Friday, October 05, 2018

Call Your Senator


 
This cannot be emphasized enough: A president who is now under criminal investigation for possible treason should not be nominating anyone to the Supreme Court. Brett Kavanaugh is on record for having stated that a president has the constitutional right to pardon himself for any high crimes and misdemeanors committed while in office. When asked if he still believed this nonsense last week during his confirmation hearings (which seems like a hundred years ago) the judge refused to answer the question. It is for this reason alone, I believe, that he was Donald Trump's choice. When he was filtered by the Trump Mob for the nomination, was he asked if he still believed that a president had a license to break the law? My bet is that he was - and that his answer was a resounding "YES". If it is proved that the president of the United States conspired with a hostile foreign power to subvert the results of a national election, then all of his judicial apointments should be impeached.

Retired Justice John Paul Stevens - who was appointed to the court by President Ford - has stated that Kavanaugh would not be a good choice to elevate to the Supreme Court. I think the man might be on to something.
 
Whether or not you believe the allegations of Christine Blasey Ford (and I believe her) is beside the point; Brett Kavanaugh just doesn't have the temperamental chops to be sitting on the highest court in the land. That was obvious during the tirade he went on when responding to Dr. Ford's testimony. That he sincerely believes that a cabal consisting of lefties are out to get him is anyone's guess. Perhaps he does, but my guess is that he pulled that allegation out of his hat in an act of sheer desperation.

He is an absolutely atrocious nominee for "the highest court in the land"  - worse than Uncle Clarence Thomas even - which is scraping the very bottom of the barrel.
 
But what is beyond a doubt is that Brett will not be a dispassionate arbitrator of the merits of any potential case that might come before him in the next thirty to forty years (yeah, he could be there for that long). This is a bad idea.

(202) 224-3121

That's the number of the United States Senate. Place a call to the senator who represents you. Let him or her know that if the court takes such an extreme turn to the right, this country will be unalterably changed in too many ways to count. Brett Kavanaugh represents a dark place that we don't want to go to.

Tom Degan
Goshen, NY

SUGGESTED READING:

The Brethren
by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein

The best study of the Supreme Court ever written. 

20 Comments:

At 2:56 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"That he sincerely believes that a cabal consisting of lefties are out to get him is anyone's guess. Perhaps he does, but my guess is that he pulled that allegation out of his hat in an act of sheer desperation." ~ Tom Degan

Truly? So the fact that Planned Parenthood, George Soros, and any number of left wing groups have spent literally millions to thwart his appointment is not reason enough for him to think the left hasn't given him a fair hearing? How about many leftist senators proclaiming they would vote against him as soon as his name was announced for the position? Some even proclaimed this BEFORE his name was announced. Even the senate minority leader said he was against Kavanaugh before the hearing even began and anyone had ever heard of Blasey-Ford. No reason to be thinking the deck was stacked there. Maybe it was all of the "professional" protestors that were given gallery passes to the hearings by Feinstein and other Democrats in order to disrupt the proceedings. Or perhaps it could be the letter of Ford's that was leaked to the press by either Ford's senator or congresswoman, despite her asking it not to be. The fact that the entire hearing was ready to be wrapped up when Feinstein finally released it to the public certainly suggests a disingenuous delay tactic at the very least. No... I don't see any reason why Judge Kavanaugh wouldn't think that there was a grand leftist "resist" conspiracy against him.

If Ford's allegations had 1/10th as much evidence in support of them as Kavanaugh does for a leftist cabal against him, then I dare say even Republican senators would be removing there support for him.

This is not about a fair hearing for a supreme court nominee. This is about brazen leftist partisanship stoked by hate and fear in an attempt to derail a highly qualified jurist from being seated on the SCOTUS bench. Nothing more. The presumption of innocence is dead on the left. For that matter, a return to communist tactics of the mere suggestion of impropriety without substantiation is acceptable in order to achieve the desired end results. We have gone far beyond Alinsky tactics and reverted to Stalinist tactics now. You all should be very proud of your part to dismantle our republic. If the Left were to gain unfettered power, it would be less than a decade before the United States more closely resembled Venezuela.

