Saturday, July 13, 2024

I have never been near Trump…

…nor do I ever want to be.

I have never been to his casinos. Never once.
I have never been to Trump Tower or even the same block it sits on.

I have been to New York many, many times. As a young person I’d go into the city with friends to see the Christmas pageant at Rockefeller Center. I did that for years. I was able to get some of the best gifts for family and friends in that city on a young person budget. I don’t know if that is still possible, but, it was then. New York City was a wonderland at Christmas time and St. Patrick’s Cathedral always a favorite stop. 

I was a Jersey girl. It took no time by train to be in “the city.” But, never once did I ever think about Donald Trump. I would go to Atlantic City and the boardwalk frequently, along with Sea Isle City, Wildwood, and Cape May (the rocky shoreline).

Never once to a casino. 

It was my value system that separated me from him. I never valued wealth and gold over friends, family, generosity of self, and good works, including a good 8 hour day’s work. Trump was none of those things.

He exploited NYC in some of his earliest ventures. It was the government he backed into a corner when his so called businesses were about to fail. Trump was the original “Too Big To Fail.” Bailouts and tax free decades in order for average citizens to be okay.

I have no respect for Trump or those that value him as the Bozo that will lead the pack of power and greed. He is a blight on this country and the world. No self respecting human being should want affiliation with him. It is the way I feel and always will. It is not a matter of forgiveness, it is a matter of values and he has none.

Was Trump involved with girls?

(Click here)

We know for a fact he was. The underage young women and girls of his pageants were at the very least used for his own personal voyeurism. He justified it as a marketing strategy which increased their sexual deportment on stage.

Trump is a creepy guy for many reasons. His affiliation with Epstein is just one of them. Who in their right mind fantasizes about being king? He is a wacko. 

He was diagnosed by experts as having malignant narcissism. The symptoms are:

- feeling superior or special (Allowing the belief he is the second coming of Jesus Christ, hello?)

- lack of empathy (“I could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and my voters would still elect me.”)

- need for admiration (34 felony counts and he is still the nominee? It begs the question who is admiring him and why?)

- exploiting others (How many bankruptcies has Trump had? He is using the treasury of the RNC to fund his legal bills.)

- sensitive to rejection (“It is so unfair.”)

What about a DSM axis two diagnosis of anti-social personality disorder
- disregard for the rules 
- disregard for the rights of others
- deceitfulness
- MANIPULATION 
- aggressiveness

Trump is unfit for office. He scored the highest death toll in the world during the pandemic. The death toll started at the beginning of “the spread” and just kept rolling. I recall a young man on his death bed telling all that would listen to his video that the virus was real and COVID parties were his downfall. What President of this country allows masks to be villainized?



We lost a firefighter.

(Click here)

She leaves behind a 17 year son. She was fighting a wildfire. Juliana Turchetti died in a crash. There needs to be an understanding as to what happened. It is only right her son knows the hero she was to the lives she was saving. Thank you.





Friday, July 12, 2024

Congratulations to Alex Baldwin.

I never thought he should have been charged. Live rounds should have never been on the movie set.

Responsibility must lie with the people that are hired to ensure the safety of all lives involved. There has to be protocol that works and it didn’t work this time.

He world lost Halyna Hutchins to negligence. It is a little too late to say things should have gone better.

Putin’s plans fit movements within the USA, right Clarence?

(Click here)

See, Putin has hated the USA since the collapse of the Soviet Union. His aspirations have been to split the USA into autonomous states as occurred when the USSR fell apart.

When you follow the actions of the Roberts’ Court that is exactly the plan. It is a bloodless coup to date.


Trump’s disgusting ambitions to be king and turn the USA into his personal empire fits right in with Russian ambitions as well as the theocratic goals of the Federalist Society. Russia’s plans are long term while taking advantage of any opportunity that presents itself. Right, Clarence? Or, maybe Clarence hasn’t figured that out yet and is just pandering to any wealth and power opportunities that come along. No one ever accused the Supremes as actually being scholars.

(Click here)

The USSR broke up because it was far too big in territory. That is why Ukraine is such a threat, regardless, of a comedian turned President to have peace and joint economic ventures with Russia and the EU.

The USSR loaded its western front with its most powerful threats, namely nuclear weapons and missiles of all kinds. There are plenty of abandoned silos to prove it. But, it also grew its national security brain trust there in what became the current Post-Soviet States. There are still nuclear experiments that allow nuclear drift into Europe by Russia.

