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Mar-a-Lago

August 13, 2021 to August 14, 2023: Mike Lindell to Jack Smith

June 22, 2023
by Peter Feinman
Pillowhead's Cyber Symposium just before Trump's return to office

AUGUST 13, 2021

It seems like only yesterday when Pillowhead was championing August 13, 2021, as the day when the real President of the United States would return to the White House and resume his position as the rightful POTUS. He never got around to explaining exactly how this restoration would occur. Séance Sidney was of little use here either. But somehow it was going to happen.

These modern day Millerites were doomed to unrequited dreams just as happened back in 1843/1844 when the world did not come to an end as predicted. If at first you don’t succeed, then try, try, again. Eventually, those who prayed/thought their savior would be restored to power, faced the hard reality that no such moment of truth would occur on August 13, 2021 or even afterwards during Joe Biden’s term. In fact, nothing would occur except Pillowhead making a spectacle of himself at his own symposium. His evidence instead showed that there was no there there.

On April 19, 2023. Mike Lindell was ordered to pay $5 million to a software expert who proved that Pillowhead’s data was bogus. A real computer forensic expert had shown the data Pillowhead presented was gibberish and nonsense. Naturally, in the true Trumpian tradition, Pillowhead refused to pay the winner of the “Prove Mike Wrong” contest. The case is now being litigated. Of course, what is $5 million compared to the $1.3 billion lawsuit filed by Dominion. The true mystery is how Pillowhead came to believe that he had real data that would blow the stolen election case wide open and return Trump to the White House. Is it possible for someone’s product to be smarter than its marketer?

AUGUST 14, 2023

Now flash forward two years and one day to August 14, 2023. In a surprise move, the so-called Trump Judge set an early date for the commencement of the Mar-a-Largogate trial. Given the standard tactic of “delay, delay, delay,” one would have expected a date off into the future. A date less than eight weeks away was truly a speedy trial date. Of course, August 14, 2023, is merely a target date. It is not the date when the trial actually will begin. Still, the setting of this early date, suggests that the Judge will not be the path to acquittal or at least post-election trial that many people once feared. It is still too early to tell, but as of now, the prospects are full speed ahead.

The obstacles to a speedy trial are well known. There is the need for the defendant to decide on his legal team. There is a need to obtain various security clearances once all the players are identified. There are various legal claims and challenges the defense may offer, many of which already have been discussed endlessly on cable TV and elsewhere. Undoubtedly, such actions will push the trial date back considerably. Once the trial does get underway, it should be the slam dunk many commentators have been predicting. So far there are no witnesses for the defense. The defendant acts like a witness for the prosecution every time he opens his mouth. In this action, he is joined by many other people from his home who will be testifying against him. At this point, the best thing the defendant has going for him is a MAGA juror.

DISCOVERY

To highlight the speed at which the trial is unfolding, Jack Smith presented the Trump defense team with much of the testimony and evidence from the grand jury which will be used in the actual trial. This information includes the names of the people who will testify against the defendant, videos including the defendant’s own performances on cable TV, and other videos. As one might expect, the defendant’s own words will form a powerful part of the testimony against him without him even taking the stand. This evidence, with more to come, delivers the message that it is really is a slam dunk case with the outcome of prison time for his convictions on multiple counts.

Here is where the human element becomes a factor. So far the analysis has tended to view the defendant as person immune to the reality in which he is now living. He is treated as if he is THE DONALD who can triumph over anything the corrupt Department of Justice in the real world throws against him.

As a result, we have been hearing more about Eugene Debs running for President from jail then what it would mean on a human level for THE DONALD to be declared a loser in the court and sentenced to prison time even if house arrest.

Similarly, we have been hearing about his base of support which cannot be moved under any circumstances.

The human factor is being overlooked. Some commentators have expressed their faith in the jury system. Once people take an oath and sit in the courtroom, the gravity of the situation takes over. And if a juror fashions himself to be Henry Fonda in Twelve Angry Men, the situation is quite different here. The defendant already has admitted his guilt as will be shown to the jurors. All the witnesses against him will be his own people. No one will take stand on his behalf. As most recently exhibited in his interview on Fox with Bret Baier and in his deposition in the successful civil case against him, he should never be allowed to speak under oath. His natural venue is the professional political wrestling arena. There he can feed off the energy of the MAGA crowd while he spews his nonsense. He will not have that opportunity in the Mar-a-Largogate trial. Instead he will be a tired shrunken old man cringing at what is unfolding before him.

