The country is under occupation by a lawless, vicious Gestapo. Our democracy is on life support. Donald's removal is not only possible; it is a moral necessity.
It’s TUESDAY🎉Get on those phones, folks, and let Senators know they MUST NOT CAVE this time! Schumer, Fetterman, Shaheen, Hassan, Angus King. Then call your Republican Senators and let them know how you feel. Five Calls app is great resource.
I’m with you Greg! Enough IS ENOUGH! I was done with this trump regime early on his first time in the Oval office. Never voted for him, as growing up in NYC & Connecticut, we knew what that family was about & it wasn't God or country. It was always, “show me the money” with that family. How he even was elected the 2nd time is up for debate. Elon, want to shed a little light on that? After all, trump said supposedly on election day, that you really know a lot about those voting machines. And he always tells on himself in some fashion.
Amen. You’re referring to the fact that Elon knew what the results would be four hours before anybody else? That he tweeted what the results would have been had he not gotten involved? That Trump had basically stopped campaigning, and told everybody that it was OK not to vote? Nothing suspicious about that. I think to see here. Sigh.
Thanks for saying so, but I’m bad at that sort of thing. I’m too impatient, and I get too frustrated too quickly. Raskin must know about this. I can’t believe he doesn’t. He’s a constitutional scholar, for God sake. The Dems need new leadership. It’s reminiscent of Germany when Hitler came to power. Hindenburg was 80 years old when he allowed it to happen, and probably still thought it was 1885. Shades of Schumer.
Understood. And agreed, that’s why I support David Hogg’s Leader’s We Deserve( or some such), among others. Like you, I don’t feel that we have much time though, we need truth and accountability NOW! The deep fakes are what really scare me.
I'm so disillusioned with US politics. It feels as though nothing will ever change and that the two party system is basically in cahoots. The execution of Renee & Alex crushed me. I cannot believe this is the country I moved to with such hope and opportunity almost 40 years ago. Cheers Greg.
I hear you, Helen. I feel like this really is an inflection point. I think Chris Murphy was making this case, that if the Democrats don’t do anything about this, even something small and kind of dumb like impeaching Kristi Noem Instead of going for the big fish that are actually running everything, people will get so disillusioned that they won’t show up at the midterms. It’s hard not to feel sadness, disillusionment, all of the bad emotions, after what we just witnessed in Minnesota.
Greg, I'm all in, thanks for putting on the thinking cap and finding a possible way forward. As you say, nothing at all simple with this plan, it is fraught with escape clauses. I am supportive of anything that gives Democracy a chance.
Plan B, if I may. A panel is formed. Its sole objective, ensure Epstein is a front and center news story everyday. It needs a front person, I'll take three toes, Massie, Khanna anyone with the gumption to take this on, one with some name recognition, a Jane Fonda type. Start a Go Fund Me. Money is used for lawsuits (Bondi first), getting victims to tell their story, locate officials who have seen the files, get them to spill the beans, frankly do anything that gets in trump’s face. Find a prison guard who knows Epstein was murdered, hire private investigators to dig up anything that shines a light on Epstein. Find the thing Ghislaine fears the most, use it to force her to talk.
I base this dribble on one premise. The orange imbecile is scared shitless of what is in the files. While rattling him may drive him away, the loony bin his new home, it also serves if the truth comes out to put all those who aided and abetter the cover up on the hot seat.
Thanks, Old Man. Your idea is similar to the one that my friend Cheri Jacobus Has been calling for for over a year now. The Democrats should have their own press conference every day. Formal, with the same rotating cast of people, or else somebody really good, a kind of shadow press, secretary, like Pete B. of course they did not listen to her. Nothing seems to be able to convince them that we are no longer in 1996. Ugh.
Dems need to take a page from British politics. Everyday should be like Prime Minister Question time where the opposition faces off with the party in power. At least it makes for good theatre. Epstein is the Achilles heel, must be exploited. Dems clearly need new leadership.
You made me laugh out Loud, Greg, there is no nice way to say this :
"It’s tricky. Even if we somehow impeach and remove Donald Trump, JD Vance would be president. We’d be out of the pussy-grabbing frying pan, into the couch-on-fire. Is his ascension even an improvement? Even among the seemingly endless parade of obnoxious shitheads in the Trump Administration, the VP stands out as singularly vile."
