Menthol cigarettes disproportionately hurt Black community
Menthol cigarettes are key to the tobacco industry’s ruthless strategy to transform the lives of our neighbors, particularly those who are Black, into one of addiction with an easier-to-use product. I started smoking menthol cigarettes at age 18 years old and, by 26, I had a pulmonary embolism as a result of my smoking addiction. It’s not enough to throw money at helping people quit the addiction. New York state leaders must end Big Tobacco’s use of menthol cigarettes if we are to mitigate the harm they’ve caused communities like mine.
My entire family smoked menthol cigarettes. We, like many other Black families, were targeted by the tobacco industry to purchase and smoke menthol cigarettes, which has led to significant health disparities across our state. Black New Yorkers who smoke have a harder time quitting and die at higher rates from tobacco-related diseases like heart disease, stroke and cancer. We cannot allow such inequities to compound on themselves any longer.
I recently met with Sen. May and Assemblyman McDonald to discuss this issue. I urged them, as I do all state lawmakers, to commit to protecting public health and the future of our youth by ending the sale of menthol cigarettes and all other flavored tobacco products.
RIVQUAH CALDWELL
Schenectady
Schenectady was right to ban smoking, vaping in parks
Kudos to Mayor McCarthy and the Schenectady City Council for their consideration of a local law to prohibit smoking and vaping of both tobacco and cannabis in all city parks. Making city parks smoke- and vape-free helps advance our coalition’s goals to support, protect, and improve the health of our community by keeping the air healthy, preventing toxic tobacco litter from harming people, animals, and the environment, and increasing accessibility to people with health conditions such as asthma.
Families should be able to enjoy all the activities parks have to offer without being exposed to secondhand smoke or vape aerosols that can aggravate existing health conditions such as asthma and other respiratory conditions. Children should be able to use a playground without encountering toxins in cigarette and vape litter.
City parks are one of Schenectady’s most valuable resources for achieving one of our priority goals — to enhance community health by increasing all community members’ access and use of outdoor recreational facilities. Use of green spaces is associated with decreased health complaints, improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reduced stress, and improved mental health.
Making city parks smoke- and vape-free enhances the health benefits of these spaces and will improve community wellness.
EMILY SPINNER
Schenectady
The writer is a member of Schenectady Coalition for a Healthy Community.
Mohonasen school board member wasn’t fear-mongering
In response to your March 22 column (“School board member’s words cloak discriminatory views,”), Mr. Waite, you are gravely misguided.
To start, Mr. McFarland advocating for a traditional family structure where parents’ rights are respected and valued is far from extreme, further, it is rooted in wisdom and historical truth. This Mohonasen school club is a group engaged in activism. Plain and simple, an adult should not be facilitating a group of students under the age of 18 in a discussion of sexual activities on school grounds.
Sex education is drastically different than exploring sexuality. The school should foster a safe space for all students, but it is not obligated to invite activism with merely a couple decades of historical reference and data. Any logical mind should know that just because something is mainstream does not make it the right path.
To read this statement as fear-mongering is inaccurate. If there is any fear-mongering going on it is from you, Mr. Waite, stoking the flame for the activists, causing them to fear that they will be thrown out of the schools. Time will tell if this ultimately becomes the resolution to a very contentious public dilemma.
CHRISTOPHER LONGO
Guilderland
China, Russia form mighty threat to US
What’s brought China and Russia together is their mutual interests, which helps them achieve their strategic objectives. And the major impediment to that objective is the United States of America. And yes, do we want to have diplomatic relations with both of these countries? Do we want to be able to talk to them? Yes and yes.
But let’s be clear about it: They are both adversaries and enemies of the United States. And the fact that we can’t use those terms I think makes no sense in terms of facing reality and also educating our own people about what is taking place here. These two countries are threatening our security. Russia clearly wants to reshape the security relationship in Europe. Obviously, if they win the war in Ukraine, we all know what is next because they have told us they will be on the border of NATO encroaching on and threatening our security. And for those who are worried about China as being our number one threat, that will force the United States to put more forces and more resources into Europe at the expense of our focus on China. And then we have China. If Russia wins, China wins. And that will incentivize them. And certainly Taiwan is in their near-term objective. And we’ve already seen what their behavior is and how comprehensive it is. We have never faced a threat like China in our history. It is so comprehensive. It touches every aspect — economic, technological, military.
