If there is one thing we have learned about Donald Trump during and since the election, it is that his ego is massively bigger than his IQ. A smarter man would have realized that a spotlight comes with the Presidential territory–and that past criminal activity would eventually be uncovered.
About that spotlight:
The Washington Post, especially, has done significant work uncovering misuse of the Trump Foundation and various other Trump scams. Now, McClatchy’s Washington Bureau has weighed in with itemized evidence of the way Russian oligarchs bailed Trump out of financial difficulties with (many anonymous) cash purchases of real estate, often for dramatically inflated prices.
Aleksandr Burman, a Ukrainian who engaged in a health care scheme that cost the federal government $26 million and was sentenced to a decade in prison, paid $725,000 cash for a condo at a Trump Tower I in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla. in 2009.
Leonid Zeldovich, who has reportedly done extensive business in the Russian-annexed area of Crimea,bought four Trump units outright at a cost of more than $4.35 million, three of them in New York City between 2007 and 2010.
And Igor Romashov, who served as chairman of the board of Transoil, a Russian oil transport company subject to U.S. sanctions, paid $620,000 upfront for a unit at a building adorned with the future U.S. president’s name in Sunny Isles Beach in 2010.
Buyers connected to Russia or former Soviet republics made 86 all-cash sales — totaling nearly $109 million — at 10 Trump-branded properties in South Florida and New York City, according to a new analysis shared with McClatchy. Many of them made purchases using shell companies designed to obscure their identities.
The all-cash buyers include Alexey Ustaev, founder of a private bank based in St. Petersburg, Russia; Igor Zorin, a government official who runs a state-owned broadcasting company; the wife of hockey player Viacheslav Fetisov; pop star Igor Nikolaev; Roman Sinyavsky, a luxury real estate broker who was one of the first to sell units at a Trump’s South Florida building and Evgeny Bachurin, who Russian President Vladimir Putin fired as head of Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency before becoming a donor to a political action committee supporting Trump, according to American Bridge….
“We’ve long suspected that Donald Trump’s businesses were a front for money laundering and our research suggests it could be true,” said Harrell Kirstein, communicators director for the Trump War Room at American Bridge. “The millions of dollars in previously unreported, all-cash real estate deals we discovered raise troubling questions about who is funding his businesses, why, and what they’re getting in return.”
The linked article has much more detail, including descriptions of several more unsavory buyers, and the extent to which those buyers paid considerably more than market value for the properties.
Anyone who has worked for government at any level–a cohort that excludes Trump, whose ignorance of the most basic premises of governance and law never fails to astonish–knows that public office brings a level of scrutiny with it. Even in our current media environment, where investigative journalism sometimes seems to be on life support, Presidential candidates understand that they will be targets for searching investigation, because citizens have a right to know what sorts of people govern them. (Actually, that curiosity tends to extend well beyond what we’re entitled to know–but it legitimately includes information about dishonest personal behaviors and illegal business practices.)
Trump’s refusal to make his tax returns public whetted that public appetite.
Subsequent revelations, the indictments of multiple campaign functionaries, and more recently, news of the long, cozy relationship between Justice Kennedy’s banker son and the Trump organization, have raised further concerns. (When Justin Kennedy headed the real estate capital markets division of Deutsch Bank, he apparently authorized huge loans to Trump at a time American banks would no longer touch him).
I don’t know whether proof of Trump’s probable criminal conduct will be emerge before the midterm elections, or whether members of the cult that is today’s GOP will believe even ironclad evidence if it does. Voters can’t depend on that, or on Mueller. But there’s one thing we can depend upon: thanks to that spotlight he constantly craves, reporters will continue to investigate the multiple, credible accusations against him.
If Trump and his family end up in prison, he’ll have only his ego and ignorance to blame.
SK Said
If Trump and his family end up in prison, he’ll have only his ego and ignorance to blame.
Lets hope that is the end – and soon
also
If he IS a Russian operative, do we have to KEEP his judicial picks?
patmcc —
Good questions and more coming like “How the hell are we going to recover from these disasters and others yet unknown?”
Readers who may be in doubt and stay home on election day – see how critical the election of November 6, 2018 is?
First we must clean out all GOPs. Only the demise of the GOP will enable us to get more or less on track again.
