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  • Posted by $ 2 years, 3 months ago
    The Congress had no authority to set up that Jan 6 committee. After 8 hearings and a thousand witnesses, they have found nothing against Trump. No evidence has been submitted that he was planning an 'insurrection'. This whole thing and holding people prisoners was illegal.
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    • Posted by DrZarkov99 2 years, 3 months ago
      The dodge they're playing is to declare the committee hearings are not a trial, and that all they can do is to forward any information that might have legal consequences to the justice department, like any common citizen can. Holding people prisoner without charges for an unreasonably extended time is a clear violation of their 5th amendment rights, but that was an action of the Capitol Police, not Congress.

      The whole thing is a show that they hoped to transition into a star chamber, a kind of grand jury to set up legal action against Trump, but any real action would have to come from the DoJ. Even if the result of the committee hearings is zero legal charge against the former President, the goal is to further taint his public image and possibly cripple his chance to regain the presidency.

      If no real legal charge of consequence comes from the Jan 6 hearings, the participants of both parties should be hammered when they seek reelection for the enormous waste of taxpayer dollars. This sham, which includes testimony from so called "witnesses" spinning fabricated tales based on hearsay of hearsay (which were discredited by the supposed original sources), and supposed psychological "experts" who declared they knew what Trump's intent, thinking, and purpose was, even though they could provide no tangible evidence, is strictly aimed at a portion of the public that has forgotten how to think for themselves.

      As outrageous as this tragicomedy has been, there are far more serious dangers to the republic, such as the deliberate destruction of the economy and the demasculinizing of our military. There are warnings coming from our military logistical centers that the flood of weapons to Ukraine may make it impossible for us to respond to anything that requires direct American force, with our munitions reserves depleted. I'm sure China is weighing its chances in a move against Taiwan that will be relying on a toothless US force.
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  • Posted by mhubb 2 years, 3 months ago
    i'd say these show trials are close to being a Bill of Attainder
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    • Posted by $ blarman 2 years, 3 months ago
      Excellent point. Sure seems fitting to be applied to that grandmother who was sent to Federal prison even while undergoing cancer treatment. Her only "crime" was being sheltered by an officer who picked her up off the ground to prevent her from being trampled after being carried inside by the press of the crowd.
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      • Posted by bobbitchen34 2 years, 3 months ago
        What about Steve Bannon's trial for contempt of Congress? An example of
        2 tiered specificity.
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        • Posted by $ blarman 2 years, 3 months ago
          There its a little more murky. The Constitution is devoid of mention of Congressional subpoena powers. In my opinion, Congress should have the power to subpoena government employees to testify before them regarding items over which Congress has specific oversight. In addition, Congress should be able to call experts to testify before committees on public policy matters, but without subpoena power.

          The kicker in Bannon's case is that the premise regarding Trump and his "role" in Jan 6 was false to begin with even if Bannon's communications weren't covered by Executive Privilege - which they probably should have been. They took that one to Court and the Judge ruled that Bannon wasn't protected by Executive Privilege - primarily because he wasn't a member of the Cabinet or an official Advisor to the President at the time.

          It's a pretty nebulous area where the specifics of the situation matter tremendously. Bannon's second defense - the one that probably should have been persuasive to an impartial judge - was that the proceedings he was being called to testify about had already been investigated by the Justice Department and FBI and were found to be without merit. That should have squashed this entire Committee and any subpoenas in the first place. Now, Bannon will have to serve time in the Big House hoping that Trump gets elected and can issue an official pardon down the road.

          To your point, everything about the Jan 6 hearings is duplicitous and of the most partisan nature. As has been pointed out, the riots carried out by BLM, Antifa, and other groups were far more serious and damaging yet we have yet to see Federal prosecutions of those perpetrators. One also notes that the sentences being handed out for Jan 6 infractions are grossly disproportionate to the actual misdemeanors (trespassing, parading) they were convicted of. I can only hope that the November Elections result in a change in the Speakership and that the next Speaker releases all 13,000 hours of footage to the public, which will probably result in the overturning of every one of those "convictions."
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          • Posted by mccannon01 2 years, 3 months ago
            If the Republicans sweep the House and Senate they should do exactly as you say AND make it impossible for future con-gress critters from performing such trials ever again. I don't think they have the moxie for such a thing. All the left has to do is go on a name calling spree (Racist! Homophobe! Meany!) and they will cave.
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            • Posted by $ blarman 2 years, 3 months ago
              It is interesting to look at the history of each party. It used to be that there were actually FOUR political parties - two inside each of the main Republican and Democrat Parties. Within the Republican party were two sub-parties: one which favored subsidies for big business (including the war industries) and government intervention in the economy (big government) while the other favored laissez-faire capitalism and smaller government. Both were fairly conservative on social matters (abortion, gay marriage, religion, etc.).

              On the Democrat side, you also had two primary sub-parties: one which is better termed Progressives and the other which were Blue Dogs, i.e. Libertarians. Both were fairly leftist on social matters but the Blue Dogs were far more in line with the conservative Republicans (hearkening back to true roots in Thomas Jefferson) and favored a more restricted government.

              In the late 80's and early 90's, however, the Democrats turned sharply left and ostracized the Blue Dogs from the party, leaving only the leftists and Progressives. They have now so solidified around that core that it is pretty safe to conclude that anyone identifying as a Democrat is a Marxist. (I will admit that Sinema (AZ) and Manchin (WV) are trying hard to resurrect the Blue Dogs, but they are the exceptions: Democrats winning office in traditionally Red States.