DOMENICO DICAPRIO
Voorheesville
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Traitor In Chief Biden’s border crisis at a new low for dereliction of duty. Mayorkas failed to understand how bad the crisis is with child sex trafficking. Thousand of children wearing colored wrist bans depicting the money owed to the cartel for trafficking. These children enslaved into sex trafficking by the cartel. Mayorkas is obtuse and allows this to happen.
Senator Ted Cruz:
Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas exchanged heated barbs during Tuesday’s Senate Judiciary hearing over border issues, with each official referring to one another as “revolting.”
At the hearing, Mayorkas was grilled by Republicans — as he has been for the past year — over border issues including the increasing number of migrants crossing, fentanyl deaths and sex trafficking. Cruz, who has been an ardent critic of the Biden administration official, was particularly fiery in his line of questioning — blaming the secretary directly for crimes against children.
“The children raped, they are at your feet,” Cruz told Mayorkas. “And if you had integrity, you would resign.”
Mayorkas is Biden’s puppet and he and Biden should be put on trial for allowing child sex trafficking.
Anyone besides me see the poll the gazette has about unruly passengers? Who are the maniacs that think you shouldn’t be put on a no fly list if you act crazy on an airplane?
US Domestic airline customer service is about the same as beating you with a stick. Needs to be regulated again like utilities for basic safety and health reasons. Passengers may as well be riding in a cattle truck these days. Regardless, interfering with airline personnel and safety should cost these violators huge fines at minimum and be barred from flying for years or evem lifetime depending on what happened.
The identity politics enters into advertising. Now the propaganda machine attacks tobacco with ads stating Menthol is targeting the black community and the LGBQT community. TV ads espousing this is an attack against their ethnic group or gender group.
Cigarettes are bad for anyone period. If they are truly interested in stopping cigarette addiction then go after all tobacco. They use identity politics to attack like it is directly against them and that group. How about stop supporting any store in that sells tobacco.
If your message is tobacco is bad then use that message. It would appear they are going to be building a law suit against tobacco.
Were laws forbidding the sale of cigarettes to minors to minors driven by identity politics? If not, dear Mr. Brandon, what is the difference?
RIVQUAH CALDWELL Unfortunately, this state controlled by Democrats could care less about you and your health. What they care about is that four dollar plus tax per pack of cigarettes. My wife died of lung cancer from smoking along with my best friend and his wife and my golf partner. Cancer is big business, look at how many cancer centers and cancer doctors there are in the United States. My wife lived for seven months after being diagnosed with lung cancer her bills that my insurance company paid for were just about $1 million. I paid out over $50,000 just in co-pays in seven months . Do you think that this state wants to stop selling cigarettes? Look at all the money they make because of it. Why do you think they legalize marijuana now so they could tax it that’s the only reason they could care less about the innocent people who will die in car accidents. I’ve seen the cancer industry up close and personal and I wouldn’t give one dollar to any cancer charity.
Radical group’s ‘Trans Day of Vengeance’ moves forward in wake of Nashville school shooting
A transgender activist group is scheduled to hold a “Trans Day of Vengeance” outside the Supreme Court on Saturday, just days after a transgender individual opened fire on a Christian school, leaving three kids and three adults dead.
“The Time is Now. The Trans/Non-Binary/Gender Non-Conforming/Intersex communities are facing astronomical amounts of hate from the world,” the Trans Radical Activist Network (TRAN) states on its website in its promotion of “#TransDay of Vengeance.”
TRAN describes itself as “a network of unapologetic activists fighting for Queer Liberation” and promoted the protest earlier this year on social media, according to Twitter screenshots. The Twitter account for the group is currently protected, and Fox News Digital was unable to review its tweets Tuesday afternoon.
The manifesto has to be released to show the attackers real intentions and why. The MSM is now making the shooter in Tennessee as a victim. Her doctor had her under care for mental health issues.
Mental health diagnoses, including attempted suicide and self-injury.
accounted for an increasing number and proportion of pediatric acute care hospitalizations between
2009 and 2019.