 
At 4:16 PM, Blogger Majormajor said...

"A president who is now under criminal investigation for possible treason should not be nominating anyone to the Supreme Court."
Tom Degan

That is not the truth Tom, shame on you.

 
At 6:14 PM, Blogger Mozart1220 said...

My Senators are Grassley and Ernst. They don't give a shit about what the people want. They are complicit in the treason.

 
At 5:34 AM, Blogger Tom Degan said...

Major Chuck:

The president is "an unindicted co-conspirator". That is the fact. Pay attention.

 
At 7:45 AM, Blogger Jefferson's Guardian said...

"That is not the truth Tom, shame on you. ~~ Majormajor (aka Timothy Trueblood)

and...

"The president is 'an unindicted co-conspirator'. That is the fact. Pay attention." ~~ Tom Degan

Timmy live in a Fox News bubble, Tom. I'm quite sure Fox never reported this irrefutable fact.

Remember, in Timmy's Trumpist worldview, anything beyond Fox News (and Limbaugh) is considered "fake news".

Obviously, T.Paine lives within the same bubble.

 
At 5:20 PM, Blogger Jefferson's Guardian said...

Well, it's settled. We now have a sexual deviant in the White House plus (at least) one on the Supreme Court.

Look to the future. We'll have impeachments of both within a year.

 
At 5:22 PM, Blogger Majormajor said...

Tom,,

Read your own words, "possible treason", for what? Treason? NO. You should be ashamed of that false hood. Tell the truth.

 
At 6:22 PM, Blogger Jefferson's Guardian said...

Justice Kavanaugh. You told Democrats last week “what goes around comes around”.

 
At 3:40 AM, Blogger Mozart1220 said...

Clucky, WHO do you think is the main target of Mueller's investigation in the first place? WHO Owned the building where the meetings with the Russians took place, and WHY were the meetings held? The entire operation was set up so Putin could get Trump in office. Mueller is just moving up the chain building a case, and THAT is why Kavenaugh HAD to be on the court. He supports the ridiculous idea that "sitting Presidents cannot be indicted for felonies" which I guarantee you and your heroes do not support whenever a Democrat is in office.

 
At 4:13 PM, Blogger Majormajor said...

Trump ‘treason’ in Helsinki? It doesn’t hold up.

Washington Post
By Fred Barbash
July 17


"The president is "an unindicted co-conspirator" Tom Degan

"Before this claim is repeated so often that people assume it is true (like Tom), let me state categorically that Trump is not an unindicted co-conspirator and that it is wrong to characterize him as such. An unindicted co-conspirator is someone against whom a grand jury has found probable cause, on the basis of evidence, that he or she is guilty of being a co-conspirator in a crime. But as far as we know there has been no grand jury indictment in this case, because Cohen waived the grand jury and pleaded guilty to “an information” prepared by a prosecutor, not a grand jury. An information is used in federal trials generally when a defendant voluntarily pleads guilty and waives the right of an indictment by a grand jury. So unless there is a secret indictment against Cohen, accusing Trump of being his co-conspirator, Trump cannot be an unindicted co-conspirator. Moreover, the information against Cohen did not include the allegation by Cohen that he was directed to pay hush money by the candidate. That self-serving accusation was made by Cohen in his statement to the judge.

So it cannot be the basis for a conclusion that Trump is an unindicted co-conspirator."

Alan Dershowitz
September 13, 2018

Alan Dershowitz is an American lawyer and academic. He is a scholar of United States constitutional law and criminal law, and a noted civil libertarian. He spent most of his career at Harvard Law School where in 1967, at the age of 28, he became the youngest full professor of law in its history. He is a liberal, but not a leftist.

You are wrong Tom. That is fact, pay attention, not that you will post this.

 
At 8:40 PM, Blogger Dave Dubya said...

“Communist tactics!” “Stalinist!” “Venezuela!”, shrieks the knee-jerk conservative hysteria response, as the LIE DETECTOR graph jumps at the bullshit filled hate.

