himself as chief vigilante on his lies, and he has dragged so many others down that latrine hole with him. Very sad! Yes, I am afraid it will get messier and dirtier before we see a brighter light. That turning point may well be muzzling and removing him from the public domain by incarceration. Just one conviction and incarceration would be helpful. Yet, regardless, we will have to endure his acolytes who will do their mightiest to carry on for him . . . sad to say.

 . . . follow-up comment:

“Ok Cap-yes will do maybe two glasses tonight! I fear the mess will become much greater before conclusion.

“Will read this evening as stated.”

 . . . my follow-up reply:

I trust you enjoyed your libation, although the reading was certainly not entertaining. Yes, we see the setup for this whole debacle getting much uglier, messier, and confusing, but I trust the Judiciary to methodically sort through the whole mess to the end. We will eventually see if the perpetrators escape justice.

 

My very best wishes to all.  Take care of yourselves and each other.

Cheers,

Cap                  :-)