This is what the groomers are doing to the children in school with the gender dysphoria.
I agree that the choice of the word “vengeance” by this group is troubling. Violence doesn’t solve problems; it simply begets more violence until one side, the other, or both are too beaten down to continue. However, though a dangerous word to use, they claim they are not using it literally:
“TRAN’s press release began by acknowledging the tragedy that took place in Nashville on Monday and honoring the victims who were lost.
However, TRAN rebuked “any connection between that horrific event” and the upcoming “Trans Day of Vengeance” protest the group has planned.
Vengeance means fighting back with vehemence,” TRAN’s press release stated. “We are fighting against false narratives, criminalization, and eradication of our existence. It is also a call to our allies to stand up and fight with us to bring down the forces that try to divide and subjugate us all.”
The press release went on to say that the “Trans Day of Vengeance” protest is about “pushing back against unjust and inhumane systems that are responsible for the loss of life, rights and joy,” noting “they are the enemy — not individuals.”
To do nothing is to accept,” the TRAN press release concluded. “We choose to fight for change and progress to ensure a better life for all people.”
LGB: “Mental health diagnoses, including attempted suicide and self-injury.
accounted for an increasing number and proportion of pediatric acute care hospitalizations between
2009 and 2019.
This is what the groomers are doing to the children in school with the gender dysphoria.”
My belief is the high rate of suicide and mental health problems among trans people is related to people like you refusing to accept them for who they are and subjecting them to taunting, belittlement, and harassment. I believe very few would seek hormonal and surgical therapy to change their gender identity if bigotry against them did not exist. It is likely some effeminate young men and “masculine” appearing gay women seek sex change procedures in the hopes of escaping such torment by conforming to society’s expectations.
LGB, you love throwing the word “groomer” around. Could you explain exactly what you think groomers are doing to children and their motives? I would like to know exactly where you are coming from.
The Traitor in Chief Biden continues to do everything he can to bring the world into war. The war mongers are the Democratic Socialist to destroy our country and our constitution.
To all the people that believed that our government made policies that were designed help was just propaganda to scare the people into capitulation.
Dr. Tracy Heeg (@TracyBethHoeg) tells Congress that the highest quality scientific evidence has consistently shown that masks do not work, school closures were not necessary, and six feet of distancing was not based on science:
“We’ve had evidence prior to the pandemic that mask are ineffective, six feet apart none of it was based on science.
This was all designed to push political agenda. The world should hold these people accountable.
Dr. Heeg has a Phd in biology. I’ll follow the advice of Dr. Fauci who is an MD specializing in immunology and the CDC.
If you ever have major surgery are you going to ask the surgeon and operating nurses to not bother with masks?
You believe government policies designed to reduce the impact of COVID were not actually necessary, that the government just wanted us to capitulate to their demands.
Read that sentence out loud LGB. Doesn’t it sound ridiculous, absurd, a lie told to manipulate you into believing the MAGA movement values freedom?
Are movements to ban books, forcibly edit American history, deny people choice in making medical decisions, and allowing those at the top to escape justice (Trump’s many pardons including those for Stone and Bannon) the path to freedom? Is skewing the bulk of tax cuts in favor of the very wealthy and creating huge deficits that future generations will have to pay off freeing us or burdening us? Is confusing the American public with obvious lies about the election Trump lost, the way to move toward a functioning democracy and guarantees of fair elections in the future, the freedom of Americans to choose their representatives with confidence? Does allowing a former president to be above the law achieve justice FOR ALL? Do ignoring climate change and pollution and the damage they are doing assure future generations will be able to live in the hostile environment we are creating?
DEMOCRATIC socialist money laundering being exposed.
The Gateway Pundit pointed out it previously reported on the “vast far-left network of donation harvesters” that O’Keefe has documented.
“The information was first released by Chris Gleason as was first published at The Gateway Pundit back in December 2022. Chris Gleason found a massive number of ‘Campaign Finance Mules’ making hundreds, even thousands of donations per year,” the report said.