              The Republicans, however, made a critical tactical blunder during this time: they tried to accept these cast-offs without forcing them to adopt their principles. Anyone in Marketing will tell you that brand dilution is a killer - and that is precisely what has happened to the Republican Party: they stand for so little that they effectively stand for nothing at all. There still remain two factions within the Republican Party; the so-called House Freedom Caucus (which tends to be the more conservative brand of Republican) and everyone else - the more moderate "big business" corporatists and squishy politicians affectionately known as RINO's. It is because of these - and the modern Democrats' own penchant for deceit and fabrication - that gets all Republicans denigrated by association.

              That's why I want more than one party. I want a Libertarian Party. I want a Green Party. I want a Constitutional Party. I want a Marxist Party. I want some return to honesty in politics. With Democrats openly embracing Marxism/Progressivism anyway, they might as well own up to it.
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              • Posted by mccannon01 2 years, 3 months ago
                Thank you for the thoughtful reply. I agree with much you have to say, but don't think we will ever see a truly honest multiparty system in the USA ever again. IMHO, we are evolving into a single party system that is Marxist totalitarian in nature.

                "They have now so solidified around that core that it is pretty safe to conclude that anyone identifying as a Democrat is a Marxist." True. That is why I refer to the Democrat party as Neo Communist. I see the Republicans as giving lip service to something else, but are slowly assimilating Borg-like with the Neo Communists. Trump, even if imperfect, was a speed bump on America's journey on the highway to hell. He was virtually universally hated by Democrats and many Republicans alike. I think this next mid term election will tell us a lot. Even if there is massive fraud we will get a view of what the people think, in spite of what I believe will be a continuation of assimilation into "the Borg" only with a few different faces in DC. The Trump presidency was a death throw of what's left of Free America and life support is not looking too good at this point even if he runs and gets re-elected. We'll see.
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  • Posted by GaryL 2 years, 3 months ago
    Judges, The more educated they are the less educated they appear. When did we start allowing judges to rule by their political ideology rather than by the laws as written?
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  • Posted by Dobrien 2 years, 3 months ago
    Nan , everything that these demonic infiltrators who are beholden to foriegn control is against the constitution. Censorship was big tech , gun control efforts , spying on political opponents , stealing elections….and on ….. ando……. It is the enemies playbook. We will not lose the republic, many will fight to their last drop of blood.
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  • Posted by Orwellian 2 years, 3 months ago
    The DOJ, FBI, CIA and several other alphabet agencies suffer from malfeasance from the top officials. These non political agencies are now as corrupt as the worst politicians. Draining that swamp has turned out to be a Herculean task that may be more than the Republic and muster.
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  • Posted by $ blarman 2 years, 3 months ago
    Things are definitely coming to a head - and very soon. While I don't wish for another Civil War, unless the World wakes up and resists the tyranny of the elites, we will have no choices other than to submit or fight.
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  • Posted by LibertyBelle 2 years, 3 months ago
    As far as I recall, Trump never told the people to riot or fight physically when they went to protest on 6 January. So I don't think he was guilty of "incitement to riot".
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  • Posted by $ jdg 2 years, 3 months ago
    The Committee is indeed unconstitutional since it does not serve the purpose of informing proposed legislation. But each house of Congress controls its own proceedings (Article I, section 5, paragraph 2). That's why no court is going to interfere. I expect the unconstitutional hearings to be remedied next January, when the next, Republican controlled, Congress takes office and forms a committee to investigate its predecessor. Big Media won't cover that process fairly, but podcasts will.

    More important is freeing the political prisoners who were arrested either at the Capitol protests or afterward. The present DOJ is violating the constitution in holding them so long without trial; but that will go on until a new president can at least give new orders to DOJ; and quite likely he'll have to thoroughly purge that bureaucracy, as he should have done in his first term.
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  • Posted by RonC 2 years, 3 months ago
    The first question is who would have standing? The only person's harmed are trump and Navarro and neither has brought a case.

    Like all things that have the Clinton smell, it doesn't have to be true, it just needs to be timely. So they make lots of noise in hopes of saving the midterms.

    If the justice department should find and pursue a criminal charge, the next question is did the evidence come from the poisoned tree of congress.

    In my mind the next president needs to fire the entire top teir of justice fbi, Cia, and nsa maybe irs. The weaponising of agencies against citizens is not only unconstitutional but it also immoral. It's an easy slope to go down when government denies the religious beginning of our country.
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  • Posted by j_IR1776wg 2 years, 3 months ago
    During 'Nam a woman wrote a column titled "What if they gave a war and no one came? Ditto here "What if they gave a Constitution and no one read it, understood it, or obeyed it?
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  • Posted by lkparkerjr 2 years, 3 months ago
    We have lost our Republic as we know it and it is our fault.
    -- We have not recognized that we are dealing with the pure Power our Forefathers warned against. Instead of fighting Evil with the same level of aggression, resilience, and courage as the Greatest Generation in WWII -- WE TURNED THE OTHER CHEEK AND FOCUSED OUR SPARE TIME ON SPORTS, HOLLYWOOD, FACEBOOK, & TWITTER.
    -- ARE YOU READY TO PULL THE GLOVES OFF YET?
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