For a person who demands loyalty, the first batch of evidence must have been a shock. Forget about the abstract notions of move and countermove with motions to delay the trial. What the defendant now sees is that he cannot trust anyone. This is far beyond the Michael Cohen case. At this point we do not know how many of his own people will be arrayed against him. We can only imagine shock he already has experienced. While he is not capable of reading the prosecution evidence in the discovery, his lawyers can and have. They already knew their client was guilty. Now the magnitude of the evidence against their client has been dumped on them. Surely they know if this case goes to trial, they will lose. Surely they knew the penalty for losing will be prison time. Surely they have communicated this to their client.

The issue now is not whether the defendant will spill the names of the people who will testify against him. He might just as well read the employment roster from Mar-a-Lago. What this mountain of evidence means is that the 78 year-old defendant can see prison time for the rest of his life looming before him. Something transformative is happening. He is transforming from the alternate reality in which he and his MAGA followers have been living to the real world. As he hears about people who did his bidding on January 6 being sentenced for 12 years, the stark reality of leaving the alternate reality for the real world sinks in. Forget about the actual dates for the start of the trial, the discovery process is the ghost of Christmas future where his world will be a horrible one for him. This time when his lawyers suggest a plea deal, THE DONALD may be much more willing to accept one if it keeps him out of prison. Jack Smith has poured a bucket of water on the wicked witch of the White House leaving the defendant a timid, incoherent, babbling mess desperate for a way out. And there is still Georgia and other federal cases to come.

The impact of THE DONALD accepting a plea deal will be momentous. It will change the dynamic in the House. It will change the dynamic in the Presidential election. It will change the dynamic among the MAGA. Their Lord and Savior, Blessed Be His Name, only he can save them and deliver divine retribution will shrink in size to being an old defeated loser. And if he does not enter in a plea agreement then the alternate path will be prison which will derail him even more. Now THE DONALD has discovered the truth in real world and it scares and frightens him.

Would Jim Jordan Rather Be Institutionalized in Congress or Prison?

June 8, 2023
by Peter Feinman
Dorothy, You have changed! (Greg Groesch/The Washington Times)

Play time is over. It was a lot of fun defying Congressional subpoenas, investigating the Biden criminal conspiracy, and appearing on Foxhub to spout nonsense. But now the party is over. The time of adult supervision has arrived. There really is law and people who are dedicated to enforcing it. That means the moment of truth has or will soon arrive for all the people who participated in the in the planning of the insurrection and the attempt to steal the election.

The standard Mafia rules apply. Start with the small fish and work your way up the food chain. That applies not only to the hundreds of people who physically assaulted the Capitol, but to the people who organized the event and who were responsible for Mar-a-Lagogate.

THE SPECIAL COUNSEL

We have been distracted from what has been going on behind the scenes. The civil case in which Trump was held liable and the “small” indictment in New York City that so many people wished hadn’t gone first obscured where the action was. Even the “imminent” case in Georgia which now apparently means August still seemed like a long way off making people wonder if Trump ever would be held accountable for his actions.

For so long we have been hearing about how aggressive Jack Smith was as a prosecutor without any overt sign that anything was happening. Yes, there was witness after witness being subpoenaed and called to testify … apparently more than we knew, but no indictments seemed forthcoming. Meanwhile the presidential election cycle commenced. More and more candidates came forward. Finally even one willing to confront Trump and his criminal family by name declared his candidacy. It was as if everyone else was holding back, waiting for the dam to break, waiting for the moment when Trump became not only a loser but a federally indicted loser as well. Now we are at that moment as well. It is time for people to decide whether they wish to join Trump or does self-preservation come first. Does Jim Jordan really want to go to prison?

THE FORK IN THE ROAD

These past few days have witnessed a flurry of activities. Some of them are witnessed in the present of their occurrence. Some of them are events which happened in the past but are now seeing the light of day.

We know that in Georgia we should not be surprised about the number and names of the people to be indicted.

We know that Georgia judges have been informed to clear their schedules for August.

We know that the Special Counsel has communicated to Trump’s lawyers that he is the target for Mar-a-Lagogate.

We know that former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has testified before the grand jury. We don’t know how cooperative he was. Presumably he was made to realize that there already is enough evidence to convict him so his best deal is not to plead the 5th but to tell the truth. He seems to have pleaded guilty to at least some charges.

We know that Steve Bannon has been subpoenaed. In previous blogs, I have used him as an example of what does he have to gain by going down with the ship. He knows that loyalty is a one-way street with The Donald. He knows that The Donald would have no hesitation to throw him under the bus. So why give him that opportunity?

