"Both Sides" BS

 

We’ve heard a lot of corporate and far Right media drivel about “both sides are to blame” for political violence.

But are they equally to blame?

Let's help our fellow citizens on the radical Right understand the difference between BLM protesters and Trump's mob of thugs and the mass murders of Jews, Blacks, and Mexicans by White racists.

Who's the real problem here?

BLM protests were in response to cops murdering unarmed Black people.

Trump's desperate January 6 coup was by a mob intending to overturn our democracy by violence in response to his Big Lie about the election.

ALL of these riots and crimes by both sides were CAUSED BY LIES AND CRIMES OF REPUBLICANS.

If White cops stop murdering Black people, and Republicans stop lying, we'd have peace.

Instead Republicans are openly embracing Trump's Big Lie and attacking our elections and democracy. They are regurgitating the white supremacist "Great Replacement Theory", emboldening racist attacks on people of color.

There's a way to measure the validity of my assessment of the real problem.

Let’s ask Trump supporters a simple question.

If they choose to ignore it, they only prove my point.

Who legitimately won the secure and fair presidential election in 2020?

I rest my case.

Now we know where the real problem is, don’t we?

Trump's Crime Spree

 

If only he stopped BEFORE grabbing women’s privates, this country wouldn’t be in a constitutional crisis with overtones of insurrection and civil war.

But as we know, if a criminal gets away with one crime, he won’t stop committing crimes until he is charged, convicted, and sentenced.

It’s getting difficult to keep up with our former president’s ongoing crime spree, but here’s just a snapshot of what the Big MAGAt will be facing.

Trump's 1/6 and election crime spree:

1. Seditious conspiracy

2. Incitement of insurrection

3. Obstruction of an official government proceeding

4. Conspiracy to defraud the US

Other crimes uncovered by the 1/6 hearings:

5. Wire Fraud (“Official Election Defense Fund”)

6. Witness tampering

 

But wait, there’s more.

Already howling mad MAGAts are pacing nervously, waiting to be told what they’re supposed to think and believe.

In the meantime, here are some facts for them to ignore:

The Wall Street Journal is reporting on the warrant and inventory of what was taken from Mar-a-Lago.

Here is what they list:

One set of docs marked TOP SECRET/SENSITIVE COMPARTMENTED INFORMATION (TS/SCI), the highest level of classification. (Did Trump give nuclear weapons secrets to Putin or the Saudis? If so, he violated the Espionage Act of 1917.)
Four sets of docs marked TOP SECRET Three sets of docs marked SECRET.
Three sets of docs marked CONFIDENTIAL .
20 boxes of other items including binders of photos, a handwritten note, info on the president of France, and the clemency order for Roger Stone.
Plus documents that exist that are so sensitive they can’t even BE LISTED on the inventory.

The August 8, 2020 FBI’s search warrant for Mar-a-Lago specified:

18 USC 2071 — Concealment, removal or mutilation
18 USC 793 — Gathering, transmitting or losing defence information
18 USC 1519 — Destruction, alteration or falsification of records in Federal investigations

These are crimes number 7,8,and 9, not counting the Espionage Act of 1917.

But wait, there’s more.