Don’t let him dupe us again!
How big would a Trump babooshka doll be for all the Russian oligarchs who financed laundering deals with The Donald to nest inside?
Highly recommended for students planning careers:
If possible GO TO LAW SCHOOL.
Thanks Sheila,
I am afraid these actions have become the ‘new normal’ for politicians.’ Voters are accepting that any standard of ethics or law does not apply to those who will keep power in the hands of good white Christian patriots.
Not sure that those of us who believe differently will not be threatened with prison before the politician or legal system stands up to the hype.
All of this information is illuminating and incriminating to say the least; we have known there are Trump/Russian connections since before the Republican party nominated him as their representative. They were probably aware of many of his past questionable at the least and criminal at the most, Russian money sources. Is anyone keeping a running record of how many millions of our tax dollars “The Donald” and his extended family have cost us to maintain their “high on the hog” lifestyle which has increased since we began paying for it – and he is making more money by holding official meetings at his hotels, restaurants and his golf addiction? It was reported months ago that he had already emptied the Secret Service budget for the year to protect all of them – and rent his golf carts to maintain security on his golf courses.
I didn’t see in this report the Florida property Trump paid a few million for, never made use of, then sold to the Russian for many more million than he paid; it still sits vacant and unused, deteriorating in the Florida heat. This was all tracked and reported in detail by Rachel Maddow last year. My brother-in-law was in the Marines, stationed in Viet Nam during that war; he said the Viet Namese tunneled everywhere, including under U.S. military bases. Often the ground would collapse into the tunnels, leading to their discovery, which ran in all directions; Trump’s many direct and indirect Russian connections and money sources are like those tunnels, running everywhere and in all directions.
We, meaning the United States of America, will never get out from under the damage and the financial losses caused by this one man and his over-inflated ego, criminal connections, possibly treasonous activities and overflowing personal coffers after only 18 months in the White House. Vote all Republican bastards out of office in November as step one on our thousand-mile return trip to sanity and democracy.
Over-sized cash real estate deals through shell corporations are always a red flag for money laundering. At amounts over $10,000, all that’s required to meet the definition is the use of dirty money for a transaction. It’s just a matter of time, and would have been whether or not he’d run for office. I’d bet Mueller already has a pretty strong case for this, on top of the collaboration in election meddling. Our problem isn’t that his GOP enablers won’t believe the evidence. They will. Our problem is that they will do nothing about it because there is no one to make them.
Anthony,
“Not sure that those of us who believe differently will not be threatened with prison before the politician or legal system stands up to the hype.”
Excellent point.
No doubt we’re dealing with a FASCIST president.
The following is just a short paragraph from “Fascism: what it is and how to fight it” by Leon Trotsky (Pathfinder Press, New York, 1944) p.p. 11-12:
“Two years after its inception, [Italian] fascism was in power. It entrenched itself thanks to the fact that the first period of its lordship coincided with a favorable economic conjuncture, which followed the depression of 1921-22. The fascists crushed the retreating proletariat by the onrushing forces of the petty bourgeoisie [middle classes]. But that was not achieved AT A SINGLE BLOW. Even after he assumed power, Mussolini proceeded on his course with due caution; he lacked ready-made models. DURING THE FIRST TWO YEARS, NOT EVEN THE CONSTITUTION WAS ALTERED. THE FASCIST GOVERNMENT TOOK ON THE CHARACTER OF A COALITION. In the meantime, the fascist bands were busy at work with clubs, knives, and pistols. [think Alt-right] ONLY THUS WAS THE FASCIST GOVERNMENT CREATED SLOWLY, WHICH MEANT THE STRANGULATION OF ALL THE INDEPENDENT MASS ORGANIZATIONS.
Whether guilty or innocent, Trump isn’t going to relinquish power without a fight. That’s for sure.
Yes, I too would like to see some criminal justice meted out to Donald Trump and family, but I would also like to see some criminal justice dealt to all of the other white collar criminals destroying our country.
After the Wall Street failure of 2008 the banking and securities criminals got away Scott free. Since then, the Republicans have worked diligently to do away with any and all Obama regulations concerning that part of the economy. And then there is big pharma and the current drug addiction crisis in the country. Will any of those soulless board members, CEOs, and marketing managers ever go to prison? Will any be charged with homicide?