If Ford's allegations had 1/10th as much evidence in support of them as Kavanaugh does for a leftist cabal against him, then I dare say even Republican senators would be removing there support for him.

Right, she passed a lie detector. We can just trust the Republican operative.

How about a lie detector for Mr. Sniffles and his drinking buddy? Not fair! amirite?

And how about that “fair” FBI investigation that was supposed to go for a pitiful week, yet the LIARS cut it down to three days? A so-called “investigation” that refused to question the people present and witnesses of Sniffles Kavanaugh’s blind drunk behavior?

I would imagine Mr. Paine’s daughter would get more sympathy if she was assaulted, and trembled in fear of death threats, to tell her story. Mr Paine will believe any slimy Republican over any woman, even though she passed a lie detector! It is con-servatism. He’s not enraged about the death threats, though, because only liberals are evil.

This is what angers him:

So the fact that Planned Parenthood, George Soros, and any number of left wing groups have spent literally millions to thwart his appointment is not reason enough for him to think the left hasn't given him a fair hearing?

Planned Parenthood in 2018 spent $393,498, not “millions”.

Sheldon Adelson was the top donor in 2018, spending the greatest amount from a single person. $ 55,000,000

Yet the evil Soros spent $13,155,000, about a quarter as much.

Continued...

 
At 8:41 PM, Blogger Dave Dubya said...

Not fair!!

The Great America PAC spent $13,000 to support Senate candidate Roy Moore, and even more for Mr. Sniffles, the man of even temperament. “Values” indeed.

FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION RECORDS SHOW the group Citizens United is spending at least $250,000 on the pro-Kavanaugh spot.

America First Policies, spent about $150,000 on an ad that began airing Friday across the country on Fox News.

Kavanaugh wrote the opinion in Emily’s List as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, striking down restrictions on contributions to independent political committees. In the opinion, he declared that these committees “are constitutionally entitled to raise and spend unlimited money in support of candidates for elected office.” He reasoned that it was “implausible” that contributions to independent groups could corrupt candidates.

This is corruption personified, unless you are a con-servative Trumpist idiot who thinks pathological liars and their shills are not corrupt.

Mr. Paine is outraged liberals spent money to keep angry Mr. Sniffles, the man of even temperament, off the Supreme Court.

But this is OK:

Washington Post reports: Conservatives launch $5 million effort to pressure Democrats on Brett Kavanaugh

Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh will soon get a $5 million boost from two independent conservative groups devoted to supporting President Trump’s agenda, according to organizers of the effort.

Great America PAC and Great America Alliance will next week launch a campaign to confirm Kavanaugh built around cable television, radio and digital ads in seven states that were won by Trump in 2016 and where Democratic senators are campaigning for reelection.

Great America groups spent about $3 million on ads and direct mail during the Gorsuch fight, said Eric Beach, who runs the groups with Rollins... A conservative group, the Judicial Crisis Network, has announced $2.4 million in spending, focused on four Democratic senators in Indiana, North Dakota, West Virginia and Alabama.


But Mr. Paine is enraged that liberals do the same thing. IOKIYAR. Just don’t call him a hypocrite.

No... I don't see any reason why Judge Kavanaugh wouldn't think that there was a grand leftist "resist" conspiracy against him.

“Not fair!” whines the outraged snowflake con-servative, while Merrick Garland was treated so respectfully by the “constitutional” Republicans, amirite? The evil drips from their hateful hypocrisy.

The "Renate Alumnius" treats all women with respect. Another LIE.

"But I did not drink beer to the point of blacking out… Passed out would be—no, but I've gone to sleep, but—but I've never blacked out." Self-righteous Mr. Sniffles whines.

The "blatant lying" and "lying under oath" inspired two of his Yale classmates to dispute his account in separate CNN interviews. Brookes described him as "stumbling drunk" and said, "I can almost guarantee that he doesn't remember that night." Swisher countered that "there's no problem with drinking beer in college; the problem is lying about it," and that "I don't think many of his answers were credible."

