Moby Don
Call me Jack. Some years ago-never mind how many, being neither the fortunate son, nor the heir to privilege, I thought I would set a course for the mastery of laws.
“The men and women of the United States intelligence community and our armed forces dedicate their lives to protecting our nation, and its people. Our laws that protect national defense information are critical to the safety and security of the United States, and they must be enforced. Violations of those laws put our country at risk. Adherence to the rule of law is a bedrock principle of the Department of Justice, and our nation’s commitment to the rule of law sets an example for the world. We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone…” — John L. Smith
“There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish nearly the same feelings toward the ocean with me…”— Ishmael, “Moby Dick” by Herman Melville
It was the devious cruising Columbia that in her retracing search after her missing rule of law, found only another orphan.
06/10/2023 @ 11:16 am
I absolutely loved seeing him, and hearing his voice for the first time. No drama, just force, and weight.
06/10/2023 @ 12:11 pm
I liked the style of his comments. It felt a little like waking up from a bad dream. I had begun to wonder if I had gotten the wrong idea about America altogether. Mr. Smith reinforced the view that I had been taught about American principles.
This conflict, The United States v. Donald Trump may be just another skirmish in a long series of clashes of culture. Smith comes from ordinary stock. Trump does too, but he is an adherent to the right of decadent privilege. He seeks to grab and hold everything from nuclear secrets to the mons pubis. He offends the institutions of our common security as well as our common dignity.
John L. Smith is made of different stuff. Hearing him say that “we have one set of laws and they apply to everyone” fills my sails more than any national anthem or firework display. It is more meaningful than any static display of the Ten Commandments in a public school or classroom. It is the greatness that America has never fully achieved, and whose tardiness in that effort runs the risk of losing the course.
06/10/2023 @ 12:47 pm
“John L. Smith is made of different stuff. Hearing him say that “we have one set of laws and they apply to everyone” fills my sails more than any national anthem or firework display.”
Me too. I also liked how he led by speaking of the people who work for the intelligence community and the military who give their lives to protect us, that what Trump did compromises and endangers them, before he went into the indictment.
Bitey there’s someone I follow on twitter who posts anonymously and has a gigantic following of known politicos who comment and retweet him. He’s a former White House staffer, working in some area that involves security, military or NSA. Almost everything he has ever posted turns out to be true, sometimes months later, sometimes the next day. When everyone was saying that Garland was either doing nothing, or dragging his heels, this person said quite firmly that he was not, and to wait. He’s saying now that the inevitable noisy angry scary GOP response will not affect the severity of these charges. I’m going to try and listen to his advice, he’s been so often right.
Attaching a screen shot of his avatar in case you want to follow too. He explains the codes in the individual indictment charges really well. Over 400 years in possible sentences. I’d be happy with three.
06/10/2023 @ 1:13 pm
That “Angry Staffer” sounds like an excellent recommendation. Sadly, I quit Twitter some time last year. I had my face an my avatar, and some dude who didn’t like my point of view said, “you’re fat”. Rather than to argue that, or sink to that level, I thought, Twitter just isn’t for me. Musk had started his destruction of the platform, and I thought it would be gone by now.
As for AS’s comment that “they’re losing and they know it”, I have noticed that too. The easy way to tell is when the content of their objection has really nothing to do with the issue. I turned on Fox News yesterday to see how they were dealing with it, and they went directly to President Biden and Hunter. Then today, I saw MTG say that “the opposition doesn’t us to have our choices…” Yes, Marge, we oppose them. That’s why we are the “opposition”. And, just like Fox, she makes no mention of Trump’s position with regard to the illegal acts. All Trump had to do was to not do the illegal acts, or at a minimum, make the requested corrections when asked. Somehow “the opposition” made Trump do all of his deeds and not heed warnings. That argument screams, we are losing.
06/10/2023 @ 2:07 pm
Ditto quitting twitter–I resigned the day after Musk took over. But I still check several journalist accounts, a lawyer (Laurence Tribe), and Angry, because I’ve learned so much stuff that doesn’t make the media, yet turns out to be true. Angry has a patreon acct and does a twitter AMA every Friday night, where he spills a lot of tea, most comes to pass. One of my favorite things is when he re-tweets big developments, he adds sets of eye emoji, and there’d never been more than four sets, until they called Walt Nauta in for a grand jury chat, and he posted five sets of eyes for the first time. He also says that this case involves many more docs than the indictment lists. Some are too sensitive to reveal, also there are so many, that they don’t need all of them to make their case He doesn’t know if more will come out, but is certain that there is more than we got at present.