You need look no further to see where the corruption breeds in this country than big business.
“I skate to where the puck is gonna be not where it has been” ~Wayne Gretzky
Maybe a short history course is appropriate at this junction of the Trump regime, especially so with the up-coming meeting with Putin in the next few days:
Nazi-Soviet Pact – BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk › Home › History › Modern World History › World War One and Two
History. The Nazi-Soviet Pact. In April 1939, Russia, Britain and France met to form an alliance to defend Poland – but by August 1939, Russia had swapped sides and made a pact with Germany! Through the Nazi-Soviet Pact, Stalin and Hitler agreed not to go to war with each other and to split Poland between them.
Keep in mind: Mike Pence, Paul Ryan, Orrin Hatch, Mike Pompeo, Steve Mnuchin, James Mattis. See how far down we have to go to get a decent human being, if 45 gets impeached. Please vote Democratic for the sake of the country
As with most ego-centric fools and criminals, they don’t think they’ll ever get caught. In the case of the current criminal enterprise in Washington, aka the GOP/Trump family, there may be enough corruption there such that getting caught won’t matter. Like a bad movie about banana republics, it may take a massive uprising of the people of this country to physically remove the criminals from our government and replace them with those who actually believe in the law, the Constitution and equal opportunity.
We haven’t had those sorts of people for a very long time. Hell, even during WW II, when we were fighting fascism across the world, our capitalists were busy cheating the government with inferior military equipment so they could make even more profits. Our political system is, clearly, rotten to the core and the stink of it began with the sainted Ronald Reagan. There has been no retreat to decency, honesty and fairness by Republicans since.
Well, ask yourself what we do if voting no longer works to solve our ills. The criminal enterprise of the Trump family is just the tip if this fetid iceberg.
Vernon,
“Like a bad movie about banana republics, it may take a massive uprising of the people of this country to physically remove the criminals from our government and replace them with those who actually believe in the law, the Constitution and equal opportunity.”
You’re probably right. But you can’t be too late. The following is a good example from the experiences of Italian Fascism:
“True the proletariat, even after the September catastrophe, was capable of waging defensive battles. But the social democracy was concerned with only one thing: to withdraw the workers from combat at the cost of one concession after another. The social democracy hoped that the docile conduct of the workers would restore the “public opinion” of the bourgeoisie [upper classes] against the fascists. Moreover, the reformists even banked strongly upon the help of King Victor Emmanuel. To the last hour, they restrained the workers with might and main from giving battle to Mussolini’s bands. It availed them nothing. The crown, along with the upper crust of the bourgeoisie, swung over to the side of fascism. Convinced at the last moment that fascism was not to be checked by obedience, the social democrats called for a GENERAL STRIKE. BUT THEIR PROCLAMATION SUFFERED A FIASCO. The reformists had dampened the powder so long, in their fear that it should explode, that when they finally with a trembling hand did apply a burning fuse to it, the powder did not catch.”
See again: “Fascism: what it is and how to fight it” p.11.
Wow. I’ve been wondering why now, why this moment for Justice Kennedy’s retirement. Now I know why. Thank you Sheila. Your insight and wisdom is much appreciated.
Vernon writes, “Our political system is, clearly, rotten to the core and the stink of it began with the sainted Ronald Reagan.”
I agree with “our political system is rotten”…as written, that means both political parties who comprise the system of politics.
After Ocasio-Cortez, a young female Puerto Rican democratic socialist defeated a heavily funded ten-term congressional corporate stooge called Crowley, who was next in line for Pelosi’s job once she retires, Pelosi quickly concluded, “This was just an aberration…democratic socialism is not a movement happening everywhere.”
If I remember correctly, Sanders beat Clinton in Indiana. One of the most conservative states in the Union. Even our one democratic senator is a DINO and votes in line with most GOPers.
Yet, y’all keep defending the democratic party while attacking the GOP.
Trust me, I did the same thing at first. I saw through the Tea Party in Muncie and the nation. A very wise man told me once, follow the money…so follow it I did.
We are an Oligarchy. Even Princeton studies have reached this conclusion. What does that mean and have we all accepted the ramifications?
