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<title>Alito pro-Trump upside down flag another blow to Supreme Court judicial and political credibility</title>
<link>https://themoderatevoice.com/alito-pro-trump-upside-down-flag-another-blow-to-supreme-court-judicial-and-political-credibility/</link>
<comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/alito-pro-trump-upside-down-flag-another-blow-to-supreme-court-judicial-and-political-credibility/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Sun, 19 May 2024 00:55:09 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[2020 Elections]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Corruption]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Extremists]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Insurrection]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[January 6 coup attempt]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Law]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Supreme Court]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[The Big Lie]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[2020 Presidential Election]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[bias]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Clarence Thomas]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[credibility]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[MAGA]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Political Bias]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Samuel Alito]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[the Big Lie]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Trump immunity]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Upside down flag]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=278272</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Last August the Supreme Court’s approval rating dipped to a new low. Last month the Court’s approval rating improved considerably. Expect it to go way down again. Half (or more) will now see the once-venerable court as a group with at least two members not only with their thumbs overtly on the scale, but virtually<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/alito-pro-trump-upside-down-flag-another-blow-to-supreme-court-judicial-and-political-credibility/"> […]</a>
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/alito-pro-trump-upside-down-flag-another-blow-to-supreme-court-judicial-and-political-credibility/">Alito pro-Trump upside down flag another blow to Supreme Court judicial and political credibility</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.
]]></description>
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Last August the Supreme Court’s approval rating <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/509234/supreme-court-approval-holds-record-low.aspx">dipped to a new low. </a>Last month the Court’s <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/03/supreme-court-approval-ratings-00150365">approval rating improved </a>considerably. Expect it to go way down again. Half (or more) will now see the once-venerable court as a group with at least two members not only with their thumbs overtly on the scale, but virtually sitting on one side of the scale.
The latest scandal to hit the court: The New York Times reported that right after the January 6 coup attempt Alito had an upside down flag on display at his home. Alito blamed it on his wife putting it upside down to answer a neighbor’s F*** Trump sign. This was a non-answer: no matter what the provocation, a flag was flying at Alito’s home clearly communicating a position since the upside down flag was used for the “Stop the Steal” post-2020 election movement. It had come to symbolize The Big Lie. Election denying.
<a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/york-times-upside-down-us-003238908.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall">CNN:</a>
<blockquote>An upside-down American flag – a symbol used by some supporters of former President Donald Trump who challenged the legitimacy of Joe Biden’s 2020 victory – hung outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito after the election, The New York Times reported Thursday.
The revelation is almost certain to prompt calls for Alito, a member of the court’s conservative wing, to recuse himself from several high-profile cases pending before the court this year involving the election and subsequent attack on the US Capitol, including the blockbuster question of whether Trump may claim immunity from federal election subversion charges.
The Times published a photo of the inverted flag, which it said was seen at the justice’s home in Alexandria, Virginia, on January 17, 2021.
A spokeswoman for the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNN, which has not independently verified the flag’s use.
“I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag,” Alito said in an emailed statement to the Times. “It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbor’s use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs.”
The upside-down flag became a symbol of the “Stop the Steal” movement in the weeks and months following the election, in which Trump’s supporters falsely claimed that Biden’s win was illegitimate due to widespread fraud. The inverted flag was widely seen during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
The Times said it was not clear how long the flag flew outside of Alito’s home.
The story will heap further scrutiny on the high court at a time when it is already facing considerable blowback. Justice Clarence Thomas has been the subject of significant criticism and calls for recusal in election-related cases after his wife, conservative activist Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, acknowledged she attended Trump’s rally before the Capitol attack and supported White House efforts to discredit the election results.
Thomas recently accused his critics of “nastiness” and “lies” in remarks to a judicial conference in Alabama.</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a60825069/supreme-court-alito-inverted-flag/">Esquire’s Charles Pierce writes:</a>
<blockquote>
Right now, the Court is deliberating the concept of sweeping presidential immunity, a legal absurdity concocted by the former president* and his lawyers in an attempt to sabotage once and for all special counsel Jack Smith’s case against him concerning his actions on January 6, 2021. The entire Republican party is engaged in a massive act of historical vandalism concerning the events of that day, and the guy in the special counsel’s crosshairs is the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. And the angriest, most arrogant member of the carefully cultivated conservative majority had the ultimate symbol of wing-nut vengeance flying above his house. That is not the flag that the Constitution follows.</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.salon.com/2024/05/18/samuel-alitos-snide-denial-of-his-jan-6-flag-is-just-as-ugly-as-flying-it-in-the-first-place/">Salon’s Amanda Marcotte:</a>
<blockquote>Gross and undeniable in its meaning, of course. But Alito, who has never been interested in honesty with the public, offered a glib rebuttal, telling the New York Times, “I had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag.” Instead, he blamed his wife, saying she flew the inverted flag as a “response to a neighbor’s use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs.”
As Joe Scarborough on MSNBC retorted Friday morning, “nobody believes him.” There’s no universe, Scarborough noted, in which the upside-down flag is used as a way to throw the finger to neighbors you’re in a spat with. This is Alito lying by omission. As Kantor swiftly discovered, the argument the Alitos were having with their neighbors wasn’t over loud parties or defecating dogs, it was over Jan. 6, which the neighbors in question vociferously objected to. Martha-Ann Alito took offense to a neighbor who “displayed an anti-Trump sign with an expletive” around the election. Things escalated, and, as neighbors and documentary evidence show, the inverted flag was up in the days after the riot.
A more honest description of the conflict would be that the Alitos rejected their neighbor’s right to express their political opinions freely. In order to convey their disapproval of this use of First Amendment rights, the Alito household sent a message of support to people who used violence in an attempt to destroy American democracy. As more than one commentator pointed out, Alito continues to run around pretending he’s a champion of “free speech,” but when his neighbors expressed an opinion held by most Americans, he (or his wife, if you believe him) responded with an endorsement of violence to end constitutional democracy as we know it.
When asked about this by Shannon Bream of Fox News on Friday, Alito doubled down on the faux outrage over curse words and claimed his wife only expressed support for the Jan. 6 rioters after neighbors said mean things to the couple about how violent insurrections are, in fact, bad. </blockquote>
There have been calls for Thomas to recuse himself on cases related to the 2020 Presidential election and its aftermath. Thomas has ignored them. There are now calls for Alito to recuse himself.
And guess what he will (or won’t) do…
As Daffy Duck might say: “Credibility, shmedibility, what does it matter if you have power?” 
 
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
What would be the reaction if a progressive Supreme Court Justice were found with an upside-down flag outside their house? Anyone have an opinion?
