Executive clemency is officially just a reality TV show at this point ~ Stephen Colbert on the 6/7/2018 airing of The Late Show.
Apparently the race-baiter-in-chief is obsessed with his ability to pardon. As per a CNN story, "Trump will ask athletes who kneel during anthem to recommend people for pardoning".
| CNN: ...Donald Trump says he wants to meet with NFL players and athletes who kneel during the National Anthem so they can recommend people they think should be pardoned because they were treated unfairly by the justice system. "I'm going to ask them to recommend to me people who were unfairly treated", Trump said at the White House Friday. (Excerpted from a 6/8/2018 CNN article). |
OK, so while this isn't necessarily a bad idea, isn't it an ADMISSION that his whine (about kneeling during the anthem disrespecting the flag and our troops) is complete bullplop? Sounds like an acknowledgement to me that Black people are unfairly treated by law enforcement and our justice system.
Although the "unfair" treatment usually consists of the (often unarmed) Black person being shot and killed. Not exactly something a person can be pardoned from (death, that is). Also, even though the NFL just caved and said NFL players who kneeled would be fined, Trump continued to whine. Players shouldn't have the option to stay in the locker room. "NFL, no escaping to Locker Rooms!" BLOTUS tweeted recently.
So, now that he's admitting that their grievances are legit, will an apology be forthcoming? Just kidding. Everyone knows that Trump does not apologize. Personally I think the Orange Turd is only exercising his pardon power because it feeds his enormous ego. He's pardoning famous people. Conservatives like the scumbag sheriff Arpaio and admitted campaign finance violator (and disgusting birther) Dinesh D'Souza. As well as famous people (including former Celebrity apprentice contestants) and people who have celebrity advocates.
Alice Marie Johnson, in prison for life for her involvement in a cocaine ring, had her sentence commuted after Kim Kardashian and her Trump-loving husband Kanye West visited the White House. But hasn't Trump previously said drug dealers should get the death penalty?
According to her indictment, Alice Marie Johnson was "the head of the multi-million dollar cocaine ring, and... [her] Memphis operation was connected to Colombian drug dealers based in Texas". As per Trump's wish that drug dealers be put to death, and given that the court said her activities had a "very significant impact on the community", isn't the real miscarriage of justice here that she wasn't executed?
Not that I think we should be putting drug dealers to death. I think she clearly turned her life around in prison, has been "rehabilitated" and deserved the commutation. But she would not have gotten one if not for her celebrity advocates. And I'm sure Kanye's stroking of Trump's ego helped too.
Trump thinks he is a celebrity, but deep down he knows he is a low-rent one. But he desperately wants to be accepted by that crowd. Me, I don't know how the hell a failed businessman who declared bankruptcy multiple times ever got a TV show. Especially one where he played a successful businessman who judged the business acumen of contestants. As per an Apprentice producer, "we'd often be shocked at whomever Trump chose to fire. Our first priority on every episode like that was to reverse-engineer the show to make it look like his judgment had some basis in reality".
Of course the Right will point to this idea as "proof" that Trump isn't a White Nationalist racist a-hole. I'm not buying it. If Trump were serious about addressing injustices in the criminal justice system, he'd get behind "comprehensive, bipartisan sentencing reform".
| Washington Post: The federal prison population dropped while the nation continued to experience near-record-low crime rates [when changes were made which] cut back on overly punitive mandatory minimum sentences. Unfortunately, the White House has different ideas. President Trump warned of "American carnage" in his inaugural address, and Attorney General Jeff Sessions has stoked false and misleading claims of rising crime. Bowing to the president's most extreme allies, the White House has put forward the First Step Act, which leaves out sentencing reform entirely. (Excerpted from a 5/21/2018 WP article). |
Pardons (for celebrities and those with celebrity advocates) doesn't address the underlying problem. The underlying problem which the NFL anthem kneelers are protesting. Now Trump wants their advice on who to pardon? And I thought any NFL player who kneels is a "son of bitch" that should be fired.
The Youtuber who posted this video was impressed that we finally have "a president who actually respects America's culture, heritage and flag". Strongly implying that the previous (Black) president didn't respect any of those things.
"You have to stand proudly for the national anthem or you shouldn't be playing, you shouldn't be there — maybe you shouldn't be in the country" Trump told the Fox and Friends after the NFL caved to his demands that their players be forced to stand for the anthem.
It's red meat for his racist base. Obviously, given this admission, that's what's going on. So why meet with NFL anthem kneelers to discuss possible pardons if they are America-haters who should be deported?
Good to hear from you Dervish. The Dog Report has pretty much been a graveyard blog for most of the past year. I even used the Swash Zone as a test on my last authored post, Seeing Red Until it all Became so Clear.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I didn't expect anybody to read it. I haven't checked in at your place since February.
My attention has been directed at a somewhat addictive blog. Have you ever been to WriterBeat.com? The hostess, Autumn Cote invited me after reading my famous post entitled The Manchurian Candidate.
She also invited Jeffrey Berger who didn't last one day. He was presumably disgusted at the RW vitriol. About the same time she had invited Infidel753 who actually stuck it out long enough to answer comments on his one published post.
Autumn approached me to ask me if she could publish The Manchurian Candidate. Later after we had become friends she told me that I was a blogger in search of readers.
I don't blame Infidel and Octo for bailing. There is a preponderance of RW bloggers. She has great difficulty recruiting females, liberals and moderates.
Still if one stands tough there are friends to be made. Some of the more intrepid female bloggers on both the right and left, both new and seasoned have become members of our community.
It's a great place to talk to people of differing and similar stripes.
I am certain that Autumn would invite you to become a contributor on my recommendation. I would be happy to contact her on your behalf. If she was interested she would comment on your blog or perhaps your email.
If you wish, you might contact her at her email address.
autumncote@writerbeat.com
Just say that you are a buddy of Flying Junior.
Okay Dervish,
ReplyDeleteI thought that it might be great fun for you to engage at the Writer Beat. I would enjoy having a liberal Christian as an ally and a friend.
It's mostly just a huge waste of time. But you might tip the balance. It's mostly conservative right now. but there remain regulars at least for now who do not espouse the monster.
Nobody need know that you and I are friends. Just some unlikely guy who showed up out of Tennessee.
Rational Nation would be welcome without any doubt.
I hope you don't take it in the wrong way that I invited you. I'll leave it up to you to invite RN should you choose to join.
Meh.
DeleteActually Flying Junior in a short, likely very short, period of time I would be spit upon by both cons and libs. It's the delightful price I pay for refusing to conform.
DeleteCheers, and tRump is the enemy that must be defeated.