Even more charges are to come from SDNY and Georgia.

~~~~~~~
Ruh, roh!

Cue howling mad MAGAts:

"But Hillary's emails!"
"But Hunter Biden's laptop!"
"But gas prices!"
"But leftists HATE America!"
"But Black criminals!!!"

And now this:

“But whatabout Obama’s 30 million documents?”

Let’s give them a couple more facts to ignore, shall we?

The Washington Post reports:

In its statement, NARA said that it obtained “exclusive legal and physical custody” of Obama’s records when he left office in 2017. It said that about 30 million pages of unclassified records were transferred to a NARA facility in the Chicago area and that they continue to be maintained “exclusively by NARA.”

Classified records from Obama are kept in a NARA facility in Washington, the statement said.

“As required by the [Presidential Records Act], former President Obama has no control over where and how NARA stores the Presidential records of his Administration,” the statement said.

 

The poor pitiful, victimized, traumatized and bewildered MAGAts. They can’t even blame the Black Guy for any crimes.

Party of "Law and Order"

 

In September 2016 Trump declared,“If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment? The mob takes the Fifth.”

On August 10, 2020 Trump invoked his Fifth Amendment rights 440 times and declined to answer questions from the New York attorney general. And of course he whined, "witch hunt". He's only warming up. Count on him taking the Fifth like a mob boss for the following pending charges:

18 U.S. Code § 1924 - Unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material

18 U.S. Code § 1505 - Obstruction of proceedings before departments, agencies, and committees

18 U.S.C. § 371 - Conspiracy to Defraud the US

MAGAts are outraged at the “politicized FBI” acting on a warrant approved by a judge Trump appointed. 

And they’re still angry over the FBI refusing to interfere with the election, rightfully denying Trump’s demand to “Just say it was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican congressmen".

Now "back the blue" and "law and order" MAGAts are howling, "Defund the FBI!"

Trae Crowder reacted to the radical Right’s reaction:

“There’s something real juicy about Mr. Lock-Her-Up getting busted for mishandling classified shit...These people are immune to irony and allergic to self-awareness.”

Take Mike Pence...please.

On 10-28-16 Mike Pence sanctimoniously tweeted:
“Donald Trump and I commend the FBI for reopening an investigation into Clinton’s personal email server because no one is above the law.”

Upon learning the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago for classified documents Trump illegally seized, the whiny hypocritical asshole tweeted his sanctimonious reversal of his previous sanctimonious tweet from 2016:

"I share the deep concern of millions of Americans over the unprecedented search of the personal residence of President Trump. No former President of the United States has ever been subject to a raid of their personal residence in American history...After years where FBI agents were found to be acting on political motivation during our administration, the appearance of continued partisanship by the Justice Department must be addressed...Yesterday's action undermines public confidence in our system of justice and Attorney General Garland must give a full accounting to the American people as to why this action was taken and he must do so immediately."

“Unprecedented”? No former president ever sent an armed violent mob to the Capitol to kill Mike Pence and overturn an election.

And it was NOT a "raid". Most Black people can tell him the difference between a search and a raid. Doors are kicked in and weapons are drawn in a raid. Always with the "Victim Card", these pearl-clutching, far Right types.

He may as well have written, “No one is above the law, except for Donald Trump”.

That is what MAGAts truly believe.

Are you one of them?

Here’s a quick quiz to find out:

Q: Did Biden defeat Trump in a fair 2020 election?

A: No.

Q: Show us the evidence Trump won.

A: But Trump, along with his loyal lieutenants and co-conspirators Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman said so.

(There is no evidence. They tried and failed to show it in 60 courts.)

Q: Do you still believe Trump over his DOJ, his Attorney General, Homeland Security and his White House Counsel, as well as all the state AG’s and election certifications?

A: Yes. Trump doesn’t lie. Everyone not loyal to him does.

And there’s your answer.

"You aint gonna learn what you don't wanna to know."

Airtight

 Justice Arrives August 8, 2022:

18 U.S. Code § 1924 - Unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material

More Justice Coming Soon:

18 U.S. Code § 1505 - Obstruction of proceedings before departments, agencies, and committees

923. 18 U.S.C. § 371 - Conspiracy to Defraud the United States

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

18 U.S. Code § 1924 - Unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material

Whoever, being an officer, employee, contractor, or consultant of the United States, and, by virtue of his office, employment, position, or contract, becomes possessed of documents or materials containing classified information of the United States, knowingly removes such documents or materials without authority and with the intent to retain such documents or materials at an unauthorized location shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both.

(b)

For purposes of this section, the provision of documents and materials to the Congress shall not constitute an offense under subsection (a).

(c)

In this section, the term “classified information of the United States” means information originated, owned, or possessed by the United States Government concerning the national defense or foreign relations of the United States that has been determined pursuant to law or Executive order to require protection against unauthorized disclosure in the interests of national security.

=

18 U.S. Code § 2071 - Concealment, removal, or mutilation generally

(a)

Whoever willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, or destroys, or attempts to do so, or, with intent to do so takes and carries away any record, proceeding, map, book, paper, document, or other thing, filed or deposited with any clerk or officer of any court of the United States, or in any public office, or with any judicial or public officer of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

(b)

Whoever, having the custody of any such record, proceeding, map, book, document, paper, or other thing, willfully and unlawfully conceals, removes, mutilates, obliterates, falsifies, or destroys the same, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both; and shall forfeit his office and be disqualified from holding any office under the United States. As used in this subsection, the term “office” does not include the office held by any person as a retired officer of the Armed Forces of the United States.

(a)

=

18 U.S. Code § 1505 - Obstruction of proceedings before departments, agencies, and committees