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/BeschlossDC/status/1791511118071890129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
'An epic scandal': Justice Alito flew an upside flag in the aftermath of the 2020 Election <a href="https://t.co/oCT7EDSE9M">https://t.co/oCT7EDSE9M</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/MSNBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@msnbc</a>
— Andrew Weissmann (weissmann11 on Threads)? (@AWeissmann_) <a href="https://twitter.com/AWeissmann_/status/1791617635685146803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Well said — and entirely true <a href="https://t.co/5aTLLfkyQg">https://t.co/5aTLLfkyQg</a>
— Laurence Tribe ?? ?? (@tribelaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/1791713158689706413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We have at least two election denialists sitting on the SCOTUS bench. It should be a 5 alarm fire. <a href="https://t.co/dpeQ98mD1K">https://t.co/dpeQ98mD1K</a>
— Melissa Ryan (@MelissaRyan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MelissaRyan/status/1791877055254323634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Who among us hasn’t chosen, “in response to a neighbor’s use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs,” to…fly a Stop the Steal flag? <a href="https://t.co/Kir6Y4SsYx">https://t.co/Kir6Y4SsYx</a>
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/1791346733206696006?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I don’t know what’s more insane: That this is a sitting Justice of the Supreme Court, or that this story was buried for over three years <a href="https://t.co/Wei9RMVLy8">https://t.co/Wei9RMVLy8</a>
— Asha Rangappa (@AshaRangappa_) <a href="https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_/status/1791276161776955899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
"SCOTUS's credibility is plummeting… And it's due to self-inflicted wounds… Chief Justice Roberts has to take leadership for this court."
— <a href="https://twitter.com/SenBlumenthal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenBlumenthal</a> challenges Roberts to bar Alito and Thomas from Trump cases due to their "direct interest." <a href="https://t.co/d8FNSBIm4C">https://t.co/d8FNSBIm4C</a> <a href="https://t.co/mQgwLaYdFa">pic.twitter.com/mQgwLaYdFa</a>
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) <a href="https://twitter.com/Morning_Joe/status/1791453195404759184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
"For a guy who is a Supreme Court justice that let that happen at his own home, in one of the most fraught times in American history since the Civil War, it's just sad. It shows how little respect he has for the institution."
— <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeNBC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeNBC</a> on Alito displaying an upside down flag <a href="https://t.co/EkTyPFMh2u">pic.twitter.com/EkTyPFMh2u</a>
— Morning Joe (@Morning_Joe) <a href="https://twitter.com/Morning_Joe/status/1791424462203584643?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sam Alito clarifies that his wife wrote Dobbs
— Scott Shapiro (@scottjshapiro) <a href="https://twitter.com/scottjshapiro/status/1791442516916465846?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
“He didn’t see it?!” Andrew Weissmann expresses the ridiculousness of Justice Samuel Alito blaming his wife for flying the American flag upside down at his house. (Video: MSNBC) <a href="https://t.co/ZmX6pXIYRG">pic.twitter.com/ZmX6pXIYRG</a>
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeSington/status/1791596611912810789?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Best part of the Alito statement, the most perfect distillation of his entire worldview is him saying that it’s his *neighbors* who are “very political.” Not the Alitos of course! The ones who went through the trouble of flying the coup flag!
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) <a href="https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/1791507914336727163?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Justices are supposed to look at the law/facts, and call balls and strikes impartially. Would we allow an umpire to referee a game with the Dodgers if the umpire had a “Go Dodgers!” Flag on his lawn? NO WAY.
Justice Alito needs to recuse himself from every case involving Trump. <a href="https://t.co/4RwWWN3t7y">https://t.co/4RwWWN3t7y</a>
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/1791497089316192634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Time to stop entertaining idea that Alito was conceivably unaware of upside down flag.
Time to stop entertaining what’s theoretically possible & be clear on what’s simply too outlandish to be true.
Alito & Clarence Thomas both “unaware” of wives’ actions?
Enough. They *knew* <a href="https://t.co/RBgccH2dbv">https://t.co/RBgccH2dbv</a>
— Joanie Vee (@JoanieVee1) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoanieVee1/status/1791687758991491320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Time to stop entertaining idea that Alito was conceivably unaware of upside down flag.
Time to stop entertaining what’s theoretically possible & be clear on what’s simply too outlandish to be true.
Alito & Clarence Thomas both “unaware” of wives’ actions?
Enough. They *knew* <a href="https://t.co/RBgccH2dbv">https://t.co/RBgccH2dbv</a>
— Joanie Vee (@JoanieVee1) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoanieVee1/status/1791687758991491320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I went to see the oral arguments in the Supreme Court case about presidential immunity on April 25 (Trump v. US). One justice grimaced & interrupted Michael Dreeben every time he tried to discuss the facts of the case (Trump’s role in 1/6/2021). That Justice? Samuel Alito. <a href="https://t.co/hpuEVsdCJm">https://t.co/hpuEVsdCJm</a>
— Holly Brewer (@earlymodjustice) <a href="https://twitter.com/earlymodjustice/status/1791768074653213002?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Brian, he flew a stop the steal flag outside his house AFTER the assault on the Capitol where Trump supporters tried to forcibly end the transition of power. 
He watched our democracy nearly violently fall and THEN he flew a flag to support to insurrection. <a href="https://t.co/tpDHNyeb0B">https://t.co/tpDHNyeb0B</a>
— Chris Murphy ? (@ChrisMurphyCT) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1791828712062627970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The MAGA coup in the courts was dramatically more effective and is doing dramatically more damage than the coup attempt on Capitol Hill. It also makes an even more devastating executive branch coup more likely.
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) <a href="https://twitter.com/djrothkopf/status/1791814774818316416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Come on, can you pay attention to what Alito said? He said it was a "very heated time." It wasn't a very heated time, the country was waiting for the incumbent president to leave office after he lost an election. There was NOTHING heated about it, unless he supported the coup. <a href="https://t.co/Wxd45RZZD9">https://t.co/Wxd45RZZD9</a>
— Dean Baker (@DeanBaker13) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeanBaker13/status/1791627922782212526?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We have 2 compromised SCOTUS Justices & CJ Roberts stays silent so that he continue his cowardly life of being an institutionalist who has achieved his life long ambitions by never rocking the boat or taking a courageous stand to defend our democracy. <a href="https://twitter.com/SCOTUSblog?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SCOTUSblog</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/USSupremeCourt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USSupremeCourt</a>
— Richard Signorelli ??? ? ?? ?? (@richsignorelli) <a href="https://twitter.com/richsignorelli/status/1791808549644861504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I’m with Asha. <a href="https://t.co/FfUzPADdWx">https://t.co/FfUzPADdWx</a>
— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) <a href="https://twitter.com/glennkirschner2/status/1791654641379270861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sen. Richard Blumenthal: "There is absolutely no way that Justice Alito can sit in judgment on the two cases where Donald Trump's interests and the insurrection itself is directly involved." <a href="https://t.co/qqbWSywzmC">pic.twitter.com/qqbWSywzmC</a>
— All In with Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) <a href="https://twitter.com/allinwithchris/status/1791625833406243004?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Ed Wexler <a href="https://twitter.com/EdWexler?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EdWexler</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SamuelAlito?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SamuelAlito</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SCOTUS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SCOTUS</a> <a href="https://t.co/EpLPtqocix">pic.twitter.com/EpLPtqocix</a>
— Editorial & Political Cartoons (@EandPCartoons) <a href="https://twitter.com/EandPCartoons/status/1791487589670924288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
 <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
New: Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin is calling on Alito to recuse himself from all cases involving the 2020 election.
