What's Happening, Briefly
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@Mik said in What's Happening, Briefly:
Well, now, the 'not exactly presidential train' left the station around 2015.
I'd say "Give that man a cigar," but, no....you're off by 20 years.
@George-K said in What's Happening, Briefly:
@Mik said in What's Happening, Briefly:
Well, now, the 'not exactly presidential train' left the station around 2015.
I'd say "Give that man a cigar," but, no....you're off by 20 years.
That's not how it works. Carjacking isn't now magically okay just because it happened yesterday somewhere in Chicago.
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Gotta feed the 24-hour newscycle beast.
“Cry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!”
Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terrorists’ "due process". — Buck Sexton
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I've heard two or three legal talking heads say the same thing...
The NYC DA campaigned on "Get Trump". It was featured in multiple speeches and in ads. The talking heads said this is ethically reprehensible for an officer of the court to publicly admit bias this forcefully in a campaign and then personally follow through on a prosecution. Especially since the DA is treading on very thin ice, with state vs. Federal law.
Their further opinion? In most states, this would trigger a review by the state bar association. Penalties would range from censure to disbarment.
“Cry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!”
Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terrorists’ "due process". — Buck Sexton
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@Jolly
Addressing your post #11: I understand that, but this round was way over the top. No restraint whatsoever, and little if any regard for the reality of the moment. It was beyond irresponsible, even by their usual scurvy standards.Ebola Effect in spades.
There is no way to avoid the truth that, to paraphrase NPR, unreputable news media own a large share of the discontent in this country.
They should be ashamed.
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I've heard two or three legal talking heads say the same thing...
The NYC DA campaigned on "Get Trump". It was featured in multiple speeches and in ads. The talking heads said this is ethically reprehensible for an officer of the court to publicly admit bias this forcefully in a campaign and then personally follow through on a prosecution. Especially since the DA is treading on very thin ice, with state vs. Federal law.
Their further opinion? In most states, this would trigger a review by the state bar association. Penalties would range from censure to disbarment.
@Jolly said in What's Happening, Briefly:
The talking heads said this is ethically reprehensible for an officer of the court to publicly admit bias this forcefully in a campaign and then personally follow through on a prosecution.
I didn't know about this. If true, 'reprehensible' is the least of it. It is egregiously damaging to the ethics of the system of law.
Also stupid.
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There was a great deal of destruction of institutions and norms through the application of TDS. It was mostly based on a fear of Trump destroying institutions and norms. That's how that works. If people are afraid of something being done, they will do that same thing to combat it. An idea of what one's opponent is willing to do, informs one's own behavior limits. Too bad those beliefs about one's opponents are often neurotic, irrational tribal ideas. "Trumpism" isn't the new normal. TDS is the new normal.
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There was a great deal of destruction of institutions and norms through the application of TDS. It was mostly based on a fear of Trump destroying institutions and norms. That's how that works. If people are afraid of something being done, they will do that same thing to combat it. An idea of what one's opponent is willing to do, informs one's own behavior limits. Too bad those beliefs about one's opponents are often neurotic, irrational tribal ideas. "Trumpism" isn't the new normal. TDS is the new normal.
@Horace said in What's Happening, Briefly:
There was a great deal of destruction of institutions and norms through the application of TDS. It was mostly based on a fear of Trump destroying institutions and norms. That's how that works. If people are afraid of something being done, they will do that same thing to combat it. An idea of what one's opponent is willing to do, informs one's own behavior limits. Too bad those beliefs about one's opponents are often neurotic, irrational tribal ideas. "Trumpism" isn't the new normal. TDS is the new normal.
That's incomprehensible, except you're right.
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It might be useful to pass along something I've been reminding myself about lately. We can brangle all we want about who is responsible for the ills of the country; the truth is it's the unsung who keep the ship afloat. IMO, the higher ranks of strategic military, career Department of State, especially including the Foreign Service, and career Cabinet personnel of departments like Interior and Health & Human Services. It is these people who are the true experts, who know through experience what works and what to do in the life-saving day-to-day -- even as the elected class come and go, the ones that make the noise and get the press, most of them easily forgotten. And those same elected rely heavily on what is called the fourth branch, the bureaucracy, for what they need to know to do their jobs.
(And their jobs and how they're done somehow never make it into the press, do they? Because who cares? No scandal there. Nothing to rant about on the barstools.)
Whether Trump is the good guy or the menace, the Social Security checks still go out on time, the parks and forests are tended and the fires fought, the infrastructure gets maintained (sort of), the veterans affairs still get seen to, matters of diplomacy are followed, law is enforced, archives are maintained -- and hundreds of other tasks critical to matters of state.
So as much of an uproar is achieved by the press, the workaday stuff still gets done -- not perfectly, but so far so good, more or less.