The same applies to the other members of the inner cabal. I am referring to the people in the so-called War Room. I am referring to the members of the House of Representatives to whom Trump referred in his call to Georgia. At some point these people will realize that this witch hunt is for real. It is time to start thinking about saving their own skin.

THE DAM HAS BURST

We may be witnessing the beginning of a deluge. The number of people willing to fall on their sword for Trump is probably far fewer than expected. Remember how Michael Cohen once pledged eternal loyalty and like some Secret Service agent and would take a bullet for The Donald. We are long past that point now.

It’s amazing how suddenly and abruptly the actions of the Special Consel have changed the dynamic. For so long there seemed to be as little movement as on the lines between Russia and Ukraine. Then in an instant, everything changed. By the time Roger Stone is subpoenaed, he may be begging for a deal. Everyone knows that incumbent elected officials in Washington do not want to give up their perks. How much less to they want to do so to defend the criminal actions of Donald Trump? This week, the damn has broken open. Everyone who was part of the criminal conspiracy has been put on very short notice that the time has come for them to put up or be shut up in prison.

There is always a risk in writing a blog like this because by the time it is posted and then distributed it may be obsolete. The Mar-a-Lago indictment could be any moment now be it in Florida or Washington. The witnesses for the Prosecution will be either Republicans or people who worked for him at Mar-a-Lago. The MAGAs won’t know who to attack first or even who to attack at all. The Donald, of course, will not take the stand to defend himself or any other of the people charged. He will however continue to rant and rave on social media digging himself ever deeper into a whole. The odds are Jim Jordan and the other conspirators are not going to want to jump in with them. Instead they will be more likely to help bury him. The Republican nomination for the presidency in 2024 will become a wide open contest. Everything is different now.

Mar-a-Lago and Mount Ebal: A Tale of Two Cultic Sites

August 22, 2022
by Peter Feinman
Altar at Mount Ebal (Wikipedia)

The two cultic sites of Mar-a-Lago and Mount Ebal are rarely linked. I may be the first to do so.

Mar-a-Lago is the home of a former President of the United States who is regarded by some of his followers in Jesus-like terms. It is a place where people go to kiss the king and receive his blessings or who do not go and are cursed for their disloyalty.

Mount Ebal is a mountain by ancient Shechem, modern Nablus on the West Bank, where biblical Joshua led the people Israel in a covenant renewal ceremony involving blessings and curses and where an archaeologist located a structure from that time period which he claimed was an altar.

The juxtaposition in my mind occurred because of the serendipitous occurrence of the former being in the news every day while I was reading two articles in a memorial volume dedicated to Adam Zertal, the archaeologist:

“Mount Ebal Site in the Context of the History of Archaeological Research” by Zvi Gal, and

“The Mount Ebal Site in the Context of the History of Biblical Scholarship” by Sandra L. Richter and Ralph K. Hawkins.

As I was reading the articles about the Mount Ebal site in biblical scholarship and reading/listening to the stream of explanations for the presence of government documents in the home of someone who no longer was part of the government, I was struck by the challenge that occurs in the processing of data: what do people do when the information they receive is at variance with their existing beliefs. Or if you reside in an academic paradigm can you ever escape no matter what evidence is presented? One should keep in mind that if academics can deny, ignore, avoid information contrary to their (lifelong) beliefs, it should be no surprise that Trumpicans are able to do the same.

MOUNT EBAL

As I was reading the article on Ebal, the problems raised and descriptions presented on the reaction to the discovery of new evidence by Zertal with potentially significant implications for the understanding the history of early Israel prior to the monarchy, the charges resonated with the very problem occurring in the non-biblical world in such areas as the corona virus hoax, the vaccine is worse that the disease, the stolen election, and the “raid” at Mar-a-Lago.

Here are some of the criticisms Gal raised about biblical scholars’ reaction to the discovery of the purported altar at Mount Ebal which would have been used by Joshua.

1. While Tel Shiloh where the ark that the Philistines captured “has been referred to widely and regularly by scholars as a cult center, Mount Ebal has been almost completely neglected despite its unique nature.

2. Negating the site or even worse ignoring it goes against both scientific and ethical criteria.

Gal’s article proceeds to analyze the two cultic sites of Shiloh and Ebal based on the archaeology and biblical texts. The crux of the issue refers to the absence of a temple or cultic place at Shiloh versus Zertal’s proposed altar that he claimed to have found at Mount Ebal.