The FBI “investigation” didn’t want to hear from them. I wonder why? And why can’t we see the directive? Not our business, I suppose. Only evil liberals want transparency.

Mr. Paine even repeated a LIE Angry Mr. Sniffles Kavanaugh uttered while under oath, declaring everyone at the party "refuted" Dr. Ford's allegation. HE LIED UNDER OATH!!! Where is that "constitutional"? The only ones refuting the claim were Kavanaugh and his toady lush drinking buddy.

THEY are who we should trust, NOT the woman who was threatened and passed a lie detector test. Why? IOKIYAR. They are all sickening amoral authoritarian hypocrites and liars.

 
At 3:09 AM, Blogger Mozart1220 said...

Tom, I have that book. Amazing that we once thought Nixon was as bad as it could get.

 
At 5:33 PM, Blogger Majormajor said...

"The Democrats should be ashamed of themselves, but since they have no shame, none will be forthcoming." — Ben Shapiro

 
At 9:12 PM, Blogger Majormajor said...

"The Democratic Party has its fingerprints all over this, as it does with the shenanigans over the Russia investigation. Not only do I not believe Dr. Ford’s story; I also don’t believe she acted on her own in this shady business. What’s happening with all these FBI and DOJ associated lawyers is an obvious circling of the wagons. They’ve generated too much animus in the process and they’re going to get nailed. These matters are far from over and a major battle is looming in the countdown to the midterm elections."
James Kunstler
Clusterf*** Nation.

 
At 5:32 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

In case my account is not fixed, this comment is T. Paine’s.

“Well, it's settled. We now have a sexual deviant in the White House plus (at least) one on the Supreme Court.” ~ J.G.

We had one in the White House for most of the 90’s too. His wife ran for president two years ago after helping clean up the “bimbo eruptions” of harassed, assaulted, and even allegedly raped women. (i.e. Juanita Broaddrick) I guess you only have to believe the stories of leftist women leveling such charges though. I am glad that you have a new-found morality now though, sir, albeit you really need to have some evidence before levelling the accusations next time. (I know that whole “presumption of innocence” thing is a nuisance unless it is a leftist being accused.) It is good that you are on the right track though. 😊

“Right, she passed a lie detector. We can just trust the Republican operative.” ~ Dubya

Yep, that is what she claimed. I even believed that she was likely assaulted at one time and may even sincerely believe that Kavanaugh was guilty of that crime; however, in her quest to bring forth the truth to the senate judiciary committee during the Kavanaugh hearings, she didn’t want to release the actual lie detector test or her therapist notes to the senators. That is when my benefit of the doubt regarding her story began to get stretched. And yes, her story was not corroborated and was also REFUTED by even her one friend whom she claimed was with her at the party. She said she was NEVER at any such party and did not even know Kavanaugh. I know that words mean different things to some leftists though. What does “refute” mean to you, Mr. Dubya?

Oh, and by the way, there were death threats made to Ford AND Kavanaugh, so you also can put away your newly found sense of morality, sir. Did you and J.G. get a buy-one-get-one free sense of morality? Like I said, I am glad that you all are on the right track. The fact that this is new to you gives you a little leeway in my book. You first need to have actual evidence before making such an allegation if you wish to hold on to your new-found morality though.

“Mr. Paine is outraged liberals spent money to keep angry Mr. Sniffles, the man of even temperament, off the Supreme Court.” ~ Dubya

Yep. The right wouldn’t have needed to spend millions in response if the left would simply have let the hearings proceed. Instead, Feinstein-supported harpies invaded and disrupted the proceedings with press passes that she and her “Democrat” allies signed for them. It is interesting that the Democrats time and again have to rely on paid protesters to do their dirty work. Cowards.

Next, I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you forgot my stance on Judge Garland. I did not care for him, but I thought that McConnell was dead wrong in not allowing a hearing and vote to proceed on his nomination. Although he didn’t always follow the Constitution, Obama was well within his rights on this one and the Republicans were wrong in not following their constitutional duties.

