Link to the Espionage Act Five minute read. Jan 7th, 2017.
Jan. 8 2025, 12 days to the end of America as we know it.
The resistance has failed. Our cowardly president is afraid to go to war with a president-elect allied with Russia and the dictators of the world. It’s not a written alliance. If they wrote it down, they know they are out-numbered. It is spoken an alliance of a few sociopathic men who share the same vision for their own lives; it is a vision of being at the top of the monetary chain in a country. it’s a kings dream as well. A dream of taxing the middle class to make them poor and their children ignorant and compliant.
I have given up on the 14th Amendment. The majority of the SCOTUS is in on the deal. Before I knew about the 14th Amendment, sec 3, – which bars insurrectionists or those who aid or comfort them, from holding any office, including the judges and justices who aid and comfort our traitors.
Biden is commander-in-chief today. He can announce a national emergency the day after this Friday, whether the Jack Smith report is aired or blocked by the SCOTUS. He can declare war on our enemies with his own version of FDR’s I hate war speech. He can arrest , in the sense of sequestering, Donald Trump for treason. He can say that he deems that his actions have created a national emergency by dividing Americans and diluting our focus on the real problems we have to deal with as families, united with common purposes.
Joe Biden can declare war on Trump can those allied with him in our government. Does Joe understand how this will work? Does he think the elections of 2026, the one where the resistance is supposed to retake power, will be fair? Does he see how this works in Russia and Hungary. It doesn’t.
He can stop him from being president with his sworn oath to protect the Constitution and the American people as commander-in-chief. He can say Trump’s current alliance with Putin, as reported in RT media, in an act of treason under The Sedition Act because we are currently in a war with Russia over Ukraine.
If he won’t do it, he can step down and give Kamala Harris a try. But she must also declare she will not seek the presidency or become the president by default. We will need a new special election, likely about April 1 of 2025.
Political crimes always escalate when fascists take office. Our Navalny’s must be silenced.
It has occurred to me that Trump probably wants Greenland, so he can have his own Siberia for dems who won't bend the knee. He can't use Alaska. The dems in office will logically become the new "Jews in Nazi Germany", along with brown-skinned people. But he can't gas them. But, some will fall out of windows and helicopters, - sending a message. Fear will be instilled in those who just want to survive, which is most people and always was. But there are so many of resisters. So Greenland is sort of a perfect place to keep millions of the resisters. Gotta keep up with Vlad. After all, Putin replaced Roy Cohn in Trump's ambitious sociopathic brain, as the man to emulate.
January 7th, 2017
On July 27th, 2016, in Doral Florida, Donald Trump said “Russia, if you are listening, I hope you are able to find the 30,000 emails … you will be mightily rewarded by our press”. I hold that broadcasting an invitation to a known foreign enemy state to influence America’s free and fair elections was a violation of the Espionage and Sedition Act. This is why. It had better have not be okay, or this democracy will not long survive.
Though much of the Espionage Act seems to refer to communication technology we rarely use any more, and focuses on acts committed during war times, the heart and soul of the act applies today’s times. War is not defined in the Constitution and the nature of war has changed since WW1, when the Espionage Act was written into law. Cyber war against countries that have the bomb has replaced wars with bombs.
Putin is the world’s pioneer and the leading expert in modern cyber war – a war where words are the weapons and installing loyalists into foreign governments can get the master the nearly same result he might desire from physical wars. Russian malware called Fancy Bear has been targeting governments and military organizations for years, especially NATO states like France and Germany.
Section 2 of Espionage Act:
Whoever, with intent or reason to believe that it is to be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of a foreign nationcommunicated, delivers, or transmits, or attempts to, or aids, or induces another to communicate, deliver or transmit, to any foreign government, or to any faction or party or military or naval force within a foreign country, whether recognized or unrecognized by the United States, or to any representative, officer, agent, employee, subject, or citizen thereof, either directly or indirectly and document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blue print, plan, map, model, note, instrument, appliance, or information relating to the national defense, shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than twenty years.
Tampering with or even affecting free and fair elections, by subverting the will of the American people must be defined as an injury to the US. It is the will of the American people that votes in elections. Citizens are part of our government. In a democracy, they are the most important part of the government. In a fascist country they are the least important members of the government. Citizens rights were the the reason the US Constitution was created – a government of, by and for the people.
Therefore, misinformation via broadcast media or social media cannot be categorized as protected personal free speech for this reason. Misinformation by media must be a crime, just as it is for false claims for any product. Trump asked on national TV for a known enemy to hack his opponent’s computer and release what might be found. He also suggested that person, or any would-be-hacker would be mightily rewarded.
Since Donald Trump invited Russia to hack a presidential candidate’s computer on national TV, I believe he is guilty of espionage. I believe our current commander-in-chief can, and should act immediately, citing the Espionage Act of 1918, and his duty to protect and arrest Trump, in the minimum sense of sequestering him with an ankle bracelet at least him for an committing an act of sedition or espionage. Our commander-in-chief can declare on those who have meddled in elections or aided insurrectionists. This time around, it’s pretty much the same thing; the same people advocate for these two positions. He can say we will have new special elections in April and that Kamala Harris will not run, but neither will anyone who has openly comforted insurrections.
I argue that inviting a foreign enemy to affect an American election does indeed do harm to the USA; that America is more than just the sum of our communal land, people and resources. The USA is also our way of governance. And the bedrock of our government is free, fair, unhampered, unhacked elections.
An invitation to commit a crime is, and must be a criminal act for the rule of law to prevail in the USA. I’d like to remind people that Charles Manson did not commit murder; he encouraged others go after his perceived enemies, and he got life for doing that when his cult members committed crimes.
Free and fair elections define our democracy. An invitation to hack any political election is therefore, a criminal, seditious act that does real harm to the United States. Should we lose free and fair elections, the USA, and the world, will never be the same.
Contact your representative and Senator, and tell them: Representing my will, is your responsibility. You want Joe Biden to use his sworn duty to protect the American people and to uphold the US Constitution and its laws, including the Espionage and Sedition and and the 14th Amendment, and arrest Donald Trump for national security reasons and bar his from holding office on January 20th.
Ask him to call for a new special election for president. Ask him to say he will also bar any in congress who come to the aid of Donald Trump, a traitor and insurrectionist, because they too will be aiding an insurrectionist and traitor in plain view. Ask him to say that includes judges and justices. Ask him to say he is cleaning house of nay insurrectionists for the good of the national security.
Thank You for doing your share as a citizen and speak up to your reps. I kind of think this weekend we should start publicly protesting the transition of power to a fascist treasonous mob.
In this post below, I also speak about starting the conversation about National Divorce. That’s the other easy way back to a united America. Let the red states have their president. We will select our own. We will share the military costs based on population in the states. Their people will come running back to the real American center, which we know wants not to surrender to fascism.
This autocracy vs. democracy map has been at my blog for seven years. Trump as potus was part of the struggle you see in the map that resembles a RISK board. I do wish others would post a map like this so more people would get a visual on what is at stake. Pretty sure even MAGA people won’t like their lives better in a fasict state.
I just asked CHAT GTP if America will still be a functioning democracy in 2028. Go ahead. Try it yourself.
Chat GTP:It’s not guaranteed that America will remain a perfectly functioning democracy in 2028, but it is still within the realm of possibility if the country takes steps to address its most pressing challenges.
Even artificial intelligence knows we must act now to save our democracy. But all we hear now is surrender to a tyrant who won an election, though he was constitutionally disqualified, by his own words and actions, to hold the office he won – and wait to see if things get better. Better? How?
Donald Trump said he was running against some very stupid people. He is right about that. We will be very stupid people if we let him assume the great powers of the presidency again. And we don’t have to. Nor do we need an insurrection. We have the 14th Amendment of our Constitution to back us.
Under the cover of the 2024 holiday season, we are witnessing the end game of the 2016 Russo-Republican Alliance strategy play out and met with no real resistance. Trump has officially tipped his hand with his cabinet picks. They confirm that he is working to end America, as we know it. There will soon be a ruling class, chosen oligarchs based on their loyalty to Trump, and the rest of us. That’s how it is in China, Russia, Hungary, North Korea and all the countries run by people Trump admires.
Dictators wish the entire planet was one big autocratic, wild free-for-all. And on January 20th, they are getting their wish come true, if we do not stop Trumpism now. And we can. The presidential election of 2024 was a battle in an act of war we permitted to happen under our democratic rules.* It does not have to be our last battle, but that’s what our new rulers will want.
But, not all our rules. We have one rule that Trump and most of his party members violated: the 14th Amendment. Many candidates and current congresspeople are constitutionally disqualified to hold office under the 14th Amendment for having aided or comforted insurrectionists. Some also physically took part in the J6 event.
Joseph Goebbels was the German media czar during World War II. This is what he said about democracies that play by its own rules: “It will always remain one of democracy’s best jokes that it provides for its deadly enemies the means by which it can be destroyed.”
While we still have the power, we can and must use this tool written into our constitution during the aftermath of the Civil War, to prevent the enemies of our country from taking away our right to self-govern.