It continued, “It turns out that millions in donations were sent to candidates like Raphael Warnock from ‘money mules’ around the country. Warnock was the top beneficiary of all 2022 Democrat candidates of this money distribution scheme. In April 2022, engineer Chris Gleason began working on his first data project involving elections. The project was tied to the 2022 midterm election. This was unique for Chris because he had been involved in tech and data for the majority of his adult career although he never used his expertise on a political project. What he and a small group of others determined was that Washington state had a massive network of campaign finance mules. They identified massive numbers of registered voters in Washington State who were making thousands of donations to Democrat party candidates nationwide and progressive PACs. The individual donation amounts were not large. These donations were small and had been intentionally set up to avoid throwing up red flags.”
The report explained, as O’Keefe reported, those “Money Mules” were not rich people.
But there were red flags, such as why a donor in Washington State would be making repeated donations to a Georgia candidate.
O’Keefe’s details came from Election Watch in Maryland, and he went to various addresses of those top “donation mules.”
At least one slammed the door in his face, after insisting that President Donald Trump should be hit in the head with a bat.
The walls are closing in.
Mr. Brandon, will you please stop using the word “socialist.” You obviously don’t know what socialism is, except it sounds like something you don’t like. You people on the right have co-opted that socialism and invested it with a pejorative meaning, much like you have done with the word “woke.” I challenge you to define that concept, too.
LGB – Former President Trump standing with a bat directed at Alvin Bragg is a crime in its self. It is a misdemeanor but anyone with sense isn’t doing such thing’s especially a former president. If you don’t realize that him doing that and calling on his minions is wrong – you are what is wrong with society. Because you can’t purport to be the party of Law & Order and not follow Law and Order. It is Hypocritical at Best, Conspiracy and Intimidation a border line felony.
Worry less about growing tissue the size of an aspirin and more about following a lunatic off a cliff.
I agree; that is why the most important goal confronting us in politics is to stop the anti-science, white “Christian” nationalist, bigoted MAGA movement. I fear LGB is typical of those taken in by this manipulative, hysterical, lying cult of Trump worshipers.
Breaking my own rule of wasting breath and time responding to this lunacy.
Lets all take a moment to be thankful for how fortunate we are to live in this great Democracy and for President Biden in his leadership of the free world. For those who need to spin the lies and negative information try to realize how fortunate you are. Alternatively turn off FOX news.calm yourself silence that incessant babble
Joe….people are banned all the time from public places such as sports arenas and restaurants for causing disturbances. I don’t see why traveling by air should be an exception.
Guy – i fly quite frequently. Agree 100% that people should be banned. My point is if you look at Gazette poll – over 50% believe they shouldn’t get banned??? I’m just questioning who is taking that poll
Well, vote more. That’s what I do.
Democracy is just a socialist word for the explanation of their rigged system. This is what they call democracy is the deep state’s terminology for corruption
LGB, did you ever pass any of your social studies classes? Where are you getting this misinformation?
If democracy is as you describe it, then the alternative is rule by a despot. Do you really want that?
How exactly is the system “rigged”? How is that accomplished?
There are inequities in our legal, economic, and social systems. The way to correct them is to educate people, to give them accurate information, so that when they vote they vote in their own interests, not in the interests of manipulative political, business, and “religious” leaders.
One example is that climate change is real, measurable, and related to recent devastating weather events. Burning fossil fuels adds the greenhouse gases that are responsible for climate change and all of its deadly consequences. If we are to survive we must stop the use of fossil fuels even if it means returning to a simpler life. We might have to give up our technological toys and begin to enjoy the pleasures of nature, hiking, swimming, sunsets etc. The very wealthy, the Koch brothers being the most glaring example, don’t care about anything but their wealth and power, the future be damned. Allied with greedy and short-sighted politicians are the grifters leading the Evangelical community who support the goals of would be despots by twisting the message of Christianity, tolerance and concern for the less fortunate, into a nationalist, racist, bigoted message that contradicts Jesus’ teachings.
Matthew 25:40: “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’.
Does that sound like a MAGA slogan?
No Chuck and Lou yet – probably in the ER healing from ass kicking yesterday.
Still no response on Fentanyl and our Border from loud mouths that just try to pivot and weasel out of answering questions.
