January 6 Hearings

[ex-khobar Andy]

Yes I saw that piece and was thinking of posting it.

During my days as a road warrior I had a good client at an engineering company in Redding. So I used to go there regularly 1993 to about 2001. It's a gorgeous location and Shasta is the local mountain and dominates the skyline. Vito certainly was not a right wing nut and maybe - it's now 25 years ago but seems much more recent - the attitudes described are newer or, of course, I just didn't see them in my brief visits. A generous and smart guy - he was once lined up to give a paper at a scientific conference; at the last minute he couldn't go and because he knew I would be there and was somewhat familiar with the research, he asked me to deliver it for him. Which I did, and got a few new customers out of it.

I don't know if he regularly reads the Guardian - I'll try to find him on LinkedIn and send him the link, and see what he says.

[Bicycle Bill]

https://twitter.com/i/status/1549833967125217280

-"BB"-

[Burning Petard]

I don't know what MGMc thought of it at the time, but Thomas Frank published a book way back in 2004 called 'What's the Matter With Kansas' which tried to address the observation that the majority voters in Kansas were consistently voting in individuals who were promising (and many delivered) things that seemed to Mr. Frank to clearly be against their own best interests.

As I remember it the book was widely considered to be wild exaggerations based on Eastern Elite absurdities.

Now its predictions seem too mild.

snailgate

[Jarlaxle]

Any claim the "loss of civility" is one-sided is somewhere between laughable and jaw-droppingly, mind-blowingly stupid. I worked with someone who had his brand new truck vandalized (over $8000 damage, including needing to replace one door) because he supported Trump. Not far from me, a Trump supporter had his Trump sign and the tree it was on, along with a good chunk of his yard soaked in gasoline and torched. There is a reason neither Liz nor I have ANYTHING about Trump on vehicles or clothing, except the hat she wore when actually working for the campaign.

[Joe Guy]

Kinda the opposite of your point but brought this video to mind...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_ydEjUGuI4

[MGMcAnick]

I've not read Thomas Frank's book. The original by that title was written my William Allen White in the 1890s. Some things never change.

https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/what-s- ... nsas/16717

[Long Run]

Any claim the "loss of civility" is one-sided is somewhere between laughable and jaw-droppingly, mind-blowingly stupid.

Totally agree. I hate Trump and would never vote for him, but the "anything goes" mentality that millions upon millions of liberals have for him and anyone who voted for him just shows the illiberal nature of so many of today's liberals. (Not really on display here I am glad to say).

[ex-khobar Andy]

She said that she had been told of the wheel grabbing episode by Robert Engel who was the head of the SS detail.

According to the NYT:

Secret Service officials said Mr. Engel and the driver of Mr. Trump’s SUV are prepared to testify under oath that neither man was assaulted by the president and that he did not reach for the wheel of the vehicle. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the potential testimony. The two men will not deny that Mr. Trump wanted to go to the Capitol, the officials said.

They are now saying it did not happen. Are they now saying that they did not make those comments to Ms Hutchinson?

I just watched her testimony twice. Apparently a third party told her it happened like that, in the presence of the secret service detail who said nothing - they didn’t confirm it or deny it in her presence when the story was told.

Now, they’re apparently prepared to go on record under oath denying it. So why not deny it when the other staffer was telling her in front of them?

They are probably boot lickers waiting for their commissions to the new SS when the Trump Reich rises again.

And now apparently these Secret Service guys have lawyered up and are refusing to testify despite earlier statements. The plot thickens.

[BoSoxGal]

Some of you may be interested in this podcast (you can read the transcript if you prefer) about why Trump was not prosecuted in Manhattan for his fraud crimes there.

https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archi ... governance

Within the article the embed is a Spotify link to the podcast, but it’s on Apple as well just search for Columbia cutting edge.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Just came across this . . .

[ex-khobar Andy]

Some of you may be interested in this podcast (you can read the transcript if you prefer) about why Trump was not prosecuted in Manhattan for his fraud crimes there.

https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archi ... governance

Within the article the embed is a Spotify link to the podcast, but it’s on Apple as well just search for Columbia cutting edge.

Or you can just read the transcript which is a lot quicker. I'm not a lawyer so you have to read between the lines a bit: but it seems that the attorneys in the DA's office were convinced of TFG's guilt but were not certain that a random jury would see it the same way. And we all know that just as there were Dems who would never have convicted Clinton on the Lewinsky/Paula Jones evidence, a random group of 12 people, even in NY, will include at least one who would never convict TFG of anything.

[Big RR]

Perhaps he would have been acquitted, perhaps not; but at least the evidence would be in the public domain. As I said before, people like Trump (or Clinton, or Nixon, or Reagan...) are never prosecuted or held to account. Sometimes a sacrifice (like Agnew or Mitchell for Nixon) is offered, other times a bullet ends it, but they are generally never prosecuted or even held to account.

A democratic city and state, and look what happened. Some people are just above the law.

[BoSoxGal]

Some of you may be interested in this podcast (you can read the transcript if you prefer) about why Trump was not prosecuted in Manhattan for his fraud crimes there.

https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archi ... governance

Within the article the embed is a Spotify link to the podcast, but it’s on Apple as well just search for Columbia cutting edge.

Or you can just read the transcript which is a lot quicker. I'm not a lawyer so you have to read between the lines a bit: but it seems that the attorneys in the DA's office were convinced of TFG's guilt but were not certain that a random jury would see it the same way. And we all know that just as there were Dems who would never have convicted Clinton on the Lewinsky/Paula Jones evidence, a random group of 12 people, even in NY, will include at least one who would never convict TFG of anything.

If that was the standard for bringing a prosecution - that no random juror might hang a jury - then nobody would ever be prosecuted for anything.

I haven’t read or listened yet, but I think the abhorrent thing about the DA’s failure to move forward when he certainly would if the defendant was Joe Blow, is how much this undermines public confidence in the justice system. If you are Joe Blow you might spend thirty or forty years in prison on a wrongful conviction that prosecutors were only too rabid to pursue, but if you are Mr. Moneybags with a following, you don’t even have to face a day in court when the state possesses clear evidence of criminal activity. It’s pretty despicable.

[Big RR]

Despicable, certainly. But hardly surprising.

[BoSoxGal]

The January 6th Committee has requested Newt Gingrich appear and testify before them regarding his involvement with the Big Lie and stoking attendance for the rally turned insurrection.

Finally that vile toad who laid the foundation for destroying civil discourse in USA politics will get called to account - for some of it.

[BoSoxGal]

Hey friends in case you’ve somehow missed the news, just a word to advise that the committee is having another public hearing tomorrow, Wednesday September 28 at 1pm. This is expected to be the last public hearing although always subject to change. You can watch on the committee’s YouTube page or one of the various networks that will likely cover it if you prefer commentary.

https://january6th.house.gov/