Our government doesn’t serve the people. Vernon would say it started with Reagan, but I suggest it goes back much further than that. Pinpointing that date is not relevant.
What is relevant is accepting this fact. Our system of politics is rotten to the core. Top to bottom and sideways.
Our country is basically a fraud because we hold ourselves up as a beacon of democracy to the free world and kill people in the name “freedom”.
Trump is the perfect face for this perfected sham. He’s one of the biggest frauds in the world right next to Hillary Clinton but the Oligarchs got what they wanted. Or at least most of them did and are fighting to keep him.
And btw, the 2008 banking crisis isn’t over. This week on Reuter’s, the banks (on behalf of their Banksters) agreed to a settlement of over $500 million on rate rigging. Part of the settlement was they made no admission of fault.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-banks-rigging-settlement/u-s-rate-rigging-payouts-top-500-million-as-final-banks-settle-idUSKBN1JL1N6
Who do you think propped up Trump in this country and others?
Someone asked me about finding the perfect candidate and working for them. I prefer working for all the people even those who can’t connect the dots because of loyalty to a brand.
Obama had the chance to nail down the banks as well…his biggest donor was Citigroup so he whiffed. Instead, the Federal Reserve has pumped in over $14 trillion to an industry which is nothing more than a criminal enterprise. Yet, they are all exempt from the law.
Meanwhile, a black guy sells a couple joints to his neighbor, he feels the wrath of our justice system.
Do not be surprised if Justice Kennedy’s name came up in the Mueller investigation. Scalia was a dirtbag owned by the Koch brothers.
All of the decisions made while these two corrupt dirtbags were serving on the bench should be thrown out, including Citizens United which made a mockery of this country.
Who can the people appeal to?
Themselves. Democratic Socialists have the solution but they are going up against a stacked deck with ALL the MONEY in the world. Voting is good but voting wisely is even better.
The Trumpet (Aka Agent Orange) is just a high profile manifestation of world wide corruption. I read a book years ago about the Columbian Drug Cartels. The cartels had all this cash, literally green backs. Front or dummy companies were set -up like restaurants, car rentals, groceries, apartments, etc., to launder the money and evade any taxes.
Recently, some “legitimate” multi-nationals like Volkswagen and Wells Fargo have been nabbed for fraud.
It was Eric Holder (Obama’s AG) who infamously said: Appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, “I am concerned that the size of some of these institutions becomes so large that it does become difficult for us to prosecute them.” “When we are hit with indications that if you do prosecute — if you do bring a criminal charge — it will have a negative impact on the national economy, perhaps even the world economy. I think that is a function of the fact that some of these institutions have become too large.” —>> This was Too Big to Fail, Too Big to Jail. Eric Holder’s Longtime Excuse for Not Prosecuting Banks Just Crashed and Burned – https://theintercept.com/2016/07/12/eric-holders-longtime-excuse-for-not-prosecuting-banks-just-crashed-and-burned/
As Bernie Sanders said on Sep 20, 2016, “Let’s be clear, the business model of Wall Street is fraud. In my view, there is no better example than the recently-exposed illegal behavior at Wells Fargo.
The CEO of Wells Fargo admitted today that he knew in 2013 the bank was scamming customers, but he took no action to fire or reprimand the senior executives in charge of supervising this activity. Instead, they were given millions in bonuses, while the value of the stock that the CEO owned shot up in value by more than $200 million.”
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None of this corruption began with Agent Orange – it is business as usual for the 1%. Agent Orange is a high profile target of opportunity. It is systemic corruption our political-financial system that goes well beyond one man and one party.
Marv,
Yes. Thanks for that. Our bourgeoisie have abdicated to the fascists decades ago. And, yes, they are dampening the powder with just enough money to allow the would-be rebels to afford Bud Light and their TV subscriptions. We’ll have our revolution when the price of beer exceeds the price of gasoline. Oh. Wait. It already does. I guess it will have to be something else that finally gets the attention of the people…like maybe another illegal war where their kids go to bleed and die for the lies from that compromised bourgeoisie.