Response to Zertal, as we know was immediate. However, apparently the dominant postmodern trend in archaeology, which completely disregarded biblical archaeology, deterred scholars to the body of evidence in front of their eyes, and most responses were either laconic or were oral in nature, including even expressions of ridicule.

Overall, the responses by the scholars became more and more extreme. Instead of being an altar, it had to be something else. One alternative after another was suggested. This followed the premise that throw a thousand plates of ketchup on the wall and see which one sticks; like everytime he leaves the White House the documents are declassified. But under no circumstances is one to face the truth: “They are mine!” Contrary to the popular mantra about the truth setting you free, in some cases the truth undermines a lifetime of academic work.

The archaeological community continued to ignore the site and Zertal’s interpretation, until his death.

Hawkins and Richter echo these comments by saying:

Just as the Ebal site has been neglected by archaeologists, it has typically been sidestepped by biblical scholars as well.

 Gal suggests the reasons for these actions are not academic in nature.

Indeed it seems that the almost overwhelming deterrent from dealing with the issue stemmed from the possible ramifications of understanding the biblical narrative. But again, the dominance of the postmodern trend in archeology was an impenetrable barrier for many scholars.

Gal posits that except for those implications, meaning taking the biblical account of Joshua’s actions seriously, the structure would be accepted as an altar. He notes the double standard taken by biblical scholars: “Lock her up” versus “witch hunt.” He asserts that the current trend in archaeology is imbalanced. Gal notes that the interpretation of archaeological findings depends on the personality and views of the scholars.

To put the point more plainly, once people have made up their minds about something important, they are not going to change it. Once people are in a rut or a paradigm, the energy required to move them out of the rut or paradigm is insurmountable. In political terms, that mean the House Select Committee will never persuade true believers that the election was not stolen and that Donald Trump tried to steal it.

DOG DAYS OF AUGUST

However, one person’s cultic site is another person’s den of iniquity. While Trumpicans never will abandon their Lord and Savior, Blessed Be his Name, others may. Consider some of the events which have transpired in a little over a week during the quiet time before the House Select Committee resumes its programming.

Allen Weisselberg pled guilty. Combined with the 440 times Donald Trump also admitted his guilt along with Eric Trump’s 500 times, who is left to defend the Trump organization when it is brought to trial?

Rudy Giuliani or his lawyers must know that he is next in line. His pathetic attempt to collect payment from Trump for services rendered should be a signal to him that his former client has been thrown him under the bus. When the moment of truth finally comes and Ridiculous Rudy is about to be indicted, perhaps then he will realize that he has no reason to lie for his former client. The problems Rudy will have then is he is too unstable a person to be taken seriously and what proof does he have? It is conceivable that he will have little to bargain with except his word which does not amount to much.

Recordgate – A little over one week ago, no one had heard of it. Now it has leapt from obscurity to the head of the line. While everyone was anticipating Georgia as the first to indict, it is quite possible Mar-a-Lago indictments will come first. It is still too early to tell.

While no evidence will shake the convictions of Trumpicans, evidence will diminish the likelihood of others joining the bandwagon. The Trump blessing has worked well in the Republican Party primaries. But its power does not extend into the general electorate. Quite the contrary, the blessing may hurt the Trumpican candidate. The polling of Trumpican-selected candidates is poor. As the general election campaign hits high gear, the call to relitigate will seem more and more irrelevant. Continued Mar-a-Lago discoveries will only remind people of the criminal chaos they wish to leave behind…except for the true believers. The more the election becomes a referendum on 45 rather than 46, the better for Democrats. And 45 will be in the news every day and for the wrong reason.

Sometimes an altar really is an altar but people cannot accept it because of the consequences.

Sometimes Mar-a-Lago is a sinkhole and not cultic site after all even if Trumpicans cannot see it.

Historic 2024 Presidential Rematch

August 18, 2022
by Peter Feinman
Look How Much We Have Progressed!

The 2024 Presidential elections is shaping up as an historic one in many ways. Of course, in this rapidly changing world, sometimes it is hard to keep up with events. I tend to read the morning papers in the evening. Frequently I learn that what I am seeing on the TV screen and reading in the paper are out of synch.

Let’s start with the easy one.

REMATCH

The upcoming Presidential election will be the first rematch since 1956. In that election Dwight Eisenhower defeated Adlai Stevenson for the second time. Strange as it may seem now, the nomination of a loser was not that strange in the opening decades of the 20th century. William Jennings Bryan and Thomas Dewey had done the same previously in the Democratic and Republican parties. Since that time, individuals have sought their party’s nomination on multiple occasions, but the loser in the general election has never run again.

