I heard over and over during Trump's 4 years that he was a "danger" to our democracy and recently treated it like a doormat. So I want specifics. Never have I heard anything that he did that was contrary to the constitution. So here's your chance, lay our all those examples of his acting contrary to the Constitution not these non specific rants. Before he even took office, FBI high ups were illegally spying on his campaign. Perjured FISA warrants were obtained that allowed unconstitutional eavesdropping on members of his election committee. Then we had the Russia Collusion travesty. We had a 2 year "investigation" based on nothing but fiction. We had the NY Times winning a Pulitzer Prize based on fictitious, vicious disinformation. When that treachery ran its course, the bogus impeachment began. And all the while the so called lovers of this country stood by allowing crimes, lies, and treachery to occur and cheered. And they accused Trump as being a danger to the democracy. I've been avoiding discussing politics with those who believed that the current President was, competent, capable, and "noble" enough to run this country. It's difficult to imagine anyone who could cause more damage to this country in less time. He's a Manchurian candidate that has been bought by the Chinese Communist Party. His climate crap has greatly wounded our economy, his military leadership is disastrous, and his foreign policy from Afghanistan, to Ukraine, to Taiwan to Iran defies comprehension. Supposedly 85 million Americans voted for an individual to lead this country who can walk up the steps of Air Force One or put on his jacket by himself. d
Oh joy, another in the never ending invitations to play MAGA whack-a-mole wherein MAGA member buries head in sand, hence rendering themselves unable to see and therefore claim the non-existence of that which is self-evident to all serious minded people. I will respectfully decline your invite as I've grown weary of the Einstein insanity of it all and you can play that game with others if they are so willing. I will note however that just because one is a devotee of that most cherished of Madisonian principles of governance wherein one organizes, inflames and directs an armed mass towards the Capitol to assault and murder her defenders on their way to stop the counting and certification of electoral ballots and seize and lynch the VP simply because he had the audacity to perform his constitutional duty in spite of ones best efforts to pressure and threaten him to do otherwise is not the stuff of one seeking a monument in our nation's capitol nor a facial profile on a mountain top. As for your vitriol towards the current guy, it's wasted on me. Never been a fan of the man nor his policies and his only relevance to this thread would seem to be that he was the guy that defeated the MAGA king in what was a Trump-defined decisive "landslide". You represent and wear the MAGA hat well Gip, please don't now swap it out for one of the tin foil variety
For 4 years we heard about how the President was a threat to our Democracy and the Constitution and as I expected the only pathetic example is the last weeks of his term. Just like all the others who rant empty chants under TDS when pressed for reality there's no substance. The facts are, no one was murdered at the Capitol except an unarmed female veteran by one of the "defenders." But the same disseminators of untruths who fanned the Russian Collusion lies told another spin of armed protestors and murders. And the same folks who swallowed the other slanders bought that one too. It was difficult to believe that 85 million Americans voted for a corrupt, incompetent liar who couldn't find his way out of his basement during the campaign. But the more I read online the more how I see how such a disaster could occur.
It would seem that we've taken this as far as facts, common sense and reason can take us, I think we're done here Gipper......
I think you are both correct. And therein lies the problem. We are a tightknit group of sports fans from all around the country who have been conversing on a regular basis for 25-30 years. We have discussed our families, have shared triumph and death, heartbreak and victory. Yet, on these topics we are hopelessly divided. We've already basically thrown one guy off for his unbending views. Tiny cracks are growing into fissures. We are a tiny social microcosm of this nation in general. As we watch almost 300 years of national triumph disintegrate before our eyes at lightning speed we turn on one another, not to one another. It's the human condition; this country has been crumbling since the nationalistic fervor of post September 11 quickly waned. History, erased or revised has been replaced by an "anything goes" view of the present and future. Some of us will fiercely hang on to the past, others will embrace a future of new "morals" and uncertainty and most will cower in private hoping it will all go away, like a child waking after a nightmare. Even the very thing that brought us together, sports, are being de-constructed at every level and from every angle. This was never about political parties; this was about our inability to hold on to the gift that was passed on from our predecessors. We let it slip away and we baby boomers were the first generation to drop the ball.