The 14th Amendment, sec 3, declares that no one may hold any office in our government, state, federal, judicial or military having been party to an insurrection, or having aided or given comfort to insurrectionists or the enemies of our country. All Americans should please google 14th Amendment, sec 3.
As tax-paying citizens, it is our constitutional right, and the current president’s sworn constitutional duty, to demand Donald Trump not be sworn into office on J20.
Many of his allies in the current GOP congress, and some of those who were elected, are also barred from holding office. Even Supreme Court members are included in the disqualifying statement of the 14th Amendment. But the most important person to bar from office is the ring leader, would-be dictator, and ally to our country’s foreign enemies, Donald Trump.
Absent of his J6 activity, Donald Trump would have every right to be president. Now, Trump has no constitutional right whatsoever to be president, even if he won the election. It’s as if the GOP ran a candidate who said he was thirty-five years old and we found out he was thirty. The Constitution is very clear about the qualifications to hold any office in the United States.
Why Trump is Constitutionally Barred from Being President
Donald Trump called a mob to Washington DC broadcasting “it would be wild”. We do not need FBI, lawyers, justices, or politicians to tell “we the people“ what we saw that day. There was an attempt to stop the election process, which included breaking into the Capitol and attacking officers, threatening the vice-president and congresspeople – and people ending up dead. Trump did not even try immediately call it off. He watched it on TV for hours, like we did. He said maybe Pence had it coming in so much words.
J6 was clearly an attempt at insurrection. We do not need to examine every curve and motive of this act. It was a bank robbery gone bad, caught on film. Trump’s actions and words on J6 made him constitutionally unqualified to serve in any government office, local, state, federal or judicial at any level.
We have little time. So, it’s now or never. There may not be a way back for the foreseeable future. Putin has held Russia for over twenty years. Hungary is no longer a democracy. Three times, Trump took election help from Putin, our enemy in a live war. For that help, he owes Putin for life. At least, that is how Putin thinks of his relationship with Donald. Putin does not allow people who deal with him to get away. Ask Prigozhin. Oh, we can’t.
If Donald Trump, a person constitutionally barred from holding any office in the USA, takes office on J20, by the end of January, we should know if he will be going into full-on fascist mode. Trump’s personal political opponents were targeted during his candidacy. If he verbally continues with that line of attack, we will know what he intends to do about the “revenge” he made a talking point during his campaign. It’s not a gamble we need to take, but Biden seems to be willing to overlook the 14th Amendment as if it does not exist.
Ask yourself this question: If your family was about to board a plane, and the pilot said there is a small five percent chance the plane would go down, would you let your family board that plane? Do you currently think there is a five percent chance we lose our democracy? Then why are we letting it happen, when we have the 14th to protect us? We are boarding that plane on J20, if we do nothing. AI also seems to think there’s a good chance we become something less than a functioning democracy by 2028.
BLANKET PARDONS FOR REPORTERS AND BLOGGERS
If Biden is not going to fight as if we are at war, then, at the very least, he should issue blanket pardons for all reporters and bloggers who ever wrote anything negative about Donald Trump, the president.
But, this post is not about surrender. It lays out the simple steps we can take now, to ensure we do not risk ending democracy in the USA. after all, oligarchy is what America set out to end when it broke away from the tyranny of King George.
FDR said there is nothing to fear, but fear itself. We have the power now to avoid this fate, if we are not afraid to use it. We must fight while we have the weapon called the 14th Amendment. These politicians have said they intend to destroy the “deep state”, a phrase they invented, and one they do not define. But they are ready to take our women’s rights away. Do you think they will care a whit about silencing dissent after we give them absolute power over us all? Biden saw fit to pardon turkeys, but so far, he has not pardoned the people who will need protection from Trump.
After Trump’s telling cabinet picks, more Americans today would be relieved if Trump were barred from holding office than they were on November 5th. There is even a chance it would be cheered on by the majority of voters on both sides, provided we demand a new special presidential election with no candidates permitted to run who are unqualified by the plain language of the 14th Amendment. That means no Trump.
And it means no Kamala Harris as well, but for a different reason. She did lose. We should not rub it in the faces of those who voted more for no black woman to be POTUS, than for Trump, to place her on the ballot again.
Once in power, the MAGA GOP crimes will naturally escalate to such heights that they will realize they must stay in power to stay out of jail. That’s why Trump could not afford to stop fighting to be president. The increase in government corruption is a certainty under Trump because his ambitious new administration people are given free for all passes, provided they protect the king.
In an April 2024 poll, seventy-five percent of Americans wanted neither Biden nor Trump. And to many, Harris was Biden, inside a female POC body.
An April 2025 special election, with two fresh faces would likely be cheered on by the general public. Trump’s cabinet picks even have many MAGA voters scared, as they should be. Billionaires who can pay off Trump, and loyalists, are getting top posts. MAGA people are figuring out they may have been duped.
To actually accomplish barring Trump from being president via #ENFORCINGTHE14th, we’ll need to do some things.
First.We immediately need vast public support for enforcing the 14th, sec 3. That’s why this manifesto should be submitted to newspapers and media people. Help me do this now. I am easy to reach. Pressure must be put on Biden, Harris and the Democratic Party leaders. They represent us. If we the people have surrendered to Trump and his allies, or are “tired” of fighting, which we should fear the most, our reps have no impetus to push for this.
Second.We need Biden or Garland to call for some of the worst 14th offenders in the House to be unseated, right now. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert and a few others, are good starters. This will serve as a test balloon for Trump and SCOTUS members to be barred. Democrats could have the majority in the House now, if we unseat glaring House insurrection comforters. It’s crucial for line of succession too.
If SCOTUS members object, we can start unseating them. It is all constitutional. No one gets hurt. We just pack up their files and send them home and nominate new SCOTUS members.
We must treat this like a war, because what Trump has done is a war against the American way. And democracy’s enemies are not all domestic. Being engaged in a war with Russia through Ukraine, makes it easier for a president to do things to protect our country.
I’d also like to suggest Jack Smith should just release or leak evidence he has on Trump. If Mueller held anything back, he should as well. (Sadly, it looks like Jack Smith surrendered on 11.25 as well.) That should only amplify the need to act now. There’s no help coming past J20.
Third. We cannot be afraid of our SCOTUS. The importance of a Supreme Court majority was well understood by Putin, who owns his courts and Donald admires that. The Helsinki translator notes Trump being ripped up was a big tell. Trump quickly got three justices on his side, in preparation for what we are seeing now.
Women’s rights? Out the window. Separation of church and state? This Supreme Court is on the side of fascism and oligarchy. Pay them, and they do your bidding.
The Supreme Court super majority served like a move made early in a chess game. The goal being to seal the fate of the opposing king during the end game. However, if justices are on Trump’s side, they are also aiding an insurrectionist and subject to disqualification.
That is the attitude we must have. We need not fear the SCOTUS. The 14th does not say SCOTUS members are immune. It says no one shall hold any office under the United States if they even comforted an insurrectionist or the enemies of our country. It is plain language.
Justice Clarence Thomas is most vulnerable justice. He lives with a known insurrection planner. He comforts her every day. He has taken bribes from wealthy GOP donors. He needs to be told he will also be unseated via the 14th if he objects to the current administration using the 14th to remove insurrection comforters from our government.
No one needs to get hurt. The Sergeant-of-arms locks his files, removes them from his offices, Biden nominates a new justice. For unseated congresspeople, our current president just calls for special elections to replace them with candidates who are not on public record of beininsurrection supporters.
Fourth. We must openly discuss and prepare for the possibility of a national divorce. It’s possible the plan will not work, even though if implemented with the resolve that Project 2025 seems to have, I don’t see why it would fail.
In that case, the governors of Blue States must be ready to say they will not be ruled in any way – including by federal taxation – by an insurrectionist allied with Russia.
We should start serious discussions on splitting into two American tactically allied countries, bound by trade and travel agreements both protected by one military. Both countries pay a military protection and common infrastructure tax of about seventeen percent. Seventeen percent of budget is close to the amount we pay for military and infrastructure now. The rest of taxes are paid to the individual states. Since, red states rely more than blue states on federal funds, the citizens in red states will come crying back in a few years. This may actually be the fastest way back to a truly United States, if we allow Trump to be POTUS. Just say we want nothing to do with a president who organized an insurrection, and be done with it.
We cannot feel forced to accept the craziness of another four years of Trumpism. There is no telling it will just be four years. This discussion of a two-state will serve to temper the craziness of the GOP. If they cross hard lines, we implement the divorce. We are sort of culturally divided anyway. Maybe it’s best, for a while.
Joe Biden: You are still the commander-in-chief. Do so some commanding for god’s sake. You don’t have to go to battle with a gun and a helmet like our brave fathers did in 1943. Your tools are the Constitution you have sworn to protect, your resolve to defend democracy and the American people you profess to love, and your spoken words.
My father taught me the difference between men is primarily the words they speak. The nothing burger we have heard from you, post-election, feels like you have given up on democracy.
Are you afraid that the Republican Party will do the same thing if you bar Trump from being president? Spoiler alert. They are doing it anyway.