Putin wants to put it all back together again. He is obsessed with nostalgia. If he were to do that the same problems would emerge IF the USA was intact. But, if he could successfully throw the United States of America into chaos as the 50 independent Post-USA states that would no doubt breed border wars for more wealth and power, then he could cement the communist legacy. Communists love Putin.

When one realistically looks at the divisions of the world it is obvious what transpired and is transpiring with the communists, including China. The East is strongly communist influenced by two large communist countries. China is always pushing its borders to justify any burgeoning conflict with the USA and its friendly alliances. The West is Democratic primary. It isn’t as though the communists haven’t tried to turn The West red, with large remembrance like the Cuban Missile Crisis, and currently having turned Venezuela on it’s head with Hezbollah securing it’s own drug cartel with ambitions of near border wars with the USA as it sinks into chaos with undetermined borders of its new independent states.

(Click here)





















So, what does all this meandering through USA national security have to do with the USA Supreme Court?

For some time now, the Robert’s Court has been moving toward de-federalization of the United States of America. John Roberts knows that delving into social content might alarm the American public. So, he throws us a bone every once in awhile as with marriage equality and lately the abortion pill. Most Americans are busy within their own lives and expect those in power to do the right thing for the country and it’s nations of people within its borders and living abroad where it applies. 

So.

The Roberts’ Court has proceeded in assaulting achievements of LEGISLATORS and it actually harms the country. Americans tend to pull together during large emergencies and it benefits citizens immensely. For the most part Americans do embrace diversity almost by instinct as we have become a melting pot of cultures. Those values of Americans would stop if the USA Constitution was dissolved either actually or in spirit. These ideas of de-federalization come from texts that are not the USA Constitution and therefore should never carry that much brevity in the Supremes decisions. But, the Roberts’ Court is chock full of conservative wet nursed and nannied by the Federalist Society. Of course, these life long jobs make the ideologues grateful and willing to move forward with ideologies derived from text outside the USA Constitution.

De-federalization plays right into Putin’s plans and the FACT Associate Justice Thomas is more than willing to bend a knee to Putin for free digs is concerning and completely without a doubt unethical.

Additionally, the political hubris is taking form in Red States like Texas where it’s Governor enjoys moving outside of respect for federal jurisdiction at the southern borders and in states that want to have biblical teachings as a permanent curriculum in public schools. Not all Americans are Christians and that is plain arrogance on a political scale.

The movement easily noticed in today’s political right wing is partly given a nod by a Supreme Court that installs ideology into decisions while breaking legal precedent. There is definitely a political movement toward ideology by these governing structures and is at least partially a bloodless coup.

It is a hell of an assignment but it is up to the Democrats to protect the USA Constitution from political hubris gone wild.

What?!?!?! Is this!!!!!

(Click here)

This is over the top. Whose side is he on?

Clarence Thomas has accumulated loan forgiveness and gifts, including the Putin gift of this trip, nearing a million US. That doesn’t even account for what may be going on with Ginny.

Garland needs to see this for what it is and called corruption and influence peddling and get with it.

Oh, yes, Clarence loves loan forgiveness as long as it is his own. Right, Clarence?

He went to Russia to be briefed on how the Russian judiciary operates in an autocracy. Right, Clarence?



Thursday, July 11, 2024

Joe’s right.

He is doing exceptionally well as President of the United States of America. He has an incredible sets of accomplishments and his studdering disability should not be interpreted as dementia. The man at the news conference post NATO summit wasn’t even close to dementia. Not even close.

President Biden needs to continue to speak to the American people and minimize his work hours in the Oval Office. The people need to hear him. He needs to make the people a priority, they have become media drunk in tabloid gossip rather than the truth about the truly incredible work this administration has accomplished.

The gaffs are nothing but stumbles in his speech. Joe still has a stuttering handicap and it reacts to pressure. When he is involved with the idea of Putin and then again with Trump, they are areas of presidential pressure where he feels strongly. I did notice the news media were making a huge issue out of the gaff about Biden interchanging Harris and Trump, BUT, did they bother to print breaking news about the reassurance that NATO is far bigger today than the original countries or that Finland and Sweden are still yet two more countries within the alliance as well as 55 other countries that have sought affiliation with NATO? No. There was no breaking news about the strength of NATO. American media has become just about as tabloid as any of those are admittedly tabloid press. 

Joe’s demeanor doesn’t have the pomp and polish that the elite in the country wants to see, so therefore only insults exist in their dialogue. Joe needs to talk to the people. That is his strength. His is too genuine for the elite to appreciate and who wants to pay taxes, right?