Whoever, with intent to avoid, evade, prevent, or obstruct compliance, in whole or in part, with any civil investigative demand duly and properly made under the Antitrust Civil Process Act, willfully withholds, misrepresents, removes from any place, conceals, covers up, destroys, mutilates, alters, or by other means falsifies any documentary material, answers to written interrogatories, or oral testimony, which is the subject of such demand; or attempts to do so or solicits another to do so; or

Whoever corruptly, or by threats or force, or by any threatening letter or communication influences, obstructs, or impedes or endeavors to influence, obstruct, or impede the due and proper administration of the law under which any pending proceeding is being had before any department or agency of the United States, or the due and proper exercise of the power of inquiry under which any inquiry or investigation is being had by either House, or any committee of either House or any joint committee of the Congress—

Shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years or, if the offense involves international or domestic terrorism (as defined in section 2331), imprisoned not more than 8 years, or both.

=

923. 18 U.S.C. § 371 - Conspiracy to Defraud the United States

The general conspiracy statute, 18 U.S.C. § 371, creates an offense "[i]f two or more persons conspire either to commit any offense against the United States, or to defraud the United States, or any agency thereof in any manner or for any purpose. (emphasis added). See Project, Tenth Annual Survey of White Collar Crime, 32 Am. Crim. L. Rev. 137, 379-406 (1995)(generally discussing § 371).

The operative language is the so-called "defraud clause," that prohibits conspiracies to defraud the United States. This clause creates a separate offense from the "offense clause" in Section 371. Both offenses require the traditional elements of Section 371 conspiracy, including an illegal agreement, criminal intent, and proof of an overt act.

Although this language is very broad, cases rely heavily on the definition of "defraud" provided by the Supreme Court in two early cases, Hass v. Henkel, 216 U.S. 462 (1910), and Hammerschmidt v. United States, 265 U.S. 182 (1924). In Hass the Court stated:

The statute is broad enough in its terms to include any conspiracy for the purpose of impairing, obstructing or defeating the lawful function of any department of government . . . (A)ny conspiracy which is calculated to obstruct or impair its efficiency and destroy the value of its operation and reports as fair, impartial and reasonably accurate, would be to defraud the United States by depriving it of its lawful right and duty of promulgating or diffusing the information so officially acquired in the way and at the time required by law or departmental regulation.

Hass, 216 U.S. at 479-480. In Hammerschmidt, Chief Justice Taft, defined "defraud" as follows:

To conspire to defraud the United States means primarily to cheat the Government out of property or money, but it also means to interfere with or obstruct one of its lawful governmental functions by deceit, craft or trickery, or at least by means that are dishonest. It is not necessary that the Government shall be subjected to property or pecuniary loss by the fraud, but only that its legitimate official action and purpose shall be defeated by misrepresentation, chicane or the overreaching of those charged with carrying out the governmental intention.

In summary, those activities which courts have held defraud the United States under 18 U.S.C. § 371 affect the government in at least one of three ways:

1.   They cheat the government out of money or property;

2.   They interfere or obstruct legitimate Government activity; or

3.   They make wrongful use of a governmental instrumentality.

Hopeful Signs

 

This summer has brought us hopeful signs for justice and democracy in our country.

The U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol has done an excellent job in establishing the factual narrative of Trump’s coup.

The sworn testimony from Trump’s own people confirms his intent to strong arm state officials and the Justice Department into corrupting the election. They reveal his plan to send illegal electors and his House toadies to overturn the election.

And chillingly, they also reveal his personal attempt to lead his armed mob to storm the Capitol.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has finally made it clear the Justice Department is actively investigating Trump and his inner circle of seditionists.

This is all good news, but we still have a long way to go.

There must be indictments and convictions for the guilty. If there are no severe consequences for their crimes and abuses of power, their fascist inclinations will only be encouraged. The groundwork for someone worse than Trump will be set.

The rest is up to we the people. Americans need to wake up to the radical Right’s ongoing war on our democracy and rule of law. We cannot let any of them be above the law.

This can only happen if the Republican Party is defeated soundly for siding with Trump and party over Constitution and country.

American fascists will prevail if we fail in any of three critical fronts in defending our republic.

1. Trump must be indicted and convicted.

2. Massive voter turnout is needed to assure the Republicans lose seats in 2022.

3. Massive voter turnout in 2024 will be needed to assure Democratic control of Congress and the White House.

Then we can talk about expanding the Supreme Court, enforcing a code of ethics, and impeaching the corrupt perjurers and insurrectionist Justices.

Even after jumping these hurdles, we must never forget the threat of fascism is always lurking in our radicalized Right.

Trump just emboldened them to come out of the woodwork.

Americans need to understand the struggle against fascism will never end, because its racist authoritarian roots run deep in our culture.

We defeated General Lee, but the racism and treason of the Confederacy still poison our Union.

We defeated Hitler and Mussolini, but Nazis and fascism still infect our population.

This is because radical Right propagandists keep religious, low-information white people as ignorant, misinformed, and frightened as possible. Gullible white Evangelicals make excellent sheep for fascism. It’s a good sign that some of them are finally turning from Trump, but they will always be the Republican base.

Trump's "I love the poorly educated", reveals their game plan. A powerful propaganda network still agitates, frightens, enrages, indoctrinates and deludes the radical white Right.

It boils down to our one last hope for democracy and human decency.

The Republican Party must be defeated and dishonored for their loyalty to Trump and their enthrallment with Trumpism. They must be defeated and dishonored for their embrace of the Big Lie, and their war on voter rights and fair elections.

There are cracks in the dam. Elderly voters are abandoning the Republican Party. Younger people are opening their eyes to the looming threats to their future.

We need more Republicans to find their conscience and learn what real patriotism is. They need to learn that Trumpism, voter suppression and partisan control of elections are the antithesis of patriotism and our experiment in a democratic republic.

If justice is not done, and we fail to unite and vote with most Americans in this cause, then we have only seen the beginning of a great darkness that will cover our land.

We did it last election. Let’s do it even better this year.