Republican voters and independent brothers and sisters: Today, Trump said he will be putting tariffs on Mexico and Canada on day one. That will cause the cost of mushrooms and avocados go up. He has chosen relatives with no experience to be ambassadors. He has billionaires as allies. Have you figured out yet, that Donald trump does not care about us. I knew him since age eighteen at Wharton. He never cared about others. Trump is do into his own self that as a billionaire he hardly ever gave money to charities. He speaks well of the dictators, Putin, Kim and others, who brutally kill their own citizens should they speak out. And worst of all, Trump accepted election help from Russia, three times. He now owes Putin for that help. Putin’s mission has always been to destroy America, and make it be more like Russia. I say no, thanks.
Joe Biden: The Supreme Court is not checkmate, unless you think it is. Do you want to be remembered as the cowardly, meek president who surrendered democracy to fascists? The plans in this post, along with what you know having been on the inside of government all your life, are all you need to save the American democracy. You said you would not surrender to Trumpism “over my dead body”. Is that body already dead, sir? If so, step down and give your VP a chance to defend this country.
We the people demand that you bar Trump from holding office, in accordance with the plain language of the 14th Amendment, and call for a new special presidential election in April, with no insurrection aiders or comforters allowed on the ballot as per the Constitution. Become a real commander-in-chief, the way FDR was, and you potentially will go from being the last, and therefore worst, president of the original United States, to one of its greatest commanders-in-chief. We are at war, sir. You seemed to know that. Act like a war president then, for god’s sake.
We The People: Tell your representatives to #EnforceThe14thNow. Start this conversation, today! That is how the ball starts rolling in a representative democracy. Talk to MAGA voters and independents as well. Tell them a new special election can be with two fresh faces. Call into talk shows. Organize #ENFORCETHE14TH protests. Use that hashtag. Trump has tipped his fascist bent agenda with his cabinet picks. The time is now, while we can without risking our lives, to resist Trumpism. Christmas can wait.
Our beautiful American women: Are you ready to surrender your bodily autonomy to a party that nominates rapists and racists to wield power over you? The holidays may be sidetracking you. But this is not the time to pretend all is well and holly jolly. We need to hear from you now about using the 14th to bar disqualified humans from holding office. It can happen, but only if we all speak up now! Use #EnforceThe 14thNow as a hashtag in all your SM posts. It’s not too late to resist Trumpism. The January 20th surrendering democracy date only happens. if we let it happen without using the 14th.
Thank You all and may God bless the American spirit.
Citizen-private first-class in the cyber war we have been in
12/13/24 :
PREPARE TO BE RULED IN THE NEW UNTIED STATES OF TRUMPLANDIA
We lost the popular vote. That tells me that more than 50% of our countrymen have succumbed the cancer of Trumpism. In a human body, 20% cancer cells is way too much to bear. The situation for our body politic is dire, to say the least. Hitler had 25% less people behind him on his day one, than Trump does now. (source: Dan Simon‘s brilliant piece )
Losing the popular vote will give these fascists the chutzpah to say they can do whatever they want. The alliances that those who don’t wish to be ruled by a fascist elite mob should be making right now are not with dems, but with the people who voted for Trump. Many are beginning to see they made a mistake. It’s no small percentage of people. I speak to many Trump voters who already know he’s not going to do much of anything to help them in their own lives.
Do some Google searching about Google searches. Things could change. We need someone brave enough to start the ball rolling. It cannot be Harris, of course. I wonder why it is not Jack Smith, sometimes.
Where have you gone, Jack Smith? A nation turns its weary eyes to you.
Jack Smith seemed like the guy who was not afraid to go on the offensive versus Trump. Did they get to him too? Doesn’t feel like anytime someone wants to uncover the real political truth, they suddenly surrender as if they were never that serious to begin with? That’s what makes people think all politics is dirty, and just back away from it all.
So I’d like to add Jack Smith to my list of cop-outs if he does not fully release all he knows about Trump’s crimes for his New Years Resolution. I wish Jack Smith find the courage of Michael Cohen, and just do what is right. Where is our Joe DiMaggio?
I am a mere citizen who had some contact with Trump in my younger days, but that was enough to inform me that 100% Donnie has been compromised by his intellectual superior, Vladimir Putin. Donald Trump simply does not have the kind of soul that can get close to another man with more power that he has, and not want to learn how to attain that power himself. His role model used to be his father, now it’s dictators, – not that there was that much of a difference. Why? With no allegiance to anyone but self, Trump’s life is empty without the adventurous scenes he creates in his mind. He was ripe for the picking.
I am sure Smith knows Trump has been compromised. We cannot have a compromised US president. There is too much to lose here. Smith can do a lot to start the ball rolling to save this country before it is too late. If J6 began their insurrection, J20 is their victory day. Do not surrender in advance.
And can someone open a government hot-line for MAGA voters who have been already turned off by Trump’s cabinet picks which includes sex traffickers ex-cons and relatives, – and sometimes the ex-cons are relatives? These people can be talked back into reality, especially after the cabinets picks. I called for this in June, but it fell of deaf ears. Everything we ever needed to keep America a free country has been posted in my blogs since 2016. I am not surrendering. But I will get off Twitter soon. Resistance is going to have to go underground soon. It’s not a good sign.
Putin’s war vs democracy began in 2016 with help to get Trump elected. His plan is working, – not only here, but now in Hungary, and today Trudeau said her would step down in Canada. Country by country, Putin is getting his way to become autocrat of the world. This will not end well.
I emailed Melania five days after January 6th. (below) I tried to be respectful and hoped he would give up on politics. I was wrong. I still think the GOP alliance with Putin, who basically installed Trump as president, is behind the continued cry that the election was stolen. That divisive cry, dubbed the Big Lie, more than anything else, must end.
Russia's ongoing war versus democracy was part of the coup plot
There is also a real risk that Putin recorded damning dirt on Trump and key GOP during the election process of 2016. What were Russian nationals doing at the Republican convention of 2016? Are the GOP actors who played ball with Putin afraid he will release the dirt? Is that why they cannot ever stop following his marching orders? Are Trump, and many top GOP still suborned (compromised) by Putin. Is this why the GOP in Congress continue to say the election was stolen? Is this why the GOP are not fully committed to aiding Ukraine or to protect democracy worldwide?
A proper strategy for the House Dems is to launch an investigation into what transpired between the GOP and the Russian nationals at their 2016 convention. It’s certainly more relevant to Americans than the Hunter Biden investigation.
Proper Punishment for Donald Trump
As to Trump’s proper punishment for his plan to overthrow democracy, the big idea should be “the public good”. We are witnessing hate crimes carried out daily, many of which are traceable to Trump’s hateful rhetoric. That must end.
Trump, once found guilty, must of course go directly to jail. Although the minimum jail term in Georgia RICO cases in five years, I would make this exception, because this alone will put America back on a path to healing.
After some minimum time, Donald Trump can be released into the public if, and only if, he does these things:
Donald Trump must publicly and apologize to the American people and especially to his base. He must tell them he never had hard evidence that he won the election, and that Biden was the duly elected president of the United States on January 20th 2021. He must tell the American people he knows he can never serve in the government, as per the 14th amendment, and that he has permanently retired from politics.
Trump must release the books of all of his enterpries during his candidacy and presidency, and up until the date he makes the apology statement to the public. That will assure Americans that his true nature will be understood in time.
When those two things are done, Trump can be safely released from jail. if he continues to make poltical statements, he can be sent back to jail to serve our his full term. Until these things are done, he should remain in jail for the safety of the general public. ……….
My Email to Melania five days after January 6th 2011
I was aware that Donald Trump was not likely to hear or take any cool-headed advice but it was clear how this would end if he did not. So I sent this to Melania, whose email I have had for twenty years, for reasons I cannot ethically share.
melania********@aol.com
Jan 11, 2021, 12:05 AM
Melania,
I’ve written to you a few times during your FLOTUS term. You always knew your FLOTUS days would end – and said so publicly. Donny, who I knew from Penn and Atlantic City, is, as you know, a sort of dreamer lost in the drama playing out in his mind.
This insurrection thing went too far. I am not sure Pence will even exonerate him now, especially after Trump supporters were calling to hang Mike. Self pardon will not work.
This plan will work however.
#1 – Donald must show he is very sorry for what happened. He must tell his base that Joe Biden will not only be your president, but that you want them to trust Joe Biden and support him the way you supported me now. He must say Joe is going to try to rebuild America and he’s going to need your help. Biden wants to be president for all Americans, and that includes you. So ask Joe how you can help him rebuild America. I am asking you to bury the hatchet, give Joe a chance and give our democracy a chance to work together.
If Donny does that – or something close to that – he will show he is sorry for what happened and the usual protection given an ex-president has a better chance of being there for him.
He must also give up politics. Ask him to go back to hoteling, which was always fun for him anyway. He gets that life is about having a good time. It’s one thing I agree with him on. But I add – not at the expense of others. — I think you do too.
You have more power ( if you want it of, course ) with Donny now than ever before. He is alone without you now. So maybe you can ask him to step down but without a script – ( that’s important too ) speak to his base and tell them to end the civil war and give Biden your support.
If he does that, Joe’s good nature will keep him from going after you guys.
