Atticus
Atticus's JournalSpring, that most ephemeral season, is with us again here in southern Illinois.
The changes that take place right before our mostly unseeing eyes are nothing short of miraculous.
Within 48 to 72 hours, the redbuds earn their name, Dutchman's breeches and trout lillies crowd the woodland floor and spring beauties carpet the edges of the meadow.
Magnolias and Bradford Pears are in full bloom and lilacs, peonies and the fruit trees have buds just beginning to show color.
Redwing blackbirds, mockingbirds, cardinals and mourning doves fill the fragrant air with songs sung in search of mates. Spring peeper frogs start their chorus each evening.
Every wonder just listed will be finished within the next few days---a couple weeks at most.
Suck it in.
Wonder at it as a child would.
Savor it like adults can.
As Hank Thoreau once put it, "---live deep and suck out all the marrow of life---".
None of us is guaranteed another spring.
Just out of curiosity, how many automatic "don't need to hear no stinkin' arguments!" votes
are there on the SCOTUS against ANY abortion rights---PERIOD?
I'd put Thomas and Alito in that category, but don't know if any of the other four con "justices" have any wiggle room in their misogyny.
What we just learned about theTennessee Republicans:
they believe being an "uppity" black man is just a LITTLE bit worse than being an "uppity" woman.
Marjorie Taylor-Greene should resign and return to her modeling job
at "Gargoyles R Us!"
So, go ahead---say I'm being childish and vindictive.
I believe the wrong message is bring sent by the "special" treatment of Trump in this indictment and arraignment. I simply believe he should be treated EXACTLY like any other private citizen would be.
He should be fingerprinted, give DNA sample material, have a mugshot taken and, if handcuffs are the norm for this type of offense, he should have to wear them into court for his arraignment.
He should not have been asked, in essence, "When would it be convenient for you to be arraigned?" He should have been TOLD "Be here at (time) on (date) or we will come and get you."
And, in view of his CONTINUING attack on the judge and his wife, the DA and his wife and others, a gag order should be issued AND ENFORCED!
We should at least TRY to be true to "Equality under the law". If this scumbag is in some type of "privileged" category, who else fits into it?
Are we fools to hope for justice?
A question for the Trump supporters insisting that the "fraudulent business records" indictment
is a boost to Trump's presidential campaign:
Wouldn't additional indictments---for inciting J6, stealing classified documents, recruiting fake electors, attempting to intimidate Georgia officials and persuade them to "find" enough votes to win the state, violating the Espionage Act, just for instance---virtually INSURE his election in 2024?
Let it be so!
(Just tryin' to be helpful!)
"If they can do it to Trump---", can they do it to you? OF COURSE!
IF you ALSO had adulterous sex with a porn star and a former Playboy Playmate, paid big money to hush it up, falsified multiple business records to conceal it as a campaign expense and then threatened the judge, the DA, the grand jurors and the witnesses THEY SURE AS HELL COULD DO IT TO YOU!
Crude but accurate: he "fucked around"; now he's "finding out".
Lordy, how I love MAGA tears with my coffee!
A serious post. Please consider.
Most of us would agree that a law---or even a parental rule---that is never enforced is worse than useless because it actually encourages the activity or conduct sought to be discouraged. Additionally, such "empty threats" erode respect for their source.
But, what about abuses of authority such as when a legislature dominated by one party simply votes to expel members of the opposing party? This is what is happening right now in Tennessee: the Republicans are expelling the Democrats and voiding their IDs. The action may have been taken by following the procedures governing the legislature, but can anyone say it is not a serious abuse of those procedures?
If this is ALLOWED to stand, does that not render the "rules" worse than useless if they can be so abused? Will this not erode respect for legislative actions; for the law; for democracy itself?
Isn't ignoring the abuse of government authority as bad as simply ignoring authority?
If all the expelled Democrats plus a few thousand of their supporters flooded into the Tennessee Capitol and vowed to stay until this was reversed, what would happen?
If you have a better idea for opposing this outrage in a meaningful way, please share it.
SOMETHING needs to be done! As Officer Malone asked Elliot Ness in The Untouchables, "What are you prepared to do?"
A plea to The Honorable Juan Merchan: please put the cap on the toothpaste tube before Trump
stomps on it. What spews out can never be put back in.
A prompt gag order as a term of his release on bail just might impede his incitement of violence against you, Mr. Grabb, the grand jurors, Stormy or anyone else not waving a "TRUMP 2024" flag.
Everyone with a pulse KNOWS how this criminal defendant will abuse his freedom of speech.
P.S.: Don't bother imposing a gag order unless you are willing to arrest and jail him for a repeated violation .
MAJOR screw-up at CNN! Will heads roll?
Just before non-stop wall-to-wall coverage of TRUMP'S plane sitting motionless on the tarmac in Florida and footage of the TRUMP Tower in NYC where nothing is happening (but the TRUMP name is prominently displayed), some incompetent aired just over 45 seconds about violent tornados threatening Americans.
Priorities, people! PRIORITIES!
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