The U.S. is making great inroads to a better future.

(Click here)



I am not surprised.

 (Click here)

People are not making these choices any more. Just that simple. Americans don’t want what they are selling.

There was a time a person or family could go into a restaurant and get a meal without all the junk added. Now, it is difficult to go into these places without having bacon and its grease dripping all over the plate or the breading and frying makes it difficult to separate the real food from the coating.

These food chains did it to themselves. 

EAT LOCAL, the chefs are just as good and most of the time better.



I am growing tired of hearing complaints about food prices.

I have been shopping No-GMO stores for a long time. I belong to a food cooperative that has existed for 50 years and I have always paid higher prices than other folks. To be honest my prices haven’t gone up that much, if at all. I am seeing brands of some food manufacturers I never expected to see in the cooperative. So, it isn’t simply inflation hitting the food market, it is the demand for better quality food.

I can go to Walmart and still purchase cheap food at ten thousand items for a dollar. It is still the same chemicals mixed with sugar and high fructose corn syrup as it always has been.

The younger generations in the USA have witnessed enough disease in their parents and grandparents caused by food intake and they are rejecting it. So, they are making healthy choices for themselves and their families and they are paying more.

The reason the coop I go to hasn’t had high rates of inflation is because local providers line the shelves. There is still plenty to choose from because there are many local producers. They compete realistically (No artificially deflated prices.) with each other and contain any greed that might exist. I have not felt the pinch the way other consumers have because these suppliers have provided the coop for a long time. These producers also locally task others for their supplies, too, like animal feed if they don’t grow it themselves. 

The complaints from where I sit are not about real inflation. The complaints are because better quality food costs more. I congratulate these younger folks for making the switch because it will start to eliminate bad food in the USA diet and will make us all healthier.

(Click here)



More neglect by Texas elected officials.

Last time it was Ted Cruz and now Greg Abbot joins the ranks of elected officials that simply don’t care about the people of the state.

(Click here)

Whether it is the human suffering in a Bitcoin mining town or the latest tropical system to hit Texas, the state is turning politically blue to save itself from ruthlessness that dominates Texans lives.

There is a lot of suffering in that state. Its leaders talk past the suffering to those that survive as if they are extraordinary people. The fact is there is suffering and death due to heat in Texas. There were 28 heat deaths just this past week. There were recorded numbers of heat deaths in Texas in 2023.

(Click here)

Now, the power grid is down again as it was during a severe winter storm and people will be experiencing trauma to their lives again.

Some residents are forced to raid dumpsters for food and water due to power outages from Hurricane Beryl.

Texas is out of control. Its power grid can’t deliver what people need and when they need it the most. I can only hope the hospital and nursing homes have back up power generators.

Monday, July 08, 2024

We have been here before…

when the world thought right wing control was the answer to all problems. A few generations go by and low level learning is all anyone believes is possible for them and it is easy to repeat totalitarianism all over again. The monster can be awaken with the same nightmare repeating itself. If anyone is willing to toy with this outcome they don’t fear it enough.

Sunday, July 07, 2024

I have been a Joe Biden supporter for a long time.

He values what I value, family, strong labor, the Middle Class, and the freedoms and human safety provided by the USA Constitution. I am the last person to walk away from Joe, but, these statistics are concerning and I am worried about the country. This isn’t about Joe’s competency, it is about his mistake in allowing himself to become exhausted enough to diminish the strong image he created for decades.

(Click here)

The “down ballot” is important, too.










I think most Democrats remain solidly in place in their choices in backing Joe and Kamala. It appears to me the reliably skiddish Independents are abandoning ship. The DNC can’t be guessing and President Biden should not be expecting them to. 

In a somewhat parallel universe, France and Macron have startled awake the left political wing who is now voting in numbers that bring their party to number one in the second round of voting. It is a matter of numbers in getting out the vote. Those that believe in freedom and democracy tend to be very afraid of the right wing’s corruptible nature.




Saturday, July 06, 2024

Competency Testing

It is a privacy issue. I do not approve of such testing in general. I am currently looking at two women whom’s names will not be disclosed, but, both are outrageously abused and the question is how did they get in their current circumstances?

Both WOMEN are in their sixties. One is even on Haldol for a psychosis she doesn’t have. 

One woman is in a state mental hospital from systematic abuse through fanaticism of her family. A former spouse is a devout evangelical that attempted to control her behavior within the marriage because he was convinced she was a nymphomaniac because she wasn’t becoming pregnant. He was convinced they were being punished for her sins. This was decades ago. They eventually divorced. During the divorce proceedings she learned he had to be married with at least one child to receive his inheritance.

