Thought this would probably be worth sharing.
Jack Smith released his report about Trump's misdeeds during January 6th. It is not the only thing relating to Trump which Smith was working on, although we may never see that anything else but this, now that Trump is in power again. Most likely, Trump and his administration will make sure that we the people never see it.
Still, there is this report, the release of which apparently got Trump smoking mad. It documents his active role in the January 6th debacle. Now that Trump has pardoned pretty much all of those involved with January 6th, it feels like this report may seem almost pointless, released after the fact.
However, it will be recorded in history. And as such, it will condemn Trump and his following, a record of misdeeds in an attempted coup that failed at the time.
Yet, Trump got back into power, and through fully democratic means. Despite four years of chaos and immaturity and idiocy the first time around, and despite the four years of pretty much the same from the sidelines for the Biden years, Trump was given still four more years. He had now been in power again for four days, and the sweeping changes ushered in with Executive Orders sure seems to serve as proof that Trump and his team really were not as distant from Project 2025 as they claimed. Of course, many of us never really believed that they were anywhere near as removed from it as they claimed. But the American people, politically, seem far removed from reality, and their political expression justifies this as more than mere belief.
We are now seeing the ramifications of this unfortunate political trend, which has been growing over the course of decades. Indeed, this country is increasingly looking less democratic and far more totalitarian than it ever has before. Some people are already calling this a dictatorship, especially on social media. I am not certain that they are overstating our political realities, either. When Bishop Mariann Budde urges President Trump and Vice-President Vance to try and quell the fears that millions of people have regarding the incoming administration, and Trump responds in typical fashion, claiming that what she had to say as boring, and demanding an apology, it feels typical of what we know about Trump from his first administration. But where it goes a bit further, and borders on outright fascism, is when a Congressman suggests - apparently with a straight face - that Budde should be deported, that smacks of totalitarianism and an attack on free speech, which of course is one of the Constitutionally protected rights which Trump just swore an oath to defend.
And yet, many of those same mindlessly loyal and uncritical Trump supporters are now championing that cause, claiming that Budde probably should be deported. After all, she dared to offend their leader with actual Christian sentiments which Jesus taught. She used her Christianity to send a message to a man who sure does not look or sound or feel like a Christian. So it makes sense to them that Budde, an American citizen born in New Jersey, should be deported and, presumably, stripped of her American citizenship.
Then they claim that concerns about this country becoming a dictatorship are overblown.
Again, Americans collectively have an immature political expression which is removed by several degrees from anything resembling reality.
Which is, of course, why the release of this report is, at least, important. Trump will not be indicted by a court, but at least the record - and this report is an important part of that record - to serve as testimony against him forever, in terms of history. It will forever link Trump with at least some of his wrongdoings, and serve as a real glimpse into the nature of his deception.
Spoiler alter: Trump will never be indicted or serve a day in prison for it. While I hate to be the bearer of bad news to anyone out there, I was saying as much years ago that all of those people who were sure that Trump would at some point find himself behind bars - and likely would spend the rest of his days there - were only fooling themselves. The sad reality of our justice system is that money and power hold more than a little bit of sway, and that means that some people really are above the law. They can get away with pretty much anything. And Trump, who was born into a wealthy and influential family, and who has enjoyed those privileges throughout his life, is one of those people. In fact, it seems obvious to me that he has become the poster child of this particular privilege. The man who is above the law, and who subverted both the legal system, as well as the concept of a government limited by the Constitution. Who else could outright suggest that at least parts of the Constitution itself might need to be suspended and get away with it? Can you imagine the response if, say, Joe Biden or Kamala Harris or Barack Obama or one of the Clintons said such a thing? Somehow, though, it is okay when it is Donald Trump? All just part of the entertainment value which a number of people told me eight years ago was what appealed to them about the man, and presumably still does.
Frankly, I was surprised that Trump even found himself in a court room at all, since his well-paid lawyers know all of the legal tricks. They delay and delay, they muddy the waters. They allow the lies - and let's remember those on Trump's team who were sentenced in court for perpetuating what has come to be known as the "Big Lie" of massive election fraud in 2020 - to look like the truth for his cult following. Thus, they allowed a known con artist, and now a convicted felon, to recapture the White House. And as I already said, the American people are, collectively, quite far removed from reality.
So I applaud Jack Smith for releasing this report. I cannot say that Trump definitely would have been convicted, as Smith seemed so sure about. Again, there is something about Trump getting away with his bad behavior which I saw was the reality long before he ever even ran for the White House, when he would not pay contractors for their work. He knew full well that they would never be able to get the high priced lawyers that he always relied on to get away with this kind of conduct. So I am skeptical as to whether Trump would have been convicted. Now that he is president again, I am sure that he will never, ever spend a single day (or even part of a day) behind bars. But this report serves as important, documented proof that this man is a criminal nonetheless, and serves as a reminder that whether or not he spent even a minute behind bars, this man is a convicted felon, even if he is now the sitting president.
Below is a video from Leeja Miller, a lawyer who has sort of become one of those Youtuber personalities, but with a far more serious element to her. I have posted some videos by her on this blog before, but this one feels especially important right now. Because once again, it sure seems like Trump and his team are up to their old tricks. There are all sorts of smokescreens to distract, and there are so many headlines as to make it difficult and exhausting to try and keep up with it all. Yet the end result is, as was rather predictable, that Project 2025 was always the intention. The political desires stated in Project 2025 were always going to be pursued, as they are aggressively being pursued now. Take a look at this video, which really is not long, but which pretty well sums up what Smith's report is all about. Also, I added a link to an article about Trump suggesting just a couple of years ago that the Constitution should be suspended, basically to serve his narrow interests (as he always can be seen pursuing his own narrow interests).
Trump rebuked for call to suspend Constitution over election by Hope Yen, December 4, 2022:
https://apnews.com/article/social-media-donald-trump-8e6e2f0a092135428c82c0cfa6598444
What You Need To Know About Jack Smith's Report
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