"The Court is in an ethical crisis of its own making, and Justice Alito and the rest of the Court should be doing everything in their power to regain… <a href="https://t.co/krbNk3ama7">https://t.co/krbNk3ama7</a>
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) <a href="https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1791505458286702610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Notice how Republicans are outraged about Judge Marchand’s daughter being a Democratic operative, but they don’t care that Ginni Thomas helped try to overturn the 2020 election while her Supreme Court Justice husband continues to participate in 1/6 cases before the Court.
— Woke Senator (@WokeMitt) <a href="https://twitter.com/WokeMitt/status/1791600600679137783?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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 <a href="https://t.co/jjpSpRAxEE">pic.twitter.com/jjpSpRAxEE</a>
— Simon Rosenberg (@SimonWDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/SimonWDC/status/1791522388720468085?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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I think Alito's cowardly decision to blame his spouse waived his spousal immunity. If so, can the Senate force her to testify to what he said about Trump and the attempted coup around the time of the flag incident, the door to which he so foolishly opened? <a href="https://t.co/nImv1EYrIO">https://t.co/nImv1EYrIO</a>
— Tim Hogan ?? (@TimInHonolulu) <a href="https://twitter.com/TimInHonolulu/status/1791977882379866495?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Samuel Alito’s desperate excuses are blowing life back into Sidney Powell’s claims he was part of a cabal to overturn the 2020 election.
Congress needs to investigate.
NOW! <a href="https://t.co/lqJHD60W7s">https://t.co/lqJHD60W7s</a>
— Grant Stern ? (@grantstern) <a href="https://twitter.com/grantstern/status/1791647850096423174?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
5/18/2024- Justice Alito <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SamAlito?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SamAlito</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JusticeAlito?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JusticeAlito</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AlitosFlag?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AlitosFlag</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SCOTUS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SCOTUS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ArmedForcesDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ArmedForcesDay</a> <a href="https://t.co/sMJBQWf7AL">https://t.co/sMJBQWf7AL</a> <a href="https://t.co/U9XdULyDRt">pic.twitter.com/U9XdULyDRt</a>
— Clay Bennett (@BennettCartoons) <a href="https://twitter.com/BennettCartoons/status/1791598243672990169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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"The U.S. Flag Code says the flag should only be displayed upside-down as a “signal of distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.”"
I.e. not because Trump lost an election.<a href="https://t.co/yFmlBuSsDc">https://t.co/yFmlBuSsDc</a>
— Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) <a href="https://twitter.com/RWPUSA/status/1791585958220980474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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He is the leader not just of the Supreme Court but the entire federal judiciary. One, he could talk to Alito and tell him he must recuse from all Trump related cases. Two, he could publicly apologize for the damage to the Court’s integrity, and say that he is calling on the… <a href="https://t.co/FTLIH5MReR">https://t.co/FTLIH5MReR</a>
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/NormOrnstein/status/1791613923377942824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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“I blamed my wife too!” <a href="https://t.co/b9pr8CmVq5">pic.twitter.com/b9pr8CmVq5</a>
— Rick Lenzie (@RickLenzie) <a href="https://twitter.com/RickLenzie/status/1791452012434817137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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More than that, it seems they are motivated by a rather injudicious impulse: Revenge. <a href="https://t.co/9T5yTsm8eU">https://t.co/9T5yTsm8eU</a>
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidCornDC/status/1791547524743922100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
More than that, it seems they are motivated by a rather injudicious impulse: Revenge. <a href="https://t.co/9T5yTsm8eU">https://t.co/9T5yTsm8eU</a>
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidCornDC/status/1791547524743922100?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Justice Alito says his wife Martha-Ann Alito had an altercation with neighbors about a "'Fuck Trump' sign that was within 50 feet of where children await the school bus in Jan 21."
Except… FCPS and ACPS were all remote in January of 2021. No children were waiting for buses: <a href="https://t.co/Ethmbhu2EP">https://t.co/Ethmbhu2EP</a> <a href="https://t.co/g27dVbTtzC">pic.twitter.com/g27dVbTtzC</a>
— Aaron Fritschner (@Fritschner) <a href="https://twitter.com/Fritschner/status/1791530635502239985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Sadly true. And it’s particularly galling that Justices Alito and Thomas are the ones most likely to be holding up the Court’s decision in the immunity case, Trump v. United States, argued on April 25. <a href="https://t.co/EhMhJixrEp">https://t.co/EhMhJixrEp</a>
— Laurence Tribe ?? ?? (@tribelaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/tribelaw/status/1791520346740285902?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Most people’s reaction when they have a problem with their neighbor is to hang an American flag upside down. Totally believable. Nothing to do with Trump losing.
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) <a href="https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1791504370489589842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The current state of the Supreme Court: <a href="https://t.co/gpbTgxcODM">pic.twitter.com/gpbTgxcODM</a>
— SnarkTank (@TheSnarkTank99) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSnarkTank99/status/1791618223466537105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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I bet Thomas and Alito were not the only ones involved on J6. It makes me sick to my stomach to think that these traitors handle cases and controversies that arise under the Constitution or US laws.
— María (@MariaNMerkd) <a href="https://twitter.com/MariaNMerkd/status/1791510575022854194?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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“The craziest thing for me about Clarence Thomas and now Sam Alito is the sense of overweening entitlement they exhibit. It’s not enough that their country bestowed on them power, for life. They seem to believe that they owe nothing to the citizenry.” <a href="https://t.co/ZNuXMNwu0y">https://t.co/ZNuXMNwu0y</a>
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/1791524582207201582?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Flying an insurrectionist flag is a totally normal response to a rude neighbor and has nothing to do with the true feelings of the Supreme Court Justice currently preventing Donald Trump from being tried for insurrection <a href="https://t.co/PI7IjDp7Pt">https://t.co/PI7IjDp7Pt</a>
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) <a href="https://twitter.com/danpfeiffer/status/1791500659721929210?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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A Supreme Court justice—Samuel Alito—flying an upside-down flag outside his house, indicating Stop the Steal. I have no words.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) <a href="https://twitter.com/StephenKing/status/1791258808448164017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Odds that Chief Justice Roberts, the voice, symbol and conscience of the federal judiciary and the Supreme Court, will say anything about Alito's astonishing breach of standards and ethics: zero.
