My conspiracy theory is that Trump bribes these people to sue and prosecute him. Has he ever actually lost? He is the Great White Whale of the establishment.
Just think, we might have the Trump and Assange treason trials running concurrent with the election, as Biden stumbles about, avoiding any debate with RFKJr. and more and more dirt keeps piling up under the FBI's rug.
Meanwhile we keep pouring all our weapons into the Ukraine, where what isn't sold on the black market, will shortly be just handed over to the Russians, as the poor shlubs grabbed off the street to drive them cut and run at the first shot.
As I've been saying for years, when it's the banks running things, they have all the strategic aptitude of bacteria. All about the money and nothing else matters. An economic Ebola virus.
What's your guess on when we helicopter off the embassy roof this time? I bet before the election.
Well said. I'd say the Russians will be mopping up just around or a bit before the election. Perfect timing to show the blind-warmongering and incompetence of the Biden admin and govt in general. If we're lucky we'll also be experiencing a financial crash to rival the Great Depression by then as well. The people running the US for the last 30 years have driven us off a cliff. Like Wyle E. Coyote their legs are still churning but they're just starting to realize there's nothing beneath but air and a thousand foot drop. Too bad we're going to have to experience total collapse to finally get rid of the cancer that infests our country but they've made reform impossible.
People like a little bullshit and free money is the sweetest kind.
The problem is when that snowball starts rolling....
We will be pulling out of Ukraine when that parlor trick comes apart.
Meanwhile the flunkies in office really only have one job. Running up the public debt to back it. Wars are just a way to have fun with it. Delinquent children, with matches and gasoline. Any actual strategy to these wars would involve questions of necessity, effectiveness and purpose, which would take all the fun out of them, when their main goal is just to spend the money, so more can be borrowed.
I suspect "our country" will go the way of the Soviet Union, as states and regions start having to print local currencies.
Merrick Garland is a bitter old man whose revenge is in his un-restrained power. He has no one to answer to; he is wreaking havoc of his own accord. Yet, he too will die one day, and his legacy will survive him and it will resemble that of Stalin shaking his fist at God as he passed into damnation.
And, our nation resembles the bitter old queens, from Hillary to Blinken, all entrenched in its beauracracies who brandish their resentment like an small caliber revolver and a failing trust fund. Time is running out; soon both will be empty. Hopefully, they'll save the last round for themselves and die in thier own debauchery and deviancy, bloody and shameful.
One day, the Mexicans will build a wall to protect their nation from us. Our famous "island fortress" that guaranteed our security for centuries, will be an Alcatraz.
Of course the indictments are political. Of course they are intended to send Trump a message., but more to the point, they are intended to intimidate any candidate who dares buck the Establishment Consensus, in particular as regards foreign policy.
Patrick Lawrence has set a high standard for excellence with his writing, but this piece is particularly important. I had not given sufficient thought to how the decay of the judiciary can end in the removal of the last of the guard rails that protect a society from turning on itself. Thus, for me, the article has been very illuminating.
One small quibble: It was not Citizens United that declared corporations to be "persons," a doctrine that has done much to undermine the nation. That case followed a line of cases that ultimately "rely" on a false "precedent." Here are two sources examining the history of how it all happened; they reflect fairly well what I recall having read years ago:
Thanks for this latest essay, PL. And for the references to Sri Lanka. And a report I receive each week from here in Australia: The Kangaroo Court of Australia - presented by Shane Dowling - devoted to the corruption of the judiciary in Australia entangled with Big Media money and big business interests! It is bizarre/illuminating to find how you posit the leading Republican candidate alongside Chelsea and Julian and Edward - but entirely credible...
Donald Trump's name doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as Julian Assange's or Snowden's and the only reason it is in Lawrence's commentary is because he's being prosecuted under the Espionage Act. That's where any comparison ends. I detest Trump but I hate the Democrats even more and he is quite clearly being persecuted by his political enemies, who are set on destroying him. It's a terrifying expression of liberal authoritarianism. And also a bit ironic given that Trump refused to pardon either Assange or Snowden.
Under this law he could obtain an unfair advantage over say an Assange or a Snowden, or a huge disadvantage as opposed to a David Petraeus. A wildcard law like this is perhaps the kind we don't need?
A person charged under the espionage act is not allowed to present any kind of meaningful defense, so, as far as I understand, and I'm not a lawyer, Trump will not have any advantage whatsoever should it ever come to trial. Intent and motivation are not allowed to be presented as part of a defense. The espionage act is profoundly authoritarian and unconstitutional and needs to be abolished.
You're right...should it come to trial. The advantage would come...if it would come...when/if Biden pardoned him. Somehow the not-so-scapegoated under this thing, though, get probation and a fine.