Little Steve Flynn I must of missed that I’ll go back and read it
Trying to stop the problem of fentanyl by pursuing the criminals bringing it into our country is one way to deal with the problem. However, it will never eradicate the problem. Determining why so many Americans choose to use this drug is the way to truly end the problem. It is like weeding a garden. Cutting the roots above the soil line is a temporary “solution”. Pulling the weed out by its roots is the permanent solution. Ameliorating the injustices, economic, social, political, and judicial that cause the despondency, loss of hope, and depression that lead to drug abuse is the permanent solution.
Steve, declaring victory, as in stating Chuck and Lou got their asses kicked yesterday, with no evidence, is a, dare I say, very Trumpy thing to do.
We know the fentanyl/border thing is, 1) two very real and a big problems and, 2) being actively dealt with although obviously we can do better at the border and, 3) being used by the simple Republicans and their even simpler minded tools to divert and distract from problems they don’t want to solve, like school children being mowed down by their favorite hobbyists. In fact, as is parroted here by their tools , gun safety legislation is contingent, apparently, on fixing the immigration problem (yet history shows they won’t live up to any commitments).
One huge problem with their tactic is equating the fentanyl problem with immigration. Case in point (and note especially the countries of origin):
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Executive Director of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association charged with importing fentanyl
Phil Mayer
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) — The executive director of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association (SJPOA) has been charged with attempting to illegally import a controlled substance, according to the United States Department of Justice. Joanne Marian Segovia, 64, is accused of ordering thousands of opioids to her home and agreeing to distribute them in the United States.
A federal criminal complaint states that Segovia used her personal and office computers to order the drugs between October 2015 and January 2023, including fentanyl. At least 61 shipments were mailed to her home from countries including Hong Kong, Hungary, and India, the DOJ said.
“This is an incredibly disturbing allegation. No one is above the law, regardless of who their employer is. I want to thank U.S. Attorney Ramsey and his colleagues for aggressively pursuing the sources of fentanyl coming into our communities and holding drug-dealers accountable.,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said in a statement to KRON4.
more…
www kron4 com/news/bay-area/executive-director-of-the-san-jose-police-officers-association-charged-with-importing-fentanyl/amp/
We are a constitutional republic FYI
Well thank you for that clarification, Mr. Brandon. Now tell us what socialism is. You use it all the time as a pejorative adjective yet never explain what that economic system is and why we should be afraid of it. Socialism, incidentally, can co-exist with a republican form of government. Look at Sweden, Norway, Finland, etc.
What’s your education level in Constitutional history and law?
JV the photo is a fake and huh funny they are on a month long break because they have nothing.
Worry about the CBCC . Central bank cryptocurrency. China is building itself as a super power and taking over the currency and we collapse with inflation. Brazil and China struck a trade deal that eliminated the U.S. dollar. The metro dollar is over.
So the socialist on this page dance like pagan’s because the Biden administration is destroying our country. Our Constitutional Republic.
Hunh. Turns out they voted for indicting before they left.
Do you know how grand juries work? I don’t, but I look it up in reliable places so I can be informed. You should try it.
Anthony……Please don’t feed the animals…..They come back more ravenous and salivating from the moth when you do. It’s best to ignore them.
Mr varoma you are of course correct several people have expressed concern over the rantings of the individual in question. Thankfully the great Democracy the United States has excellent health care. He feels the need to comment incessantly.mental health care is an option
Guy, I try to ignore Brandon’s comments; but when he posts something glaringly untrue, defames people unjustly, and shows total ignorance of the meaning of political, economic and social terms I sometimes can not restrain myself. I’ll try harder.
“Steve Spittler
March 29th, 2023
All BS because my father in law used to work for you – hhahahaha – caught again. Takes advantage of cheap real estate on the hill & sends his kids to Linton. I grew up on Bridge street in a two family. I own three two families on Duane & another on Paige, along with a single family on Mohawk & another on Banker.
I work 6 months on road as an oil driller & pipe fitter – President Biden sunk 6000 of my union brothers & sisters when he slashed keystone so F him – he is a liar.”
Do you not see the hypocrisy in this statement? You complain about Louis locating his business on Albany St, but then you claim that you own four two families on the Hill? Talk about taking advantage of cheap real estate and exploiting people!
I suppose it might mean more if there actually was a “Steve Spittler” that owned property in Schenectady County. There isn’t. Just like there aren’t any single family houses on Mohawk Ave.
