Very well said Steve. I particularly like and agree with this part:
“I have long argued that Donald Trump is both a symptom and a cause of America’s decay. The simple truth is that no healthy democracy would ever elect such a man. A decent society doesn’t tolerate lie machines like Fox News, or conmen like George Santos in their parliaments and congresses.”
I was reminded of this like cold water splashed in my face..I’ve been so wrapped up in the damage that has been brought on the country I hadn’t thought about it much until now when it was laid out so eloquently here by you Steve..
The entire world has been watching for many years. Trump, MAGA and the destruction of America are in newspapers, tv, talk shows, trend on our local twitter etc etc.
I watched Legal AF today where they talked about the process that’s about to happen. Karen Friedman Anglifolio was brilliant. This process involves the secret service too. I ponder what will happen if found guilty. America is about to test the legal system of states & federal in many ways.
I am concerned that violent protests will happen, lives threatened and the loss of life.
If he loses and is seen as a loser, and is convicted it will be MUCH better than if he were to be (God forbid) acquitted. If he's charged and walks free, OMG... It will be like a scene from that awful film "The Purge".
If he's convicted, his followers will be deflated and demoralized. If he wins, it's pretty much the end of our Democracy, our Peace, and sadly our Planet's ability to sustain human life.
Don't forget, this is only the first of probable indictments. I think no matter which way it goes, he is on his way out. He may have a devoted, deluded following, but not in numbers. Don't give up hope that the rule of law will prevail. And keep working toward voting out the traitors who are in our Congress at this time. 2024 is not that far off. The stench he has created will take a lot of effort to eradicate.
DeeDeeD, while agree it would be monumental if he was acquitted I don’t think it would end Democracy. That is exactly how our system works. We will all be demoralized if he does win but we always have to remember it is the minority that believes Trump is their god. As much as we believe in innocent until proven guilty we have to also believe in what a jury decides because juries are made of you and me. I am writing this as a person who has at times during the rise and, hopefully, fall of trump been despondent about what is happening to our country, begging and begging the sky “what can I do to help fix this” so I get from whence you come.
I think we're on very different pages, Libby, and although you thought you understood what I was saying, you clearly did not.... J6 was not democracy in action. And the follow up if tRump were to win his case and be "absolved" ( a word he loves), will also not be "how our system works."
And here is why Democracy (and the planet) will die if he is in fact acquitted:
1.) His followers will attract more followers, and he will win the nomination, and along with his minions in GOP leadership, create so much electoral chaos and confusion in red state after red state, that the results will be tossed to the SCOTUS... who will give him the white house again. Because they like what he does, like hurting the same people they want to hurt because they are Zealots of the worst degree. 2.) The war in Ukraine will be defunded, and Putin will be emboldened to simply steal Ukraine... and then revamp his army and go after Poland along with his good friend Lukashenko in Belarus.
3.) This will of course embolden Xi who can and will invade and steal Taiwan (with his buddy Kim and NK's new arsenal of nukes that can now reach the U.S. Eastern seaboard.)
4.) With a new world war in both Europe and the Pacific destroying everything, our Environment will collapse and be unable to support most lifeforms, but first to be wiped out will be mammals
5.) Between Climate Collapse (from the wars on top of our absurd greed for fossil fuels these many years), and wars and civil unrest around the globe, Humanity will be on the march; millions of displaced, suffering people will be desperately searching for safe haven.
This is not the time to wear rose colored glasses, or think things are normal. They are not.
Underestimating tRump is why we are at this diabolical crossroads... and underestimating how advanced our Climate crisis is, well... that's just self-defeating in the most literal sense.
The only way to stop this nightmare scenario is for tRump o be indicted, hence demoralizing and disempowering his violent base; and then for Ukraine to win against russia.
That would give us some breathing space to try to fix all the systems which have been, and are being destroyed.
DeeDeeD, I do not ever seem to think the consequences through as you have. It is dire even if trump is found guilty. I certainly know this country is in trouble. The Supreme Court has been taken over by the minority. I might add, all of us faithful, honest people were absolutely aghast as it happened and there wasn’t a ding dang thing to do about it. On the day of j6 I was glued to the tv. To me it was patently obvious that this was a planned and calculated event by trump and his helpers. I thought he would be arrested that day. That almost all Republicans have remained mute on every lie and injury to us all this time and still now is most telling. We will see what happens and I hope what you have spelled out cannot happen. I have a few more years to live and when I leave I want my daughter, son-in-law, grandson, nieces and nephews to have stability in their world and be able to trust in what is good and right. Thank you for spelling out a reality we could surely face.