Great post George. This is why it's time to put our foot down, hard. We have a wonderful blueprint written by candlelight over 200 years ago by our fore fathers that not only is a working document, but was created based on lessons learned. This administration, and past others like it, have walked on it, and ignored it. What they did to Pres Trump was a complete violation of the 4th. They want what Washington, Jefferson, and others sternly warned us about, Centralized Government. They want power and control. They're doing it right now without anybody's permission.
Has anybody seen the Dick Cheney ad supporting Liz's reelection bid? Her only goal is to prevent Trump to get reelected. No other agenda or mission to improve or repair America.
Love ya Husker but it looks to me like they followed the 4th Amendment to the letter even seeking the approval of a federal judge who presumably has views on the Constitution in line with those of the ex-President as he was vetted and appointed by Trump himself. What am I missing here? On a side note, I never thought I'd see the day when there was such a wide gulf between your views on a man and those of your old bosses General "Mad Dog" Mattis and General Kelly. What gives?
I am not Donald Trump's biggest fan. In fact, I think the way he conducted himself from Nov. 5, 2020 to Jan. 20, 2021 was disgraceful as he basically stopped doing his job. In that context I do not understand the difference between what Trump is accused of doing and what Hillary in fact did, running an unauthorized government server in her bathroom and then destroying its hard drives and a slew of cell phones after she was subpoenaed. And it is that unequal application of justice that has everyone on the brink of anarchy.
Marine Corps leaders are taught, trained and follow an assortment of mission statements. This is the USMC mission: Marine Corps Mission Historically, Marine Corps preparedness has generally been characterized by the phrase, "The First to Fight." Marines are trained, organized, and equipped for offensive amphibious employment and as a "force in readiness." Officially, the mission of the Marine Corps is set forth in the National Security Act of 1947 as amended (1952). The key parts of the act are listed below: 1. To seize or defend advanced naval bases and to conduct such land operations as may be essential to the prosecution of a naval campaign. 2. To provide detachments and organizations for service in armed vessels of the Navy or for protection of naval property on naval stations and bases. 3. To develop, with the other Armed Forces, the tactics, techniques, and equipment employed by landing forces in amphibious operations. 4. To train and equip, as required, Marine forces for airborne operations. 5. To develop, with the other Armed Forces, doctrine, procedures, and equipment of interest to the Marine Corps for airborne operations which are not provided for by the Army. 6. To be able to expand from peacetime components to meet the needs of war in accordance with mobilization plans. The good generals were trained and specifically focused on these parameters. Not sure they had much practice or training in attacking what Pres Trump knew what was the real problem.
You know this stinks Terry. This is straight out of a movie, and the bad guys are trying there best to preserve their corrupt BS. It's right there in front of us. Let them win, and Animal Farm isn't just a book in America Anymore.
Yeah he spends the whole time preaching about Jan. 2020. He overlooks completely that his shrew of a daughter voted to impeach Trump long before all that happened.