I hope you come out of this okay. I hope Donny decides to step down and announce he is giving up politics. Public service is not his thing. There is nothing wrong with that. But if he continues to be a problem for the new admin and America, they will have no reason to go easy. That’s just human nature.
Two days after the 2020 election, Donald Trump fired Mark Esper. That told me Trump was not quitting his effort to become POTUS for life. Normally, when a candidate loses, they stop doing new appointees and go into transfer of power mode. But Trump knew the full extent of his crimes vs democracy and was rightly afraid that once out of power he could be found guilty for treason.
So Trump’s 2022-2024 political rallies are back on. He needs to make sure his base still has his back, because he knows that relationship is the sole source of political power as a private citizen.
Joe Biden should be doing the same thing right now. As a seated POTUS he has huge advantages over Trump in this strategy, but he must recognize the opportunity and not be a “low energy” campaigner. Look at this diagram:
It’s clear Congress is broken by design. They don’t even vote for what their constituents want because their constituents can’t pay them as well as the big donors and corporations. That is corruption, but it’s been going on a long time.
The 6:3 Supreme Court is broken as well. Further, the public does not connect to the Supreme Court. The SCOTUS is an isolated chamber by design.
However, the voting public is aware who is the president and they are generally aware that the US Constitution outlines and protects their rights. That is why you will hear the GOP base cite the first and second amendments to protect their freedom of speech and their right to bear arms. The relationship between the public, the constitution, and the president is tweakable.
FDR had to deal with a divided public in the WW2 era. In 1933, he began to campaign to Americans in what was known as “fireside chats”. Radio was the media employed. It was a hugely effective tool . The fireside chats were a series of evening radio addresses given by Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, between 1933 and 1944. … On radio, he was able to quell rumors, counter conservative-dominated newspapers and explain his policies directly to the American people.
Trump is banned from Twitter and Facebook. Biden is not. Biden has the internet, social media, TV, radio, and the bully pulpit as tools to begin a new series of public awareness campaigns. This stacks up as a huge advantage for Biden but only if he uses these tools with great energy.
His current 33% polls disclose he is not garnering confidence from the public. He needs to fix this just the way FDR did, but with today’s technology. He can do better than FDR if he just sees the opportunity. Trump clearly sees the importance of campaigning to his base. Biden must do the same, better, and to all Americans with special attention given to Trump voters.
Biden can open a two-way channel between the voting public and his office. A simple email form can be created asking the public how they want their government to address the top ten issues* of our times. (*List is my own.)
Voting Rights -Who should vote? How do we count votes to makes sure they are accurate? Should Gerrymandering be a thing? etc.
Healthcare – How do we want to treat pre-existing conditions? Do we want Medicare for all or a combination of two systems? How do we rein in prescription drug prices? What do we do when people don’t want healthcare?
Taxation and Income Inequality – Income inequality is a world-wide issue. Should there be a cap on what SEO’s can make? Should the tax breaks given to big corps by the Trump administration continue, expand or be scaled back? Do we need a more progressive tax system the way it was in the 1950’s? etc.
Gun Laws – Do the majority of Americans want background checks? Checks on automatic weapons? Better protection in schools? etc.
Border Security – What do the majority of Americans really want here?
Infrastructure – American infrastructure is falling behind the pace set in modern countries like Japan. Where and when do we start catching up?
Money In Politics – Do the majority of Americans like Citizens United and lobbying? Should government reps not be able to serve unless they show their taxes? Should dark money be legal in the USA? Should Congressmen be above legal reproach?
Internet and Social Media Regulations – What does the majority want?
Climate Science, Environment Protection and R & D – The planet’s #1 issues need to be addressed by our collective and focused energies.
Education – We are falling behind in all age levels when it comes to education. How do we turn this around? What are the public’s ideas. Do they support free college for anyone? etc.
Joe Biden can create a form and ask the voting public to weigh in on these top ten issues. He should start campaigning more heavily in Trump country. A simple email address can be advertised. whatdoyouwant@potus.gov Ask people to weigh in with their solutions and ideas on these top ten issues. And yes, ask them what party they identify with. Multiple choice. Democratic. Republican. Other. None. Not eligible to vote. Knowledge is power.
On the first Tuesday ( create good civics habits ) of every month Biden can update the results of the survey. He should make a special point of highlighting what GOP voters really want. This is crucial because this writer is pretty sure both sides pretty much want the same things on all of these issues. He can also make sure the voters in WV and AZ get special attention.
This is how he heals the divide – and fast. This is what FDR did in the 30s with his fireside chats. FDR unified the country over the things we all wanted.
Biden should immediately start quoting the 14th Amendment, section 3, to the voting public. The 14th sec 3 states people who took part in insurrection, or even “comforted” those who did – cannot be in our government. Joe! People on both sides respect the Constitution. You know that. But the only amendments most people know on both sodes are the first, second and the fifth. LOL.
The 14th Amendment, sec 3, – verbatim:
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.
But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. …………….
Please note: Congress cannot vote to “remove such disabilities” if they are not already seated in Congress. Though this add-on sentence at the end of the 14th sec 3 seems to run counter to the spirit of the amendment, it does not apply at all to Trump, who is not in Congress.
The 14th says the many Secretary of State candidates the GOP are supporting because they back the Big Lie, which is part and parcel of the Jan 6 insurrection, cannot be in office. Hence they cannot even run and neither can Trump. But no one says this. Even if this amendment lacks teeth (as heard from lawyers ) , if the public gets behind the 14th, it can grow teeth. Biden needs to learn the power of active populism and fast.
Unifying the public over what they really want from their government will expose Trump’s and the GOP’s election lies for what they really are: an attempt to keep the US citizenry divided so that none of what Americans really want and need to succeed in the 21st century will come to pass.
Delay Is Not a Friend in the Cyber War Being Waged Against Democracy
Time is not a friend when fighting metastatic enemies.
Strategies to Defeat Trumpism Before Midterm Campaigns Take Root
Midterm campaigning will begin early in 2022. If Trump is not been indicted by by mid-July, he will remain the assumed leader of the GOP. Trump will then set the norms and talking points for GOP midterm candidates and the Big Lie and slow-moving coup attempts will continue through the midterms.
Why Timing Trump’s Indictment Matters
If Trump is indicted before July, it is possible that DeSantis will jockey himself to the front of the GOP power struggle. The timely indictment of Donald Trump will function like a grenade tossed into the GOP foxhole. A surprise early indictment will force the GOP to at least examine the idea of choosing other leaders to head the party during midterms. That then offers the real potential to end Trumpism before midterms. Indicting Trump no later than July is the easiest way to end Trumpism without an election or new laws. An un-indicted Trump will serve to further normalize Trumpism and distrust of the election results of the 2022 midterms, and chaos will be free to reign in 2022.
An un-indicted Trump will also serve to divide the Democrat Party during the midterms. We’ve just about had it. It’s getting to the point that many dems think Biden and his DOJ are either not up to the task or in on the status quo. The real reason Joe Biden’s polls are down is that after one full year there are no substantial indictments in the globally televised coup vs. the US democracy.
We must hold Biden responsible for the actions or inactions of his AG. By not indicting Trump by February, Biden will be strategically complicit in dividing the pro-democracy party and unifying the pro-fascist party. How is that supposed to work out for we the people?
Recognize Your Enemies and Defend Accordingly
About six years ago, candidate Donald Trump asked openly asked Putin to help get him elected. “Russia, if you’re listening” was a tell. Trump had to know Putin was listening to say that. There would have been no reason to even bring up Russia unless he was actively signaling an ally. No side of the American electorate likes Russia. Trump had a reason to say those words and only one reason makes sense. I called it an act of treason because inviting a foreign enemy to take part on our elections should have been viewed as an invitation to attack our most sacred institution. That’s treason. Benedict Arnold treason. Allying with our enemies to destroy and institution (fair elections ) is treason. The GOP is the party of treason now.
And there were Russian nationals at the GOP Convention in 2016. That means Putin was effectively there. And that means some sort of alliance was formed with other GOP in Congress. We saw it play out in the 2016 election with Russian disinformation campaigns, a phrase that was basically unknown until 2016.
I posted a democracy vs autocracy map (below) shortly after that statement. Joe Biden finally got around to stating that the world is deciding which form of government will prevail in the 21st century. Biden knows the stakes. But if he does not act as if he is at war, (cyber war is a war of words not bombs) the enemies of democracy will prevail even though their conventional war efforts could never be successful. That is Putin’s genius. I wrote about it here.
I still believe our Department of Defense should defend vs attacks on elections as they take an oath to defend our nation from all enemies, foreign and domestic. The DOD has an intel department. Why are they not even asked to help on the Jan6 Committee investigation into an attempted coup?
The Jan6 Committee should immediately ask DOD intel to join the effort to get to the full truth on the Jan6 coup attempt. It will inform all Americans – and our own internal enemies of democracy – that we are serious abo0ut defending free and fair elections in the United States. If DOD intel coud help with Jan6, even on the perimeters, it sends the message to the Big Lie supporters in Congress that attempting another coup is not such a good idea.
Why am I the only one showing this map? Pictures speak louder than words, especially these days. People may not know what autocracy means. But we all know what a RISK board looks like. I am asking Biden, Pelosi and democracy friendly media to amplify a version of this map ASAP.