After the divorce, harassment against her continued and was picked up by her parents. She liked marijuana when it was illegal so it gave her family a lot of clout with courts regarding her behavior. There was even a judges’ order stating she could not wear high heels because it made her feel sexy and exacerbated her sexual preference for younger men. She has been sterilized against her will. 

The abuse of this woman’s emotional life is simply an example of how the legal system and mental health system is manipulated to achieve control over women for whatever reason the abusers are pursuing. In this particular case she is caught up in a system without a review process that would bring about not just freedom but justice.

The other woman is caught up in a guardianship that served her somewhat well while she had a benevolent guardian. Now, her guardian, while family, is caught up in the idea of esteem as a guardian and maintains her in, and get this, an independent living facility where she has no quality of life. She has no monies available to her to even enjoy independent living. She is unable to attend a movie, go shopping, call a cab, go out to dinner, or even attend her regular Catholic Church.

She has a room, is capable of all her own care, including microwaving hoarded snakes from the meals she is provided three times a day. She has no children, is divorced, is college educated, basically abandoned by her family except for her guardian who has made her reputation in the family so repulsive no one cares to see her or even send a greeting card on her birthday.

She is in an independent living facility and the only humor she finds is in the life she is allowed in that facility. The lawyer that is her legal guardian collects 5 percent of her monies annually. 

This sixty something woman needs a wheelchair for her own security to prevent falling, while she is receiving physical therapy to assist her to return to using a walker. She belongs in a handicap apartment where her once a month RN can visit to update her care plan and receive speech and physical therapist care. She is receiving speech therapy due to voice projection issues.

If she was relieved of her guardians and allowed to live in her own in a handicap apartment with normal community involvement she would have her quality of life and dignity returned to her for the years she has available, which should be a normal longevity.

There is also another woman soon to become sixty, who is homeless because her legal guardian sees it necessary to pay her bills rather than declare bankruptcy and put her in an apartment. She is currently living in her aged truck with her dog and it is not by choice no matter what anyone says. She has had her testing and can carry a conversation and do math for a checking account just fine. She cares appropriately for her dog and has no measurable mentation issue when engaged in normal human discourse.

I have had enough of people taking control over other people, primarily older women deemed incompetent. So, don’t start with the idea of neurological testing being a good path for the elders in our society because it is a dangerous and very slippery slope!

The state facility has no ombudsman authority, the independent living facility isn’t suppose to need an ombudsman and will not accept a referral. Guardianships are not taken by social work departments because they are overseen by the courts with protective relationships with the oppressed wome. The homeless have no one, except, churches and shelters that mitigate abuse within their purview.

These women have fallen between the cracks and no one cares about their quality of life. 

All these women are in the USA, but, not in the same state.

Friday, July 05, 2024

Is President Biden taking a chapter from “W’s” presidency?

(Click here

Our youngest voters won’t know that Former President George “W” Bush stated a mandate at the very beginning of his first term in that he retired to bed at 9:00 pm.

He had habits that allowed him to stay within the world he chose with his spouse rather than one of heavy partying and drinking. No one should fall short of admiring a man that can take control of his life and live it well.

Perhaps, President Biden received good advice about the quality of life rather than a life driven by unlimited service. I have to believe President Biden and First Lady Jill are doing what is best for the country. Hopefully these evenings together will allow them to reflect on what they can contribute versus what they maybe missing if President Niden retired.

It isn’t easy to walk away from service to this country when it has been a focus for so long. I wish everyone involved in making 2024 the best election yet for Democrats the best of luck, but, also great insight to the best path forward.

Thursday, July 04, 2024

Democratic Governors

(Click here

It is refreshing to see the Democratic Party come together so strongly. It is noteworthy that Democratic Governors have the backing of their state constituencies. These Governors are more than popular political figures, they get the job done. I might add that most of them can handily beat Trump in a national race. That fact is especially true of Pennsylvania Govern Josh Shapiro.


I might add the reaction of the Governors to an aggressive press corp. is a bit alarming. None of these folks are shy when it comes to talking to the press, so an honest reaction by so many of alarm is concerning. I thought the White House Press Corp. were sophisticated and not looking for moments of tabloid journalism. Who is leading the press corp. these days?

I am no flag waver, but, I love this country and see well seasoned politicians, some leaders in the Democratic Party, more worried about the political volatility in the USA than ever before. I think it wise to step back from speculation and be calm at a time when there is danger to our democracy. It is wrong to feed frenzy at this time just to sell the media.