One difference this time is that the 45th President does not accept that he was the loser nor do his followers. We have seen the tape from the House Select Committee of the Loser not being able to acknowledge on January 6, 2021, that he had lost the election. As a result in the minds of many, 2024 will be a battle between the rightful winner in 2020 and the person who stole the election from him. In fact, based on the media coverage, one might still think 45 was still president. Compared to LBJ in the 1960s, 46 receives scarcely any attention for his legislative achievements. 45 easily can dominate the first 30 minutes of a cable news talk show. Strangely enough, that means in the 2022 midterm elections, voters may be more likely to vote against the daily barrage of criminal actions associated with 45 than in favor of the achievements of 46.

There was never any doubt that 45 was going to run for third time. The timing of the announcement was subject to debate particularly as it relates to the filing of financial reports. The declaration of candidacy was a given since January 20, 2021, even if not spoken out loud. The only issue was whether any of the wannabees would challenge him. Now we know.

The execution of the warrant at Mar-a-Lago ensures that he will not be challenged. All the wannabees did the Kevin-McCarthy-kiss-the-ring a Mar-a-Lago genuflection in response to the actions of the FBI and DOJ. None of them said, “Enough is enough.” None of them said it was time to move on. Instead they all pledged their loyalty to their leader no matter what hare-brained explanation he provided. With the plea deal of Weisselberg and testifying of Giuliani, we can anticipate many such moments of loyalty affirmation in the weeks, months, and years ahead. The wannabees have been jockeying for position in the hope that there will be an opening in 2024. Barring medical reasons and maybe prison, there will be no opening.

The only one who did not get the memo is Mike Pence. He still thinks he is on a divinely-ordained path to the Presidency. Maybe he is positioning himself for 2028!

As long as Donald Trump is the candidate for 2024, then so is Joe Biden. If one of the wannabees successfully challenged the Loser, the results would be different. Biden is not going to let it be said that he backed down and quit rather than face the “real winner” of 2020 in a fair election. Otherwise, given his age and recent legislative victories, Biden would have no qualms about retiring as a one term president. But as long as Trump is the Republican nominee, then Biden will be the Democratic nominee.

1824 BICENTENNIAL

In a few blogs, I have commented on the generally overlooked election of 1824. Its marks the end of the First Party System of Federalists and Republicans (Jefferson) and the emergence of the Second Party System of Whigs and Democrats (Jackson). Now that the primary season is almost over, we can say that the Republican Party of the Third Party System (Lincoln) no longer exists save in name only. When people who consider themselves patriotic Republicans start referring to John McCain as a RINO, we can safely say the Party is over.

It is fitting that Sarah Palin is in the news for her attempt to be elected to Congress. It was John McCain’s selection of her to be his running mate that previewed that eventual collapse of the Republican Party. Little did anyone know at the time that she had broadcast to the longtime faux Democrat and Clinton-supporter, that there was an opportunity for him to be the center of attention and make money be becoming a faux Republican. As a result, when the Tea Party took over the Republican Party, it really was not due to Tea Party issues. It was based on Trump issues or rather personality.

The new Republican Party has only a few main issues:

1. Revenge against people who were not sufficiently loyal – mission accomplished
2. Relitigate 2020 so the results can be decertified
3. Impeach Joe Biden and investigate Hunter Biden.

The purification of the Republican Party of real Republicans is nearly complete. There still may be some local resistance efforts to salvage what is left at the state level. However, at the state level the battle is over.

Other than rigging the electoral process so Joe Biden cannot win and ensuring that Democrats cannot win at the state level, the Trumpican Party has no agenda. It has slogans but no actual platform. Some Trumpican state legislatures have become bogged down in what to do post Roe v. Wade reversal. They are floundering around because they did not think things through and now are confronted with an ever increasing number of real-world situations they would rather avoid. Notice the absolute silence from 45 about what to do. So much for leadership!

Speaking of the absence of leadership, DO NOT ask a Trumpican candidate about what do about the declining water levels in the Colorado either. Trumpicans have no suggestions about what to do in the real world, only slogans about what to yell in the culture wars. At some point, people will pay the price for putting unqualified people in positions of power. As long as times were good, the United States could get away with having an immature child with the emotional maturity of a three-year old as its leader. Unfortunately, his shortcomings left him no match for the coronavirus leaving hundreds of thousands of American dead. The same disastrous results await if Trumpicans are put in power at the national and/or state level.