Bust the Filibuster
Harry Reid first invoked the nuclear option November 2013, when the Democratic Senate Democratic used the procedure to eliminate the 60-vote rule for presidential nominations, other than nominations to the Supreme Court. In his honor, Democrats should unify to bust the Filibuster so that progress can be made for the American in our intentionally dysfunctional Congress.
Democrats should also know this. The right-wing base unified behind Trump because they felt ignored by both sides of Congress for years. Fly-over country was indeed ignored by Congress which has been functionally sold out to corporations since Reaganomics. Ask yourself this simple question. How is it that the billionaires and corporations who made most of the financial gains during the pandemic – while the working class struggled – still pay the least percentage of taxes to our government? This is evidence of corruption at work – and the citizens on both sides know it.
If Coingress (misspelled intentionally ) remains stalemated and dysfunctional in early 2022, it will create room for a new party to emerge. Vegas now says there is a 7% chance a third party could win the 2024 election. You can bet real money on it. Perhaps a new US labor party could be restarted here in the USA.
Busting the Filibuster is not new. Democrats did it first. Democrats should know if the GOP regains power they will bust the Filibuster to bust our democracy. How ridiculous that will be. Democrats would have created the tool and then allowed the enemies of democracy use said the tool they created to destroy the United States as we know it.
Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act or Use the 14th Amendment
The John Lewis Voting Rights Act is designed to set standards for fair elections that states cannot ignore national contests. We clearly need some form of regulation to ensure the midterms and the 2024 elections are fair and the results accepted by the American people at large. I hope they pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, but it’s going to require a united Democrat party and that is not how things are due to Manchin and Sinema.
The 14th Amendment was created after the Civil War exactly for times like these. I’m tired of hearing lawyers tell me “it has no enforcing mechanism built into it and so has no teeth”. Can I remind such wusses that the 2nd Amendment clearly states gun ownership is a right “in order to maintain a well-functioning militia”. The GOP does did let a few words stand in their way. They’ve essentially let teenagers carry AK-15’s and fire them into crowds. They sell that amendment to the hilt and ignore its enabling clause. And once they had their base behind the idea of gun rights as constitutional right, it became a reason to vote GOP. We can create memes that get citizens to vote too.
This is the 14th Amendment, verbatim:
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.
But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. …………….
But Donald Trump is not currently in Congress. He does not have to be voted out. And those secretary of state candidates who are Big Lie supporters and insurrection comforters are also disqualified by this constitutional amendment. Why on earth am I – a citizen with no real connection to government – the only one who sees the 14th Amendment for how it reads? Why does not out AG declare that those who support the Big Lie cannot run for office? Take that to the Supreme Court if need be. Because if it is okay to do that, then this place we call a democracy is doomed to fail. If we cannot pass new laws, we can use the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution to defend our elections.
And you know who respects the constitution the most? Trump’s base! So frankly, I think it’s better than the John Lewis Voting Rights Act ( John Lewis is not a hero to racists ) to defend democracy. Section 1 of the 14th states: No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States. Does someone want to tell me how making voting harder for select groups is not abridging a privilege of citizenship?
We will soon know if Congress, Joe Biden, Merritt Garland and our DOD are up to the task of defending democracy. If I see neither Donald Trump indicted nor voting rights protected by new laws or the 14th Amendment by Feb 15th , I will conclude the democrats are okay with the status quo. This citizen, who voted for Biden in 2020, will then be looking for new people to support in the midterms and beyond.
Odds We Lose The Democracy in 2024 are Posted in Vegas – sort of.
There is a 42% chance we lose the democracy in 2024 according to Vegas pollsters. Let that sink in. And since Vegas takes money on bets, they have this number more correctly than most politicians. That’s 3 out of 7. It’s like a we are in the World Series down to our last game and winner takes all. Of course, all Vegas is saying is the GOP has a 42% chance of winning the POTUS election in 2024. But come on. With this GOP – that would mean democracy has died here. And Trump is the favorite to be the 2024 candidate, still. A 42% chance of having Donald Trump be president again is what Garland is riskingby not being pro-active. That’s a gamble no American shoul dbe willing to take.
All That Changes If We Indict Trump Before Campaign Season
We need a war room. Our enemies have war rooms. They know they are fighting WW3 with cyber weapons – words and laws. Biden’s AG must indict Trump soon. Summer will be way too late. We have the power to stop this now, but that power will wane dramatically if we lose seats in the midterms. And the GOP are willing to cheat to win because the guy who is in charge of the GOP spent a liftetime cheating to win. He gets off on cheating to win. Trump would rather win by cheating than win fair and square. Fair and square seems dumb to Donny.
Let me end this rant with a link to an article I found yesterday online. Germany already learned their lesson about allowing hate speech. I fear we will have to lose all to learn that lesson – and then it will be too late. 42% is not good enough for me.
With readily available weapons that can wipe out all human life the planet – and a very real climate change problem which will need global cooperation to survive – the interspecies predator or prey meme has become a real threat to all humans.
Now look at the big picture. We have a planet divided into countries with two basic organizing methods. One way is autocracy. It’s been around for 8000 years, going back to city-states and Babylon. And then in 1776, a new way to govern evolved because a colony was sick and tired of autocracy and was willing to fight and stand up to it. It’s called democracy. It means the people rule. The people vote for representatives and the elected* take an oath to do their bidding. A lot of Americans died to protect the institution of free and fair elections. It’s both sacrilegious and treasonous for politicians to advocate that our elections are not fair without proforma indisputable evidence.
I fully realize that citizens have a right to voice their opinions. But politicians are not ordinary citizens. Politicians, for example, cannot sue people for voicing opinions against them owing to the “burning in effigy” laws. But the right to cast aspersions vs our government’s institutions, should not extend to public figures and media because the size of their audiences creates a theater in which shouting fire is downright dangerous. Jan 6 was such a theater. The 14th Amendment protects us from such politicians.
We all saw Donald Trump invite and incite a crowd to violence. I don’t understand why the people who rushed the Capitol and in jail, but their ringleader is free. Evidence hides the word video. We have seen. To me, the plausible deniability that Jan 6 was perhaps not an insurrection attempt, is like a bank having the video of a robbery that was not successful and saying, “let’s have a trial to see of what we see on tape actually happened”. The Jan 6 Committee should only be looking for who else ( besides the obvious instigators) was involved in planning this insurrection attempt.
It is also clear the autocrats of the world allied with the GOP in 2016. They had common ground. They both had motives to want to destroy democracy. The GOP knows changing demographics means they cannot win many fair elections any more. Candidate Donald Trump once said aloud, “what does it matter if I don’t win?” The GOP has adapted that stance.
So we have to do something about this now, as Americans – not partisans. Waiting for midterms is like saying “it was okay”. Admit it. Correct course.
It’s not as if we don’t have laws on the books to put the GOP who stand with insurrectionists out of Congress. Read the 14th Amendment, Section 3:
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
Radio host, Dean Obidallah told me the 14th is a paper tiger because the offending Congressmen must be removed by a 2/3 vote of Congress, and, of course, that will never happen. Agreed. But out of office, like Trump is now, can anyone explain why a person who comforted insurrectionists can still run for POTUS? It is clearly unconstitutional. If Americans could hear their DOJ say “Trump cannot run as per the 14th” that may be enough to start the Trumpism wrecking ball in motion.
I am suggesting that Joe Biden’s DOJ make a statement: Donald Trump cannot run for any political office again in accordance with the 14th Amendment. That also means he cannot raise money to run, or campaign for office. If he creates a rally, we will assume it is to campaign, and he will be arrested. Trump will sue. Big deal.
Donald Trump, having arranged a violent insurrection and certainly comforted those there calling them “wonderful people” can never run for any office again.
This announcement alone will cause the other POTUS hopefuls in the GOP to take a stance, and cause division in the GOP. I’m sure some of them will be relieved that the DOJ says Trump cannot run. I’m sure some will stand with him. That’s what the GOP needs. A shake up. They need to choose sides. Democracy or autocracy.
I get that we may be waiting for the full truth on Jan6 to come out. Maybe Trump will not be found to have caused the insurrection. But Donald Trump certainly comforted those who rushed the Capitol calling them “wonderful people”. That’s on tape. He cannot deny it. So we have enough to state he can never run for any office again. So we must say it or be complicit. The ripples of such an announcement alone has the power to end Trumpism.
First. Trump could not raise money to campaign and run again if he cannot be president. He could and should be arrested if he campaigns after the announcement. His rallies are in essence a way to recruit people to do violence.
Second. It will force the GOP to find another candidate and that will create a divide in the GOP. Maybe a few other GOP presidential hopefuls will agree that Trump cannot run. Maybe we can break up the “thick as thieves” alliance in the current GOP. That unholy alliance has been the real Trumpism from before Trump was a politician.
Third. Maybe some in the middle of the right wing will respect us for having aspine at last. They seem to have a penchant for strongmen. The last thing a Republican respects is a wuss. Let’s stop being wusses and see where it gets us. We could not possibly be doing worse that holding all three chambers and still being scared we are going to lose democracy.