Greg it’s the Discharge Petition which would bring the vote to the floor.( 2/ Vote on the Amnesty Bill) that the law passed re Epstein is working, but this is what was used.
baiseur de la canapé got it. I was guilty of reading your essay yesterday after my morning shoveling routine, missed this lovely part yesterday. Thank you
It is a cool idea, but I think it would get shafted by the Extremes not because of immunity but because the question, at least about J6, of WAS it an insurrection hasn't been before a FEDERAL trier of fact. The articles of impeachment are akin to an indictment; the jury is the senate and for whatever reasons they voted "not guilty." That we know from later "jury polls" that they actually did think him guilty doesn't change the verdict; the only challenge to overturn the verdict, if any, could only be brought by DOJ.
An interesting question is whether blatant violation of citizens' Constitutional Rights by the regime can rise to the level of "insurrection" against the Constitution. To get drump, however--even if such violated Article 3--someone would have to show that HE ordered such violations. No idea whether his trootheets rise to that level, but I suspect they won't.
Thanks, Susan. I thought of that, and I believe Trump did too, or his attorneys anyway. I believe it’s part of their defense in that Colorado case… But Trump had nothing to do with the insurrection, blah blah blah. But I think it’s better to have him make the case before the Supreme Court that he’s innocent of it, and therefore the 14th amendment doesn’t apply, then for us to sit around and do nothing. We never put them on the defensive. I don’t know why this is.
The problem is that the Extremes will simply punt because there is no case record before a federal court. LOTs of evidence in the CO case, but Extremes found a way to not even consider that: "sorry, states don't get to decide."
Two questions:
--one the Extremes could do: what is the definition of insurrection, what are the elements of engaging in it and
--two: did the facts of J6 RISE to an insurrection and also, did trump "engage" it--two jury questions here and no place to remand to.
Then there is the standing issue. Who could get this before a district court? Definitely clear that tax payers can't. Assume you could figure that out: the whole process would take longer than the rest of the term.
Bottom line: you can't BRING a case before the Extremes. The interesting question your solution raises is whether the burden of proof shifts on a constitutional issue, not a crime. Does one have to prove that one didn't engage in an insurrection or do plaintiffs have to prove you did? Our whole system suggests the latter.
We definitely started to put the whole MAGA crowd on the defensive. It was called Jack Smith.
Last, do we really want a localized uprising to get defined as insurrection. That turns Minneapolis very quickly into a reason to raise the insurrection act. I'm pretty sure the Extremes if forced to define would go for a larger, multistate uprising, particularly given the context in which the 14th was passed. And much as I hated J6, I can't say I would blame them for so ruling.
Of course, the whole issue of what an insurrection is MAY get decided in cases challenging any use of the Insurrection Act. Pretty sure the court would go with something short of even violent property damaging protests; scariest is that they will mutter "national security" and just say trump gets to decide.
Well written, Greg. You covered most of the subjects that have been troubling me. You gave us hope. Your ideas may be difficult to bring about but, nothing ventured, nothing gained. We must do anything and everything we can to reverse the fascist takeover. Traitor trump and his Regime of Rot, must resign.
I will read this slowly; it’s always a piece of building big picture value for me that lasts for weeks…
A question coming up for me for weeks now is looking back over the past 80 yrs, what would have been important to dismantle/ confront so at least this collection of chess pieces wouldn’t be put in place. I mean Jenn Budd has said, they are trained for this; this behavior has been going on for decades. She worked for border.
Another question I have is what is going on right now inside legal law enforcement in terms of stress, or their very own cognitive dissonance. I guess a whole study of “where police come from” is due.
Another piece is cultural; a Ukrainian pianist who studied in Moscow blew me away with one statement, “you are not supposed to be enjoying the music while practicing. That comes later when you have worked it all out.” (Paraphrased.) it’s damn hard work. Our American culture is BASED on “feel good now.”
Are these valid questions? I dunno… I just keep asking myself how we lost our way because I knew red state farmers in the 70’s and they’d never vote against their own interest; small farmers who gave us our beef, milk etc. We shared values; life was damn hard work and we needed people to work.
I don’t know when your birthday is, but I wanna wish you happy birthday right now, so I don’t miss it.
These are all timeless questions. Plus ça Change. There have always been corrupt policemen. People have always voted against their interests. During times of revolutionary struggle, the poorest people, who would benefit the most from the changes a revolution would bring,, almost uniformly, supported the King. We are all a collection of paradoxes.
I enjoy the music while I practice. I enjoy the writing while I’m writing. Although it’s an interesting idea to think about.
Hahaha, my birthday is July 4th. A few days around “HIS”. I’m not 80 exactly yet but I”ll be telling people I’m 80 for a few years I think. More of a soft landing.
Thank you for this, Greg. This plan, even if it doesn't come to fruition is WONDERFUL, if for no other reasons than for giving us hope. Besides, who knows what else might emerge from the collective thinking, following your lead, about the most efficient - and nonviolent - ways of getting rid of the lot of these scoundrels?