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/NormOrnstein/status/1791282219811582156?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Justice Samuel Alito needs to resign immediately. He’s a disgrace. <a href="https://t.co/1toYJTogvB">pic.twitter.com/1toYJTogvB</a>
— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) <a href="https://twitter.com/harryjsisson/status/1791261943392530590?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Sam Alito is a partisan insurrectionist. He has no business being on the Supreme Court. <a href="https://t.co/zIrqdNFz3H">https://t.co/zIrqdNFz3H</a>
— Norman Ornstein (@NormOrnstein) <a href="https://twitter.com/NormOrnstein/status/1791261799863509413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Crucially, Alito doesn’t deny the flag was flying upside down, doesn’t deny its meaning, doesn’t express any disapproval for it and doesn’t disavow it. <a href="https://t.co/QtRTVe3sAh">pic.twitter.com/QtRTVe3sAh</a>
— Michael Barbaro (@mikiebarb) <a href="https://twitter.com/mikiebarb/status/1791251737996566898?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Samuel Alito flew an upside-down flag on his yard—a symbol that has been adopted by MAGA to dispute the legitimacy of Biden’s electoral victory in 2020—while he was deciding election-related cases in January of 2021. Get this disgrace off our highest court and the bench. <a href="https://t.co/geccf5LYv1">pic.twitter.com/geccf5LYv1</a>
— Andrew—Author of America Rises On Substack (@AmoneyResists) <a href="https://twitter.com/AmoneyResists/status/1791244285125210182?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
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bitter fanatic on the court <a href="https://t.co/4xiAhyhLlR">https://t.co/4xiAhyhLlR</a>
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnJHarwood/status/1791238748191015420?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Yup. <a href="https://t.co/K1xFR5oPCP">pic.twitter.com/K1xFR5oPCP</a>
— ? Scary Larry ? ??????? (@aintscarylarry) <a href="https://twitter.com/aintscarylarry/status/1791915095800562152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
A word to all of the people demanding that Justices Alito and Thomas recuse themselves:
You do realize— right— that recusal is something that honorable judges do as a matter of integrity, and that the very issue with the current SCOTUS is that the majority HAVE NO INTEGRITY?!! <a href="https://t.co/bLUQJOWjCC">pic.twitter.com/bLUQJOWjCC</a>
— Dr. David A. Lustig (@drdave1999) <a href="https://twitter.com/drdave1999/status/1791824318277509147?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
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The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/alito-pro-trump-upside-down-flag-another-blow-to-supreme-court-judicial-and-political-credibility/">Alito pro-Trump upside down flag another blow to Supreme Court judicial and political credibility</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.
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<title>Attempted assassination of Slovak prime minister follows country’s slide into political polarization</title>
<link>https://themoderatevoice.com/278233-2/</link>
<comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/278233-2/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest Voice]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 14:01:46 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Assassination]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Europe]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Violence]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Central Europe]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[European Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Political Violence]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Populism]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Robert Fico]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Slovakia]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=278233</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Prime Minister Robert Fico’s shooting sent shock waves through Slovakia. Zuzana Gogova/Getty Images Alexandria Wilson-McDonald, American University The assassination attempt against Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has been widely condemned by world leaders as an attack on democracy. In Slovakia, the violent act similarly saw a unified response from the country’s deeply divided political leaders.<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/278233-2/"> […]</a>
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/278233-2/">Attempted assassination of Slovak prime minister follows country’s slide into political polarization</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="theconversation-article-body">
<figure>
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/594858/original/file-20240517-23-jz60my.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&rect=35%2C0%2C4000%2C2652&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" /><figcaption>
Prime Minister Robert Fico’s shooting sent shock waves through Slovakia. 
<a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/man-displays-a-newspaper-article-detailing-the-attack-on-news-photo/2153180217?adppopup=true">Zuzana Gogova/Getty Images</a> 
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 <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alexandria-wilson-mcdonald-1446378">Alexandria Wilson-McDonald</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/american-university-1187">American University</a>
The <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/16/europe/slovakia-prime-minister-fico-out-of-danger-intl-hnk/index.html">assassination attempt</a> against <a href="https://theconversation.com/who-is-robert-fico-slovakias-controversial-prime-minister-in-stable-but-serious-condition-after-assassination-attempt-230219">Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico</a> has been <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/world-reacts-shooting-slovak-pm-robert-fico-2024-05-15/">widely condemned by world leaders</a> as an attack on democracy.
In Slovakia, the violent act similarly saw a unified response from the country’s deeply divided political leaders. But how long this lasts is uncertain. Just as outgoing Slovakian president – and Fico rival – Zuzana Caputova <a href="https://www.barrons.com/news/slovak-president-urges-end-to-vicious-circle-of-hatred-after-pm-shooting-51c8ebb3">called for an end</a> to the “vicious circle of hatred and mutual accusations,” Fico allies <a href="https://sg.news.yahoo.com/slovakian-ministers-blame-media-opposition-193100307.html">lambasted the country’s media and opposition</a> for whipping up tensions.
As an <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZZU-L1IAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">expert on politics in central Europe</a>, I have been interested in how liberal social movements in Slovakia have reacted to the rise of populist rhetoric and policy that Fico exemplified. This research has laid bare not only the increasing move to the right of once center and center-right politicians, but also how this has helped create a polarized political environment.
<h2>Who is Robert Fico?</h2>
Robert Fico has long been a controversial figure in Slovakia, a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17847682">central Eastern European country of about 5.4 million people</a> and a member of the European Union.
A former member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Fico and his colleagues founded the Party SMER, or “Direction,” in the late 1990s as a leftist party that was critical of Slovakia’s right-wing government at the time. The party also maintained an <a href="https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20008568/whos-afraid-of-robert-fico.html">anti-corruption</a> message and used this to gain popularity in the early 2000s, becoming one of the most dominant parties in Slovak politics.
Fico <a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-fico-slovakia-shot-prime-minister-751051f2a36391919790c62d664a5e6d">first became prime minister in 2006</a>. But it is since returning to power in 2012 that he has been seen as a polarizing figure in Slovak politics. 
In 2018, Fico was <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqene5z41y0o">forced to resign</a> following the <a href="https://rsf.org/en/killing-journalist-jan-kuciak-rsf-takes-note-conviction-mastermind-and-deplores-debacle-judicial">murder of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée, Martina Kusnirova</a>, in their apartment just outside of Bratislava, Slovakia’s capital.
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Prior to his murder, Kuciak alleged that SMER was engaged in corruption involving the Italian Mafia and the embezzlement of EU funds. In 2020, five people, one of whom had <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN1ZC0XL/">links to political figures, were charged</a> with the murders.
Fico <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43226567">has denied</a> these corruption charges. Yet the murders and accusations of corruption led to mass protests against the government and continue to resonate today.
<h2>Polarized politics</h2>
Despite Fico’s resignation over the issue, the country continued to be politically polarized.
In 2019, <a href="https://www.globalcitizen.org/fr/content/first-female-president-slovakia-caputova/">?aputová</a> of the party Progressive Slovakia was elected as the first female president. But a year later, Slovakia saw the election of the most conservative parliament in modern Slovak history.
This <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47756368">pitted</a> Caputova’s liberal agenda against the right-wing parties in government.
Right-wing parties have allied with the Catholic Church and conservative organizations to attack gender equality measures <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/05/slovakia-slovak-parliament-should-reject-bill-making-legal-gender-recognition-impossible/">and LGBTQ+ rights</a> and <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/11/slovakia-attempt-to-rollback-access-to-abortion-must-be-rejected/">place restrictions on reproductive rights</a>. 