IF? He and his family and associates BETTER wind up in prison.., because all I envision is the images of Mussolini and his mistress hanging in the streets of Rome following the fall of the Fascists in Italy. And – don’t tell me: ‘It can’t happen here.’ I think the last three presidents have all proved us wrong on that point! Yesterday in Oregon there was a heavy clash of Fascists and Anti-Fascists. People are out in numbers pushing back against the bullying of their government! In a poll (I believe it was CNN, ) 1/3 of the populace believes there might be another ‘Civil War’. Some say there is a huge ‘socialist’ bent…, This is the morass of (mis-) information we have to swim through just to get to the core of the matter: This administration is criminal, and we need it annulled and a proper American election sans the electoral college – one person one vote – held, then let the chips fall where they may. And if we have to fight for it – in whatever manner – future history will decide. We don’t need a civil war – what we need is a revolution in our vision for this nation and its future place in the world of today and tomorrow! my two cents.
Private capital tends to become concentrated in few hands, partly because of competition among the capitalists, and partly because technological development and the increasing division of labor encourage the formation of larger units of production at the expense of smaller ones. The result of these developments is an oligarchy of private capital the enormous power of which cannot be effectively checked even by a democratically organized political society.
This is true since the members of legislative bodies are selected by political parties, largely financed or otherwise influenced by private capitalists who, for all practical purposes, separate the electorate from the legislature. The consequence is that the representatives of the people do not in fact sufficiently protect the interests of the underprivileged sections of the population.
Moreover, under existing conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio, education). It is thus extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of his political rights.
Quote by Albert Einstein May 1949 https://monthlyreview.org/2009/05/01/why-socialism/
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Vernon,
I believe we might start to regain some ground in this battle, if we could ALL agree as to where this stinking mess started. To me that should be the starting point. However, that’s extremely hard to do since this War Against Democracy in America is being directed and fought on MULTIPLE LEVELS, all of which are moving in TANDEM.
But we have to try. Your book is extremely important, but it only covers one level. Todd and Monotonous perceive the battle from another level. And I am even seeing things from a third level.
All levels are equally important. But to thwart this multi-level attack, WE MUST be able to focus on all levels, in order to organize, defend, and, ultimately, counter-attack.
If we can accomplish this task, then, I believe, the Trump regime will be doomed for early extinction, since it’s entirely based on charade and deception.
He is first and foremost a pathological liar! He is far worse than Nixon. Hurry Mueller!
The following might help us get past our divisions, not only about levels of THOUGHT, but also about the importance of PLACE.
It’s from “Divided Minds: Intellectuals and the Civil Rights Movement” by Carol Polsgrove (W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2001) p. 233
By the way, Carol Polsgrove was a professor of journalism at Indiana University in Bloomington. I’ve posted this excerpt once before on this blog:
“By summer’s end [1964], Jim Silver, Howard Zinn, Staughton Lynd, and Robert Coles—engaged intellectuals all—had left the South. That fall Alfred A. Knopf published Zinn’s “The Southern Mystique.” In it Zinn put forth a thesis that directly countered [Jim] Silver’s point in “The Closed Society.” Silver had described Mississippi as set apart from the national will—so set apart that the nation would have to force change on it. Zinn argued that the South was not so special, so different. American’s ought to shrug off the idea of a “Southern Mystique.” The
South only exaggerated some of the characteristics of the nation, including racism. The South was a distorted image of the North.” The southern mystique—the idea that white southerners were innately violent or xenophobic—was only an excuse for inaction. The truth was that “compromise and vacillation on the race question are intrinsic parts of our national political heritage.” If national leaders failed to act now, they followed a long tradition: “The Negro has always been a hitchhiker in American history.”
Zinn was raised in Brooklyn within a Jewish family. He taught at Spelman, a black, woman’s college in Atlanta. Atlanta was not like other Southern cities because of the liberal positions taken by the publisher of the major newspaper in that city.
Silver had been born in the North, but educated in the South and was much more understanding of the particular situations within the “Bible Belt.”
Because of Silver’s early death, Zinn has had a much greater impact on political thought. For the most part is has been very positive, except for his minimizing the importance of James Silver’s observations about Mississippi and the DEEP SOUTH.
There’s a CENTER OF GRAVITY (COG) behind the racism in the Trump movement and it isn’t located in the North. The Center of Gravity of the Nazi movement was in the provincial city of Nuremberg as opposed to the cosmopolitan city of Berlin. The same type of arrangement exists in the U.S.