So what should Lincoln Republicans do? Retirement is one path elected Republicans have taken. Then instead of having cowed elected officials they will be replaced be true believers. They have no interest in governing or ability to do so. In the Senate, at least, where candidates need to be elected on statewide basis and not in gerrymandered districts, there still are traditional Republicans who can cross the aisle for the good of the country. However, their numbers are dwindling. By contrast, the House is hopeless. Republicans have been routed by Trumpicans there.

What then should a traditional Republican do? Another possibility is the Georgia maneuver. In 2020, 28,000 Republicans voted in the election but left the presidential line blank. That made 45 the loser. The same possibility exists in 2022: vote for Republican candidates on the ballot and leave the Trumpican candidate line(s) blank. In Arizona, that might mean not voting at all!

The political realignment of the two party system is underway. With the Republican Party, the transformation is almost complete. But there are two caveats:

1. what if the Trumpican candidates do not prevail in the general elections as they did in the primaries? – There is a growing awareness even among Republicans that the Trump-selected Senate candidates are déjà vu 2010/2012 all over again. Democrats could pick up seats in Senate and Governor races.
2. what happens when the leader of the transformation leaves the stage whether it is due to age, medical, prison, or health? –  At that point the knives will come out as people battle for power for control of the Trumpican Party and maybe even give an opening to the real Republicans to take back their party.

In the meantime, we can enjoy the two mysteries

Why did he remove the government documents? Even though he thought they were his, why these particular records both classified and unclassified as souvenir/trophies?

Who was the informant and what will happen once that person is exposed?

Nazi Germany Was a Marxist Third-World Banana Republic … and So Are We

August 15, 2022
by Peter Feinman
Who Can He Trust Now?

Please answer the following questions.

1. The documents at the home of the rightful President were
__ planted by the FBI which should be defunded
__ declassified and of no value
__ legitimately there since the election was stolen and he is the rightful President
__ all of the above

2. The United States under the illegitimate Joe Biden presidency is
__ Nazi
__ Marxist
__ third world banana republic
__ all of the above

3. The people on January 6 were
__ Antifa
__ BLM
__ FBI plants
__ tourists
__ patriots engaged in legitimate political discourse

If you are having problems answering some of these questions, imagine the challenge to the people of the future. There will be graduate seminar papers, dissertations, journal articles, and books written about the thinking of the people who defended their Lord and Savior, the Chosen One, Blessed Be his Name (the only time he did not plead the 5th was in answer to his name!). Think of the recent example of Trumpican thinking such as on Foxhub when the anticipated poor job numbers reflected the ineptitude of barely alive President and then the actual good numbers were released also meant we have a problem when “properly” interpreted. There is no winning an argument with them because the only acceptable argument is that no matter what, Trump is right and everyone who opposes him is not only wrong but evil.

I am writing this portion of the blog prior to the 3:00 deadline Friday for the decision on whether or not to release the warrant to the public. This is written subsequent to the target of the warrant exclaiming that of course it can be released even though he has not done so himself for five days.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This part of the blog was written on Sunday following the release of the warrant and with some time to digest the reaction. What have we learned?

1. There is always more – just when you think all the criminal actions of the Loser President have been exposed, there is more. Remember the Rudy clown show to have the courts disqualify the votes. Remember then learning about the phone call to Georgia to find the necessary votes to reverse the result (indictment expected). Remember then finding out about the insurrectionist electors. Who knew or anticipated that one? In the end, Liz Cheney detailed a seven-pronged illegal assault on democracy and the rule of law perpetrated by the President of the United States.

2. The DOJ under Merrick Garland is asleep at the wheel – How many times did talking heads bemoan the lack of the action by the DOJ under its lackluster leadership? Then you would see them piously recite that the DOJ operates in secret and we do not necessarily know what it is doing. The body language and tone signified the despair of the speakers that anything at all was being done. Then suddenly we see DOJ is a freight train hurtling towards indictments on multiple fronts including one we had never even heard about.

3. Record retention – just last Monday, just before 7:00 PM EDT, who had heard about record retention? There was some news about records flushed, shredded, burned, digested, and disposed of. But all these illegal actions for which the President and his assistants could be prosecuted occurred within the confines of the White House. Suddenly, out of nowhere, there were first 15 and then another 12 boxes of records at Mar-a-Lago including classified material that might be nuclear related.

a.There was perjury by a Trumpican election-is-stolen lawyer about when all the boxes of records had been turned over to the DOJ
b.There were extraordinarily silly explanations about how a President can declassify documents with the wave of a magic wand or just by thinking it
c.There were extraordinarily silly explanations about how a person who lacks the mental necessities to the read the Constitution yet alone a briefing report somehow needed to take these files with him when he traveled to his southern office
d.There were extraordinarily silly explanations about how documents could be declassified and reclassified as a President shuttled back and forth between his two offices
e. There was an apparently misguided perception that these documents accumulated over the entire term of the President.