The focus on culture war issues has been accompanied by a coarsening of the political debate in Slovakia.
Hateful rhetoric is commonly used in political campaigns to oppose women’s rights, gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights. This rhetoric has <a href="https://bti-project.org/en/reports/country-report/SVK">contributed to further polarization</a>.
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man lies on the ground with security guards above him." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/594841/original/file-20240517-25-2ryae3.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/594841/original/file-20240517-25-2ryae3.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/594841/original/file-20240517-25-2ryae3.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/594841/original/file-20240517-25-2ryae3.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/594841/original/file-20240517-25-2ryae3.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/594841/original/file-20240517-25-2ryae3.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/594841/original/file-20240517-25-2ryae3.jpg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"/><figcaption>
Security personnel apprehend a suspected gunman after the shooting of Robert Fico. 
<a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/this-image-taken-from-video-footage-obtained-by-afptv-shows-news-photo/2152507033?adppopup=true">RTVS/AFP via Getty Images</a> 
</figcaption></figure>
And even before the attack on Fico, there was evidence that the heightened rhetoric was developing into politically motivated violence. In 2022, two members of the LGBTQ+ community <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63267451">were murdered</a> at a bar in Bratislava <a href="https://spectator.sme.sk/c/23035336/years-of-lgbt-intolerance-in-slovakia-culminates-in-two-killings.html">by a known supporter</a> of the far right.
Nevertheless, Fico continued to rely on populist rhetoric opposing civil liberties in his 2023 election campaign. 
By then, he had <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqene5z41y0o">returned to the spotlight by opposing</a> public health measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was followed by his widely publicized <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/10/02/1202978126/slovakia-election-fico-ukraine-russia">opposition to sending military aid to Ukraine</a> after Russia’s 2022 invasion. At a time when some of Slovakia’s closest allies, such as Poland and Czechia, wholeheartedly supported Ukraine’s efforts against Russian aggression, Fico ran on a campaign of supporting Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Vladimir Putin’s politics against the West.
This messaging proved popular and allowed him to return to power in 2023, with his populist party <a href="https://apnews.com/article/slovakia-parliamentary-election-c417efef2f33d38086d7229ddc3e24c0">winning 23% of the vote</a> and becoming the largest party in a right-wing coalition government.
<h2>An attack on democracy</h2>
Since returning to power, Fico has shown no desire to dial down the culture wars that have split Slovakian society. Rather, his primary focus has been on abolishing and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/15/who-is-robert-fico">restructuring government agencies and entities</a> that have been critical of his policies.
In February 2024, he moved to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/slovakia-fico-corruption-prosecutor-398203de0f6e43f6c3657c8d09d57425">shut down Slovakia’s anti-corruption body</a> and abolish the special prosecutor’s office that investigates corruption – a decision that not only drew rebuke from the European Union but also brought Slovaks back out into the streets in protest.
He has also made moves to <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/slovak-robert-fico-government-shuns-independent-press-wants-turn-public-broadcaster-into-state-run-tv/">shut down</a> Slovak Television and Radio, or STVR, and replace it with a state-run TV channel.
Taken together, Fico’s efforts to curb civil liberties and repress opposition have been seen as part of a process to transform Slovakia into an <a href="https://www.illiberalism.org/fico-is-back-but-illiberalism-in-slovakia-faces-headwinds/">illiberal democracy</a>, much in the mold of Orban’s Hungary.
There is much yet to learn about the motivations and circumstances surrounding the assassination attempt on Fico. But officials have said that <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/15/europe/slovakia-prime-minister-fico-shooting-intl/index.html">it was “politically motivated</a>,” linking it to his divisive policies.
Any display of political violence is, as <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/world-reacts-shooting-slovak-pm-robert-fico-2024-05-15/">world leaders have noted</a>, an attempt to undermine democracy. In Slovakia, where political polarization is high, these divisive politics have been shown to, unfortunately, lead to violent outcomes.<img loading="lazy" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/230194/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" />
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/alexandria-wilson-mcdonald-1446378">Alexandria Wilson-McDonald</a>, Professorial Lecturer of Politics, Governance & Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/american-university-1187">American University</a>
This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/attempted-assassination-of-slovak-prime-minister-follows-countrys-slide-into-political-polarization-230194">original article</a>.
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<title>Albuquerque Is Throwing Out the Belongings of Homeless People, Violating City Policy</title>
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<pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 02:58:25 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[Albuquerque Is Throwing Out the Belongings of Homeless People, Violating City Policy by Nicole Santa Cruz ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. On a recent morning, Christian Smith ran an errand, leaving a shopping cart carrying everything she<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/albuquerque-is-throwing-out-the-belongings-of-homeless-people-violating-city-policy/"> […]</a>
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<h1>Albuquerque Is Throwing Out the Belongings of Homeless People, Violating City Policy</h1>
by Nicole Santa Cruz
ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for <a href="https://www.propublica.org/newsletters/the-big-story?source=reprint&placement=top-note">The Big Story newsletter</a> to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
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On a recent morning, Christian Smith ran an errand, leaving a shopping cart carrying everything she owned near the Albuquerque, New Mexico, underpass where she’d been sleeping.
When she returned, the cart was nowhere to be found.
Most of the belongings, such as clothing, makeup and blankets, could be replaced in time. But she panicked when she realized that her dentures, acquired after months of dental appointments, were also gone. Without them, Smith believed, it would be more difficult to find a job, prolonging her time sleeping on the street.
“It’s hard to eat, it’s hard to talk — I sound like a little kid,” said the 42-year-old native New Mexican. “It’s embarrassing.”
The dentures and the rest of Smith’s belongings had been thrown away by city workers as part of an aggressive effort to rid Albuquerque of homeless encampments.
As housing costs soar across the country, even once-affordable cities such as Albuquerque have experienced unprecedented rent increases and severe shortages of affordable housing. <a href="https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2023-AHAR-Part-1.pdf">The number of homeless people has risen to record levels</a>, and Albuquerque, with a population of about a half million, is no exception. Last year, a survey found the highest number of homeless people in recent years.
Tents, makeshift structures and shopping carts have sprung up in parks, arroyos, ditches and empty lots and on sidewalks. The city has deployed workers from multiple departments to remove them. In 2023, crews visited more than 4,500 locations where people were camping, more than double the number from the previous year, according to data obtained from the Solid Waste Management Department. The city is on pace to clear nearly 6,000 encampment locations this year, according to the data. Over three years, the effort has cost the department nearly $1 million in labor and equipment, according to records.
Albuquerque has escalated this work in spite of a court order prohibiting it from destroying the possessions of people who live outside without providing an option to store them. In doing so, the city also has violated its own policies, including that personal property should be preserved even when the owner isn’t present. The city operates a facility to store property removed from encampments, but ProPublica found it is rarely used.
As a result, thousands of homeless people have lost personal property, according to interviews with community advocates, service providers and those who have had their possessions discarded.