Recently Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated she is concerned for the country while quoting Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor in saying openly she is worried about our democracy. I think both these women are very important to our country and their benevolent world view of the USA.

I believe today is the USA’s 248th birthday. That is two years shy of an entire quarter of a millennium. That is impressive for a country with a strong democracy that is admired by most of the world, including communist countries that try to mimic its economic success and overall power. I also might add, the USA’s benevolence on the world stage is important to many peoples as an anchor to global stability. It is wrong to want to see that radically change as the extremists of the right wing political party in the USA wants to have happen. 

If Democratic Governors can come forward knowing the stakes to the outcome of the 2024 elections stating they have confidence in President Biden and his own self-reflection of needing to be at home with First Lady Jill more rather than be a workaholic than that should carry some brevity.

I remind the Biden family came forward in criticism of some of the President’s staff immediately after the unfortunate debate performance. Such a quick reaction was formulated over time in concern of the President’s work schedule. I know there is much President Biden wants to achieve, but, he can put some of the less demanding goals on the back burner.

I think the party is correct in their alarm over such a poor debate performance by President Biden. But, there are members of the party still worried about the top of the ticket. Those concerns should not be dismissed, but, taken seriously for the best outcome of the country. I have confidence in these magnificent leaders who have received their own problems from the radical right. I think the scare tactics need to stop and the leaders of the party including the President and Vice President dialogue with the people and press about reality and the importance of the best outcome for the country. GENUINE dialogue is paramount to a stable country who has confidence in their choices at the ballot box and NOT FEAR overriding those decisions.

Happy Fourth of July and many more to come.

Wednesday, July 03, 2024

I am not big on Wall Street, but, I found this interview interesting.

 He finds Ukraine an important war to fight among other things.

We must move forward with alternative energies.

The EPA is more needed than ever! 

Some of the people most likely to benefit from the change to alternative energies are those seeking "environmental justice" in some of our most polluted neighborhoods. This is not even a decision, it must go forward.

"It is also important to recognize when something is working."

July 3, 2024
By Leslie Sattler

Imagine getting paid $249 billion just for doing the right thing. (click here)

Well, that's what the United States earned over the last few years by increasing its use of renewable energy such as wind and solar power, according to the Guardian.

From 2019 to 2022, America seriously stepped up its renewable energy game. An illuminating study published in Cell Reports Sustainability found that wind and solar generation jumped by a whopping 55%, to the point where it provided about 14% of the country's total electricity needs last year.

That's like removing 71 million gas-guzzling cars from the road each year in terms of the climate-harming pollution that was prevented.

But wait, there's more: By burning way less coal and oil for electricity, we also dramatically improved the nation's air quality.

Key pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which are linked to asthma and other health issues, dropped by 1.1 million tons. And all those cleaner skies translated to an estimated $249 billion in public health benefits....

In order to solve the problems that comes with change it is necessary to GO THERE. The greening of the energy sector MUST receive infrastructure investment in order to solve the problems we face with climate.

July 3, 2024
By Alastair Marsh

Green innovators (click here) too advanced for venture capital but not advanced enough for infrastructure investors are falling through the cracks — and time is running out....

The Roberts' Court is not appropriate in its practice of crony politics.

The presidency of the USA is the Executive Branch because it heads up the country's legal enforcement. The legislative branch is elected to address the concerns of the people, they make the laws that the Executive Branch upholds. I sincerely am worried about the focus of some members of the Supreme Court that are seeking to dismantle the federal authority. 

July 2, 2024
By Zach Schonfeld and Ella Lee

Over opposition from two conservative justices, (click here) the Supreme Court on Tuesday turned away a challenge that could’ve gutted the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

An Ohio-based construction contractor backed by Republican-led states and anti-regulatory interests contended Congress unconstitutionally delegated its legislative powers to the executive branch when it gave such broad authority to the agency, which sets and enforces workplace standards....

That is what the US Congress does, it legislates. If it wanted to change the oversight of the AGENCIES of the USA Presidential Cabinet it could certainly do so. The Cabinet heads the agencies created by Congress. This example of OSHA is extremely concerning. The Supreme Court already gutted the powers of the EPA to write regulations to stem pollution and make American lives healthier and now they are simply moving on to the next victim.

