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Posts Made By: James Brown

February 15, 2021 11:25 PM Forum: Politics

Former Republican officials float possibility of forming 'center-right' party

Posted By James Brown

Originally Posted by Brian McFarland

Hi Jim,
I'm not talking about the average voter,  I'm talking about me. I'm not going to forget.
Cheers!
Brian 
Understood...  Poor reading comprehension on my part!  I know that Rod thinks Nikki Haley is damaged goods, and of course the Dems will do everything possible to paint her as the second coming of DJT if she should run for office.  On the other hand, I think she got out of her relationship with Trump relatively unscathed.

Jim

February 15, 2021 11:33 PM Forum: Politics

Bruce Castor’s meanderings at the start of the impeachment trial

Posted By James Brown

Originally Posted by James Lacey


And we are free to laugh that anyone would think that Trump's defense lawyers "destroyed" the House Impeachment managers' case. Trump's defense lawyers looked amateurish, and at one point, the entire Senate openly laughed at their buffoonery. Ten minutes of their "defense" showed Democrats plus Hollywood actors saying the word "fight" with absolutely zero context. The irony is, they were complaining about their own client being quoted out of context. When politicians say something like, "we have to fight for health-care," everyone understands that storming a hospital and destroying it and killing and harming people inside is not part of the plan. Did any of those Democrats say the word "fight" after whipping their followers into a peaked frenzy for weeks using conspiracy theories and lies? After arranging for and providing resources for a march permit at the Ellipse? And then point their followers at the offices of their political opponents and tell them to march on them after enflaming them for over 50 minutes with an incendiary speech? You know, it's hilarious how context really matters and how willing Trump's defense lawyers and his apologists and supporters openly ignore it.
Hi James:

I pretty much agree with your assessment, although I have to acknowledge that I watched a lot less of the proceedings than some of you did.  I also agree with Greg that the impeachment trial was political theater - proper determination of Trump's culpability will require a real trial with a jury and a judge, not hasty grandstanding by politicians.  So, I hope that McConnel is right when he says that this is not over.  

Jim

February 17, 2021 12:10 AM Forum: Politics

Bruce Castor’s meanderings at the start of the impeachment trial

Posted By James Brown

Originally Posted by James Lacey


A Senate impeachment trial is not a traditional trial by judge and jury. There is no doubt a traditional judge and jury would have convicted him. It was a political acquittal, and this is not even a controversial fact. If you think the Senate trial exonerated him, you are sadly mistaken. I agree it was, for now, a small political win for Trump. He is free to run in 2024 again if he wants, and his base is still largely intact, although it appears there is significant erosion there too as some of the MAGA faithful wakes up to the fact that they were conned. However,  independents and moderates who voted him out in 2020 are not going to forget the images of rioters in MAGA schwag, assaulting police, destroying the Capitol, and screaming "Traitor Pence," and talking openly about how they thought they were doing Trump's bidding. There is no doubt that the trial harmed Trump, and it left the door open for more investigations and left a clear road-map for those investigations. I can certainly see certain Republicans supporting Trump, so they don't have to face a primary election or lose reelection. Still, with the abandonment of leaders like McConnell and other Republican icons like Niki Halley, it seems clear that his influence is waning.
Hi James:

I agree entirely.  Kind of surprising since you are such an intellectual lightweight.  wink

Even without the riots and Trump's bogus drumbeat of "stolen election" before and after the election, I think that he would have a tough time getting the nomination in 2024.  The voters don't like losers and Trump is a loser now.  Given the fact that the Capitol riot did occur and in view of Trump's "stolen election" nonsense, I think he is absolutely relegated to the dustbin of history.  I sure hope so.

About those judges and juries... A criminal conviction might be hard to get.  Usually crimes of any sort require intent.  Could a prosecutor demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump intended to incite a riot or otherwise commit a crime, rather than just delivering a rip-roaring political speech?  A Trump conviction can not rest on the actions of the mob after the speech.  A conviction would have to be predicated on Trump's words and actions before or maybe during the riot.  Maybe a prosecutor could pull this off, you and others who watched a lot of the impeachment trial proceedings are in a much better position than me to have an opinion.  Seems like a tough prosecution though.

In the Nixon case "the Supreme Court ruled that the President is entitled to absolute immunity from legal liability for civil damages based on his official acts. The Court, however, emphasized that the President is not immune from criminal charges stemming from his official or unofficial acts while he is in office."  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixon_v._Fitzgerald 

I don't think that Trump can argue his pre-riot rally was in his official capacity, so immunity is probably not an issue.