Marv, Vern, Todd and others make good points today on Sheila’s countdown of criminal acts by Trump, his family and (by extension) Pruitt and other such hanger-ons who are feathering their respective nests before Mueller’s axe falls. I have an addition not to what all have written but how to implement a response to a criminal administration such as we now have. We know what we have (and Mueller has much more), so what are we going to do about it?
I have written elsewhere for months that we should de-emphasize impeachment and scattered indictments of Trump, his family and others in favor of prosecuting these people as racketeers because if this does not fit the RICO statute I’m not sitting here. I think the main problem is how to have Sessions and his DOJ prosecute this as a RICO case since, aside from having to prosecute the defendant who hired and can fire him, he himself might prove to be a target.
I have recommended that we agitate for such a response to this criminal White House’s list of crimes which Sheila has only partially set forth in her blog today (probably for lack of space) for another reason – the Act gives prosecutors the right to not only convict but the right to seize assets of convicted defendants arising out of their perfidies. With the rampant money laundering, bribes and other such crimes subject to conviction, that could amount to a considerable chunk of change. I think, further, that when you start seizing Trump’s assets you will get his attention. We say that no one is above the law, so let’s select appropriate laws for
prosecution of such crimes.
I understand that the Supreme Court has decided to take up the question of double jeopardy soon as to whether state and federal charges for the same or similar crimes can be maintained in both jurisdictions. It seems that the Trump forces have foreseen such a possibility and that since he may be able to control the DOJ he cannot control the New York AG so he is trying to cut this issue off at the pass. Let’s agitate for a RICO look at this mess.
Here is an interesting side bar to the Justice Kennedy – Justin Kennedy – Agent Orange relationship with Deutsch Bank, Bill and Hillary Clinton collected $1,255,000 for six “speaking fees” from Deutsch Bank, from 2005 to 2014.
The New Yorker has a very long article on Deutsch Bank from August 29, 2016. Deutsche Bank’s $10-Billion Scandal How a scheme to help Russians secretly funnel money offshore unraveled.
Meanwhile, unlike many other Wall Street lenders, Deutsche Bank continues to loan millions of dollars to businesses associated with Donald Trump. When the Times questioned Trump recently about his credentials on Wall Street, he said that a private wealth manager at Deutsche Bank, Rosemary Vrablic, could vouch for him.
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I decided to “Google” Rosemary Vrablic, per Wikipedia –
Trump began working with Deutsche Bank in 1998, securing a loan for renovations at 40 Wall Street and a $300 million loan for Trump World Tower. Trump borrowed $640 million from the bank for Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago, offering a $40 million personal guarantee. After the 2008 financial crisis Trump was unable to make loan payments, so he sued the lender for $3 billion in damages, alleging “Deutsche Bank is one of the banks primarily responsible for the economic dysfunction we are currently facing”. Deutsche Bank responded by suing Trump to collect on the loan.
Vrablic’s wealth management unit at Deutsche Bank then loaned Trump the money he needed to pay the bank’s real estate division. She then gave him another loan on the Chicago project.
Her other clients include, Jared Kushner.
Another article on Deutsche Bank >> Deutsche Bank agrees to pay $7.2 billion to settle mortgage-abuse case. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/deutsche-bank-agrees-to-pay-72-billion-to-settle-mortgage-abuse-case/2016/12/22/d3eac2b4-c6ca-11e6-bf4b-2c064d32a4bf_story.html?utm_term=.e27dbaf3e424
Deutsche Bank Records Said to Be Subpoenaed by Mueller December 5, 2017.
Gerald,
“Let’s agitate for a RICO look at this mess.”
I’m with you all the way. FFE [Fire for effect]. Let’s bombard the”crooked” jerk with every legal weapon we have & more.
Too bad we’re still hearing, “but what about her e-mails?” No matter how much corruption is uncovered, there will still he those fools who are willing to turn a blind eye or deaf ear to a rotten system gamed for the benefit of the rich.
Gerald,
I’m going to work on a possible case of CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT TREASON. At this point in time, what other option does Trump have?
Now we’re getting somewhere. RICO, Conspiracy to commit treason. Fraud.