THIS IS NOT THE ROLE OF THE SUPREME COURT in the USA. They are not allowed to destroy legislation demanded by the people to improve their lives. It is no different than Roe v. Wade, it was legal precedent for decades and a radical conservative court came in and destroyed a legal precedent that saved women's lives and gave them control over their reproductive outcomes.

This is an EXTREMELY political court and they are way out of line. Not just a little out of line, but, way out of line. The Supreme Court is not to empower a dictator either. That is exactly what they did in the case of an immunity plea by Trump. It is a lot of nonsense to believe the USA Supreme Court is appropriate in empowering dictatorial rule over the country.

...“The question whether the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s broad authority is consistent with our constitutional structure is undeniably important,” Thomas wrote.

He noted that other conservatives on the Supreme Court — Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh — have over the years expressed an interest in “reconsidering this Court’s approach” to Congress’s delegations of power to federal agencies....

Excuse me? Who do they think they are? The power of this government belongs to the people that elect legislators to act on their behalf. The Supreme Court is unelected and does not have the right to rewrite the USA Constitution.

Article III of the Constitution establishes the federal judiciary. Article III, Section I states that "The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish." Although the Constitution establishes the Supreme Court, it permits Congress to decide how to organize it. Congress first exercised this power in the Judiciary Act of 1789. This Act created a Supreme Court with six justices. It also established the lower federal court system.

The Supreme Court interprets the law AS WRITTTEN to determine if the FACTS of the case before apply. The best court to address the sincere definition of the Supreme Court was the Burger Court (click here) that was the first court to uphold the INDIVIDUAL rights of Americans as opposed to generalized social engagement. 

...Although the Supreme Court (click here) may hear an appeal on any question of law provided it has jurisdiction, it usually does not hold trials. Instead, the Court's task is to interpret the meaning of a law, to decide whether a law is relevant to a particular set of facts, or to rule on how a law should be applied....

One of the decisions of the Burger Court improved freedom of speech when it provided a clear understanding that prior restraint was not constitutional. 

...In the 1970s, the press was “subjected to a judicial battering that has been more serious and more fundamental, than the assaults that were mounted in more parlous days,” an attorney representing press interests asserted in a 1979 weekly magazine article.

Free to reply to such criticism when he retired from the Court in 1981, Associate Justice Potter Stewart said that the notion that “traditional protections are being ignored or disregarded or destroyed is a completely fallacious thought.”

Controversy over the Vietnam was at a peak when, on June 13, 1971, the New York Times began publishing installments of a secret, illegally obtained document concerning the United States’ conduct of the war. The government saw grave dangers to U.S. security in the publication of what became known as the Pentagon Papers, and sought injunctions to prevent both the Times and the Washington Post from further dissemination of the stolen information. Within two weeks the case reached the Supreme Court, which heard arguments on June 26 and announced its decision on June 30.

Once again, as it has through the years, the Court refused to countenance restraint prior to publication. In a brief decision, the Court observed that any system of prior restraint bears “a heavy presumption against its constitutional validity.” Each Justice filed a separate opinion; there were three dissents. Among the majority, Justice William J. Brennan denounced prior restraint in nearly absolute terms, but he conceded that in wartime there might be a “single, extremely narrow” class of exceptions. The three dissenters emphasized the “almost irresponsibly feverish” speed with which the case was disposed of; according to Justice John M. Harlan, it should have been conducted under full ground rules.

The Pentagon Papers were published and were a journalistic sensation at home and abroad; but the war in Vietnam went on.

Do news reporters have a right to confidentiality of their sources under the First Amendment? They argue that unless they can protect the identity of people who give them information under promises of secrecy, the sources will dry up....

The Burger Court opened society to highways of freedom of the individual. It was right to do so as freedom is a very basic concept of a democracy. When civilized avenues of freedom are opened, the USA economy thrives on inclusiveness and the culture that it brings. Closing down freedoms is anti-Constitutional and detrimental to the USA economy. All one has to do is look to the oppression and neediness of the Red States to realize how true that is.

This is from the Truman Library (click here). It is obvious that the Executive Branch is directly responsible for carrying out the laws through regulation and enforcement. This court is detrimental to the well being of the people of the United States of America.

A PRESIDENT CAN

 . . .make treaties with the approval of the Senate.

veto bills and sign bills.

represent our nation in talks with foreign countries.

enforce the laws that Congress passes.

act as Commander-in-Chief during a war.

call out troops to protect our nation against an attack.

make suggestions about things that should be new laws.

lead his political party.

entertain foreign guests.

recognize foreign countries.

grant pardons.

nominate Cabinet members and Supreme Court Justices and other high officials.

appoint ambassadors.

talk directly to the people about problems.

represent the best interest of all the people

A PRESIDENT CANNOT

 . . .make laws.

declare war.

decide how federal money will be spent.

interpret laws.

choose Cabinet members or Supreme Court Justices without Senate approval.