A civil suit could be brought by one of the injured, the family of a deceased, by any one of the threatened congress people, by the Federal Government itself for property damage.  The options are endless.  The burden of proof is much lower in a civil trial.  Of course, if Trump can be successfully prosecuted  under a criminal statute, then civil liability is pretty much a done deal.  

Trump and his supporters will cry "witch hunt" as they always do.  But I would sure be interested in seeing how a well crafted, thoroughly investigated, and competently prosecuted criminal or civil matter ended up.

Jim

February 17, 2021 12:15 AM Forum: Politics

McConnell Defends His Decision To Acquit Trump...

Posted By James Brown

Originally Posted by Maurice Clark
Especially flimsy excuse since he delayed the trail until trump had left office.
Hi Maurice and Rod:

FWIW, I think it is a good argument.  But as Mitch has mentioned this is not over.  Criminal or civil can be brought naming citizen Trump as the defendant.  James and I just had an exchange about this in the Bruce Castor thread.  

Jim

February 17, 2021 01:06 AM Forum: Politics

Bruce Castor’s meanderings at the start of the impeachment trial

Posted By James Brown

Originally Posted by Greg Shaffer
I get you guys are disappointed......and I get the inclination to continue to dream so have fun with that smile
Hi Greg:

You seriously don't think some lawsuits will be filed?  That seems naïve to me.

February 17, 2021 02:43 AM Forum: Politics

Bruce Castor’s meanderings at the start of the impeachment trial

Posted By James Brown

Originally Posted by Greg Shaffer


Ohh I have no doubt there will be some suits filed......that certainly doesnt mean ANY will be won.
Of course not.  My position is that it will be very interesting to see how it plays out.  Jim

February 17, 2021 02:47 AM Forum: Politics

Bruce Castor’s meanderings at the start of the impeachment trial

Posted By James Brown

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

Its so funny that they cannot give it up.

Let's talk about facts here so far, which none of the leftists or the TDS sufferers want to mention.

They conveniently avoid it, with one fool saying "he definitely would have been convicted in a regular court" or "its a done deal" in a civil trial.

Totally absurd and I'll provide evidence to show why.

Let's consider the "JURORS".  LOL!   tongue

In the impeachment we had partisan hacks who were the jurors, who had already made up their minds that he was guilty.

In fact the JUDGE himself Pat Leahy said he was voting to convict, and yet not one of the left or the TDS sufferers here mention that little pertinent factoid.

Yeah, that's some objective "trial" there isn't it?  smile

Let me just posit here and inform the leftists and the TDS sufferers who claim that the "burden of proof" would be much less in a civil trial, of this fact:

The jury in a REAL trial wouldn't be made up of BIASED Leftist Democrats which is what occurred in the Impeachment "Trial".  

I guess you didn't consider that.

In a REAL trial, the judge wouldn't have openly boasted that the accused was GUILTY and the judge wouldn't say that he was voting to convict.

I guess you didn't consider that.

In a REAL trial there would be Due Process, unlike the Impeachment "trial".

I guess you didn't consider that.

in a REAL trial, the jury would go through the Voir dire process and the most biased ones would be thrown out.

I guess you didn't consider that.

Now then, let's talk about the evidence that was presented by the leftist frauds, and Democrat deceivers in the Senate.  

It was doctored, i.e. selectively edited by the Biased Democrat Senators, the ones who changed dates, doctored the images, and doctored the words of the 'accused'.

 
Had they done that, knowingly doctor evidence and submit fraudulent evidence, in a REAL court of law instead of their witch tribunal, a REAL judge would not only probably throw the case out, he would most likely sanction the lawyers who did it, and possibly refer THEM to the bar assn for disbarment.  

Those are the facts.  

If this were a REAL trial the accused would have been given DUE PROCESS, to defend himself when charged, unlike this sham impeachment undertaken by leftist hacks.  

And yet all these leftist TDS suffering "scholars" of the legal system here on this forum don't bother to mention or even consider those 'facts' now do they, when they put up their postings?   LOL 

Those are the inconvenient facts that they conveniently avoid considering or even mentioning in their haste to claim and imply that it would be more of a cake walk in a civil trial than it would be in the Impeachment, and in the impeachment 'trial' the left failed miserably didn't they?

I'll answer that, YES they failed miserably.  Andrew Johnson was MUCH closer to being convicted than was Trump. 

They needed another 10 Senators, 10% of the Senate to vote with them in order to convict Trump.

Andrew Johnson just needed 1 more to convict him.

And now how about the people who REALLY incited a riot, not only incited it, but bailed rioters out of jail, violent ones, who went out and committed MORE violence.

That would be Kamala Harris, the VP who not only advocated for and told the rioters all over the nation that they should not stop, but actually paid their bail to get them out of jail, and at least one went out and did it again.  