Then, of course, Mr. Dubya follows the leftist playbook precisely after that. The Democrats couldn’t make an unsubstantiated allegation of sexual assault stick to Kavanaugh, so then they changed the tune to his temperament and his drinking. Good lord. Throw it all up against the wall and see if anything sticks in your desperation. As I said, I cared enough about your opinion way back to get pissed just with your allegations of racism towards me; I can definitely understand Kavanaugh’s temperament towards the game-playing Democrats of smearing him with such thin accusations of sexual assault. I think he showed remarkable restraint towards Feinstein, Durbin, and the rest of the romper room crowd there accordingly.

 
At 12:12 PM, Blogger Darrell Michaels said...

T. Paine's comment:

Mr. Dubya, I do not know with 100% certainty that Kavanaugh is not lying any more than you know with 100% certainty that Ford is not lying. That said, "old fashioned Americans" like yourself should understand the concept of "presumption of innocence" until proven guilty. This USED to be the cornerstone of our justice system before the left's turn to automatic convictions of anyone ever accused of any infraction if they are right of center politically. (Anyone associated with Trump should be given life sentences or worse, I suppose, right? After all, we are all lumped in that same basket of deplorables in Idiot Nation.)

This presumption of innocence SHOULD hold true especially when there is no supporting evidence of the allegations. This includes Ford's inadmissible lie detector test you keep mentioning. There is a reason these tests are not admissible in court. They can be beaten and are not definitive proof of honesty. I dare say that someone trained in psychiatry might even know the mechanisms with which to defeat such tests.

Of course we won't likely ever know this because Dr. Ford has refused to provide the actual transcript and results of those tests, along with her therapist notes to the senate in her quest to bring the "truth to light". THAT was my point that you obviously or perhaps intentionally missed. If she is only wanting to tell the truth, why does she refuse to share the results and transcripts of her lie detector test? Is she hiding something? THAT is when I started questioning the entire veracity of her story.

Like the Antifa fascist you have evidently become, you lump this all in with Trump. Anyone that disagrees with Dave Dubya is an authoritarian, right? You are as bad as these paid hipster protesters. In fact you are worse. They are often times ignorant of history, facts, and truth and don't know any better. You should know better and yet want to attach yourself to their "enlightened" form of hate in the snowflake brigades.

Refute Synonyms: disprove, prove wrong, prove false, debunk, discredit, invalidate; More
prove that (someone) is wrong. deny or contradict (a statement or accusation).

Ford's friend, Ms. Keyser said through her attorney, "Ms. Keyser does not know Mr. Kavanaugh and she has no recollection of ever being at a party or gathering where he was present, with, or without, Dr. Ford."

That seems to contradict, deny, and even discredit Ford's allegation, wouldn't you say? Go ahead and re-define the word again, sir. One would think that Keyser might remember a distraught Ford that was supposedly almost raped running out of the house in fear. It would seem reasonable that a friend would ask what had caused such a reaction in Ford. Instead Ford claims she never told anybody about the event until years later about this party where all named witnesses say that they have no memory of the party or events.
Ford cannot say where, when, or whose house it even was. She doesn't know how she got there or how she got home. But she is "100% certain" that it was Kavanaugh that assaulted her and she has the lie detector test she refuses to share that "proves" this.

 
At 12:12 PM, Blogger Darrell Michaels said...


T. Paine cont.

The bottom line is that Kavanaugh was successfully seated on the SCOTUS bench and this is what truly outrages Mr. Dubya and his ilk. They are mad because they think this further empowers Trump as he and the senate carried out their constitutional duties in seating Kavanaugh. What it is truly about is that they are mad that the constitution was followed and once again limited their hatred fascist power as they attempt to dismantle America and remake it in some leftist totalitarian utopia where they can properly "re-educate" or "take care" of us "hateful" right wingers that failed to drink the Marxist Kool aid.

You are great at calling others hateful and liars and you do so with such vehemence, Mr. Dubya. Perhaps it is seeing these traits within yourself and loathing them so much that cause so much heat in your "debate" on these topics. I feel sorry for you, sir.