Tuesday, July 02, 2024

Typical radical Republican that doesn't know what he is talking about, but, say it anyway.

July 1, 2024
By Perry Stein

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (click here) tackled a question in his presidential immunity opinion Monday that Donald Trump’s attorneys didn’t bring before the nation’s highest court: Was special counsel Jack Smith legally appointed?

Thomas joined his fellow conservative justices on a blockbuster majority opinion that expanded the definition of presidential powers and narrowed the scope of Trump’s D.C. election interference trial.

He also wrote a concurring opinion that delved into the separate question of whether Attorney General Merrick Garland violated the Constitution when he appointed Smith in November 2022 to oversee the two federal prosecutions of Trump.

Thomas argued both that the special counsel’s office needs to be established by Congress and that Smith needed to be confirmed by the Senate. He said he tacked on his concurring opinion to the immunity ruling to “highlight another way in which this prosecution may violate our constitutional structure.”...

Clarence Thomas is trying to raise a political firestorm when there is no basis for it.

The Law.

28 U.S. Code § 515 - Authority for legal proceedings; (click here) commission, oath, and salary for special attorneys

(a) The Attorney General or any other officer of the Department of Justice, or any attorney specially appointed by the Attorney General under law, may, when specifically directed by the Attorney General, conduct any kind of legal proceeding, civil or criminal, including grand jury proceedings and proceedings before committing magistrate judges, which United States attorneys are authorized by law to conduct, whether or not he is a resident of the district in which the proceeding is brought.

(b) Each attorney specially retained under authority of the Department of Justice shall be commissioned as special assistant to the Attorney General or special attorney, and shall take the oath required by law. Foreign counsel employed in special cases are not required to take the oath. The Attorney General shall fix the annual salary of a special assistant or special attorney.

Thomas is especially afraid of John (Jack) Luman Smith (click here) because Jack Smith has spent a good part of his career investigating and prosecuting corruption. Jack Smith has served approximately 14 years in chasing down corruption in the Public Integrity Section of the US Department of Justice. He knows what he is doing and can run rings around Clarence for all his knowledge of corruption, it's investigation and prosecution.


APPOINTMENT OF JOHN L. SMITH AS SPECIAL COUNSEL

By virtue of the authority vested in the Attorney General, including 28 U.S.C. §§ 509, 510, 515, and 533, in order to discharge my responsibility to provide supervision and management of the Department of Justice, and to ensure a full and thorough investigation of certain matters, I hereby order as follows: 

(a) John L. Smith is appointed to serve as Special Counsel for the United States Department of Justice....

The Republicans always like to complain how the Executive Branch is breaking the law because all such Special Counsels have to be confirmed by the USA Senate. To begin, that point is mute because Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would have no problem finding the votes for Jack Smith. The law clearly states the Attorney General is granted the power to assign a Special Prosecutor to the case of Donald John Trump.

If the US Senate was involved it would be contrary to the statute of law that currently exists. THE LAW states clearly the Attorney General needs to do his job and do it well. This complaint by Clarence is still yet another attempt to attack the Executive Branch. It is all political and an attempt to assist Trump in his campaign.

Trump was OUT OF OFFICE when the classified documents were STOLEN from the American people!

...After Jan. 20, 2021: (click here) Some boxes brought from the White House are stored on a stage in one of Mar-a-Lago’s gilded ballrooms. A photo in the indictment shows boxes stacked on a stage....

Thomas is always warning about danger in cases that are politically advantageous to the right wing politically. Ready? He is always backing up Ginny.

Thomas was not happy the Supreme Court declined to hear arguments against an assault weapons ban in Illinois.

...In a separate opinion, (click here) Justice Clarence Thomas appeared keen to uproot future bans, urging the court to take up another such case on the basis that some semiautomatic guns, such as the AR-15, are among the most popular weapons in the nation, thereby claiming that more guidance is needed to delineate which weapons are “dangerous” and “unusual.” He further called the Seventh Circuit’s decision to uphold the state ban, which stemmed from a landmark 2008 Supreme Court decision that ruled that military grade weapons such as M-16 rifles are not protected under the Second Amendment, as “nonsensical.”...

The danger as Clarence see it, is that the AR-15 is not dangerous and unusual because IT IS POPULAR and a great MARKETING tool. Jack Smith should be Special Council to investigate Clarence. 