Biden doesn’t seem like the only liar! Uh oh!
Yeesh, beyond the hypocrisy he lies.
My advice to you Fox viewers. Send letters, telegrams, emails, whatever to the executives at Fox begging them to settle the Dominion lawsuit on the courthouse steps. If it goes to court, Fox is sure to lose and will have to fork over billions to Dominion. I’m confident of that outcome because the key to determining libel in cases involving news media is not telling a falsehood, per se, but telling a falsehood with a “reckless disregard for the truth.” The comments and email messages already released to the public, indicate that Ingraham, Carlson, Hannity and the rest of the Fox blowhards knew they were lying to their audience, yet went ahead feeding them misinformation anyway. That’s libel: pure and simple.
Other lawsuits are sure to follow because Fox does not have a real fact-checking department and, therefore, others will see their chance to sue Fox for lying about them, too. Fox is a business enterprise first and foremost that thrives off making news entertaining even if that means twisting the truth to benefit their agenda, not a respected source of journalistic integrity.
Tucker Carlson was more interested in ratings than factual news coverage. He fed his hungry MAGA audience what they wanted to hear, the nation’s well-being be damned. He and the others are neither patriots nor Christians; they are power and money hungry exploiters who care for naught but themselves.
Wizard, your name inspired me:
Little did songwriters, Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg realize that the song sung in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz by the character Scarecrow would be more relevant for the MAGAites of today than it was for the scarecrow 80 plus years ago:
I could while away the hours
Conferrin’ with the flowers,
Consulting with the rain;
And my head I’d be a scratchin’
While my thoughts are busy hatchin’
If I only had a brain.
I’d unravel ev’ry riddle for my
Individdle
In trouble or in pain
Dorothy; With the thoughts that you’ll be thinkin’ You could be another Lincoln
If you only had a brain.
Oh, I, could tell you why
The oceans near the shore
I could think of things I’d never
Thunk before,
And then I’d sit down and think some more.
I would not be just a muffin’,
My head all full of stuffin’,
My heart all full of pain;
And perhaps I’d deserve you and be
Even worthy even you
If I only had a brain.
I may continue to post comments, but I will make every attempt possible to not respond to these people that should be walking “the yellow brick road.”
They lack the three C’s;
They have no communication skills, they only consider themselves, and they make no concessions.
For the record, everything I’ve said about my personal life, including my business is 100% truth. The trumpian way of lying and speaking of things they know nothing about is second nature to MAGAites. They have no substance, and are not concerned with fact, and flat out lie, it’s pathological. A certain flaw in humanity.
Tony for your information, because you brought it up again today, just want you to know there are two apartments over the building I previously owned on Albany Street.
In the mid 80’s I rented a two bedroom apartment to a man for $350 a month including utilities.(barely a break even deal) I did this because he was a single father needing a place to live and he was working for me. He worked for us for 6 years until he got employment at the Golub of corporation.
35 years later and he still living in the same apartment, now with his adult son.
The rent is now a whopping $450 a month with all utilities included. We have constantly lost money on this arrangement. He’s a good man and helping him live has done more for me than it has for him.
I don’t believe in God, but I believe in good.
I love your closing statement: “I don’t believe in God, but I believe in good.” Many of those who scream out their strong “Christian” beliefs and wear their religion on their sleeves (as Jesus admonished them not to do: Matthew 6: 5-8: “Jesus taught, ‘When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men … but when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father who is unseen.’”) act contrary in every respect to the morality taught by Jesus. They swear fealty to evangelical con men who worship what Jesus explicitly told them not to worship: mammon (Hebrew word for money, wealth). Matthew 6: 24: “Ye cannot serve God and mammon. No one can serve two masters; he will hate the one and love the other.”
I wonder what Steve charges his tenants?
mr santo you believe Stevie Spittle actually has tenants? i dont.
but I have to admit he can tell some tall tales! and boy does he swear like a bitter jealous truck driver
I’m not sure. It is possible but his attacks on other posters based on false assumptions he makes doesn’t speak well of him.
It has been opined that Dominion WANTS this to go trial. I for one think it should be televised and every one of the in particular prime time line up of lairs and hypocrites should be on the stand . And Murdoch himself.