P.S. he believes Meadows flipped way back, and notice how we have heard zero about him for awhile? I love Angry 🙂
06/10/2023 @ 2:27 pm
Yeah, re: Meadows, it was pretty clear that he flipped a long time ago. I don’t mean to sound like a know-it-all. I am certainly not, but following the news, you could see the pressure on Meadows ramp up, and then disappear. Also, Meadows refused to cooperate with the House subpoena, and changed gears from handing over texts, to not handing any over. Then it went quiet. It was then that I assumed that he cooperated. I also assume that we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg for the reasons that you stated.
Finally, I think this whole thing concludes with only two possibilities. (Acquittal is not one of them). Trump either goes to trial and gets hammered, because the defense and intelligence apparatus must have it that way to survive, or Trump makes a deal to reduce his inevitable penalties.
I eliminate the possibility for acquittal based upon how DoJ normally goes to trial, and based on the seriousness less of the charges…over and above the mountains of evidence against Trump. A government that doesn’t win this case can’t survive. America’s power in the world will drain away if it can’t defend itself against espionage from within.
06/10/2023 @ 3:46 pm
I hope you are right re:aquittal. We’ve become Pavlovian dogs to expect nothing will ever stick. Whenever he does lose a case, he pays some damages, then enjoys another diet coke.
I’m concerned that his judge Aileen Cannon will slow walk the trial until after the election. She accepted the case without recusing. Apparently the DOJ can make a move to recuse, but that eats up more time. There are two remaining indictment possibilities, J6 and GA (maybe we’ll get to hear from Meadows again!) and insider voices sound fairly certain both will happen. We’ve waited for such a long time. We can wait longer.
Something I feel ultra aware of is that this is Big History, and we’re living it. I was 18 when Nixon resigned, and remember sitting with my roommate watching his speech on television, knowing in the moment that it was something that would be referenced our whole lives. This Trump thing makes that looks like a dainty tea waltz.
06/10/2023 @ 7:43 pm
This is indeed “big history”. Democracy either comes through it stronger or in deep trouble. Unfortunately, Judge Whatsernutz wasn’t alive during Tricky Dick’s last trick. She already sees Trump differently. I wish I had a good guess about how she’ll act, but I don’t. She’s been shockingly horrible already. That said, if the United States gives anyone a pass on espionage this severe, well, that’s a new one on Ol’ Bill.
06/11/2023 @ 9:39 am
That blows my mind too, how far we’ve come on this crazy road.
I’m an old hippie, lived in a tipi for a year, protested the war, smoked stuff, illustrated my kitchen walls, patched my jeans, ate vegetables….pretty much the stereotype. We believed we could change the government, stop war, save the earth, gain equal rights for women and everybody, feed people, etc etc etc. It was a hard lesson, recognizing that we’d weren’t able to do those things. Yet now, white christian extremists, authoritarians, criminals and gun nuts *are* actually changing the government, doing what we aspired to do, only in the polar opposite direction. I’m terrified of a second Trump presidency. Canada is only about five hours away, but we can’t all go there. Voting looks like all we got.
06/10/2023 @ 6:53 pm
You should be our UN Ambassador, Bitey. I was almost opaque here in Delano’s Rustbelt messaging the Jerusalem Post’s article: {…} ‘Iran claims technological leap with new hypersonic missile amid {…}’ 55 years and 96 hours now lightspeed beyond RFK’s brutal assassination, and just the other day the murder of MLK. For sure the visibility from our Statue of Liberty eye-stinging haze. Your repartee herewith Suzanne gosh-darnit-nit-nit is best defined as our heavenly cause. That dystopian evil-doers coin toss insouciant penultimate perpetuities compels me to bench press body weight and pray aloud. Peace and plentitude ought not be paranormal noir over the hill. Liberty and Justice for y’all! FREEDOM☮FReEEEEeDOM⏰
(dark)
9SUNLIGHT✊
06/10/2023 @ 7:45 pm
Thanks JP, but every day I live, the less I feel I understand about this country. We’re in serious enough trouble as it is.
06/11/2023 @ 9:22 am
Nicely done!
06/13/2023 @ 4:31 pm
😎
06/14/2023 @ 10:35 am
Somehow I missed this the other day, but it is a lively and interesting conversation.
Appreciated.