Watch what happens in Helsinki. I’m speculating that Trump will suck up to Putin so hard his head will cave in. For Trump, it’s about the money and his image. Yes. Go after his money and watch HIS head explode. Cleaning up the shitty mess after that will be a job for his cabinet. LOL.
If we ever get a peak at Trump finances I’ll be these 4 years will be the most lucrative of his career managing his father’s business.
Pete; after Trump’s bankruptcies and obtaining more of Daddy’s money to begin again, I believe he finally hired someone to do his thinking, investing, borrowing and stealing money for him. He simply is not intelligent enough to have suddenly realized the error of his financial ways to become as successful as he appears to be or to be able to cover up his illegal continuing to make millions by not recusing his business ownership while being a sitting president. Supporting himself, his extended family and his business ventures with our tax dollars is of course immoral but…is it also illegal on any level; such as selling trinkets, tee shirts and caps with the presidential monogram in his many gift shops around the world? Aren’t we also paying for his herds of attorneys working on his many lawsuits?
“I believe we might start to regain some ground in this battle, if we could ALL agree as to where this stinking mess started.”
A member of my family was a failed Reductionist, and before I was ten years old, I understood that the worst method of solving human/policy/behavior/political problems was to reduce their immense entangled complexities to some simple imaginary starting point or fundamental.
That approach works on only the most simple of problems, like those in the physical world of hard data — in science, engineering and math.
The physiology of a national body, even when inflicted by cancer, is too complex and interdependent, and clouded by too much mystery/ignorance/superstition, to heal (especially when the cancer’s object is imminent) through a MILLENNIUM of inquiry aimed at discovering the cancer’s origin.
Reductionism, however, is itself the starting point for some of the most brutal cancers of the national body — Racism; Nazism; Communism; Dictatorship; Ethnic Cleansing; Isolationism; Republicanism; and many more.
While the quest for origins and understanding should never stop moving on its separate path (science), Reductionism in politics and governance is as dangerous as putting to one’s temple and pulling the trigger on a revolver “reduced” to a single bullet.
BEWARE OF REDUCTIONISM
Marv – Not to dissuade you with your plan to go for conspiracy to commit treason, but treason has some formidable witness requirements that sedition does not. You may want to go for conspiracy to commit sedition, or better still, outright commission of sedition (which I consider to be treason lite but without the onerous witness requirements). I don’t see any reason why we can’t have a RICO and any and all other charges going simultaneously, and if the defense moves to dismiss on grounds that the crimes charged are the same, let the court deal with it. I can think of at least a half dozen different criminal charges that could be lodged against Ala Baba (Trump) and his Forty Thieves and I am sure that Mueller will have many more to add when he is through with his investigation of Russian and Bank of Cyprus money laundering via real estate transactions, German bank loans to Trump no other bank would make, big money from the Saudis and Gulf States to his son in law (Kushner) to save his flailing real estate in New York City etc. It is time to take the bull by the horns – we don’t have to feebly accept this continuing pillage.
Additionally, I think Mueller already has Trump’s income tax returns or can get them, that they reflect false filings in view of the evidence Mueller has since discovered, and that Mueller should hand such information over to the criminal division of the IRS (though with a Treasury Department overseer of the IRS under Trump’s control they may never see the light of day). Perhaps, alternatively, and since they are sure to involve Russian money laundering at a minimum and are thus within Mueller’s portfolio, he should openly use information gleaned from such returns in the prosecution of Trump on other charges, thus putting the heat on the IRS to do its duty.
Finally, there is the statute of limitations to be considered since some of these illicit transactions to which Trump was party are rather stale, both business (mostly Russian and representations he may have made in his multiple bankruptcies) and personal (sex charges etc.). We can’t wait forever to prosecute this wannabe dictator lest he use such a defense and walk – a horrible thought.
“RICO, Conspiracy to commit treason. Fraud.”
Yes! Now, we ARE getting somewhere. We are getting to the trigger of Trump’s Nazi takeover.
Trigger: he and his Brownshirts will refuse to abide by any successful prosecution or impeachment. He has all the parts in place for a successful refusal: philosophic gurus, generals, military, street mobs, judges, and a functioning propaganda wing. But, as I have said before, he awaits, even encourages, the trigger — prosecution/ impeach-ment. Why is the trigger important? The trigger permits him to launch his takeover under the guise that he is saving the country from a takeover, which his prosecution and/or impeachment will represent to deplorables.
