430 Comments

Yup. And Trump is coming for my people first, which is not to say “the Jews” (though I am one) but California, where I spent most of my adult life until the fires of 2020 propelled me East.

My father fought against the Axis of Evil in the 40’s. I do not want my grandchildren fighting against it in the 2040’s.

Expand full comment

My father fought In Italy and Germany, in Italy and Germany. He saw the concentration camps. It is sad to think about what THAT generation would feel about this.

Expand full comment

Is there no mention of trumps #2 giving the Nazi salute twice, a man who came out in support of the right wing German political party and no one asked Trump about it at todays press conference and Trump did not denounce it yesterday? I don’t know about you but that tells me what’s going on more than this attempt to do this or that. It’s all a given in Nazi-ington

Expand full comment

The pardons aren't just retroactive. They're preemptive. The deal is, those criminals, vandals, and traitors are already immunized from further prosecution, and standing by as ordered for the literal act of the stochastic violence that Trump can order easily. They can take as targets anyone Trump feels is a threat--Bishop Mariann Budde, for example, who Trump has de-legitimized as a person and as clergy. She's already being attacked by Trump's Christian Nationalist brownshirts. Under sentence by Trump and by them, she's not safe physically, and (God forbid) were she hurt by the Trumpist thugs, Trump himself would weigh in to the same effect he did when he countenanced violence against Mike Pence: it's common sense.

As has been shouted from the rooftops already, let's shout it again: the pardoned thugs are an instant on-call violent mob awaiting the call. Trump need not ever make it explicit that he wants them to do violence--that would make him culpable. All he needs to so is suggest that if violence happens, it's common sense.

Note as well: we depend on the FBI to find and stop this kind of outlaw conspiracy. Trump wants to blind the FBI.

Expand full comment

“… and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

I just noted an out: “to the best of my ability.” Clearly, Trump is psychologically UNABLE to do so!

Expand full comment

I read an article this morning (22 Jan) about Jacob Chansley's (AKA QAnon Shaman, AKA fool with the hairy, horned headdress) reaction to his pardon. After hours of mealymouthed rhetoric expressing his regret and acceptance of responsibility for his actions on Jan 6, this was his reaction after being pardoned (posted on X):

“Now I am gonna by some motha f***in guns! I love this country! God Bless America. J6ers are getting released [and] justice has come. Everything done in the dark will come to light.”

Obviously one of those who truly deserved a pardon -- at least in Trump's opinion.

Expand full comment

https://youtu.be/bsZfPtuALWk Heads Hands & Feet Robert Wendell

Are new Country & World

Expand full comment

There was never any doubt about the nature of Trump’s character or his ambitions or the fact that he would go any lengths to achieve them. Why so many of didn’t see that from day one in 2016 is beyond me.

Expand full comment

Stuart fkn Rhodes, convicted of seditious conspiracy has been pardoned. JFC people.

Expand full comment

His own family begged Trump not to release him.

Expand full comment

Before the elected Dems treat the sitting president like a super old rapist, felon, and insurrectionist, they can first treat him like their former president. Last Summer, the elected Dem launched a brilliant well-coordinated 24-7 information campaign on the mental decline of their candidate. The campaign is honest and persuasive. It was so successful that it quickly disqualified their candidate by breaking the base support. It proves the elected Dem can fight the sitting president. The capability is right there.

Last summer, no elected Dem thought the voter had exonerated the elderliness of the former president with the highest number of votes in US history 4 years ago. By treating the current president as the former one, they can choose not to assume the voter had exonerated the insurrection of the current president he launched 4 years ago with a 1.5% margin.

Treat Trump as Biden first. Then practice your way of treating him like a real super old rapist, felon, and insurrectionist.

Expand full comment

I think that, perhaps, Trump has NOT violated his oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. The Oath calls for the President to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution "to the best of my abilities." Given that Trump has essentially zero ability to either comprehend the meaning of the words in the Constitution or to govern according to its principles, ignoring the Constitution's provisions and principles IS his best ability. All the worse for the citizens of this country and of the world.

Expand full comment

"Surprise, Surprise, Surprise" (not really, all very predictable

Expand full comment

The Democrats are overreacting to what happened in 2024. Trump barely won. Democrats lost seats in the US House and only gained a few seats in the Senate even though the Republicans had a phenomenal map and could have gained seven to eight seats easily. The Democrats need to tweak their message. But 2024 is not 1980 or 1984. Those were actual landslides

Expand full comment

Somebody should tell the POS he doesn't have a mandate, because he and Johnson and Thune think he does.

Expand full comment

You are correct. Before the elected Dems start any congressional fight, they need to simply review fifth-grade math. Trump at best gets a 1.5% mandate. That's it. Only a third of Joe's Mandate in 2021. He is still getting net negative favorability and approval ratings in the latest polls. These numbers don't add up to a Reagan landslide. The sooner the elected Dems pull the elementary school math books from the closet, the better they can fight.

Expand full comment

What the Democrats need to do is to start using traditional Republican issues that Trump has abandoned against republicans. Trump wants to run up huge deficits. I remember when Republicans were against that at least on paper. Republicans used to also support police officers. Now they support pardons of people who beat up police officers. The list goes on.

Expand full comment

I'll post this as a comment in a few places to spread the word, but as I wrote in a post I published this morning, I think people need to write their Congresspeople to put pressure on Speaker Johnson to refuse any requests to allow January 6th attackers to come to the Capitol building as honored guests for the State of the Union address. I included something folks can send to their Congresspeople and Senators on my post. I have no hope that we can forestall it, but I see it as a real possibility and it troubles me greatly.

https://open.substack.com/pub/gregflo/p/take-action-against-jan-6th-attackers?r=12fx35&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

*These comments reflect my personal views and do not represent the views of my employer, the United States Navy, or the United States Government.

Expand full comment

The J6 criminal thugs are free. When the deportation roundups start, so will the pogroms.

Expand full comment

Execute has more than onemeaning and I think that trumpdoes plan to “faithfully execute the office of president as in, execute: : to put (someone), - or in trump’s case something- to death trump will kill the office of the presidency and tuen it into a cult of personality where he must be worshiped.

Secondly, you expect dems to act with strength instead of weakness. Unwise assumption when it comes to patty cake dems. Dems will be cowering in their corners hoping no one yells at them for being disagreeable. Coons is a perfect example of trying to work with the mad king.

Godless pastors and priests are trying to out praise the media regarding trump. Disgusting.

Expand full comment