On a more serious note, a gap in the record-keeping system was exposed. If I take out a book from my local library and fail to return it, the library notifies me of the past due status and asks for its return. Apparently when super-duper top-secret documents are checked out to the President who is no longer President, no alarms sounded, no whistles were blown, no sirens blared. Where were the red lights flashing that super-duper top-secret documents had not been returned and the person who had them was not entitled to them? How come in nearly 18 months, no one noticed that super-duper top-secret files were missing?

4. The Loser President thought his harebrained schemes would work – our immature child president thought he was going to continue to be able to play President for a second term. It was somewhat funny when the Secretary of State promised a smooth transition to a second Trump term. It is not so funny when the Loser did not realize until January 7 that he would have to vacate the premise on January 20.

a. Who are the people who helped him pack during that frantic period?
b. Which one is the informant who knew what was being shipped and where it was being stored?

The House Select Committee still has work to do.

5. Will Trumpicans and Republicans part ways on Documentgate? – Trumpicans are calling for defunding the FBI. Trumpicans are declaring war on the FBI which already has led to violence. Trumpicans are vowing revenge on everyone involved in this attack of the former and future President.

For the Republicans the matter is not so air-headed. There is no MAGA reason why an outgoing President should take these files whether classified or not. So far the only I reason I have heard offered is because he thought these records were his personally. There is no legal basis for such a claim but since when has he had knowledge of the law. While Trumpicans will support him no matter what, for Republicans, I suspect they will need a better explanation than they ae his records and he can do with what he wants just as he could with his DOJ, his military, his Secret Service, and his government employees. This time, that might not be enough.

 

After the Wisconsin Senate leader Robin Voss narrowly survived an unknown and poorly-funded Trumpican opponent who ran on a single issue, he fired the Wisconsin judge leading the stop-the-steal-decertify-the-election effort in the state. Elected Republican officials have the same opportunity now. The primary season is just about over. There is nothing the Trump base can do now except stay home and not vote for a Democrat in the general election. The elected Republican officials are free at last, free at last, free at last to denounce the Insurrectionist leader. Will any of them do so? This is their last chance until the House Select Committee releases its report shortly before the general election and possibly after DOJ has indicted Donald Trump for espionage. Will Ron DeSantis seize the moment?

Santa Claus to Relocate from Vanishing North Pole to Mar-a-Lago

December 25, 2019
by Peter Feinman
SAVE SANTA'S HOME (DonLand/Shutterstock)

BREAKING NEWS! BREAKING NEWS!

This just in. Santa Claus has announced that this will be the last year he is based at the North Pole. The shrinking ice cap has made it impossible for him to maintain his worldwide operation at that location. Increasingly he is in competition with polar bears for the dwindling food supply. As a result, he is relocating toy production to mainland China to take advantage of the cheap wages and superb surveillance system. They know what you want even before you tell Santa! Santa himself will be moving to Mar-a-Lago to be with the world’s most charitable human being who would donate even more if the courts ordered him to do so.

Human beings have experienced global catastrophes before. The stories of worldwide disasters (based on the storyteller’s knowledge of the extent of the world) date back to ancient times. The oldest version is the Sumerian story known as “Eridu Genesis.” In that story, the King Ziusudra of Shuruppak hears directly from Enki that the gods have decided to destroy humanity in a flood after seven days and seven nights of an evil and stormy winds. Ziusudra builds a big boat to save the small animals and seed of humankind. Thus the human race is saved.

The next great global disaster story is the Epic of Atrahasis. In this story the gods had created human beings to be workers who serve them. The humans toil on behalf of their creators. They also make a lot of noise. They make so much noise that the god Enlil cannot sleep at night. He is in a position to do something about it. He vows to destroy these disrupters in a flood. The god Enki interprets a dream of Atrahasis as instructions to build a boat. Once again humanity is saved.