Sorry for you all "Down Under." I know Caitlin Johnstone is upset as is former Aussie, John Pilger, two first-class truth-tellers. I wish Julian Assange went to Russia instead of the embassy in London, England. There, he would have been protected against the Evil Empire of war & Wall Street.
It seems like the intention is to make us aware TPTB are sensitive about secrets. This is how we are supposed to be, not at all inquisitive about why (I know, obvious). There is one little correlation that hasn't been dwelt on too much lately that I'd like to get others' opinion on. Before my memory does data compression on a lot that's gone down. Pompeo's ire was over the Vault 7 leaks, and in that vault was one or another tool that was no doubt used to leave fake Russian "fingerprints" at sites that had been hacked. Reality Winner's sentence was long; and, if memory serves (right), the story on the page she leaked was likely "made up"...fake. Am I wrong? A big message seems to be: we will make things up, and you must not draw inordinate attention to their made-upness.
Your first sentence is correct. On the second sentence it should have been shortened to "what are we to do?" I saw the typos but why point them out to an astute and honest journalist as Patrick is? The important content of this important article is ominous as the nation is speeding full speed ahead into a dictatorship which started decades ago but is now on steroids, so to speak.
On the other comments so far, I'm in agreement. BTW, I listen to the hour long (I think it was) of Ray McGovern on Scheerpost last week and he was terrific in his analysis is usual. McGovern said those Leopard 2 tanks that the vassal state of Germany sent to the Zelensky Regime were destroyed by Russian forces. About 6 or 7 of them. They're supposed to be the best tanks in the world, better than our Abrams tank.
But back to P.L.'s article. SCOTUS has nine members on the bench who could upset the apple carts one by one, to the detriment of the overwhelming majority of the American people and NOT be removed from the bench, sort of like "the right of kings" in days of old. That is not democracy by any stretch of the word. SCOTUS now makes laws outside of their alleged interpretation of the Constitution, so they have literally become a governing body.
The nation is finished as a supposed democracy and we are living on confidence that things will get better in spite of them getting worse.
Patrick,
My conspiracy theory is that Trump bribes these people to sue and prosecute him. Has he ever actually lost? He is the Great White Whale of the establishment.
Just think, we might have the Trump and Assange treason trials running concurrent with the election, as Biden stumbles about, avoiding any debate with RFKJr. and more and more dirt keeps piling up under the FBI's rug.
Meanwhile we keep pouring all our weapons into the Ukraine, where what isn't sold on the black market, will shortly be just handed over to the Russians, as the poor shlubs grabbed off the street to drive them cut and run at the first shot.
As I've been saying for years, when it's the banks running things, they have all the strategic aptitude of bacteria. All about the money and nothing else matters. An economic Ebola virus.
What's your guess on when we helicopter off the embassy roof this time? I bet before the election.
Well said. I'd say the Russians will be mopping up just around or a bit before the election. Perfect timing to show the blind-warmongering and incompetence of the Biden admin and govt in general. If we're lucky we'll also be experiencing a financial crash to rival the Great Depression by then as well. The people running the US for the last 30 years have driven us off a cliff. Like Wyle E. Coyote their legs are still churning but they're just starting to realize there's nothing beneath but air and a thousand foot drop. Too bad we're going to have to experience total collapse to finally get rid of the cancer that infests our country but they've made reform impossible.
People like a little bullshit and free money is the sweetest kind.
The problem is when that snowball starts rolling....
We will be pulling out of Ukraine when that parlor trick comes apart.
Meanwhile the flunkies in office really only have one job. Running up the public debt to back it. Wars are just a way to have fun with it. Delinquent children, with matches and gasoline. Any actual strategy to these wars would involve questions of necessity, effectiveness and purpose, which would take all the fun out of them, when their main goal is just to spend the money, so more can be borrowed.
I suspect "our country" will go the way of the Soviet Union, as states and regions start having to print local currencies.
Merrick Garland is a bitter old man whose revenge is in his un-restrained power. He has no one to answer to; he is wreaking havoc of his own accord. Yet, he too will die one day, and his legacy will survive him and it will resemble that of Stalin shaking his fist at God as he passed into damnation.
And, our nation resembles the bitter old queens, from Hillary to Blinken, all entrenched in its beauracracies who brandish their resentment like an small caliber revolver and a failing trust fund. Time is running out; soon both will be empty. Hopefully, they'll save the last round for themselves and die in thier own debauchery and deviancy, bloody and shameful.
One day, the Mexicans will build a wall to protect their nation from us. Our famous "island fortress" that guaranteed our security for centuries, will be an Alcatraz.
Do you mind if I quote your last para either giving or not giving your name/initials?
Quote away, no citation necessary. We need to build a community, whisper to all who will listen.
Of course the indictments are political. Of course they are intended to send Trump a message., but more to the point, they are intended to intimidate any candidate who dares buck the Establishment Consensus, in particular as regards foreign policy.