What I outlined is a worst case. But that seems to be what we’ve had since 2016.
I also hope it doesnt happen; I too have grandchildren.
But if we cant unite as a single planet where we respect and try to heal this extraordinary Earth, and respect each other and care for each other, then I do foresee the worst. Between trump, putin, xi, MBS, and now even Netanyahu is off the deep end of authoritarianism... its getting harder to have hope.
And sadly, Ive been accurate politically for almost eight years. I sincerely want to be wrong now.
I hear you and have been politically active since Obama ran and always very interested in politics, our world, etc., so we travel similar paths. I have also felt so gobsmacked by what has been happening. I can hardly bear that trump was actually elected instead of Sec Clinton, still. Imagine how different it might be? My sister said something today that stopped me in my tracks. She said, “If it can be ordained in our country that women have no autonomy over their bodies we are years away from ever electing a woman president.”And we were so close but certain someone’s were not going to let that happen. It is very close to the reason JFK, Martin, Bobby were silenced in my opinion.
The depth of my contempt for Donald also cannot be measured. He & his cronies have tested the limits of my compassion. One person reminded me of a meditation to imagine that person as a small child, a practice I have done successfully in the past. When I think of Donald as a child, I think of the kid who stole his brother’s toys & threw rocks at his neighbor. Yes, the law dictates that he is innocent until proven guilty. This also tests my limits as Donald is a career criminal & sociopath who has evaded prosecution for decades, thanks to his political donations, political power & fear of his armed & dangerous mob.
I am sorry that your family had to bear the wrath of Trump’s mob. You helped keep democracy on life support.
I think we will be surprised at the charges in NYC. Bragg has had Donald’s books for a while & I doubt he would cross this rubicon without being 150% sure he had him dead to rights.
Go younger. When I engaged this meditation I worked my way back to when he was an infant crying on the changing table because his cloth diapers were full. His mother was no where to be seen. Then I could open my heart to this damaged sentient being.
I have been a prosecutor my entire career. I spent 27 of those years prosecuting people accused of crimes. Much of my career has been focused on homicides and serial rape cases. I have seen things so heinous they would almost certainly make most people vomit.
But no matter how horrifying the acts were or how overwhelming the evidence might be, one of the best things about being a prosecutor is that you are there to ensure the defendant receives due process and a fair trial. It is one of the most beautiful things about our Constitution - no one will be deprived of liberty without due process of law.
Donald Trump deserves no less.
One final note. The Twitterati who've been tweeting for months that AG Garland is a coward and the DOJ is corrupt for not indicting Trump quickly are, for lack of a better term, f$cking idiots. I had a complicated murder case that took 5 years to put together before we filed charges. Once charges are filed, the investigation is effectively over, and you only have one chance to get things right. Charging a former president will be the biggest case in history. Every piece of evidence must be collected, and every question must be answered, before the charging decision is made. Until every tiny detail is accounted for, no charges should be filed. I have confidence that AG Garland and Special Prosecutor Smith are doing it right.
Andrea, thank you for that cogent lesson. I too have wondered why is this process moving so slowly? I’m a Law & Order junkie, but this is painfully real and the wheels of justice grind at a different pace. I just want DJT to be held accountable at the end of the day. He sullied the precious and prestigious office that he held.
I was a police sergeant for many years. One of the hardest but most important concepts to drill into officers in my charge was that once a person was arrested, they are *your responsibility*. Justice means adhering to our principles and the rule of law, not violent street justice. Rule of law is what makes this nation singularly great. We must maintain our values or we are lost.
Wouldn’t it be a miracle if we took this time to learn about history of the *ratfu*kers*
-the republicans who have been on this long march to oligarchs running the country?
This happened because we want to blame others. Symptom of the problem, yes the orange Cheeto is. The avoidance of this discussion and the focus on “outside “ forces: new outlets, his followers, the legal system--it’s all a distraction from the problem.