I mean, masked and armed thugs are killing our neighbors on our streets. These goons belong to an organization that has a budget that is larger than the military budgets of most other nations. Why else, other than to give Trump the means to have them rampaging across the nation to cement his authoritarian rule?
P.S. My satiric twin wants me to add that Trump is getting so desperate with the economy tanking and the revulsion against him for the horrors in Minneapolis that he is calling for the release of the Epstein files as a diversion.
My fear now, I can almost see it happening to the point where I’m already enraged about it, is that Trump has withdrawn greg Bovino from Minneapolis, and replaced him with the canned ham guy. People will celebrate that win, assume that it means that things are now back to normal, and the people in Minnesota will have died for nothing. I hope I’m wrong about that.
But I’m going to continue to share any ideas I have about how to get out of this. It’s literally all I can do.
My point about the music practice is I see an addiction to comfort and pleasure over the hard work of insuring comfort and pleasure and the answer is not how gov’t approaches waste, lack of focus; The values are so off. No vaccines while polio is sure to come back? Is the ignorance the fault of…. What? What collapsed first; tv ads/ schools/ the lure of corporate profits… is our GREED the primary actor in our society? In all society? I know a tribe that when one neighbor has a huge amount of crop/ meat/ sheep/ etc. They have a big (used to) powwow and put it all in the middle) and redivide up all the goods so everyone has some of those profits. So my question is WHAT were we not looking at… that we have THIS?
Thanks, Jackie, for articulating it that way. That is the million dollar question. My guess is that doing things like lobbying for polio and diphtheria, and establishing tariffs, which have been thoroughly debunked since the time of the Napoleonic wars, the idea is to get people to reject reality. Trump is trying to destroy us, as I have been saying for years. As for the people who follow him, it’s a combination of hatred, ignorance, racism, fear of loss of power, and probably the same kind of feeling that fans of various sports teams get when their team wins the Super Bowl. But it’s wrong, it’s self-defeating, that must stop.
This is the first time that, before reading, I ZOOMED down to find out where and WHAT that fucked-up picture at the top was. Ahh, yes, performative 9/11 empathy.
The plan here could work. I am completely onboard and will send it not only to my Senators, Duckworth and Durbin (who seems to have lost any mojo he once had because he's not running again, or maybe he should have not run again six years ago), and then to Jamie Raskin and Chris Murphy, who seem like the guys to get this started. And after everything is accomplished, we DO need a Nuremberg-like trial for all of these traitorous assholes.
I watched "Nuremberg," (which by the way was ROBBED at the Oscar nominations!) about a week ago. I then blew through the book it's based on and am in the middle of another well-known book on Nuremberg called, "The Anatomy of the Nuremberg Trials" by Telford Taylor. It's not only fascinating for the history, but also the parallels to the MAGA administration. We now have our very own Gestapo (Secret Police) in Minneapolis, concentration camps being built, people who only obey the Leader and not the documents the country was founded on, attempts to take over other countries territories, kidnapping, murder, LOADS of propaganda and lies, and seemingly no justice for any of the people being victimized or terrorized by these thugs. LOTS of parallels, but also Nuremberg, which righted a lot of the wrongs, or at least brought the punishment to those that certainly deserved it.
Whether your plan works or not, our goal should not be only the removal of this administration, but the trials and convictions afterward. As in Nazi Germany, this must NEVER happen again. I want to see mention of MAGA, flags, and propaganda outlawed like Nazi symbols are illegal in Germany today. The First Amendment should not be used to hurt people, and that's a slippery slope, but one I believe we need to take on when all of this is done. MAGA shouts FIRE in a crowded theater every day, and it has to stop.
Thanks, Steve. And thanks, especially for mentioning the graphic. That picture is really something. Even before I Photoshop all the grass out of it. It almost looks like it has to be fake, because they so rarely look like that. But it’s very real.
Ever since they went to Minneapolis, I have been using the hashtag #NurembergNow. The United States has a shameful history that it has so far managed to ignore, turn the page on, and pretend didn’t exist. No, that’s not quite right… We twist what actually happen To the point where we wrecked statues to traitors. If we are to survive as a democracy, and as a member of the world Democratic alliance, we must try, convict, and properly punish everyone involved with this, from the president and his family, to the lowest Ice Nazi. It is a moral imperative.
Supported and shared on LI! Way to go Greg!!! Thanks for digging up old bones to take to Trial. It’s fate. Love the job title for Jack Smith, but we need to expand the responsibility to “bossman” of Supreme Court.