Nevertheless, we have to pull the trigger — prosecute and/or impeach… we can deal with the ramifications and unintended consequences later.
Larry,
My statement: “I believe we might start to regain some ground in this battle, if we could ALL agree as to where this stinking mess started.”
Your two statements: “That approach works on only the most simple of problems, like those in the physical world of hard data — in science, engineering and math.”
“Reductionism, however, is itself the starting point for some of the most brutal cancers of the national body — Racism; Nazism; Communism; Dictatorship; Ethnic Cleansing; Isolationism; Republicanism; and many more”
In most instances, your evaluation would be correct, but not when it comes to my statement. The mess we’re dealing with is caused, at the deepest level, by a VIRUS OF HATRED. Like all viruses, this MIND VIRUS can’t be successfully treated without knowledge of its GROUND ZERO. That’s why you have look to the start with an ability to understand spatial relations. I know the start as I, inadvertently, SPARKED it in a lecture that I gave in 1969 which became the strategy for the Religious Right Movement.
By the way, I enjoyed viewing the collection of your art. It allowed me to better understand your criticism of my statement. Try to remember, you’re not the only one who has strong perceptual abilities.
Sorry for the typo. I left out TO between have and look on line 13.
Gerald,
“Marv – Not to dissuade you with your plan to go for conspiracy to commit treason, but treason has some formidable witness requirements that sedition does not.”
I believe we discussed my plan to charge Trump with allegations of conspiring to commit treason a month or so ago. I like using my own court, The Court of Public Opinion. The court costs are much cheaper and I have complete control of the trial.
Look at http://www.TheAlarmReport.info. I’ve mentioned the success of this type of strategy before. The Alarm Report involved a conspiracy that included President George W. Bush, Ambassador Robert Strauss, and the Mayor of Dallas, Annette Strauss. Within two days of my filing The Alarm Report with the City Council of Dallas, Mayor Strauss reversed her decision to appeal and decided not to prevent the landmark decision handed down by the Federal District Judge which required 1 man, 1 vote in all elections in the City of Dallas.
I might be wrong, but I’m betting that there are a significant number of Republican Senators who would even abhor traitors such as Donald Trump, if they had a sufficient amount of evidence. If I’m right, we might even end up with a decent new Supreme Court Justice.
Sheila Kennedy blog … “If there is one thing we have learned about Donald Trump during and since the election, it is that his ego is massively bigger than his IQ.”
Everything is bigger than Donald Trump’s IQ.
And not a single person writing here said anything about what s/he is doing to defeat Trumpism.
There are seven Indiana GOP seats in Congress. What are you doing, other than blathering, to elect Democrats in each of those districts? The intention to vote Democratic is insufficient.
Just because you’re old, doesn’t mean you are excused from being active in support of change.
Try going door-to-door in your retirement home and speak in positive terms about the Democratic candidate in your district. Trump supporters do not have to embarrassed about their mistakes. Encourage you children and grandchildren to hit the streets where they live to raise awareness of the Democrats who can make a difference and prevent the furtherance of the oligopolistic control of the nation. Do something!
Marv: “The mess we’re dealing with is caused, at the deepest level, by a VIRUS OF HATRED.”
And what causes the virus of hatred? Fear?
And what causes the virus of fear? Insufficient self-confidence?
And what causes the virus of insufficient self-confidence? Insufficient love?
And what causes the virus of insufficient love? Too much self-interest?
And what causes the virus of too much self-interest? The us versus others syndrome?
And what causes the us versus others syndrome? Hatred?
And we’re back to hatred again.
Reductionism becomes a spinning of wheels in the mind.
Larry,
“And what causes the virus of hatred? Fear?”
The virus of hatred wasn’t caused by fear it was caused by certain group of men who have even have names.
You’re about theory, I’m about facts. We’re not on the same wave length. Stick with you art work.
Morton Marcus,
“And not a single person writing here said anything about what s/he is doing to defeat Trumpism.”
“Just because you’re old, doesn’t mean you are excused from being active in support of change.”
Bullshit! How do you know what people are doing away from this blog? Do you have some hidden magical powers that they we are unaware of?