Americans say they care about others, indeed for short periods of time probably do--but WE DON’T VOTE like we do.
We vote with our mini-me, ignoring climate issues, child labor issues, hunger, homelessness, health... the endless ’me’ list.
Perhaps as we wring our pearls worrying about how bad we feel in this upcoming tumultuous time, we stop and vow to be personally accountable for every ignorant vote we’ve made out of self interest and not community interest.
When he took office in January 2017, I reminded a dear old friend that he had the presidential office as his responsibility whether it pleased or bothered any of us. Institutions--and the respect for them-matters. I heartily endorse what you say here because eroding the institutions, the law, the requirements of our country are the true danger rather than any individual, as hard as that may be for any of us to stomach. Thanks...again.
Bob Fuchs Rochester Michigan. I agree with your message today that he is innocent until proven guilty. To advocate for anything less than this fundamental core of our system and values is to advocate for trump and those of his ilk. However I have a small bone to pick with you. Early in the piece you said that the American people elected trump. The majority of those who voted in 2016 rejected trump by almost 3 million votes. In 2020, even though President Biden beat trump by over 7 million votes we were still anxiously biting our fingernails to the quick until certain "battleground" states were finally called. Until we do away with the Electoral College system (devised to appease slave states) we remain vulnerable to a smarter, more astute, more dangerous facsimile of trump.
Very well said Steve. I particularly like and agree with this part:
“I have long argued that Donald Trump is both a symptom and a cause of America’s decay. The simple truth is that no healthy democracy would ever elect such a man. A decent society doesn’t tolerate lie machines like Fox News, or conmen like George Santos in their parliaments and congresses.”
I was reminded of this like cold water splashed in my face..I’ve been so wrapped up in the damage that has been brought on the country I hadn’t thought about it much until now when it was laid out so eloquently here by you Steve..
Agreed.
I have one correction.
The entire world has been watching for many years. Trump, MAGA and the destruction of America are in newspapers, tv, talk shows, trend on our local twitter etc etc.
I watched Legal AF today where they talked about the process that’s about to happen. Karen Friedman Anglifolio was brilliant. This process involves the secret service too. I ponder what will happen if found guilty. America is about to test the legal system of states & federal in many ways.
I am concerned that violent protests will happen, lives threatened and the loss of life.
Trump won’t care and doesn’t care for anyone.
As they say “shit will hit the fan”.
Be prepared to defend the Constitution and our nation of laws.
If he loses and is seen as a loser, and is convicted it will be MUCH better than if he were to be (God forbid) acquitted. If he's charged and walks free, OMG... It will be like a scene from that awful film "The Purge".
If he's convicted, his followers will be deflated and demoralized. If he wins, it's pretty much the end of our Democracy, our Peace, and sadly our Planet's ability to sustain human life.
Don't forget, this is only the first of probable indictments. I think no matter which way it goes, he is on his way out. He may have a devoted, deluded following, but not in numbers. Don't give up hope that the rule of law will prevail. And keep working toward voting out the traitors who are in our Congress at this time. 2024 is not that far off. The stench he has created will take a lot of effort to eradicate.
DeeDeeD, while agree it would be monumental if he was acquitted I don’t think it would end Democracy. That is exactly how our system works. We will all be demoralized if he does win but we always have to remember it is the minority that believes Trump is their god. As much as we believe in innocent until proven guilty we have to also believe in what a jury decides because juries are made of you and me. I am writing this as a person who has at times during the rise and, hopefully, fall of trump been despondent about what is happening to our country, begging and begging the sky “what can I do to help fix this” so I get from whence you come.
I think we're on very different pages, Libby, and although you thought you understood what I was saying, you clearly did not.... J6 was not democracy in action. And the follow up if tRump were to win his case and be "absolved" ( a word he loves), will also not be "how our system works."
And here is why Democracy (and the planet) will die if he is in fact acquitted:
1.) His followers will attract more followers, and he will win the nomination, and along with his minions in GOP leadership, create so much electoral chaos and confusion in red state after red state, that the results will be tossed to the SCOTUS... who will give him the white house again. Because they like what he does, like hurting the same people they want to hurt because they are Zealots of the worst degree. 2.) The war in Ukraine will be defunded, and Putin will be emboldened to simply steal Ukraine... and then revamp his army and go after Poland along with his good friend Lukashenko in Belarus.