Thanks, Beverly. There are so many things that need to be fixed, if our country is going to survive, that is impossible to list the wall as a PS to this piece, lol. Cleaning up the Supreme Court is Paramount. They are traitors, full stop.
Greg, why do you keep trying to raise my hopes with a realistic-seeming possibility to save us from this agent of chaos and corruption and his cronies, only to have them (my hopes) crushed again when nothing happens? You're like the Green Bay Packers of political commentators. (Only twice in my lifetime--well, my football-watching lifetime--have the Packers not raised my hopes only to crush them.)
But I think we need a shortened version of what you wrote that's so clearly written even a Congressperson can understand it. Make that available to us, and we all send it to our Senators and Representative. Seriously, you provide the ready-to-send version and I'll send it.
Chuck Schumer--isn't he known to be in some corporate pocket? Why does the Dem party not oust him as head Dem guy (I forget the term) in the Senate? Too many other Dems just as corrupt? Same with Jeffries. The capitulation, the lack of speaking out by former presidents and others people would listen to is so maddening.
If we're not going to have Divorce American Style (my plan), then let's get this option to the people who could, theoretically, make it happen (or at least attempt to make it happen--gold star to you for another "Andor" reference). Why don't you send it to Bernie Sanders? As old as he is, he might be the one person to act on this.
Please post the ready-to-send to Congress version, and let's all who follow Greg send it to our Senators and Representative. It's worth a try.
Schumer has long relied on the advice of his brother Robert, a long time partner at Paul Weiss…and we all know they were the first law firm bow down to kiss the PedoFelon’s stinky fat ass. I’ve been told he has some big name Republican financial supporters. IF he cared about our Democracy more than himself, he’d step aside and let Chris Murphy be the Dem Senate Leader. Jeffries is no Pelosi. Charismatic Ben Wikler ought to be the DNC Chair because he knows how to win.
Thanks, Lincoln. I am the Buffalo Bills of political commentators. The Green Bay Packers have won a couple of times…
I suspect that a lot of people now in Congress have heard of this already, and have either written it off as impossible, or given up before they’ve begun, or who knows. I don’t know what the deal is with Schumer. It may be just old age and stubbornness, combined with a heightened sense of Arrogance about being right. It might be some of the lobby groups as you say. Honestly, it’s too depressing to delve into too deeply for me.
Bernie is very good at being a scold. Bernie is very bad, Wretchedly bad, at bringing people together and organizing people. I wish his methods were as good as his ideas.
Still say if you give his a condensed version of your piece and encourage us all to send it to our senators and representatives, it would be worth the effort.
And, true, the Bills (and several other teams) have never been to the Big Game. I was rooting for them because Josh "Superman" Allan is so much fun to watch. Didn't think it was the solution to fire the coach, but maybe the promotion of the OC to coach will help. They need better receivers for Supes to throw to so he's not having to put his body on the line so much. Now we have 2 teams in the SB that I dislike, especially the cheating franchise (Patriots). The effing AP gave Beliceck coach of the year the same season he was caught filming opponents' practices. I'm still pissed off about that. Hey, kids, winning really is the only thing--if it takes cheating, go for it; you'll get a prize (if you win).
Greg, your brilliance gives me hope. Never say never. I mean who ever fathomed this deplorable stinky shit show we’re in. Well, maybe Mark Burnett…
I think your ideas will be aided by the repugnant fools themselves, so full of themselves as they boast of their plans. If we listen carefully, they have no secrets. What they accuse others of is precisely what they themselves are doing. It’s all about the benjamins…and especially for Prez Epstein, not being laughed at and humiliated.
Thanks, Dawna. It was never difficult to understand who and what Trump was. It only required will, and maybe a little bit of courage, for the people in power. The fact that we are all sitting around, waiting to see just how badly he behave with his friend, the child sex trafficker is both maddening and appalling. But I’m going to keep thinking of ways to get us out of this mess, until we’re out of it, or until there are no ways left.
It’s evident that it’s We The People who have the courage to stand up and say ENOUGH. When Rand Paul stands up and exhibits more moral clarity than Schumer and Jeffries, that’s pathetic. Jeffries can’t even get the House Dems together as Pelosi was well known for.
It’s TUESDAY🎉Get on those phones, folks, and let Senators know they MUST NOT CAVE this time! Schumer, Fetterman, Shaheen, Hassan, Angus King. Then call your Republican Senators and let them know how you feel. Five Calls app is great resource.
Thanks, Lisbeth!
