Meanwhile in Trumpland

[BillyStubbsTears]

He's gearing up for full blown publicly embracing what he did.

https://mobile.twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1537963693136236545

"Mike Pence had the chance to be great but he did not have the courage to act."

Isn't that THE most terrifying line you've ever heard from an ex-President?

"Mike Pence had the chance to facilitate the coup. He had thousands of violent insurrectionists outside the Capitol. All he had to do was refuse to endorse the election result in the Senate that day, as I'd told him to.

We could have then followed up with the plan that we'd formulated. Declare martial law and keep me as President."

He's there. In public. All but saying that. And the Republican party will choose him to run for the Presidency again in 2 years.

Bill Barr by the way is the Attorney General who told Trump what everyone outside Trumpland knows. That the plan they had for 6 Jan 2021 was illegal and treasonous. Look how Trump responds now.

[SydneyRover]

I'm struggling to see why he cannot be charged with conspiracy

[Dutch Uncle]

https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/1537975810560184320

Seth Abramson saying Trump has cover in the Supreme Court, and claiming that one of the chief architects of his insurrection is the wife of a current SCOTUS Judge.

Warning - long thread.

[BillyStubbsTears]

I'm struggling to see why he cannot be charged with conspiracy

Because half the electorate love him.

[SydneyRover]

There's a funny or rather droll piece by Andy Borowitz in The New Yorker entitled:

''John Eastman considering applying to law school''

https://www.newyorker.com/

You can read a few articles free

[SydneyRover]

https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/1537975810560184320

Seth Abramson saying Trump has cover in the Supreme Court, and claiming that one of the chief architects of his insurrection is the wife of a current SCOTUS Judge.

Warning - long thread.

Thanks DU the thread reader makes it easier.

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1537975434658209792.html

[Glyn_Wigley]

If you watch the evidence being given to the Jan 6th Committee and see the timeline of what Trump did and said on the day itself, it's horrifying.

Pence had already told Trump beforehand that he wasn't going to do the illegal thing that Trump kept telling him to do, then on the day Trump kept telling the mob at the rally that everything depended on Pence, and then, when Pence didn't do it he tweeted the mob and encouraged them to get Pence for it.

And just to top it off, when he was told that the mob were chanting 'Hang Mike Pence', Trump's response was 'He deserves it'.

[BillyStubbsTears]

But....but...at least he's not a Democrat.

I've heard personal business contacts saying effectively that to my face. I've had intelligent, erudite, successful people say that we in Europe don't understand. He just acts like he does to bait the Libs and the Libs fall into his trap every time. They insust that Trump is playing a game and has no intention of destroying democracy in America. and meantime, they say, if Trump gets the Republicans into power, it's better for their businesses.

There were, of course, plenty of intelligent, erudite, successful moderate right wing people in Berlin in 1932 who thought they could ride the tiger. When I point that out to them, they laugh and ask if I'm seriously comparing now with then.

I genuinely fear for America.

[Glyn_Wigley]

Next time ask them if he was baiting Mike Pence for a laugh and see what they say.

[BobG]

There is a splendid book called 'The Rise and Fall of Great Powers' by Paul Kennedy. Amongst the many, many gems in the book there is clear evidence that 'Great Power' status depends, absolutely, upon economic strength. There's nothing new in stating that - but sit back for 5 minutes and think about the state of the world today and how that fits in with this statement.

We are looking at the beginning of a new 'British syndrome' - the complete inability to get over having once been a great power. What is Trump if not a throwback? 'Make America Great Again'. But he can't. Economic reality, and earth shattering debt, will see to that. But the history of great powers on the wane is downright bloody scary if you put it in the context of today. The struggle to maintain dominance is long, painful and very, very unpredictable. And it always kills people. We have entered a century with manifold reasons to fear.

BobG

[danumdon]

This is what you get when a political system is riddled with corruption, nepotism and back handed favours. Its got to the stage where post of POTUS is reliant on calling in your favours built up over many years of sycophancy and back room deals, how the supposedly most powerful country in the world can be given the choice for leader of two individuals who should either be in jail or a sanitarium is just unbelievable. The whole system of government over there is rotten to the core.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Meanwhile in Trumpland, have a gander at how Fox News deliberately misinformed its viewers about the reason Johnson was hoyed out.

Apparently his pathological lying isn't worth a mention. It's just that he was too woke so he had to go.

https://mobile.twitter.com/Number10cat/status/1546878911639871490

America is a country where 40 million people get their political news solely or mainly from a massive organisation that deliberately and purposefully lies to them every single day. How does American democracy survive that?