3.) This will of course embolden Xi who can and will invade and steal Taiwan (with his buddy Kim and NK's new arsenal of nukes that can now reach the U.S. Eastern seaboard.)
4.) With a new world war in both Europe and the Pacific destroying everything, our Environment will collapse and be unable to support most lifeforms, but first to be wiped out will be mammals
5.) Between Climate Collapse (from the wars on top of our absurd greed for fossil fuels these many years), and wars and civil unrest around the globe, Humanity will be on the march; millions of displaced, suffering people will be desperately searching for safe haven.
This is not the time to wear rose colored glasses, or think things are normal. They are not.
Underestimating tRump is why we are at this diabolical crossroads... and underestimating how advanced our Climate crisis is, well... that's just self-defeating in the most literal sense.
The only way to stop this nightmare scenario is for tRump o be indicted, hence demoralizing and disempowering his violent base; and then for Ukraine to win against russia.
That would give us some breathing space to try to fix all the systems which have been, and are being destroyed.
DeeDeeD, I do not ever seem to think the consequences through as you have. It is dire even if trump is found guilty. I certainly know this country is in trouble. The Supreme Court has been taken over by the minority. I might add, all of us faithful, honest people were absolutely aghast as it happened and there wasn’t a ding dang thing to do about it. On the day of j6 I was glued to the tv. To me it was patently obvious that this was a planned and calculated event by trump and his helpers. I thought he would be arrested that day. That almost all Republicans have remained mute on every lie and injury to us all this time and still now is most telling. We will see what happens and I hope what you have spelled out cannot happen. I have a few more years to live and when I leave I want my daughter, son-in-law, grandson, nieces and nephews to have stability in their world and be able to trust in what is good and right. Thank you for spelling out a reality we could surely face.
You are very gracious.
What I outlined is a worst case. But that seems to be what we’ve had since 2016.
I also hope it doesnt happen; I too have grandchildren.
But if we cant unite as a single planet where we respect and try to heal this extraordinary Earth, and respect each other and care for each other, then I do foresee the worst. Between trump, putin, xi, MBS, and now even Netanyahu is off the deep end of authoritarianism... its getting harder to have hope.
And sadly, Ive been accurate politically for almost eight years. I sincerely want to be wrong now.
I hear you and have been politically active since Obama ran and always very interested in politics, our world, etc., so we travel similar paths. I have also felt so gobsmacked by what has been happening. I can hardly bear that trump was actually elected instead of Sec Clinton, still. Imagine how different it might be? My sister said something today that stopped me in my tracks. She said, “If it can be ordained in our country that women have no autonomy over their bodies we are years away from ever electing a woman president.”And we were so close but certain someone’s were not going to let that happen. It is very close to the reason JFK, Martin, Bobby were silenced in my opinion.
You are a true patriot with moral fortitude who have served your country well. Thank you!
The depth of my contempt for Donald also cannot be measured. He & his cronies have tested the limits of my compassion. One person reminded me of a meditation to imagine that person as a small child, a practice I have done successfully in the past. When I think of Donald as a child, I think of the kid who stole his brother’s toys & threw rocks at his neighbor. Yes, the law dictates that he is innocent until proven guilty. This also tests my limits as Donald is a career criminal & sociopath who has evaded prosecution for decades, thanks to his political donations, political power & fear of his armed & dangerous mob.
I am sorry that your family had to bear the wrath of Trump’s mob. You helped keep democracy on life support.
I think we will be surprised at the charges in NYC. Bragg has had Donald’s books for a while & I doubt he would cross this rubicon without being 150% sure he had him dead to rights.
Go younger. When I engaged this meditation I worked my way back to when he was an infant crying on the changing table because his cloth diapers were full. His mother was no where to be seen. Then I could open my heart to this damaged sentient being.
Excellent idea. Perhaps It didn’t cross my mind to go younger was because I am resistant to letting myself have any compassion for Trump.
Good information to have about yourself! Me too Marlene, so we just keep opening our hearts and resting in love…even for infant DJT.