Apologies for dovetailing off of your wonderful work, but I figure while eyeballs are locked on …
I’m with you Greg! Enough IS ENOUGH! I was done with this trump regime early on his first time in the Oval office. Never voted for him, as growing up in NYC & Connecticut, we knew what that family was about & it wasn't God or country. It was always, “show me the money” with that family. How he even was elected the 2nd time is up for debate. Elon, want to shed a little light on that? After all, trump said supposedly on election day, that you really know a lot about those voting machines. And he always tells on himself in some fashion.
Amen. You’re referring to the fact that Elon knew what the results would be four hours before anybody else? That he tweeted what the results would have been had he not gotten involved? That Trump had basically stopped campaigning, and told everybody that it was OK not to vote? Nothing suspicious about that. I think to see here. Sigh.
Greg, can you go to Washington, would you? Someone needs to get these ideas to Raskin. I can’t accept that it’s too late. We aren’t defeated yet.
I second that. :)
Thanks for saying so, but I’m bad at that sort of thing. I’m too impatient, and I get too frustrated too quickly. Raskin must know about this. I can’t believe he doesn’t. He’s a constitutional scholar, for God sake. The Dems need new leadership. It’s reminiscent of Germany when Hitler came to power. Hindenburg was 80 years old when he allowed it to happen, and probably still thought it was 1885. Shades of Schumer.
Understood. And agreed, that’s why I support David Hogg’s Leader’s We Deserve( or some such), among others. Like you, I don’t feel that we have much time though, we need truth and accountability NOW! The deep fakes are what really scare me.
Yes- can you Greg? That’s a great idea to get this to Jamie Raskin or Adam Schiff
I'm so disillusioned with US politics. It feels as though nothing will ever change and that the two party system is basically in cahoots. The execution of Renee & Alex crushed me. I cannot believe this is the country I moved to with such hope and opportunity almost 40 years ago. Cheers Greg.
I hear you, Helen. I feel like this really is an inflection point. I think Chris Murphy was making this case, that if the Democrats don’t do anything about this, even something small and kind of dumb like impeaching Kristi Noem Instead of going for the big fish that are actually running everything, people will get so disillusioned that they won’t show up at the midterms. It’s hard not to feel sadness, disillusionment, all of the bad emotions, after what we just witnessed in Minnesota.
Yesterday I started thinking that Minneapolis is America's Maidan...
Greg, I'm all in, thanks for putting on the thinking cap and finding a possible way forward. As you say, nothing at all simple with this plan, it is fraught with escape clauses. I am supportive of anything that gives Democracy a chance.
Plan B, if I may. A panel is formed. Its sole objective, ensure Epstein is a front and center news story everyday. It needs a front person, I'll take three toes, Massie, Khanna anyone with the gumption to take this on, one with some name recognition, a Jane Fonda type. Start a Go Fund Me. Money is used for lawsuits (Bondi first), getting victims to tell their story, locate officials who have seen the files, get them to spill the beans, frankly do anything that gets in trump’s face. Find a prison guard who knows Epstein was murdered, hire private investigators to dig up anything that shines a light on Epstein. Find the thing Ghislaine fears the most, use it to force her to talk.
I base this dribble on one premise. The orange imbecile is scared shitless of what is in the files. While rattling him may drive him away, the loony bin his new home, it also serves if the truth comes out to put all those who aided and abetter the cover up on the hot seat.
Food for thought.
Thanks, Old Man. Your idea is similar to the one that my friend Cheri Jacobus Has been calling for for over a year now. The Democrats should have their own press conference every day. Formal, with the same rotating cast of people, or else somebody really good, a kind of shadow press, secretary, like Pete B. of course they did not listen to her. Nothing seems to be able to convince them that we are no longer in 1996. Ugh.
Dems need to take a page from British politics. Everyday should be like Prime Minister Question time where the opposition faces off with the party in power. At least it makes for good theatre. Epstein is the Achilles heel, must be exploited. Dems clearly need new leadership.
You made me laugh out Loud, Greg, there is no nice way to say this :
"It’s tricky. Even if we somehow impeach and remove Donald Trump, JD Vance would be president. We’d be out of the pussy-grabbing frying pan, into the couch-on-fire. Is his ascension even an improvement? Even among the seemingly endless parade of obnoxious shitheads in the Trump Administration, the VP stands out as singularly vile."