And the latest from one of our esteemed Republican Senators. Previously a football coach. Thanks to the good folks from Alabama
Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville (Ala.) is holding up military appointments about 150 or so because he’s mad about abortion. Yes, the former Auburn football coach-turned-legislator isn’t supporting the troops because he’s mad that the Pentagon is providing support for military members who need abortions.
In particular, he’s mad a new policy that took effect on March 18 and gives service members and dependents three weeks of administrative leave for abortion-related travel. This, of course, is a direct result of Roe v. Wade being overturned—something Tuberville’s party fought decades to achieve—and abortion becoming inaccessible in dozens of states. The military is allowing members and families to travel to states where it is legal, you know following the law.
Tommy Tuberville is a literal moron.
TRUMP INDICTED!!! Dancing in the streets (in my living room!)
Finally the ice is broken.
Seen elsewhere:
“Ron’s so happy, he feels four feet tall!”
I don’t like the guy after the debacle and sham he made of office – but……… the AP article basically is saying two other prosecutors failed to try anything prior because Hillary and DNC used money on Steele Dossier and John Edwards paid some pregnant lady off and resulted in no charges for the same exact thing – Hillary no charges, fine for DNC, no charges for Edwards – so somehow this will work? I have serious doubts – arrest him for murder for 1/6/ or manslaughter or deprived indifference or inciting a sedition- all felonies with teeth.
John Edwards sounds like he was a despicable person. His sins were on the level of a prominent personality who had to pay off a hooker while his wife was pregnant. But you’re mistaken on your facts.
Edwards was indicted on six felonies. In a jury trial he was found not guilty on one count and the jury could not agree on the others and mistrials declared. The not guilty decision was over whether a wealthy friend’s personal $200k gift, passed on to Edwards’ mistress, was some kind of campaign contribution that needed to be declared.
____
Yes, he said as he left the courtroom, he had sinned.
“I did an awful, awful lot that was wrong,” he said. “I am responsible. I don’t have to go any further than the mirror. It’s me and me alone.”
But he was not guilty of using campaign funds to hide those sins, he said.
-NYT, 6/13/12
…
wikipedia is often maligned, and parts of it should be (type in Israel to see how bad it can get). But it’s a great *starting point* for information if you also view it critically, read the talk page for the entry where edits are made or contested, follow links if you question anything. In the years I’ve used it I’ve found it at least 90% reliable.
The ice has been broken; it is as obvious as it should have always been: of course an ex-president can be indicted. They are not above the law. More serious charges will be forthcoming! Great news: No man, no loudmouth BS artist is above the law.
But but but Mr Santo.. all the butts are missing!
Not tRumps, it certainly is huge, but sadly his brain does not proportionately match.
Trivia question: Who was the 1st Ex-President to get Indicted by a grand jury?
Hint: He was the only president to get impeached twice
Get ready for the maritime-grade firehoses of MAGA hysterics.
His coke-infused son, Don Jr is already comparing the “Soros-backed Bragg” to luminaries like Mao and Pol Pot and Stalin. Or something.
Don Jr. the poster child against long term heavy snorting, but boy can that fool work the air quotes!
Obviously very pleased that Agent Orange has finally been indicted, but compared to the rest of
don-AL-d Capone’s long list of criminal life, hush money being paid to a porn star is like a petty larceny charge compared to the momentous crimes of possible apocalyptic consequence he has committed.
Hopefully this is only the tip of the iceberg, and he becomes the Titanic crashing into it.
An interesting comment from Trump’s lawyer: Newsweek 3/30
“Tacopina told the Associated Press that the investigation is ‘much ado about nothing,’ adding that “it’s just another example of them weaponizing the justice system against him. And it’s sort of unfair.”
The modifier “sort of” is very telling; either the investigation is fair or it isn’t. The “sort of” tells me that Tacopina sees the indictment as unfair because a former president shouldn’t be belittled. But Trump’s behavior is what belittles him not court investigations of that behavior. The indictment is proof that our system works and that no man is “sort of” above the law.