Some said their belongings had been taken by city crews multiple times. They described losing medication, birth certificates, identification cards, cellphones, chargers, carpentry tools, clothing, a car title, a dog kennel, treasured family photos and the ashes of loved ones. Nearly all of them said the city had thrown away their survival gear, such as blankets, sleeping bags and tents, even during cold weather and snowstorms.
“It’s the equivalent of having your house burned down multiple times a year — just over and over again, you’re losing everything and starting from scratch each time,” said Alexandra Paisano, the coordinated entry director at the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, which assists communities with solutions to homelessness. “I don’t think people always see it that way, which is unfortunate because if I went home to find just an empty lot and my house was completely burned down … that’s devastating.”
People who are living unsheltered told ProPublica that the city’s campaign has made them afraid to leave their belongings to run errands, harmed their mental health and made it harder to find housing and jobs and access services.
The Solid Waste Management Department and Mayor Tim Keller did not respond to questions from ProPublica about the city’s actions. In a written statement, a spokesperson said Albuquerque is “actively investing in programs and resources that get at the root causes of homelessness and provide sustainable solutions.”
“We will keep supporting and expanding these programs as part of our ongoing efforts to help people experiencing homelessness, while continuing the essential work of keeping our city clean and accessible for all of our families,” a spokesperson for the mayor said.
The Solid Waste Management Department said it provides notice before removing an encampment, works to help people move their personal items and recommends resources for them.
The department’s employees recently discarded Leandra Holt’s cold-weather sleeping bag, clothing, camping toilet, identification card application and cellphone. She said the loss makes it hard to focus on anything but guarding her belongings.
“I live in a constant state of fear of losing something,” she said.
<h3>“Hammer the Unhoused”</h3>
The city has for years dismantled encampments, but it escalated those efforts as residents complained about the increase in people living outdoors near businesses and homes.
In August 2022, the city <a href="https://www.cabq.gov/mayor/news/coronado-park-closed">closed Coronado Park</a> in northwest Albuquerque, where more than 100 people had been sleeping, saying it was a “hotbed for narcotic usage, trafficking and organized crime.” A text exchange between Keller and police Chief Harold Medina, which was first reported by <a href="https://citydesk.org/2024/apd-chief-to-mayor-lets-plan-we-hammer-the-unhoused/">City Desk ABQ</a>, reflected the city’s aggressive approach. In the texts, the city leaders discuss their plan to “hammer the unhoused.”
In his <a href="https://www.cabq.gov/sotc">State of the City address</a> last May, Keller said “tent cities” will not be tolerated. Albuquerque “cannot allow large encampments to grow unchecked. They become hot spots for illegal activity, hazards to public health and safety for our community,” he said. “These are the steps we must take to keep everyone safe but also so that everyone can feel safe.”
Keller’s comments came as the number of people experiencing homelessness reached the highest point in recent years. A federally mandated count found that Albuquerque had <a href="https://www.nmceh.org/_files/ugd/ad7ad8_b97469cdf6494cdd87126009b732d1db.pdf">2,394 people experiencing homelessness in 2023</a>. (The survey is considered to be an undercount.)
ProPublica interviewed more than two dozen people who in recent months lost property to the city’s efforts to clear encampments. They gave similar accounts: Blue sanitation trucks roam the streets searching for occupied encampments. They are joined by sanitation workers, police officers and sometimes outreach workers. When they come upon an encampment, they order the people to move their belongings or have them thrown away. Some of the people who were interviewed said they were given notice of an encampment removal, but none said they were offered a place to store their property or other resources.
City policy instructs workers to give notice before removing personal items; to try to find people whose possessions have been left unattended; and to offer to connect them to services. If they cannot find the individual, the city is supposed to store property for 90 days.
Records from November 2023 through mid-May show Albuquerque stored the property of only 80 people. Just 11 retrieved their possessions, according to data obtained through a public records request.
On a recent afternoon, Gabriel Rodriguez left a black duffel bag outside an Albuquerque shelter while he grabbed lunch. It contained a sleeping bag and clothing, as well as handwritten letters from his grandmother, who has since died.
When Rodriguez returned, it was gone and city workers said it had already been hauled away. Rodriguez said he had carried the letters from his grandmother as a reminder that even when he was going through a rough period, she had continued to check up on him.
“Everyone else in my life had forgotten about me,” he said.
<h3>“A Right Against Unreasonable Seizures”</h3>

Soon after the city closed Coronado Park in August 2022, the American Civil Liberties Union, joined by the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty and two private law firms, <a href="https://www.aclu-nm.org/sites/default/files/field_documents/final_complaint_class_action.pdf">filed a lawsuit on behalf of several homeless people</a>, alleging the encampment clearings and confiscation of personal property amounted to cruel and unusual punishment and deprivation of property rights.
The lawsuit hasn’t been scheduled for trial, pending the outcome of a U.S. Supreme Court case that deals with some of the same legal questions. In <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/23-175.html">City of Grants Pass v. Johnson</a>, justices will decide how far cities can go in criminalizing camping on public property. Albuquerque and other cities have filed briefs arguing their ability to address homelessness is limited by case law that prohibits citing or arresting a person for sleeping outside unless they have access to shelter.
Lawsuits nationwide have argued that the destruction of property in encampments violates the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable seizures. In Los Angeles, a <a href="https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-9th-circuit/1611251.html">lawsuit decided in 2012</a> forced the city to stop destroying unattended property in the Skid Row area.
In the Albuquerque lawsuit, attorneys asked for an emergency injunction to stop the city from citing people for sleeping outdoors and destroying their belongings, referencing statements from people claiming the crews routinely discarded their possessions.
District Judge Joshua Allison granted the injunction request. He wrote in an order that went into effect Nov. 1 that the city “cannot punish the mere presence of homeless people and their belongings in outdoor public spaces when there are inadequate indoor spaces for them to be,” a legal precedent that is being challenged in the pending Supreme Court case. Allison also noted the unequal treatment of homeless people, comparing the city’s hasty seizure of their belongings to its careful handling of vehicles that have been abandoned on public property.
“Homeless people, just like people with homes, have a right against unreasonable seizures of their unabandoned property, even if that property is left in outdoor public spaces,” Allison wrote.
The city appealed to the state Supreme Court, arguing that the injunction “strips the City of the prerogative to enforce its laws and perform the basic functions for which city government exists.” The city also stated that its encampment team tries to find the owners of unattended property, but if city workers are unsuccessful they can deem it abandoned and destroy the items. The case and the appeal are still pending.
City Attorney Lauren Keefe said that Albuquerque is not violating the injunction, which has been modified several times. “We make extraordinary efforts to provide notice, we make extraordinary efforts to offer shelter,” Keefe said. “But when we provide a notice, and we come back and there’s no person there, we don’t have the ability to store everything that’s in an encampment.”
In a March 1 order modifying the injunction, Allison wrote that the city’s encampment policy is “not very straightforward” and “leaves much to the discretion of the City representatives who are enforcing it.”
Since the injunction took effect, the city has accelerated its pace of clearing encampments.