Now, to continue reading 'the plan'
Thanks. Make sure you run that French phrase About Vance that I use through the Google translate…
diving back into your essay to find it and reread with a strong cup of coffee
Greg it’s the Discharge Petition which would bring the vote to the floor.( 2/ Vote on the Amnesty Bill) that the law passed re Epstein is working, but this is what was used.
baiseur de la canapé got it. I was guilty of reading your essay yesterday after my morning shoveling routine, missed this lovely part yesterday. Thank you
It is a cool idea, but I think it would get shafted by the Extremes not because of immunity but because the question, at least about J6, of WAS it an insurrection hasn't been before a FEDERAL trier of fact. The articles of impeachment are akin to an indictment; the jury is the senate and for whatever reasons they voted "not guilty." That we know from later "jury polls" that they actually did think him guilty doesn't change the verdict; the only challenge to overturn the verdict, if any, could only be brought by DOJ.
An interesting question is whether blatant violation of citizens' Constitutional Rights by the regime can rise to the level of "insurrection" against the Constitution. To get drump, however--even if such violated Article 3--someone would have to show that HE ordered such violations. No idea whether his trootheets rise to that level, but I suspect they won't.
Thanks, Susan. I thought of that, and I believe Trump did too, or his attorneys anyway. I believe it’s part of their defense in that Colorado case… But Trump had nothing to do with the insurrection, blah blah blah. But I think it’s better to have him make the case before the Supreme Court that he’s innocent of it, and therefore the 14th amendment doesn’t apply, then for us to sit around and do nothing. We never put them on the defensive. I don’t know why this is.
The problem is that the Extremes will simply punt because there is no case record before a federal court. LOTs of evidence in the CO case, but Extremes found a way to not even consider that: "sorry, states don't get to decide."
Two questions:
--one the Extremes could do: what is the definition of insurrection, what are the elements of engaging in it and
--two: did the facts of J6 RISE to an insurrection and also, did trump "engage" it--two jury questions here and no place to remand to.
Then there is the standing issue. Who could get this before a district court? Definitely clear that tax payers can't. Assume you could figure that out: the whole process would take longer than the rest of the term.
Bottom line: you can't BRING a case before the Extremes. The interesting question your solution raises is whether the burden of proof shifts on a constitutional issue, not a crime. Does one have to prove that one didn't engage in an insurrection or do plaintiffs have to prove you did? Our whole system suggests the latter.
We definitely started to put the whole MAGA crowd on the defensive. It was called Jack Smith.
Last, do we really want a localized uprising to get defined as insurrection. That turns Minneapolis very quickly into a reason to raise the insurrection act. I'm pretty sure the Extremes if forced to define would go for a larger, multistate uprising, particularly given the context in which the 14th was passed. And much as I hated J6, I can't say I would blame them for so ruling.
Of course, the whole issue of what an insurrection is MAY get decided in cases challenging any use of the Insurrection Act. Pretty sure the court would go with something short of even violent property damaging protests; scariest is that they will mutter "national security" and just say trump gets to decide.
Well written, Greg. You covered most of the subjects that have been troubling me. You gave us hope. Your ideas may be difficult to bring about but, nothing ventured, nothing gained. We must do anything and everything we can to reverse the fascist takeover. Traitor trump and his Regime of Rot, must resign.
Thanks, Sara. It is true that there’s a way out of this. More than one way probably. It’s just a question of Will and leadership at this point.
I will read this slowly; it’s always a piece of building big picture value for me that lasts for weeks…
A question coming up for me for weeks now is looking back over the past 80 yrs, what would have been important to dismantle/ confront so at least this collection of chess pieces wouldn’t be put in place. I mean Jenn Budd has said, they are trained for this; this behavior has been going on for decades. She worked for border.
Another question I have is what is going on right now inside legal law enforcement in terms of stress, or their very own cognitive dissonance. I guess a whole study of “where police come from” is due.
Another piece is cultural; a Ukrainian pianist who studied in Moscow blew me away with one statement, “you are not supposed to be enjoying the music while practicing. That comes later when you have worked it all out.” (Paraphrased.) it’s damn hard work. Our American culture is BASED on “feel good now.”
Are these valid questions? I dunno… I just keep asking myself how we lost our way because I knew red state farmers in the 70’s and they’d never vote against their own interest; small farmers who gave us our beef, milk etc. We shared values; life was damn hard work and we needed people to work.
I don’t know when your birthday is, but I wanna wish you happy birthday right now, so I don’t miss it.
These are all timeless questions. Plus ça Change. There have always been corrupt policemen. People have always voted against their interests. During times of revolutionary struggle, the poorest people, who would benefit the most from the changes a revolution would bring,, almost uniformly, supported the King. We are all a collection of paradoxes.
I enjoy the music while I practice. I enjoy the writing while I’m writing. Although it’s an interesting idea to think about.