Fourth. Re: all those Secretaries of States that want to run to upend future elections – if they have comforted insurrectionists or advocated for the Big Lie – they are also disqualified to serve via the 14th. It needs to be said – now.
I sure hope the Jan6 Commission gets down to business soon. But we cannot even wait for that to unfold. Trump has already crossed a red line stamped into our Constitution when he called a mob to the Capitol steps and incited many a domestic terrorist to act out. If there ever was a public enemy number one, it is Donald J Trump.
Finally, as you see the GOP following Trump in the Big Lie everywhere, we should be reminded that this is exactly what autocrats want. They want the institution of democracy itself to fail.
Saying that an election was rigged is an attack on our sacred institution of democracy. No one serving in Congress should be allowed to publicly voice that our American elections are rigged without hard evidence. And we have words in our constitution that echo that sentiment. So let’s not wait for 2022 to start protecting our democracy.
It’s not important who I am, but I am citizen Joseph Aronesty, an e-commerce pioneer, published linguist and songwriter. I sat in a class with Donny Trump in 1968 at Wharton. He cheated then too. I also worked in his orbit from 1986 to 2001 in New Jersey.
*Elected. My brand of etymology involves cutting words down to their basic parts and summing the meanings of the parts. E is “out of”. LEC is “word” , as in LECTURE or LEXICON. Election – from (written) words.
Postulate. If the whole truth on Jan6 comes out, the GOP is dead on the arrival of that truth. And the death of this Trumped version of the GOP solves many of our country’s dysfunctional ills. The current GOP knows all this. It’s why they voted against investigating the insurrection. It’s not only suspicious, it is an abject failure on the part of Congress to protect the people of this country from all enemies foreign and domestic.
We also do not want the Jan6 investigation to turn into another long-drawn-out impeachment trial concluding with no justice. My email to Joe Biden follows. But it’s for you too. We are all in this together is not just about the virus.
Joe. Time To Get In the War
Face the music. That is what your father’s generation would have said. The results of Pelosi’s Democratic committee investigation will not likely be acknowledged by the GOP. They voted against having an investigation because there’s nothing good that can come of it – for them.
What would be the GOP reaction if you said you wanted to swiftly expose the full truth behind Jan6for the purpose of national security? Don’t you think fighting fascism is as important as fighting the virus? Tell me how we will tackle climate change with self-dealing autocrats in power. We won’t. And that spells the end of the word as we know it.
There is no way the GOP can sell blocking or stalling the investigation to the American people. The announcement will make you the first cyber war-time president in the minds of the vast majority of Americans. Cyber war began here in 2016. We need a president who knows who our attackers are and reacts with the clear-eyed seriousness these times deserve. And just why you want to leave this to Nancy Pelosi seems to me to be a dereliction of your duty to protect this country. Sorry to put it so bluntly to one who I know cares as much as you do. But one more impeachment-like affair, concluding with no justice, and the democratic base may give just up on their government.
We already know the GOP will try their best to deny the results of an investigation. They will say it was partisan. To choke off that strategy we need to be one step ahead of it. To that end, I suggest the FBI and DOD military intel play a role in it’s swift execution as part of your Executive Order. They are both known nonpartisans. No one can say military intel did a fake news investigation. We already know what the GOP Congressmembers cell phone records will look like. Jan6 was an act of war on our own soil. It must be treated that way.
Joe Biden, the USA has been under an ongoing attack without bombs since 2016. The recent Russian hacks to our businesses and infrastructure were part of our enemies’ war efforts. It’s cyber war – words are weapons. An executive order to expose the whole truth on the insurrection will be viewed as a welcomed shot across the bow to Americans. And it will upset the enemies of democracy – at last. You said it’s democracy vs autocracy. It’s been that way since Russia if you’re listening. Start acting like you know it. You can say something like this:
Fellow Americans, The country experienced an attack on Jan. 6th, and it is my sworn duty to protect Americans from all enemies, foreign and domestic. I am commissioning the best this country has to find out what went down on Jan 6th, down to the text messages! I am calling on the FBI and Military Intelligence, long known to be our very best non-partisan professionals, the world’s best trained investigators, to be part of the force to get to the full truth on Jan6. They will work work together with Congressional House committee on this undertaking. I am asking them to work together and try and bring me a report back with warp speed. They will have my administration’s full support and access to any resources we can offer. America needs to know what happened on Jan6. It is a matter of national security. The investigation starts now. Full stop.
Postulate. Criminals just get more emboldened and creative when they think the coast is clear. Once they hearand see the military intelligence is getting involved, they’ll know the entire jig is up. Voter suppression may even stop. My guess is that there will be a lot of GOP scattering, disowning and retirements once they know truth is marching on.
Joe Biden: The GOP must be made to believe the full truth on Jan6 will come out in 30 to 60 days from sources that they cannot easily knock. They don’t seem to be afraid of Pelosi’s “committee”. Is she the acting commander-in-chief, sir?
Please do not be afraid of repealing the filibuster because you think the GOP will just do this to us. If we do this right, all the criminals in the GOP will be vanquished before the 2022 elections. We can make laws that keep criminals out of government. This current GOP does not come back if we do this right. And they will never leave if we don’t.
These are tactics the GOP would never expect from Democrats. How refreshing! Know that the current GOP would be happy to use these tactics on us should they regain power. And until we punish them, they will never stop.
There was an attack on our democratic process on Jan6 And it’s still going on because no one involved at the top has seen an iota of justice. Justice solves everything in this country – from racism and economic disparity to environmental issues. And this is easy to do now. By refusing to vote for an investigation the GOP have opened the door for us to do this 100% right. They made this easy for us and we don’t see that?
We have a president to make decisions in times of war. And this is war! This surprise announcement alone could even end Trumpism in the ten minutes it takes to deliver it. And I mean all of Trumpism, down to the Cyber Ninjas.
The GOP think we will never punch back. Heck, their own voters would respect us more if we fought for democracy than if we let the autocrats roll over us. Let’s stop being wusses. It’s why the base went for Trump. Playing hardball with the insurrectionists is a win-win.
Once we do this, the GOP gang will be weakened and scared, as they should be. Once we do this, we can get everything we want for the people. One brilliant Executive Order from our commander-in-chief does it. It took FDR years to get into the war. But the enemy was 3000 miles away then. We don’t have that time now. The enemy is here.
Plan to get Trump’s base to abandon the GOP.
The GOP base is clamoring for recounts. OFFER THEM A RECOUNT! The appropriate state official announces one CNBC NATIONALLY TELEVISED BIPARTISAN RECOUNT in a state of the GOP’s choosing. The announcement is all we need. It likely will never happen.
We can add this rule – or not: If nothing changes the outcome, any Congressperson who thereafter promotes the Big Lie – or that Biden is not legitimate – shall surrender his office or be prosecuted to inciting violence ( there is plenty of evidence of that ) to the general public.
Of course, the GOP in Congress know Trump lost. With or without the proviso, they won’t say yes to a fair televised recount. So, just making the request becomes a trap for them. Their base still thinks Trump won! They will clamor for the recount, thinking it will re-instate Trump. When the GOP says no to any recount that is televised, the base will know at last – they are being lied to. That’s when a decent percentage of them abandon the GOP. And after that – you won’t have many problems with Republicans in Congress. It’s like we will have cut Samson’s hair. Child psychology. Easier that new laws.
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Joseph Aronesty, classmate to Donny Trump. Penn 68. I did my homework.
previous post follows
Using the 14th Amendment to Protect Democracy
Why is no one speaking about the 14th Amendment? If good people heard about it on media, they would have a constitutional leg to base their grievances on. Hope is so important to keep alive.
US Constitution Amendment 14, Section 3
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.
When Donald Trump asked if he could meet with the Taliban at Camp David, he certainly did not want to talk them off their radical stances. But though that meeting did not happen, Trump found other terrorists he could inspire, right here in the USA, to do his dirty work – his MAGA base.
Now he is telling his base August is a time he will be re-instated. It’s an invitation for a summer of violence. (Should that even be legal? I think we can make it illegal. It sort of is already. Read on. )
Trump wants his base to act out in August, and he’ll be fine if there is violence. That’s what Flynn effectively said about Myanmar too. And let’s face it, the MAGA base is armed with many more guns and AR’s than the good people of this country who don’t define themselves by the number of guns they own. And they know that. It’s a recipe for disaster. Trumpism is no longer just a threat to democracy. Trumpism, the GOP and Donald Trump are threats to the lives of “we the people”.
The Constitution clearly says that insurrectionists and those that support them, shall not be in public office. We are in power now. If we don’t punish the insurrectionists that stormed the Capitol and those that encouraged, or “comforted” them, we dishonor those that died to protect America.
The 14th Amendment applies to federal and state government officials, judges and even the electors who are specifically mentioned therein for good cause. There are many GOP senators who should be given one last chance to publicly announce that Joe Biden is their president, or have their desks locked up by the Sergeant-of-Arms in the House and Senate. That would at least make it so they “shall not be congressmen” after having given comfort to the enemies of democracy.