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It might be useful to pass along something I've been reminding myself about lately. We can brangle all we want about who is responsible for the ills of the country; the truth is it's the unsung who keep the ship afloat. IMO, the higher ranks of strategic military, career Department of State, especially including the Foreign Service, and career Cabinet personnel of departments like Interior and Health, Education and Welfare. It is these people who are the true experts, who know through experience what works and what to do -- even as the elected class come and go, the ones that make the noise and get the press, most of them easily forgotten. And those same elected rely heavily on what is called the fourth branch, the bureaucracy, for what they need to know to do their jobs.
In other words, The Swamp.
“Cry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!”
Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terrorists’ "due process". — Buck Sexton
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It might be useful to pass along something I've been reminding myself about lately. We can brangle all we want about who is responsible for the ills of the country; the truth is it's the unsung who keep the ship afloat. IMO, the higher ranks of strategic military, career Department of State, especially including the Foreign Service, and career Cabinet personnel of departments like Interior and Health, Education and Welfare. It is these people who are the true experts, who know through experience what works and what to do -- even as the elected class come and go, the ones that make the noise and get the press, most of them easily forgotten. And those same elected rely heavily on what is called the fourth branch, the bureaucracy, for what they need to know to do their jobs.
In other words, The Swamp.
@Jolly said in What's Happening, Briefly:
In other words, The Swamp.
No. It can be swampish, but unless you mean the term affectionately, it is essential. Try envisioning the country enduring for one day -- one day! -- without it. Not very pretty.
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I understand, but it can never take on a life of its own or we cease to be a Republic. And just because they are there, does not always mean they are competent.
When the shooting started in WW2, Marshall and King, but especially Marshall, went through the senior officer ranks like a hot knife through butter. Cream rapidly rose to the top in the combat ranks.
And FDR was particularly enamored with his friends over at Foggy Bottom. Not.
Just because people had risen in the ranks, did not mean they were competent.
But besides the competency issue, which can be debated either way, the Clear & Present Danger from the bureaucracy is when it ceases to be impartial and becomes political. Witness the current problems at Justice.
This simply cannot be allowed and must be pulled out by the roots. The difference between the U.S. and a banana republic or something like Putin's Playground is that we trust the bureaucrats to do their jobs while being as apolitical as possible.
Two things kill countries - A) lack of free and fair elections, and B) highly partisan and political governments.
“Cry havoc and let slip the DOGE of war!”
Those who cheered as J-6 American prisoners were locked in solitary for 18 months without trial, now suddenly fight tooth and nail for foreign terrorists’ "due process". — Buck Sexton
-
It might be useful to pass along something I've been reminding myself about lately. We can brangle all we want about who is responsible for the ills of the country; the truth is it's the unsung who keep the ship afloat. IMO, the higher ranks of strategic military, career Department of State, especially including the Foreign Service, and career Cabinet personnel of departments like Interior and Health, Education and Welfare. It is these people who are the true experts, who know through experience what works and what to do -- even as the elected class come and go, the ones that make the noise and get the press, most of them easily forgotten. And those same elected rely heavily on what is called the fourth branch, the bureaucracy, for what they need to know to do their jobs.
In other words, The Swamp.
@Jolly said in What's Happening, Briefly:
It might be useful to pass along something I've been reminding myself about lately. We can brangle all we want about who is responsible for the ills of the country; the truth is it's the unsung who keep the ship afloat. IMO, the higher ranks of strategic military, career Department of State, especially including the Foreign Service, and career Cabinet personnel of departments like Interior and Health, Education and Welfare. It is these people who are the true experts, who know through experience what works and what to do -- even as the elected class come and go, the ones that make the noise and get the press, most of them easily forgotten. And those same elected rely heavily on what is called the fourth branch, the bureaucracy, for what they need to know to do their jobs.
In other words, The Swamp.
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I understand, but it can never take on a life of its own or we cease to be a Republic. And just because they are there, does not always mean they are competent.
When the shooting started in WW2, Marshall and King, but especially Marshall, went through the senior officer ranks like a hot knife through butter. Cream rapidly rose to the top in the combat ranks.
And FDR was particularly enamored with his friends over at Foggy Bottom. Not.
Just because people had risen in the ranks, did not mean they were competent.
But besides the competency issue, which can be debated either way, the Clear & Present Danger from the bureaucracy is when it ceases to be impartial and becomes political. Witness the current problems at Justice.
This simply cannot be allowed and must be pulled out by the roots. The difference between the U.S. and a banana republic or something like Putin's Playground is that we trust the bureaucrats to do their jobs while being as apolitical as possible.
Two things kill countries - A) lack of free and fair elections, and B) highly partisan and political governments.
@Jolly said in What's Happening, Briefly:
I understand, but it can never take on a life of its own or we cease to be a Republic.
To a degree it already has, and has done for some time. True story:
President Eisenhower's first day in office.
He and his advisors enter the Oval Office. He crosses the room, sits down at the desk, rests his hand on the telephone and says, "Here I sit, elected leader of the most powerful nation in the free world. I can call anyone in Washington -- and nothing will happen."