If anyone deserves impeachment, that hypocritical cretin does.  

Now let's just talk about the leftist actors here in this fraudulent play, game, and scheme and who brought forth the Impeachment charges.  

One of the biggest clowns was this Jamie Raskin fool, who got up on his high horse to rip everyone the right in the US Congress for objecting to the electors.  He had choice words for them, one being that they were not abiding by their oath to the Constitution.  

Yet, this very clown of a Congressturd in his first days of becoming a congressman, did what in 2017?

I'll tell you what this sanctimonious asshole did.  In 2017 He himself objected to the Florida electors who voted for Trump, making a statement on the floor of the Congress.

I guess it is perfectly fine for this piece of leftist garbage to violate his oath to the Constitution, eh?

Does it get any MORE hypocritical than that? 

Well, maybe on this forum the leftists are at least as hypocritical or more.  Its a toss up.

The Trump lawyers did a bang up job.  They provided miles of evidence to show that if they (the lying leftist Democrat Senators) were held to the fake standards that Donald Trump was held to, every leftist Democrat Senator would need to be impeached in order to satisfy consistency.  

Of course we all know that leftist Democrats here and everywhere, as well as TDS suffering Repubs have Zero consistency, zero principles, and zero character.  

Donald Trump's lawyers literally destroyed the lying, deceptive, false arguments, and showed how the leftist Democrat scum purposely doctored evidence in the Senate and Trump's lawyers did so with character, and adherence to the Constitution.  

And to even imply that Donald Trump could be held liable by a jury for the deaths of the people who died that day is nearly laughable on its face. Perhaps if they had the same Jurors that were in the Impeachment trial, those scumbags, then they might have a chance, but even then I doubt it.

The entire thing was a clown show meant to satisfy the anger, contempt, and hatred of the leftists here and everywhere as well as the TDS suffering Republicans here and everywhere.

It was a clown show for the Democrat clowns and nothing more. 

Addendum:  Chuck Schumer stood on the steps of the US Supreme Court and said these inflammatory words:  "I want to tell you Gorsuch, I want to tell you Kavanaugh, you have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price!!  You won't know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions".

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/03/schumer-threatens-supreme-court-justices-gorsuch-and-kavanaugh-you-will-pay-the-price-you-wont-know-what-hit-you-video/

After that, the mob descended on the Supreme Court and tried to beat down the doors. 

So which cowardly TDS suffering Republican or cowardly hypocritical Leftist Democrat on this forum, wants to make an excuse as to why Chuck Schumer should not be impeached as Donald Trump was? 

Any takers out there?  
Wow Rich!  You were pretty constipated I guess (metaphorically).  Glad you got all those words to pass.  That has to be a relief.

I think actual trial(s) with due process, evidentiary rules, and serious jurors would be welcome by both sides.  I'm not naïve enough to think that the loser, whether it is plaintiff or defendant, will ever acknowledge culpability or acknowledge vindication, but an actual trial is the best vehicle we have for getting to the truth.

Jim 

February 17, 2021 02:50 AM Forum: Politics

Bruce Castor’s meanderings at the start of the impeachment trial

Posted By James Brown

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

Its so funny that they cannot give it up.
Hi Rich:

Let's be self-aware.  Righties like you, me and Greg still bring up Hillary Clinton's crimes and misdemeanors now and then.  We probably will continue to do so for many years to come.

Jim

February 17, 2021 05:55 AM Forum: Politics

Bruce Castor’s meanderings at the start of the impeachment trial

Posted By James Brown

Originally Posted by Greg Shaffer


Dont pile me in there Jim.....She has not even crossed my mind in at least a couple years.
Lucky you - seriously!  smile

February 17, 2021 10:39 PM Forum: Politics

Texas lawmakers' tweets mocking California power outages resurface amid winter storm

Posted By James Brown

Originally Posted by James Lacey

most likely has everything to do with the fact that this is simply a once in many decades weather event that is almost impossible to prepare and plan for. Even if you did over-engineer your power grid to withstand an event like this, the excess capacity and resources would be a tremendous waste most of the time. It's the same reason we don't have snow-plows and gobs of de-icing equipment sitting and standing by idle. It's a huge expense to own and maintain that is rarely needed.
Hi James:

This analysis is so entirely correct.  This sort of reasonable analysis is missing from the political commentary presented by both sides.  Everyone with a microphone (and most people with keyboards) want scapegoats and and evildoers.

Now, if I may politicize your entirely reasonable position, I would note that there is a lot of wisdom in your post applicable to our civic response to a once in a 100 year pandemic too.

Keep warm and enjoy the guests!

Jim