Proper strategy is to escalate the January 6th investigation to the FBI and the military intelligence and reach some conclusions before Trump’s August date. The truth should be able to find light within 60 days. In physical war, we never have that much time. We need to treat this like war.
When we finger the higher up players that aided or comforted the mob, we can punish them like traitors. We will need to march the GOP involved from their desks to the House jail. The 14th says aiding or comforting insurrection is tantamount to being in the physical mob.
The insurrection investigation will identify our domestic enemies and give the unimplicated in the GOP one more chance to jump ship. Maybe they will. They need to see our strength.
AND ITS GOOD THE GOP KNOW THE MILITARY INTELLIGENCE IS ON OUR SIDE NOW IN TH INVESTIGATION. !! That’s a big hurdle for the criminal minds within our government. It’s why we should use some military intelligence for a Jan 6th investigation. . The military is a real threat to criminals. They can deal with politics, judges and courts. But military? It is the ultimate strongman. Biden should ask those with military intelligence experience to look into Jan 6th for that reason. It will scare the beJesus out of Trump’s allies. It might end Trumpism right there. I told you this was easier than we think. We just have to be smart – like Meier Lansky.
If we are not going to use the Constitution and the full power of the presidency to unseat the insurrectionists, we are running a very high risk of losing this country to autocracy in the next election cycle or two. I don’t know what the odds are, but it’s probably more than 25% right now that the GOP regain power. And if they could throw out Liz Cheney and “hang Mike Pence”, what do you think they will do to the Democrats in Congress if they regain power?
Allowing the enemies of this democracy onto the floor of the Congress is just stupid, especially now that the Dems have more power than they have had in twenty years. And there are enough words in the 14th for us to take or fake a stand. We can learn from the GOP too. Taking a stand engages the base.
What Dems don’t realize is this stand to unseat reps who have coddled insurrection will be popular with much of the GOP electorate. They must like rulers that seem a bit authoritarian, or they would not have supported Trump. What they respect the least is what we used to call wusses. Let’s not be wusses.
Make no mistake. If the GOP gets back in power it spells the end of this leg of the American democracy. Everything is on the line here, including the future of humanity. Time to get serious Dems. Unseat those congressmen who gave inspiration or comfort to the insurrectionists, now. Both sides of the electorate will thank you for it.
We can’t expect Congress to be the heroes here. Congress is infected. The cancer of Trumpism has metastasized to those in the Congress. Manchin won’t even protect voting rights.
The 14th amendment was created in 1866 to protect the country against what we are seeing right now. It’s like they knew it would happen this way. This is quoted.
The 14th Amendment, Section 1.
No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States;
Call out states that abridge citizen voting privileges for unconstitutional acts – and financially sanction those states for violating their charter. Do it without hurting the people in the states. We may have to pay them directly, so they know where its coming from and why the state is not in charge any longer.
The pushback against Trumpism will be up to four main groups. Our military intelligence,the justice department, the media and we the people.
Remember, the dodo bird went extinct because it could not recognize its enemies.
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Below are links to other relevant posts.
“Cyber” is the New Way to War and Putin is Cyber Warfare’s First Master We have been in a cyber civil war since Russia, if you’re listening. Putin was the aggressor. He enrolled Donald Trump, who was perhaps unwitting – but maybe not. The infighting has cost the USA trillions in lost potential. The first civil war only lasted four years. To end the war, we must first collectively see we are in a very non-productive war. Ironically, the news industry benefits from a war of words. It used to be the weapon makers.
America has devolved into an armed war camp, a state we used regard with pity when observed in other countries. It is time to take steps the first steps to end America’s armed standoff. Please note that neither mass shootings nor police violence happen as frequently in any other first world country. We have seen forty-five mass shootings and several unnecessary police killings in the last 30 days. It begs the question: is the United States a first-world country anymore?
The way I see it, police violence and citizen’s gun violence are two sides of same coin. That coin is lethal weapons in the hands of scared and/or unhinged humans.
The cycle of violence starts with citizen vs. citizen crimes. Those crimes instruct a nation to create a force to protect its citizens. That force needed must exceed the force in the hands of the criminals.
In the United States, there are now more guns than citizens and that includes children and infants. The US is the only country on earth with that sad statistic and no large country stats are even close. And most Americans realize this is not a good problem to have. In Japan, a densely populated modern country, there is only one gun per three hundred citizens.
In the USA, police are rightly afraid of its citizens. So for those who say we have a police violence versus people of color problem, while I won’t disagree, the problem begins and is compounded because police don’t know what Americans have unlicensed guns any more. Yes, police are often a bit trigger happy, but it’s largely because they are rightfully afraid for their own lives. That fear is higher where police patrol people they don’t know and live among. It certainly makes the case for police looking more like the people they patrol. It is worth noting that in England, where there is one gun per 22 citizens, regular officers only carry Tasers and batons.
Police will always use the “I was scared for my life” excuse, when they cross the line that separates policing and murder, even if they were not. This is never going to change. It’s natural to fear lethal force. Reducing arms in the hands of citizens, and the mortal fear on the policing side will follow. That is natural too.
Since police are only needed because citizens pose dangers to other citizens, we must start with lowering the number of guns in the hands the free radicals in our citizenry. The chart above seems to indicate a reduction of arms by 70% would put the United States in line with countries like Germany.
We know the GOP congressmen always side with the NRA. If Sandy Hook couldn’t bend their cold souls, nothing will. But they are ignoring the will of their constituents now and their constituents know it. There are voting cycles every two years. The constituency of GOP congressmen is one target to educate.
I do not buy the “work with the other side” meme. The other side is now a criminal organization selling Americans out for profit. They don’t work for the American people. They work for themselves the way their leader, Donald Trump, did. The trick for the Biden Administration will be to not come off like they’re coming for our guns. That is just too easy a meme for the GOP to exploit
Licensing All Guns and Gun Holders
Aside from automatic weapons, which should all be bought back immediately, every other gun or rifle should only be in the hands of licensed gun holders. Every car is assigned to a licensed driver. We can certainly do the same for machines designed to kill people. We should know where very gun is. A national gun registry is a necessity now for the public’s welfare. We cannot let interpretations of the Constitution’s Second Amendment stand in the way of the public good, or we will descend further into darkness. After all, the Constitution was written to make life better for Americans.
Most of all Americans support bans on high-capacity magazines, assault-style weapon buybacks and bans, background checks, removal of loopholes and common-sense gun solutions. The resistance to common sense gun violence solutions comes primarily from gun makers, their paid lobbyists, GOP congressmen, and the few citizens who like things the way they are for their own selfish reasons. Their profits, amusements and nefarious plans are not worth more than our lives.
We license cars and drivers. Passing one’s driver’s test has become a rite of passage into adulthood these days. I suggest we follow that model for gun owners, focusing on training, mental health, and the social media posts of applicants. The idea of owning a gun as a right must be replaced with the idea that gun ownership is a privilege to be earned. Being a licensed gun owner should be something one can be proud of again. Licensing gun holders will create the method to review the stability, maturity, and the motives of gun holders. In for no other reason, focus on the innocent children that would be alive today had we taken these steps long ago.
We can and will continue the push to have them voted out in 2022. But I think we have a path to act faster than that. Brian Kemp, Governor of Georgia, arrested the black Congresswoman, Park Cannon, for knocking on his door while he was signing a voter suppression bill. Why are we not arresting GOP congressmen? We have more cause than knocking on a door. Those that support the Big Lie are in direct violation to the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. And that discussion follows here:
From “Russia, if you’re listening” in 2016 to “the election was a fraud” in 2020, Donald Trump incessantly lied to the American people, aligned with its enemies and abused the powers the framers gave to the US president. And we permitted all this to go on, as if it were all fine and dandy.
But the attack on the Capitol on Jan 6th showed all Americans there was a dangerous cliff we were headed for. In many ways, the visible ugliness of the insurrection was a blessing. The allegory of catching a cancer before its too late to cure comes to mind.
How Do We End The Cyber Civil War?
Fellow Americans on both sides of whatever divide you think exists: the cyber civil war we have been engaged in for forty years cannot continue if this country is to survive as a democracy.
The John Lewis Voting Act
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act establishes a targeted process for reviewing voting changes in jurisdictions nationwide, focused on measures that have historically been used to discriminate against voters.
Less than a month into Joe Biden’s administration, it’s still clear that no matter how well Biden does vs. Covid and in matters of international relations, the GOP will not magically become a caring patriotic party. The new proposed voting restrictions in Georgia, coupled with 150 more such new anti-democratic voting laws that target people of color, reveals the GOP’s true heart. The 14th Amendment makes it clear that elected official who took part in or supported the insurrection, should not be allowed to run for office nor be a part of Congress. That’s the same basic mistake we made when we let Trump say grab ’em by the p*ssy – and still run for office. It’s terrible judgment folks.
We Need a Trump Ex-President’s Law 2021
Let me propose that a president who loses an election may ask courts to verify the accuracy of the election or contest it. However, once the vote is certified and his legal efforts have been exhausted, we need a law that a losing president can no longer decry or vocalize on the air or in media that the election was stolen, or otherwise rigged. We must draw the line on free speech, when that free speech creates a threat to the safety of commonwealth. We must treat such rhetoric the same way we would if it had come from a Taliban recruiter. It is actually much more dangerous than Taliban lies, because lies are more contagious when they come from an American. Yes, it’s sort of like a virus. The conatagion rate is a huge factor.