Hahaha, my birthday is July 4th. A few days around “HIS”. I’m not 80 exactly yet but I”ll be telling people I’m 80 for a few years I think. More of a soft landing.
Thank you for this, Greg. This plan, even if it doesn't come to fruition is WONDERFUL, if for no other reasons than for giving us hope. Besides, who knows what else might emerge from the collective thinking, following your lead, about the most efficient - and nonviolent - ways of getting rid of the lot of these scoundrels?
I mean, masked and armed thugs are killing our neighbors on our streets. These goons belong to an organization that has a budget that is larger than the military budgets of most other nations. Why else, other than to give Trump the means to have them rampaging across the nation to cement his authoritarian rule?
P.S. My satiric twin wants me to add that Trump is getting so desperate with the economy tanking and the revulsion against him for the horrors in Minneapolis that he is calling for the release of the Epstein files as a diversion.
Thanks, Homi. Ha! I love your satirical take.
My fear now, I can almost see it happening to the point where I’m already enraged about it, is that Trump has withdrawn greg Bovino from Minneapolis, and replaced him with the canned ham guy. People will celebrate that win, assume that it means that things are now back to normal, and the people in Minnesota will have died for nothing. I hope I’m wrong about that.
But I’m going to continue to share any ideas I have about how to get out of this. It’s literally all I can do.
My point about the music practice is I see an addiction to comfort and pleasure over the hard work of insuring comfort and pleasure and the answer is not how gov’t approaches waste, lack of focus; The values are so off. No vaccines while polio is sure to come back? Is the ignorance the fault of…. What? What collapsed first; tv ads/ schools/ the lure of corporate profits… is our GREED the primary actor in our society? In all society? I know a tribe that when one neighbor has a huge amount of crop/ meat/ sheep/ etc. They have a big (used to) powwow and put it all in the middle) and redivide up all the goods so everyone has some of those profits. So my question is WHAT were we not looking at… that we have THIS?
Thanks, Jackie, for articulating it that way. That is the million dollar question. My guess is that doing things like lobbying for polio and diphtheria, and establishing tariffs, which have been thoroughly debunked since the time of the Napoleonic wars, the idea is to get people to reject reality. Trump is trying to destroy us, as I have been saying for years. As for the people who follow him, it’s a combination of hatred, ignorance, racism, fear of loss of power, and probably the same kind of feeling that fans of various sports teams get when their team wins the Super Bowl. But it’s wrong, it’s self-defeating, that must stop.
This is the first time that, before reading, I ZOOMED down to find out where and WHAT that fucked-up picture at the top was. Ahh, yes, performative 9/11 empathy.
The plan here could work. I am completely onboard and will send it not only to my Senators, Duckworth and Durbin (who seems to have lost any mojo he once had because he's not running again, or maybe he should have not run again six years ago), and then to Jamie Raskin and Chris Murphy, who seem like the guys to get this started. And after everything is accomplished, we DO need a Nuremberg-like trial for all of these traitorous assholes.
I watched "Nuremberg," (which by the way was ROBBED at the Oscar nominations!) about a week ago. I then blew through the book it's based on and am in the middle of another well-known book on Nuremberg called, "The Anatomy of the Nuremberg Trials" by Telford Taylor. It's not only fascinating for the history, but also the parallels to the MAGA administration. We now have our very own Gestapo (Secret Police) in Minneapolis, concentration camps being built, people who only obey the Leader and not the documents the country was founded on, attempts to take over other countries territories, kidnapping, murder, LOADS of propaganda and lies, and seemingly no justice for any of the people being victimized or terrorized by these thugs. LOTS of parallels, but also Nuremberg, which righted a lot of the wrongs, or at least brought the punishment to those that certainly deserved it.
Whether your plan works or not, our goal should not be only the removal of this administration, but the trials and convictions afterward. As in Nazi Germany, this must NEVER happen again. I want to see mention of MAGA, flags, and propaganda outlawed like Nazi symbols are illegal in Germany today. The First Amendment should not be used to hurt people, and that's a slippery slope, but one I believe we need to take on when all of this is done. MAGA shouts FIRE in a crowded theater every day, and it has to stop.
Thanks, Steve. And thanks, especially for mentioning the graphic. That picture is really something. Even before I Photoshop all the grass out of it. It almost looks like it has to be fake, because they so rarely look like that. But it’s very real.
Ever since they went to Minneapolis, I have been using the hashtag #NurembergNow. The United States has a shameful history that it has so far managed to ignore, turn the page on, and pretend didn’t exist. No, that’s not quite right… We twist what actually happen To the point where we wrecked statues to traitors. If we are to survive as a democracy, and as a member of the world Democratic alliance, we must try, convict, and properly punish everyone involved with this, from the president and his family, to the lowest Ice Nazi. It is a moral imperative.