First of all, let's discuss the vermin in the FBI that back on 2016 were submitting to the FISA court petitions for warrants that they knew were based on information that was completely unsupported. This was done to illegally spy on the Trump campaign. The "premier law enforcement agency" of the US was breaking the law. We all know the activities of Strzok, Paige, McCabe, Comey et all who knowingly gave legitimacy to a fabricated document, the Steele dossier, that was used to not only support their warrant applications but also became the basis of the demand for and the eventually commissioned Mueller investigation. The lie, commonly referred to as the Russian Collusion hoax had devastation consequences. First it impugned the integrity of the newly elected President. It also questioned the legitimately of his presidency which of course damages the peaceful passage of power which on occasion is apparently important to some individuals. The damage of this hoax compounded by false embellishment by the national media especially the NY Times and Wash. Post who were awarded a Pulitzer Prize for pure fiction. And then there was the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff who time and again stated that there was evidence of collusion and he had seen the evidence. Tens of millions of Americans believed this damaging charade. Another damaging aspect of the Russia Collison lie was the impact it had on the day to day operations of the duly elected Trump administration. Untold hours were wasted by officials answering interrogatories, preparing for and testifying at depositions, and responding to requests for documents. Rather than being about doing the people's business they were wasting the time dancing to the tune of a sham investigation. Of course we eventually learned the driving force behind the dossier, Hillary Clinton. The same Clinton who while Secy. of State resorted to using a private server to hide her communications involved in influence peddling. When the existence of the server became known the information on the server was not seized in a midnight raid of her residence. Instead a subpoena for the documents was utilized. This of course allowed her time to delete tens of thousands of emails and destroy the handheld devices that may have retained them. A clearer case of obstruction would be difficult to find. But no matter, she like Comey who disclosed classified materials to a reporter and the other FBI lawbreakers all skated. They like Lois Lerner and Eric Holder who refused to comply with a congressional subpoena all lived happily ever after. Meanwhile we have to listen to folks like Pelosi and Garland tell us "no one is above the law" and "everyone is treated equally." They're pissing on us and telling us it's raining.
This is the 7th organized attempt to finish off Donald Trump. The first 6 failed in spectacular fashion. However, since the Press is in the back pocket of the Democratic party and the high visibility Hollywood faction is as well, the lingering effects of 6 humiliating "coup" attempts have been largely mitigated. I can't get past his miserable last four months in office. And I simply cannot believe that the talent pool of conservatives is so dried up that Trump is all we have to offer. I'm looking for someone in their 40s or 50s. Enough of these cranky old farts!
Amen to that. Nor can I, nor should any serious-minded voter in my opinion. If the greatest dereliction of duty and worst failure of executive leadership in our long history is not a disqualifying event, what could possibly be? Husker, I'm damn certain that there will be a future course of study at Quantico to address the leadership issues highlighted during the ex-presidents term but my bet is that the leadership view and guidance to be instilled will be closer to that displayed by Mattis, Kelly and most recently Milley than that evidenced by the disgraced ex-President as he sat on his fat ass gleefully watching TV and eating cheeseburgers in his dining room for HOURS while OUR Capitol, her defenders overrun, was being ransacked, the wheels of our constitutionally-mandated transition stopped in its tracks, and his VP and Congress imperiled all the while refusing to lift so much as a finger to come to their aid....
Attachment B is the affidavit which is the sworn statement presented to the judge laying out the proof that there is evidence of a violation of law that can be found in the specific areas so indicated on the warrant. If the judge, in this instance a Trump guy, agrees that there is sufficient proof then he will find that there is probable cause to believe there is evidence of a possible crime. In reviewing the affidavit and signing the warrant authorizing the search, the Trump-appointee judge has indicated that he believes that the Trump-appointee led FBI has provided sufficient proof for a reasonable person to believe that there is evidence of obstruction of justice and violations of the Espionage Act to be found at Mar-a-Lago.
He wouldn't unseal the affidavit. Wish he had. There is a lot of mistrust about this due to the alleged falsification of facts on the affidavit for the FISA warrant back in the day. I feel that T is right about dereliction of duty and lack of leadership at the end of the Trump presidency. Criminal behavior I'm not so sure. I think comparing him to the Rosenbergs was a bit over the top. I feel that Gip is absolutely right about falsifications and unwarranted political hit jobs on Trump before he even took office. And now the Repubs are talking about how they are going to come back with their own investigations when (if) they take over congress. (sigh). These politically motivated tit for tat gotchas and hit jobs have got to stop.
I hear that Krebsie, I'm fine with locking 'em both up. That said, we are where we are and the question we are posed at this moment is what is the proper path forward, right? In my view, just because Comey screwed the pooch and prior investigations were botched, I don't believe that it's in our national interest to overlook evidence of clear violations of law and crimes of a material nature. That's no different than lawlessness, anarchy and chaos in my book.