 
At 5:02 PM, Blogger Dave Dubya said...

Mr. Paine loves not only to spew his white conservative Victim Card and his all-occasion hateful Commie Card, but like a true far Right authoritarian, he needed to play his hypocritical “Mr. Constitution Card”. Why wasn’t he so annoyed when the Republicans denied the Black President his Constitutional duty? (Hint: Nothing partisan or racial to see here.) Why isn’t our own Mr. Constitution concerned with Trump’s violations of the Emoluments Clause? (Hint: Nothing partisan here.)

Turns out “IOKIYAR” is in his personal constitution.

The bottom line is that Kavanaugh was successfully seated on the SCOTUS bench and this is what truly outrages Mr. Dubya and his ilk. They are mad because they think this further empowers Trump as he and the senate carried out their constitutional duties in seating Kavanaugh.

Mr. Constitution is very annoyed with liberals opposing a long time Republican OPERATIVE to the Supreme Court. The same man who has openly suggested the president is immune to the law. Then he decides the woman who passed a lie detector is the real liar, and the beer soaked privileged partisan white guy is telling the truth.

Figures. Does Mr. Constitution really believe that courtroom standards for criminal conviction are identical to a Senate confirmation process?

What is really revealing is the slime he wants to spread on Dr. Ford for not wanting her patient/ therapist confidentiality violated. Issues and information that have nothing to do with the case at hand should not be forced from her. The same is true for the lie detector test. Mr. Constitution may be equally ignorant of that process as well. To establish a pattern, the person has to honestly answer many questions of a personal nature, that also having NOTHING to do with the case at hand.

But slime, he must. What else can we expect from the shrill paranoid lunacy of “Communist tactics!” “Stalinist!” “Venezuela!”?

Mr. Constitution seems very happy with the three day FBI “investigation” under Trump’s direction. “What investigation?”, we still ask. Say wasn’t it suppose to be a week?

Apparently ignoring all the witnesses to Mr. Sniffles’ drunken black outs is the path to the truth. Trump’s “truth”. Mr. Constitution’s “truth”.

 
At 5:05 PM, Blogger Dave Dubya said...

(Part two)

And back we go to Mr. Paine's superpower of the far Right to unilaterally define terms.

That seems to contradict, deny, and even discredit Ford's allegation, wouldn't you say? The woman said she BELIEVED Dr. Ford. Not remembering the specific gathering, uneventful from her experience, is NOT refuting. Go ahead and re-define the word again, sir.

I know he misinterprets a lot when he’s angry, but the FACT is I presented definitions, NOT a re-definition. This is an ongoing theme of our discussions, along with the false accusations needed to play the “white victim card”.

And how’s THIS for re-defining?

Like the Antifa fascist you have evidently become Another one, folks! What’s next, I’m part of a “MOB?” I have a feeling Mr. Constitution is more sympathetic with Trump's “very fine people” than with me. After all, he seems to feel included with the deplorables.

Yes, Poor Mr. Paine still has no idea who the term was applied to. So he claims it. LOL!

Mr. Constitution is mystified why democrats are upset at having no power when 3 million more votes were for their candidate. Or when the House or Senate are held by a party that fewer American voters supported. He arrogantly accused them of “failure” at the ballot box.

Imagine his never-ending bile and anger if his party got more votes, as the other one takes power. We can imagine, for he cannot. Their empathy is up there with their wisdom, grasp of facts, and compassion.

All of this proves the Right is opposed to the Constitution when the Black Guy is in office, opposed to democracy, and opposed the consent of the governed. THE “old fashioned American value”.

All they want is their conservative white privilege and total power. They want the rich to have more wealth and total power. They want the poor to have less.

And most of all the want others to LOSE, especially those they fear and loathe. Somebody other than the rich have got to pay. Let’s raise the debt, and gut Medicaid and food stamps, so the Kochs and Trump get a tax cut.

Con-servative “value$”.

 

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