Supported and shared on LI! Way to go Greg!!! Thanks for digging up old bones to take to Trial. It’s fate. Love the job title for Jack Smith, but we need to expand the responsibility to “bossman” of Supreme Court.
Thanks, Beverly. There are so many things that need to be fixed, if our country is going to survive, that is impossible to list the wall as a PS to this piece, lol. Cleaning up the Supreme Court is Paramount. They are traitors, full stop.
Greg, why do you keep trying to raise my hopes with a realistic-seeming possibility to save us from this agent of chaos and corruption and his cronies, only to have them (my hopes) crushed again when nothing happens? You're like the Green Bay Packers of political commentators. (Only twice in my lifetime--well, my football-watching lifetime--have the Packers not raised my hopes only to crush them.)
But I think we need a shortened version of what you wrote that's so clearly written even a Congressperson can understand it. Make that available to us, and we all send it to our Senators and Representative. Seriously, you provide the ready-to-send version and I'll send it.
Chuck Schumer--isn't he known to be in some corporate pocket? Why does the Dem party not oust him as head Dem guy (I forget the term) in the Senate? Too many other Dems just as corrupt? Same with Jeffries. The capitulation, the lack of speaking out by former presidents and others people would listen to is so maddening.
If we're not going to have Divorce American Style (my plan), then let's get this option to the people who could, theoretically, make it happen (or at least attempt to make it happen--gold star to you for another "Andor" reference). Why don't you send it to Bernie Sanders? As old as he is, he might be the one person to act on this.
Please post the ready-to-send to Congress version, and let's all who follow Greg send it to our Senators and Representative. It's worth a try.
Schumer has long relied on the advice of his brother Robert, a long time partner at Paul Weiss…and we all know they were the first law firm bow down to kiss the PedoFelon’s stinky fat ass. I’ve been told he has some big name Republican financial supporters. IF he cared about our Democracy more than himself, he’d step aside and let Chris Murphy be the Dem Senate Leader. Jeffries is no Pelosi. Charismatic Ben Wikler ought to be the DNC Chair because he knows how to win.
I did not know that about his brother. Ugh.
Thanks, Lincoln. I am the Buffalo Bills of political commentators. The Green Bay Packers have won a couple of times…
I suspect that a lot of people now in Congress have heard of this already, and have either written it off as impossible, or given up before they’ve begun, or who knows. I don’t know what the deal is with Schumer. It may be just old age and stubbornness, combined with a heightened sense of Arrogance about being right. It might be some of the lobby groups as you say. Honestly, it’s too depressing to delve into too deeply for me.
Bernie is very good at being a scold. Bernie is very bad, Wretchedly bad, at bringing people together and organizing people. I wish his methods were as good as his ideas.
Still say if you give his a condensed version of your piece and encourage us all to send it to our senators and representatives, it would be worth the effort.
And, true, the Bills (and several other teams) have never been to the Big Game. I was rooting for them because Josh "Superman" Allan is so much fun to watch. Didn't think it was the solution to fire the coach, but maybe the promotion of the OC to coach will help. They need better receivers for Supes to throw to so he's not having to put his body on the line so much. Now we have 2 teams in the SB that I dislike, especially the cheating franchise (Patriots). The effing AP gave Beliceck coach of the year the same season he was caught filming opponents' practices. I'm still pissed off about that. Hey, kids, winning really is the only thing--if it takes cheating, go for it; you'll get a prize (if you win).
Greg, your brilliance gives me hope. Never say never. I mean who ever fathomed this deplorable stinky shit show we’re in. Well, maybe Mark Burnett…
I think your ideas will be aided by the repugnant fools themselves, so full of themselves as they boast of their plans. If we listen carefully, they have no secrets. What they accuse others of is precisely what they themselves are doing. It’s all about the benjamins…and especially for Prez Epstein, not being laughed at and humiliated.
Thanks, Dawna. It was never difficult to understand who and what Trump was. It only required will, and maybe a little bit of courage, for the people in power. The fact that we are all sitting around, waiting to see just how badly he behave with his friend, the child sex trafficker is both maddening and appalling. But I’m going to keep thinking of ways to get us out of this mess, until we’re out of it, or until there are no ways left.
It’s evident that it’s We The People who have the courage to stand up and say ENOUGH. When Rand Paul stands up and exhibits more moral clarity than Schumer and Jeffries, that’s pathetic. Jeffries can’t even get the House Dems together as Pelosi was well known for.
BRAVO