The third of this trio of Mesopotamian stories is lodged in the larger epic story of Gilgamesh. According to museum lore, when George Smith translated Tablet XI in the British Museum back in 1872, he was so overcome with emotion he tore off his clothes and began running around the museum naked. His excitement no doubt was real and he well may have run around to spread the good news. As for the rest…

The story itself tells of another king of Shuruppak named Utnaspishtim. He informs Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, as to how he survived a flood and became an immortal in a land far far away from Mesopotamia. Once again, the gods had decided to destroy humanity and once again a divine voice from the other side of a wall had informed the king how he can save everyone. Utnapishtim builds a boat. There is a fierce and frightening storm. On the seventh day, Utnapishtim sends forth a dove to see if the waters have receded. Then he sends a swallow. Finally he sends a raven. At last it is safe to leave the boat.

Obviously the most famous disaster story of all time is the biblical story of Noah. His ark and the boarding of the animals two-by-two is one of the most well-known images from biblical traditions. In the story, Noah is not designated as king. The Lord has decided to destroy humanity. Noah has found favor in His eyes for unspecified reasons. Noah is told directly what he must do: no dreams or voice from the other side of a wall. He does what he is told and his family and the animals are safe in the ark for forty days and forty nights of rain. Then Noah sends out a raven. Then he sends out a dove. He waits a week and then sends out a dove again. This time there is land and the sojourn is over.

Our apocalyptic stories of global destruction tend to be more science-fiction based. Consider for example the appropriately named Armageddon (1998). In this Hollywood planet-buster, the guilty party is an asteroid (not that asteroids actually know right from wrong!). The asteroid means doomsday for life on the planet and humanity will vanish into oblivion like the dinosaurs the last time something similar happened. This time there is no king to save us nor will anything we do or build on earth save us. Instead humanity takes a proactive role: we will destroy what would destroy us before it can do so. This effort is led by the United States but not by the President. A rag-tag bunch of misfits is called upon to do what needs to be done if humanity is to survive. They succeed.

That very same year another cosmic threat from space threatened to obliterate earth. Deep Impact (1998) is the story of a comet which is on course to smash the earth to pieces. This time, humanity becomes aware of the looming catastrophe due to a high school student, another American touch where misfits and high school students become saviors whereas kings were in ancient times. In keeping with the apocalyptic tradition of Armageddon, the President of the United States Morgan Freeman who also plays God, authorizes the construction of a savior rocket ship to be called Messiah. Once again humanity will blast into smithereens that which threatens blast us to kingdom come. The annihilation will be avoided.

A reporter for MSNBC discovers the truth that has not been revealed to the public. Fox denounces it as FAKE NEWS. Republicans dismiss the science as a mainland Chinese hoax and refuse to authorize any money for. As a result nothing is done and human life on this planet ceases. Actually even Hollywood would never produce a movie so stupid. Instead the reporter leverages this exposure to become Secretary of State and then President. Truth is stranger than fiction.

The final in this series of three science fiction movies of global disaster is Independence Day (1996). What was going on that all these end-of the-world movies were being made? This time a cable technician who just happens to know the President of the United States discovers that not asteroids and not comets but really illegal aliens are about to wreak havoc on humanity. In a stirring Top Gun battle with an illegal alien pilot, Will Smith wins but not before saying the immortal lines: “Welcome to Earth!! Get of my planet!!” Disaster is averted because ordinary Americans Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith triumph in the heavens while President Bill Pullman leads a rag-tag bunch of misfits in air-to-air combat. Before doing so, President Pullman, who does not have bonespurs, gives a rousing speech about America first, America alone, and the importance of transactional relationships that alienate our allies and comfort our enemies. Trumpicans in the audience have been known to cry upon hearing this.

In the original movie, the American President leads a worldwide resistance to this threat. In fact, when people around the world hear the American plan, the response is an eager thanks for America taking the lead. Times have changed.

First, mainland China would never permit Hollywood to produce a movie where Americans are the lead saviors of the world.

Second, Americans no longer believe that America is a City-on-a-Hill that the eyes of the world are on because We the People are the last best hope of humanity. Instead we are scared timid weenies that want to crawl into our walled shell and listen to echoes and reverberations of USA! USA! USA! while others take the lead.

What does all this mean for the Global Deluge – This Time It Is Not Rain? Where is Noah when you need him? Where is American leadership? This time, the rest of the world will have to proceed without American leadership. This time, the rest of the world will have to proceed without even American involvement. This time, the rest of the world will have to proceed on its own because American lacks the right stuff to go into the arena. All we can do is unleash demeaning hissy fit tweets against a small sixteen year girl who really does want to save the world. But as long as America does not want to be the world’s Noah, saving the world will be difficult to do. And that boys and girls is why Santa Claus has been forced to leave the North Pole before it ceases to exist.