Christine Barber, the executive director of AsUR, an organization that serves women living on the street, said that during a recent outreach, when the city was dusted with snow and overnight temperatures dipped into the low 30s, people didn’t have tents. They bundled in blankets or slept huddled together to try to stay warm. Several people showed signs of frostbite.
“How does that not cause desperation? How does that not cause immense suffering?” Barber asked.
In video captured by a ProPublica reporter in February, crews made no attempt to find the owners of belongings as they cleared an encampment in the International District, a neighborhood along Route 66 with one of the highest homeless populations in Albuquerque.
At a recent Albuquerque City Council meeting, Nichole Rogers, the council member who represents the International District, said she had witnessed an encampment “operation” in the area. She said she had stopped and asked the people if they had been given notice of the clearing or offered shelter or storage for their possessions. She said they told her no.
“I understand we have to move folks for safety and they can’t be on the sidewalks, I get that … but we aren’t doing what we say we’re going to do,” Rogers said. “I’m at a loss of how we just continue to disregard civil rights,” she said, adding that the city can “do better.”
<h3>Prolonging the Time People Spend on the Streets</h3>

People experiencing homelessness and their advocates told ProPublica that by routinely discarding belongings, Albuquerque is prolonging the time people spend living outdoors and making its encampment problem worse.
The encampment removals further destabilize people’s lives, making it harder to keep appointments for services, which include housing and medical care. If people have had their belongings thrown away repeatedly, the disruptions can cause a sense of hopelessness.
Losing possessions and relocating can take “days, weeks and sometimes months” to recover from, said Jamie Chang, an associate professor with the University of California, Berkeley, who has researched the impacts of encampment removals on unhoused people. “And sometimes you don’t recover. Sometimes folks lose their ID and they decide never to get ID again.”
On a recent Wednesday morning, Margarita Griego walked from where she’d set up her tent on a sidewalk in southeast Albuquerque to get food for her dog, Safari. When she returned, her belongings were gone, including the tent, a new cellphone and a cold-weather sleeping bag that a good Samaritan had recently gifted her. Inside her tent was a backpack containing important documents, including her Social Security card and identification.
“All the paperwork I need for every day,” Griego said. “I can’t go get an ID without my Social Security card; I can’t get a Social Security card without an ID.”
It was a “setback,” she said, and the third time the city had thrown away her belongings. Money that could have been saved for an apartment deposit would now go to a new tent and blankets and replacement IDs.
“Now while I’m still in the streets I have to go and get everything again,” she said.
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<title>The First Biden-Trump Debate (Cartoon, Column and Video)</title>
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<pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 02:47:51 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[The presidential campaigns of President Joe Biden and Groper/Felon Trump agreed on two debates yesterday and here are the fun details: The debates will be earlier than usual with the first being in Atlanta on June 27 and hosted by CNN. The second debate will be on ABC News on Sept. 10. There will not<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/the-first-biden-trump-debate-cartoon-column-and-video/"> […]</a>
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The presidential campaigns of President Joe Biden and Groper/Felon Trump agreed on two debates yesterday and here are the fun details:
The debates will be earlier than usual with the first being in Atlanta on June 27 and hosted by CNN. The second debate will be on ABC News on Sept. 10.
There will not be an audience for the CNN debate which will be the first time there hasn’t been one since Kennedy and a sweaty Nixon’s debated.
The agreement between the two campaigns cut out the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has overseen the events since 1988. This may ultimately kill the commission.
The agreement also cuts out Robert F. Kennedy Jr who responded by posting on social media that his competitors were “colluding” to keep him out, adding, “They are afraid I would win.” No, nobody’s afraid of RFK Jr winning. Both campaigns are afraid he’ll be a spoiler for the other side. RFK Jr’s brainworm has a better chance of winning than he does.
President Biden has much more money than Donald Trump and a larger and much better campaign organization, yet he’s tied nationally with Von Shitzenpants and trailing in at least five swing states. Sir Fartzalots shouldn’t even be competitive with the president while facing a criminal trial, having three other indictments, and after trying to steal an election, stealing classified documents, staging an insurrection attempt, and being the WORST president (sic) in United States history. Does nobody remember Trump’s handling of Covid?
By having the debates so early, Biden is hoping to engage voters and make them focus on the election and the very real danger of a second Donald Trump presidency (sic). If Americans start paying attention, they should realize Trump is a disaster and maybe they’ll remember the chaos of his presidency (sic).
Another benefit for both campaigns is that any stumbles or disasters in the first debate, which will be all anyone remembers, may be forgotten by November.
Trump has already lowered the bar for Biden’s performance, posting on Truth Social that the president is “the WORST debater I have ever faced,” and accused Biden of being unable to “put two sentences together.” That’s a mistake. Remember the last State of the Union or the one before that?
Republicans are now trying to explain that away by stating Biden had a script, but the president has proven to be pretty good off the cuff. When asked a couple days ago about debating Trump, Biden said, “I hear he’s free on Wednesdays,” which was a nod to the only day of the work week Trump is guaranteed not to be in court. The Biden Campaign is now selling T-shirts that say, “Free On Wednesdays.”
Our national memory has faded. While people are now talking about lowering the debate bar for President Biden, we forget that we already lowered the bar for Trump, who once talked about the size of his penis at a debate. Trump can fall asleep during the debate and fart loudly and someone in the media will proclaim him the winner.
In reality, the bar is much lower for Trump, who praised and gave a shout-out to white nationalist terrorists in a 2020 debate with Biden. Trump also carried COVID-19 into one of the previous debates without telling the Biden Campaign. The New Normal is that most Americans don’t seem to care that Donald Trump is a lying evil sack of shit, but if Biden has the tiniest trip, it’ll all they’ll talk about.
Sean Hannity predicted that Trump would “wipe the floor” with Biden, but Trump can’t even stay awake during his NYC criminal trial. Hell, he probably fell asleep on top of Stormy. A safer prediction is that Trump will wipe the asses of racists and Russians during the debate, in the same way Hannity wipes Trump’s ass.
Voters do need to have their memories jogged. A recent Times/Siena/Inquirer poll found that 17 percent of voters in swing states believe Biden is at fault for the Supreme Court ending women’s constitutional right to an abortion, and not Trump who put three justices on the court who voted to overturn Roe. Where did those respondents get that idea? No wonder so many people don’t remember that Trump is a treasonous Putin bitch.
I’m glad the debates will be earlier than usual. Joe Biden needs to take out the trash now, not in October.
Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.
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<pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 02:33:53 +0000</pubDate>
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<category><![CDATA[Tough on crime]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[Zócalo]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[By Marisa Lagos My ability to be neutral as a political journalist depends on the intellectual honesty of the people—and the society—I cover. But in an era when one side of the political spectrum is not always operating in good faith, and when people in my position are increasingly losing the trust of the audiences<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/neutrality-in-journalism/"> […]</a>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/dreamstime_s_34435731-e1715912330553.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="480" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-278224" />
 
By Marisa Lagos
My ability to be neutral as a political journalist depends on the intellectual honesty of the people—and the society—I cover. 
