A Lot Is Going On. Let’s Keep Track, Even Of The Ones Easy To Miss
Minnesota Leads the Way – But Do Not Be Fooled
The people of Minneapolis and many others who came to support them have done it right; we should all be inspired. But understand this is far, far from over. The Administration took a bit of a bloody nose and is making noises about easing back a bit, but the evidence is pretty thin. There are still thousands of federal forces in Minneapolis (and in lots of other places). Some confrontational methods seem less used, but legal and moral abuses abound.
The new face of this campaign by the Administration is Tom Homan, who is more of an institutionalist than the nut he replaced, but remember who Homan is. It was he who developed the plan to separate families in the first Trump administration anti-immigrant campaign and it was he who was under investigation for what sure looks like taking a $50,000 bribe – a charge the administration directed be dropped for no valid reason.
Why The Don Lemon Arrest Is So Bad
Honesty requires me to note up front that I have never been that big a fan of Don Lemon. I thought he was less than top tier on CNN and have not been all that impressed by his independent work since then. But none of that matters – his arrest was wrong on so many levels. No wonder that two judges earlier turned down efforts to charge him. Sneaking in this indictment via a grand jury was the third try, and I bet it will not stand.
Lemon and one other arrested were clearly there as working journalists, not as demonstrators. There are ample videos making that clear. One other arrestee was a demonstrator. By the way, must be just a coincidence that all three arrested are Black…..
This is such a clear violation of the First Amendment, and yet another test by the Administration of what they can get away with. This, along with the earlier raid at the home of a Washington Post reporter, seizing materials, are difficult to overstate as a threat to democracy. Silence media is a classic first step of would-be dictators.
The Trump “Board of Peace”
Trump’s joke of an international peace oversight body is getting reviews about the same as the propaganda movie Melania. No serious country has signed up to join it – mostly just dictatorships and fellow travelers. Hard to believe even they signed up. Membership costs $1 billion (gee, wonder where much of that money will go?), Trump has veto power over everything, and is Chairman for Life. What a joke! I am betting former UK PM Tony Blair, the only international person of standing to join the leadership team, will drop out shortly.
Murders in Minnesota and Elsewhere, Including Those At Sea
Local officials are pushing for cooperation in investigating the two murders by government agencies in Minneapolis. A growing roster of leading figures in both parties are calling for independent investigations. Lawsuits have now been filed on behalf of some of the people who died when boats were blown up in Latin America with no evidence of anything like a real process to justify any attack.
And so, the process begins to demand accountability. The Trump people will do anything and everything to avoid outside reviews and legal processes. We all would do well to remember that people died and there is no statute of limitation on murder. Insist on accountability, for however long it takes, in whatever path can bring about that justice.
Jack Smith’s Testimony Reminded Us Of Some Key Things To Remember
If you missed Jack Smith’s testimony about the investigations into Trump, you missed a master performance in how justice is done. Smith’s opening statement said it all. https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/smith-testimony.pdf
One of the perhaps less obvious lessons from this set of hearings is that there often is a price to pay when even good people pull their punches or fail to understand how different a threat like Trump is.
What if Robert Mueller had decided in his investigation of Russian interference to use his full authority to draw conclusions and make indictment recommendations.
In terms of Smith, what if Attorney General Merrick Garland had not hesitated in making key decisions so long, thus running out the clock as Trump got reelected? Two good men failed to step up when history called. Had they not failed thusly, we most likely would not be where we are today.
Could Control of the House Change Before the Midterm Elections?
Not likely, but a tantalizing possibility.
A special election in Texas last week put another Democrat in the House of Representatives (the incumbent, who died, was also a Democrat but the Texas Governor stalled the special election for almost a year, knowing a Democrat was likely to win). That means the so-called Speaker of the House has about a 1-2 vote margin on a good day. 1-2 more unplanned departures and the Democrats could take the House at once. Wouldn’t that be interesting?
By the way, speaking of Texas, there also was a special election last week for the state legislature. A Democrat won, even though he was outspent 10-1, taking a seat the Republicans had held for almost 30 years, with the Republican candidate being endorsed by both the governor and Trump. The Democrat won by a 14 point margin, representing almost a 30% changeover from the Republicans in a deep red district. The times, they are a changing…
The Budget Deal Over ICE – It’s A Start
The fact that the Democrats forced the ICE budget out of the reconciliation bill last week, with support from some Republicans, is important. Not a final solution by any means, and it is still unclear how House Democrats wish to proceed, but setting in place things like no masks, marked cars, mandatory body cameras, specific requirements for judicial warrants, etc. are welcome and overdue.
Having said all that, count me among those who see ICE and the Border Patrol as so corrupted and ruined now that they should be disbanded and we start over. The work they do is important for security and lots of other reasons. These agencies cannot deliver and will likely never again earn public trust. Clean house and start over.
The Ballot Seizures in Georgia – A BIG Red Flag Nationally
This is one of those stories that some of us might have missed. An FBI team went to a warehouse in Georgia and seized ballots and other voting materials, without coordination with state or local authorities. That means the chain of custody is broken and the papers are now useless. The important thing to remember is that this administration keeps trying to seize local voting records.
Have no doubt – a serious, deep, multi-player effort is underway to discredit and, if possible, steal the coming midterm elections. This is a bigger threat than what is going on with ICE (although those lines may cross. Bet we will see efforts to put ICE and other federal agents around polling places).
The Canadian PM Speech At Davos – Listen/Read Again
Much has been written about the speech made by the Canadian PM at Davos. Much should have been written. It truly was a speech for the ages. If you missed it, take a minute to catch it. You will be glad you did.
Video (his speech has a small amount in French): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btqHDhO4h10
Your Turn: What Else Deserves Our Attention?
Well, that is 9 of 10 things that merit our attention. What is missing? What would you add to the list? Let us know your thoughts.
Two Footnotes
- Stephen Beschloss published this week, as he often does, an exceptionally thoughtful blog post about our current situation and the extraordinary call for more than just responses. Short but powerful reading – I highly recommend it (and being a subscriber to his blog): https://www.americaamerica.news/p/defeating-the-evil-among-us
2. This past weekend exceptionally severe winter weather hit my part of the country (and lots of other places). Government officials at every level pleaded with people to stay off the roads except in genuine emergencies. Of course, this was followed by many wrecks, as people decided to drive anyway. Rescuing them put first responders at unnecessary risk and loaded up an already difficult schedule for first responders. I would love to see laws passed that state if you need assistance or rescue in such situations and you were out for anything other than a genuine emergency, you get assessed some points on your drivers license and pay the full cost of your assistance. Amazing how self centered people can be, with no thought as to what thier actions cost others.
See you next week.
Bill Clontz
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