Refusing to surrender a verified, court challenged and settled election must be deemed an attack on our democratic process. Incendiary speech from an ex-president will also do much more damage than the same rhetoric coming from an average US citizen. The size of an ex-presidents audience means the punishment for incitement should be greater (not less) for an ex-president than for a person without said large base. As we are a nation of laws, incitement must be forbidden by laws with steep penalties for violation. Frankly it is treason, and treason laws and penalties should apply.
We have seen what words can do to motivate a mob, and we cannot trust that others will not do the same. Indeed, without a law to forbid incitement, it may become the norm for losing presidents.
We have for too long permitted the letter of our laws to violate the spirit and proper functions of our laws and institutions. This is exactly what Russia and other foes of democracy want. . Listen to Putin’s revealing Sochi interview with CBS (YouTube).
Goebbels said: The biggest joke of democracy is that it lets its enemies gain access to the power needed to destroy it.This is not new . This is what Putin spoke of in that interview – “using our laws to defeat us”. These are the real enemies of democracy – not the liberal left or the MAGA right – not any regular American people. The divide was created by democracies enemies, foreign and domestic.
Big business and despotic autocrats both want democracy to fail for their own separate reasons. Big business doesn’t want their workers to be able to be paid too well. They want to keep them needy. Sad, but true! Autocracies want their people to think no one does better anywhere in the world. So they certainly don’t want Americans focused and prepared to take on the challenges of modern life, as their people will see that and want the same.
In 2016, those two anti-democratic forces -big business and foreign autocrats – discovered they had similar goals and aligned behind candidate Trump at the GOP convention. The union of a known enemy like Putin’s Russia and an American political party must be viewed by the new administration both as an act of cyber war by Russia and an act of treason by the GOP players involved, including Donald Trump. The GOP could have stopped all this at “Russia, if you’re listening” but indeed they were in the game. It’s the only thing that makes sense.
Our Constitution and the laws of business and civil engagement recognize that criminal acts that masquerade as legal acts, are still crimes. A contract to commit a crime is not even valid. It must be this way or we lose the rule of law that supports all democracies. This is poli-sci 101. It’s not complicated.
Pardons granted for silence, favors or money are all forms of bribery are also crimes. Such pardons therefore cannot be valid. It is crucial to highlight that money is not the only way to pay for a bribe. Lying under oath to protect the pardoner is a form of payment and therefore a bribe. Both the briber and the bribee are guilty.
If we allow these crimes to go unpunished, lightly punished or forgiven the enemies of democracy will have no reason to stay away next election cycle. They only need to succeed once to end democracy. And Trump won’t even wait 24 hours to start campaigning and dividing us again.
Trump has already allowed the Russians to hack our defenses and pay bounties to kill our sons. A majority of Americans now believe Trump has been working against American interests. And even if it is just his own ego that’s driving him, his ego is our enemy because it does not actually revere the oath of office a POTUS takes to faithfully uphold and execute the laws and Constitution of the United States.
If it were not for the cover of his title, Donald Trump would not only be Individual #1 , he would be Public Enemy #1. Trump’s uncaring incompetence has already killed 1000x more Americans than Bin Laden’s airplane bombs.
You don’t beat a cancer by getting rid of most of it. Right now, there are reasons to lay low about what we will do to investigate and charge Donald Trump and others for crimes vs our commonwealth, at least until the Democrats and Joe Biden ascend to power on Jan 20th. The USA is a tinderbox and needs a cooling off period. It’s fortunate the transfer of power occurs in the dead of winter.
But I hope right now our new administrators recognize the real and pressing need to see to it that criminals no longer view the US government as fertile ground for profiting from power and then hiding their financial crimes. And I hope they are secretly and quietly planning how they will exact justice for the criminals that occupy the Washington DC swamp. More than anything single task, we need to get the crooks our of government.
One thing we can start talking about right now is up-to-date federal presidential candidate vetting requirements, which should include mandated financial disclosures to qualify to even campaign for POTUS. It was the campaigning and MAGA rallies that were the root source of Trump’s power. Trump will not willingly show his taxes. Had we demanded his taxes in 2016, he never would have run. We have paid a high price for our collective stupidity. We cannot afford to be stupid anymore.
The GOP should be okay with mandated tax disclosures. They should soon be looking for an easy way to say goodbye to Donald Trump. Yes, we see many have not figured this out yet. But they will. The insurrectionist route is untenable.
We need to make New Year’s resolutions for our government. Democracy’s enemies are counting on us letting them exploit the gaps in the letter of our laws. These are four 2021 resolutions I would like to see our government make and keep.
Financial disclosures mandated for all candidates for federal office. 2. Outlaw Gerrymandering. It runs counter to the democratic principles of equal representation and one person, one vote. 3. Electoral college reform. Some sort of population-driven compromise between the electoral college system and simply counting every vote to choose our POTUS should be agreed upon. If it can’t be agreed upon, do away with the electoral college. It was rooted in racism anyway. 4. Court reform to unpack or rebalance the judicial branch to be more representative of the attitudes and wishes of the majority of Americans.
The list could be much longer. But if we start by focusing on getting rid of the crooks and cracks in our government, better days will follow soon after.
America invented modern democracy when it through off the yoke of authoritarianism in 1776. The human species is in trouble now and the best hope for long time survival is collective effort. The PERSEVERANCE MARS PROBE is a great example of the potential of collective effort.
But authoritarians are in politics for themselves and they don’t want the majority in charge. They want to be in charge – usually for self-serving reasons. There is a global struggle for which system of government -democracy or autocracy – will persevere. Right now, there is more land ruled by dictators than democracies. If the USA swings to the right, undoing its democracy, the world’s governing balance will be critically wounded, the dictators will be able to seize the remaining democracies by military means and the species’ fate will be doomed.
An incumbent presidential candidate has the right to stoke hatred and divide the people of the United States if he deems it’s his best path to win an election. We even permit candidates lie to the public. And an acting president is protected by the “president cannot be arrested for anything” guideline even though that was certainly not the founders’ intention. Remember, they were throwing off the yoke of a dictator king.
However, anything action, speech or plan that our FBI would deem to be grounds for arrest if done by a domestic or foreign terrorist should be handled the same way if done by an ex-president. No man is above the law must rule.
Donald Trump said he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose any support. He’s done 300,000 times worse than shooting a person of Fifth Avenue. And I guess he was right. He didn’t lose that much support. Forty days after the election, 75% of his voters still think he won.
But after January 20th, will we still allow Citizen Trump to break the law? If he continues to stoke hatred and radicalize American citizens, putting us all in danger, should not those actions be prosecuted just as if they were done by Bin Laden? Remember, Bin Laden did not fly a plane into the World Trade Center; he masterminded it.
Trump’s radicalized base members planned to kill Michigan Governor, Gretchen Whitmer. It was a direct consequence of Trump’s words. We arrest and jail people when they pose an ongoing danger. If Trump continues to divide Americans after January 21st, why would we treat him differently than anyone else who put our citizens in danger?
I went to school with Donald Trump and knew him from Atlantic City for 14 years. Early in his presidency, I rooted for him to evolve. But it was not in his nature. Now, I wish Trump would wise up and get out of politics. He’s got plenty to do with hoteling and branding. He should count his blessings and turn over a new leaf. But as of today, it looks like he is intent on trying to hold on to his base. He’s found a way to monetizing grievance politics. Trump’s not going to give that up. Money is too important to him. Shame.
It’s easy to estimate the size of Trump’s support base. Trump’s base is the 75% of Republican voters who still believe him when he says he won the election. He won about 48% of the popular vote, so 36% of the voting public is still behind Donald Trump. It’s not enough to win a mandate, but it’s still a daunting majority of Republican voters. That’s going to be a problem for the GOP in 2021.
If the GOP is to survive, a different person must emerge as its leader. Who in the GOP is poised to take those those 36% of voters away from Donald Trump? The sycophants that could not stand up to Trump for four years will rightly remain cowards in the eyes of all Americans. Americans have often voted for inept presidents, but they have never once knowingly voted for a coward.
Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, Mike Pence, Marco Rubio can all forget being then new GOP leader. Mitt Romney has lost once too often. Liz Cheney currently has the best chance to redefine and unify the GOP, but that would only be after Trump announces he is retiring from politics, the way all our ex-presidents have done. So if Trump does not get out of the way, he’ll be a threat to the survival of the Republican Party as well as to our national security.
If Donald Trump does not announce he is retiring from politics by January 20th, it’s critical that the Biden AG immediately start prosecuting him for as much as we legally can. We only allow one person to act as president at a time in America. We can and should arrest him at the first post-presidential divisive tweet or rally and charge him with the same crimes we charge terrorists who attempt to radicalize Americans. Liz Cheney should be fine with that too.
We put people behind bars because they are a danger to the public. If Donald Trump does not retire from politics on January 20th, tell me who will not be better off with Citizen Trump behind bars – except Donald Trump?
THE ENGLISH CODE 