But, that is really some of the most moronic logic I have ever heard. I mean, come on now. This is a Supreme Court associate justice stating the reason a lower court should have overturned a ban is because the semi-automatic weapon is popular. Clarence conveniently threw out the idea an AR-15 is dangerous. It's popularity makes is safe. That is definitely moron level thinking. Sorry, it just is.

Then it all it's wisdom the Supreme Court again attacked the Executive Branch for regulating bump stocks.

The U.S. Supreme Court (click here) has ruled that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives exceeded its authority in 2019 when it classified bump stocks as machine guns....

The ATF falls under the Executive Branch of the USA Government, specifically the Department of Justice.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) was established as a separate component within the Department of Justice pursuant to Title XI of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, Public Law 107-296, on January 17, 2003.

The ATF was legislated it's powers. So, regulating bump stocks that turn a semi-automatic weapon in an automatic weapons was definitely within it's LEGISLATED authority.

Ready? Here is the proof of the moronic Roberts' court.

...But prohibitions will remain intact in states like Illinois that have banned bump stocks through legislative action....

So, what the Roberts' court did was to say that the federal legislated authority is pre-empted by a state's legislative authority. The bump stock works the same in Illinois as it does in Texas. But, in Texas when the south rises again and Trump gives the executive order to kill all undocumented immigrants it will be easier and will require less law enforcement in case they are attacked by a mob of "illegals."

That is utter stupidity and has absolutely nothing to do with States' Rights.

Here is another one that Clarence wanted to do for Ginny.

July 2, 2024
By Katherine Fung

...On Tuesday, (click here) the Court decided to not hear the case of John Doe v. Snap, Inc. Two conservative justices on the bench, however, disagreed, saying they would have granted the petition, which would have allowed the Court to "address whether social-media platforms—some of the largest and most powerful companies in the world—can be held responsible for their own misconduct."...

...In the lawsuit against Snapchat's parent company, lawyers for an unnamed 15-year-old Texas teen allege that the boy's science teacher groomed him using the platform. The suit also claims that certain Snapchat features, including disappearing messages, enable abuse by predators while encouraging users to lie about their age and that Snapchat should be liable for its defective design.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined to hear the case in December, affirming a 2022 decision from a federal trial judge in Houston, who dismissed the case under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Section 230 protects internet publishers from liability for third-party speech created by users....

..."In the platforms' world, they are fully responsible for their websites when it results in constitutional protections, but the moment that responsibility could lead to liability, they can disclaim any obligations and enjoy greater protections from suit than nearly any other industry," he said. "The Court should consider if this state of affairs is what §230 demands."...

This is a case whereby the parents of the child are suing an internet company that allowed seduction of their child by a teacher. This is an attempt to treat internet companies as if they were as responsible as the tobacco companies in allowing this activity to occur. Now, I am confident the information on the platform was provided to legal authorities to charge and convict the pedophile. But, can the platform be held responsible for it's users abuse of policy that probably exists in that such activity is prohibited and can result in the loss of access to their platform.

So, there is poor, ole' Clarence trying to decide how best to pander to Ginny and her soccer moms, when he voted for absolute freedom of internet companies.

Moody v. NetChoice, LLC (click here) is a case that was decided by the Supreme Court of the United States on July 1, 2024, during the court's October 2023-2024 term. The case was argued before the Supreme Court of the United States on February 26, 2024....

...The outcome: In a ruling for both Moody v. NetChoice, LLC and NetChoice, LLC v. Paxton, the Supreme Court unanimously vacated and remanded the judgements of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit for NetChoice, LLC v. Paxton. The Court held that neither the Fifth Circuit nor the Eleventh Circuit conducted a proper analysis of the facial First Amendment challenges to Florida and Texas laws that regulate large internet platforms.

Now, there is no getting around how Clarence uses "hot topics" to attempt to carry out apologetic politics for right wing support. Clarence can't have it both ways. He cannot on one hand be sympathetic to parents appalled and wanting to sue an internet company to obtain control of the issue, while stating how dangerous it is for the Supreme Court to have not taken his issue and turn around and vote for unmitigated freedom and authority to internet companies.

These are only two cases when Clarence takes the "political capital of a case" and turns it into political fodder for the public while ruling in completely opposite directions from his political sympathetic path. Clarence has a very bad ethics problem and there are a lot of reasons to doubt the expertise of the Roberts' court as it clearly leans into politics with their decisions and not real life.