Marlene, I pray you’re right.
Trump University online was a fraud, and I don't understand why he was not arrested decades ago.
Regardless of whether he is found guilty or not, we are still stuck sharing our country with his supporters.
Sometimes, justice and revenge share the same space.
Steve, thank you for these words.
I have been a prosecutor my entire career. I spent 27 of those years prosecuting people accused of crimes. Much of my career has been focused on homicides and serial rape cases. I have seen things so heinous they would almost certainly make most people vomit.
But no matter how horrifying the acts were or how overwhelming the evidence might be, one of the best things about being a prosecutor is that you are there to ensure the defendant receives due process and a fair trial. It is one of the most beautiful things about our Constitution - no one will be deprived of liberty without due process of law.
Donald Trump deserves no less.
One final note. The Twitterati who've been tweeting for months that AG Garland is a coward and the DOJ is corrupt for not indicting Trump quickly are, for lack of a better term, f$cking idiots. I had a complicated murder case that took 5 years to put together before we filed charges. Once charges are filed, the investigation is effectively over, and you only have one chance to get things right. Charging a former president will be the biggest case in history. Every piece of evidence must be collected, and every question must be answered, before the charging decision is made. Until every tiny detail is accounted for, no charges should be filed. I have confidence that AG Garland and Special Prosecutor Smith are doing it right.
Andrea, thank you for that cogent lesson. I too have wondered why is this process moving so slowly? I’m a Law & Order junkie, but this is painfully real and the wheels of justice grind at a different pace. I just want DJT to be held accountable at the end of the day. He sullied the precious and prestigious office that he held.
Excellent comments from a person who knows how it’s done. Thank you.
If no one is above the law, then do I get to ignore subpoenas and refuse to testify when summoned?
Return to the airwaves. At this moment in history, your voice needs to be heard.
I was a police sergeant for many years. One of the hardest but most important concepts to drill into officers in my charge was that once a person was arrested, they are *your responsibility*. Justice means adhering to our principles and the rule of law, not violent street justice. Rule of law is what makes this nation singularly great. We must maintain our values or we are lost.
The first show I watched after 9/11 was Nightline with Ted Koppel on September 14, 2001.
Steve's "Warning" reiterates the soul piercing thoughts Maya Angelou expressed that night.
She acknowledged our anger and cautioned Americans to think hard.
As a Nation we must differentiate between seeking justice and the lust for revenge.
Edit: Rep. Barbara Lee was also a guest that night, and is the only member of Congress who voted against war in Afghanistan.
Thanks. I needed this reminder.
Wouldn’t it be a miracle if we took this time to learn about history of the *ratfu*kers*
-the republicans who have been on this long march to oligarchs running the country?
This happened because we want to blame others. Symptom of the problem, yes the orange Cheeto is. The avoidance of this discussion and the focus on “outside “ forces: new outlets, his followers, the legal system--it’s all a distraction from the problem.
Americans say they care about others, indeed for short periods of time probably do--but WE DON’T VOTE like we do.
We vote with our mini-me, ignoring climate issues, child labor issues, hunger, homelessness, health... the endless ’me’ list.
Perhaps as we wring our pearls worrying about how bad we feel in this upcoming tumultuous time, we stop and vow to be personally accountable for every ignorant vote we’ve made out of self interest and not community interest.
When he took office in January 2017, I reminded a dear old friend that he had the presidential office as his responsibility whether it pleased or bothered any of us. Institutions--and the respect for them-matters. I heartily endorse what you say here because eroding the institutions, the law, the requirements of our country are the true danger rather than any individual, as hard as that may be for any of us to stomach. Thanks...again.
Bob Fuchs Rochester Michigan. I agree with your message today that he is innocent until proven guilty. To advocate for anything less than this fundamental core of our system and values is to advocate for trump and those of his ilk. However I have a small bone to pick with you. Early in the piece you said that the American people elected trump. The majority of those who voted in 2016 rejected trump by almost 3 million votes. In 2020, even though President Biden beat trump by over 7 million votes we were still anxiously biting our fingernails to the quick until certain "battleground" states were finally called. Until we do away with the Electoral College system (devised to appease slave states) we remain vulnerable to a smarter, more astute, more dangerous facsimile of trump.