[albie]

If this thread is correct, I am just speechless!
https://twitter.com/EBHarrington/status/1553533320469905409

The man is deranged.

[mugnapper]

https://news.sky.com/story/donald-trump-being-investigated-under-espionage-act-with-top-secret-documents-taken-from-his-florida-home-12671607

I can’t believe no one seems to have commented on the raid on Trump.
I’m pretty sure it will make his supporters love him even more.

[Dutch Uncle]

Brilliant article with expert knowledge of the factors involved in collecting intelligence and damage of unauthorised release of the same, especially SIGINT:

https://www.stonekettle.com/2022/08/loose-lips-sink-ships.html

[i_ateallthepies]

Dutch, that essay is astonishing.  He's had a year and a half to do as he wants with that information and who's to say that enemies of The West haven't already been there before the FBI?

Terrifying.

[Dutch Uncle]

Dutch, that essay is astonishing.  He's had a year and a half to do as he wants with that information and who's to say that enemies of The West haven't already been there before the FBI?

Terrifying.

Exactly, and he is also known for previously releasing information injudiciously to Russians and wanting to sell Nuclear Tech to Saudis.

[BobG]

What strikes me as being even more scary than the very scary Trump himself, is that political systems can be manipulated to allow the election of people like him. And the famously deceitful and lying Johnson.

BobG

[Bentley Bullet]

.....not to mention political systems that can be manipulated enough to allow the deceitful and lying Keir Starmer to head the polls.

[BobG]

Absolutely tppical BB. Jiohnson, sacked from two jobs for lying - once of them while a Minister of the Government.  Wolrd renowned for lying about just about evefything and equally world renowned for a total inability to keep his mouth shut.  Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe for just one blinding example.

Boris Johnson. Described by his well known lefty former boss Max Hastings, editor of the Daily Telegraph, as, and I quote:

"I have known Johnson since the 1980s, when I edited the Daily Telegraph and he was our flamboyant Brussels correspondent. I have argued for a decade that, while he is a brilliant entertainer who made a popular maître d’ for London as its mayor, he is unfit for national office, because it seems he cares for no interest save his own fame and gratification.

Hastings then wrote "He would not recognise the truth, whether about his private or political life, if confronted by it in an identity parade".

If you, or anyone else, wants to read the full, excoriating article, here it is:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/24/boris-johnson-prime-minister-tory-party-britain

And then we come to Sir Keir Starmer. Remnind us all, BB, how many jobs he's lost because he's a liar. Remind us all of how many times he has seriously  harmed the prospects of freedom of an English citizen simply because he is unable to hold his tongue. Remind us how many times Sir Keir Starmer has been found to have lied.....

There's political allegiance, and then there's blind stupidity.

BobG

[Bentley Bullet]

There are plenty of dishonest MP's, but not all of them are hounded out of office because of their dishonesty. That's because some people, like you, choose political bias and are selective with their accusations.

[BillyStubbsTears]

To the uninitiated, BB here is someone who regularly joins discussions to berate  people he claims do nothing but complain about the other side. He'll be on later slagging himself off about his posts here.

[Bentley Bullet]

Still talking b*llocks I see, Billy boy.

[Glyn_Wigley]

There are plenty of dishonest MP's, but not all of them are hounded out of office because of their dishonesty. That's because some people, like you, choose political bias and are selective with their accusations.

Only one of them has lied directly to Parliament, which should have been instant resignation and not getting other MPs to lie to the media for you. As for being hounded out of office, I thought it was his own MPs that did that when they got fed up of being played as mugs for his vanity. Were they biased?

[Bentley Bullet]

Starmer has lied to parliament. He also lied and backstabbed to get where he is now.

[Glyn_Wigley]

As for being hounded out of office, I thought it was his own MPs that did that when they got fed up of being played as mugs for his vanity. Were they biased?

[RobTheRover]

Starmer has lied to parliament. He also lied and backstabbed to get where he is now.

Name the lies and who he stabbed. I'll wait.

[Bentley Bullet]

Starmer has lied to parliament. He also lied and backstabbed to get where he is now.

Name the lies and who he stabbed. I'll wait.

He lied about his support of the EU Vaccine programme. He lied on umpteen of the 10 proposals that got him leader of the Labour party. He stabbed Jeremy Corbyn in the back in the process.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Oh Christ. Somebody take that spade off BB before he digs himself another hole.

[Bentley Bullet]

At least I need a spade to dig a hole, you just bore one with your one-sided bullshit.