Now Trump can defend himself before a jury. Getting a conviction from 12 jurors will not be easy. Our country is peppered with Trump supporters who believe he can do no wrong. If just one Trump loyalist is on the jury it will be extraordinarily difficulty to get a conviction. But, we on the left, will accept the verdict whatever it is. We won’t be happy if he is found not guilty, but we know accepting the outcomes of court proceedings is essential to a civil society.
In any event, more serious indictments are under consideration.
I’ve got a suggestion for tRump; Why not hire two of his former attorneys, that he highly appraised, to defend him: Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani. It only seems fitting.
Perhaps they would attempt to subpoena Miss Gulch (the wicked witch of the west) of Wizard of Oz fame to testify, because this is just a witch hunt anyway.
Yuck, yuck, yuck.
Now watch the mindless, lawless Republicans snap to his defense. Another pundit said the other day: it’s like muscle memory, Trump’s in trouble, snap to his defense.
Just like Democrats would do, right?
Wrong. Remember Cuomo, Spitzer, Franken (done in by another Democrat, Gillibrand). When faced with legitimate charges, the Dems, the actual law and order party, knew the right thing to do for NY and the country was to let the wheels of justice turn.
Republicans will not show respect for the legal system, or America and game this for everything they can. Their legacy precedes them and it’s already started.
Republicans: Patriotic Posers.
Sources are saying Trump is facing ~30 charges. Nothing unsealed yet though.
~30 counts, not charges.
Can’t wipe the smile from my face….😁😁😁😁
And hopefully he won’t be able to wipe the brown off of his. 💩
Charlie Sykes’ Bulwark podcast, with Judge Michael Luttig
Some highlights:
“Treason-like”
Charlie Sykes: Here you have the former president very openly saying we should terminate the Constitution in order to overturn this election. And yet the Republican party still looks at him and says, ‘Yeah, if he’s the nominee, we’ll support him again for return to the Oval Office.’ What has happened to conservatives and Republicans that they are willing to tolerate that kind of thing?
Judge Michael Luttig: In another day, those words spoken by a president or a former president, for that matter, would be treason-like — not treason. Treason is a defined term in the Constitution. It’s treason-like because that statement, as well as January 6th, the events inspired by the former president, were a betrayal of America and a betrayal of Americans. The former president and his allies betrayed the sacred trust that had been conferred on them by the American people.
Indicting Trump
Sykes: “I don’t want to put words in your mouth. But my sense is that you’re not calling for Trump’s indictment, but you now believe that he will be indicted, and you’ve been laying out the factors … that Merrick Garland should be considering. So, what should we do about this, and what does it say if the legal system does not hold Donald Trump accountable for his attempts to overturn the election and for his role in January 6th?
Judge Luttig: Yes, it’s not my role to call for the indictment and prosecution of the former president — and I’ve studiously not done that. As these various prosecutions have come to the forefront, I have commented on what I thought was their legitimacy and their likelihood. The four in particular that I’ve commented on, beginning with the most important is January 6th — the investigation being conducted now by the Department of Justice in the person of Jack Smith, for the former president’s conduct on January 6th. Second, the investigation of the taking and retention of classified documents to Mar-a-Lago, followed closely by the investigation in Georgia by Fani Willis of the former president’s effort to interfere with the election in Georgia in 2020. And last and most recently, this expected indictment in Manhattan related to the Stormy Daniels case.
But I would say today, Charlie, that I would have hoped that the first of any prosecutions of the former president would not have been either the Stormy Daniels matter in Manhattan, or frankly, the classified documents from Mar-a-Lago. And that instead, if there are to be prosecutions of the former president, the first would be by the Department of Justice and Jack Smith, for January 6th.
I’ll go even one step further and say that if it happens to be the case that the Stormy Daniels prosecution and the classified documents investigation are the only two prosecutions of the former president coming out of all of his antics, and that he’s not prosecuted for January 6th, I will believe that that’s a great disservice to democracy and to the rule of law in America.
This will set a precedence and let see how it goes and let’s see how many other ex-presidents and political figures are going to be called out using the same tactics. Trump is playing these deep state players like a chess game.
So let’s see how this story ends. If he is guilty then so be it. But this is exposing the deep state for who they are.
He’s in total control, in your mind, right?
You’re losing, and your movement is not getting more popular.