Patrick Lawrence has set a high standard for excellence with his writing, but this piece is particularly important. I had not given sufficient thought to how the decay of the judiciary can end in the removal of the last of the guard rails that protect a society from turning on itself. Thus, for me, the article has been very illuminating.
One small quibble: It was not Citizens United that declared corporations to be "persons," a doctrine that has done much to undermine the nation. That case followed a line of cases that ultimately "rely" on a false "precedent." Here are two sources examining the history of how it all happened; they reflect fairly well what I recall having read years ago:
https://www.history.com/news/14th-amendment-corporate-personhood-made-corporations-into-people
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2018/03/corporations-people-adam-winkler/554852/
And -- 20 Republicans voted NOT to censure odious Adam Schiff....
I wonder why he wasn't censored? hmm... maybe because he's also a pro-war Zionist?and Russophobe
Apparently there was $16M finw inserted -- this was not wise and many rejected it
Thanks for this latest essay, PL. And for the references to Sri Lanka. And a report I receive each week from here in Australia: The Kangaroo Court of Australia - presented by Shane Dowling - devoted to the corruption of the judiciary in Australia entangled with Big Media money and big business interests! It is bizarre/illuminating to find how you posit the leading Republican candidate alongside Chelsea and Julian and Edward - but entirely credible...
Donald Trump's name doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as Julian Assange's or Snowden's and the only reason it is in Lawrence's commentary is because he's being prosecuted under the Espionage Act. That's where any comparison ends. I detest Trump but I hate the Democrats even more and he is quite clearly being persecuted by his political enemies, who are set on destroying him. It's a terrifying expression of liberal authoritarianism. And also a bit ironic given that Trump refused to pardon either Assange or Snowden.
Under this law he could obtain an unfair advantage over say an Assange or a Snowden, or a huge disadvantage as opposed to a David Petraeus. A wildcard law like this is perhaps the kind we don't need?
A person charged under the espionage act is not allowed to present any kind of meaningful defense, so, as far as I understand, and I'm not a lawyer, Trump will not have any advantage whatsoever should it ever come to trial. Intent and motivation are not allowed to be presented as part of a defense. The espionage act is profoundly authoritarian and unconstitutional and needs to be abolished.
No bail for the dude.
You're right...should it come to trial. The advantage would come...if it would come...when/if Biden pardoned him. Somehow the not-so-scapegoated under this thing, though, get probation and a fine.
https://www.democracynow.org/2023/6/14/trump_espionage_act_chip_gibbons
Sorry for you all "Down Under." I know Caitlin Johnstone is upset as is former Aussie, John Pilger, two first-class truth-tellers. I wish Julian Assange went to Russia instead of the embassy in London, England. There, he would have been protected against the Evil Empire of war & Wall Street.
It seems like the intention is to make us aware TPTB are sensitive about secrets. This is how we are supposed to be, not at all inquisitive about why (I know, obvious). There is one little correlation that hasn't been dwelt on too much lately that I'd like to get others' opinion on. Before my memory does data compression on a lot that's gone down. Pompeo's ire was over the Vault 7 leaks, and in that vault was one or another tool that was no doubt used to leave fake Russian "fingerprints" at sites that had been hacked. Reality Winner's sentence was long; and, if memory serves (right), the story on the page she leaked was likely "made up"...fake. Am I wrong? A big message seems to be: we will make things up, and you must not draw inordinate attention to their made-upness.
A few more reasons they targeted Assange. https://scheerpost.com/2023/06/18/chris-hedges-the-imminent-extradition-of-julian-assange-and-the-death-of-journalism/
Absolutely brilliant, Lawrence. You’ve caught it by the tail, you have.
Now, other than finding you a better proofreader, what are we to do?
Your first sentence is correct. On the second sentence it should have been shortened to "what are we to do?" I saw the typos but why point them out to an astute and honest journalist as Patrick is? The important content of this important article is ominous as the nation is speeding full speed ahead into a dictatorship which started decades ago but is now on steroids, so to speak.
On the other comments so far, I'm in agreement. BTW, I listen to the hour long (I think it was) of Ray McGovern on Scheerpost last week and he was terrific in his analysis is usual. McGovern said those Leopard 2 tanks that the vassal state of Germany sent to the Zelensky Regime were destroyed by Russian forces. About 6 or 7 of them. They're supposed to be the best tanks in the world, better than our Abrams tank.
But back to P.L.'s article. SCOTUS has nine members on the bench who could upset the apple carts one by one, to the detriment of the overwhelming majority of the American people and NOT be removed from the bench, sort of like "the right of kings" in days of old. That is not democracy by any stretch of the word. SCOTUS now makes laws outside of their alleged interpretation of the Constitution, so they have literally become a governing body.
The nation is finished as a supposed democracy and we are living on confidence that things will get better in spite of them getting worse.