But in an era when one side of the political spectrum is not always operating in good faith, and when people in my position are increasingly losing the trust of the audiences we serve, I don’t think neutrality should be the final goal. Instead, perhaps, we should think about neutrality more as a means to an end: uncovering the truth, without fear or favor, and presenting that truth to the public.
The dictionary defines being neutral as, “not aligned with or supporting any side or position in a controversy.” There are certainly aspects of my job where this is core to the work, such as in reporting, where being neutral means asking open-ended questions and dispassionately following facts, wherever they may lead.
Take criminal justice policy, one of the most challenging beats that I have ever covered. When I began reporting on the topic 15 years ago, California was grappling with prisons so crowded that, eventually, the U.S Supreme Court stepped in and ordered the state to reduce the populations. 
This record incarceration was the result of a “tough on crime” movement that correlated safety with long prison sentences. But that correlation wasn’t borne out by the facts: People were receiving decades-long sentences for drug possession or property crimes, taking state funding away from schools and other core state services. California also had a very high recidivism rate, meaning most people who were released from prison would quickly return—but it often wasn’t for a new violent crime, rather for a simple violation of their parole rules.
I felt it was crucial to tell this story from all angles—and not just from the perspective of crime victims or law enforcement, who had dominated the discussion during the “tough on crime” era. I wanted to capture the points of view of the people who were incarcerated, and their families and communities who were impacted by their crimes and the punishment meted out. I tried to center my reporting not just on anecdotes but on data and research—even if that research did not comport with widely accepted assumptions and beliefs.
It was not always popular to do so, even with my editors, who were used to relying on conventional sources and well-worn narratives. Now, a decade or so into the reforms sparked by the prison overcrowding crisis—and as we face new challenges around property crimes and drug use—I am digging back into this issue to assess whether the reforms worked, or if they are to blame for the problems so evident in California. 
I don’t yet know what I will find. But I do know that my job is to report it, no matter who likes or dislikes the findings. 
Eventually, I’ll come to the point in my work when I have to leave neutrality behind and seek objectivity. Once I have answered the questions that I set out to ask, I have to make a call about what I found. 
That doesn’t mean taking a side in the political sense. It means taking the side of the truth. 
This can be a challenge in itself. It’s particularly hard when you are interviewing someone on live TV or radio, where you must push back against falsehoods in real time. Recently, we had U.S Senate candidate Eric Early, someone who believes that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump, on my radio show. 
This is not an intellectually honest argument to make, even if many Americans agree with it: The facts don’t bear out. So, when I am in the studio with Early in that moment, it’s not my job to stay “neutral” and simply listen. It’s my job to question, to push back—and, yes, call out the lies when they are uttered. It doesn’t have to be confrontational or uncivil, but it is key to doing my job responsibly. 
This is where objectivity becomes key—the ability to set aside personal feelings or opinions and look at the facts, then make a judgment based on that information. Neutrality alone—the idea of not aligning yourself with one side—doesn’t cut it when you’re faced with someone who is lying, obfuscating, or being intellectually dishonest, even if they believe what they’re saying. But it’s also a mistake to see objectivity in this kind of situation as taking a side, other than the side of the truth.
Because the role of a journalist is to seek, uncover, and broadcast the truth. Without fear or favor. Without my own beliefs getting in the way. Even if, in this moment, it is harder than ever. 
Marisa Lagos is a correspondent for KQED’s California Politics and Government Desk and co-hosts a weekly show, “Political Breakdown.” This was written for <a href="http://zocalopublicsquare.org/">Zócalo Public Square</a>. 
Photo 34435731 © Steve Allen | Dreamstime.com
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<title>THE CLING ONS (CARTOON)</title>
<link>https://themoderatevoice.com/278216-2/</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest Voice]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 02:11:17 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Cartoons]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/278216-2/">THE CLING ONS (CARTOON)</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure id="attachment_278218" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-278218" style="width: 768px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/285125_768_rgb-1.jpg" alt="" width="768" height="576" class="size-full wp-image-278218" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/285125_768_rgb-1.jpg 768w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/285125_768_rgb-1-300x225.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-278218" class="wp-caption-text">The Cling-ons by Bill Day, FloridaPolitics.com</figcaption></figure>
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<title>A silent Trump with eyes closed and a convicted liar on the stand – 2 experienced observers of Trump’s criminal trial discuss what stands out</title>
<link>https://themoderatevoice.com/a-silent-trump-with-eyes-closed-and-a-convicted-liar-on-the-stand-%e2%88%92-2-experienced-observers-of-trumps-criminal-trial-discuss-what-stands-out/</link>
<comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/a-silent-trump-with-eyes-closed-and-a-convicted-liar-on-the-stand-%e2%88%92-2-experienced-observers-of-trumps-criminal-trial-discuss-what-stands-out/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest Voice]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 02:05:00 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[2016 Presidential Election]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[2024 Presidential Election]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[Donald Trump]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[credibility]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[Michael Cohen]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Michael Cohen leaves his home to attend his second day of testimony at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 14, 2024, in New York City. David Dee Delgado/Getty Images David E. Clementson, University of Georgia and John E. Jones III, Dickinson College Sex, money and power – all three subjects got an airing over the three<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/a-silent-trump-with-eyes-closed-and-a-convicted-liar-on-the-stand-%e2%88%92-2-experienced-observers-of-trumps-criminal-trial-discuss-what-stands-out/"> […]</a>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="theconversation-article-body">
<figure>
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/594709/original/file-20240516-19-ummsn2.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&rect=29%2C7%2C4962%2C3300&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" /><figcaption>
Michael Cohen leaves his home to attend his second day of testimony at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 14, 2024, in New York City. 
<a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/former-donald-trump-attorney-michael-cohen-departs-from-his-news-photo/2152348667?searchscope=image%2Cfilm&adppopup=true">David Dee Delgado/Getty Images</a> 
</figcaption></figure>
 <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-e-clementson-282119">David E. Clementson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-georgia-1547">University of Georgia</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-e-jones-iii-1505928">John E. Jones III</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/dickinson-college-3288">Dickinson College</a>
Sex, money and power – all three subjects got an airing over the three days of testimony and cross-examination of Michael Cohen in the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/trump-hush-money-trial-transcripts.html">criminal trial of former President Donald Trump</a>. Trump is accused of illegally covering up a hush-money payment to a woman claiming she had a sexual encounter with Trump; Cohen, known as Trump’s former “fixer,” says he carried out the scheme at Trump’s behest.
The Conversation’s senior politics and democracy editor, Naomi Schalit, interviewed <a href="https://www.dickinson.edu/homepage/1494/dickinson_college_president">John E. Jones III</a>, the president of Dickinson College and a retired federal judge appointed by President George W. Bush, and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=50tVKogAAAAJ&hl=en">David E. Clementson</a>, a scholar of political communication at the University of Georgia and a specialist in political deception. The men spoke about how the jury may perceive Trump – those closed eyes may be a problem, says Clementson – and whether Trump’s defense rendered Cohen, a convicted liar, non-credible. The cross-examination, says Jones, is not “scoring as well as it might.”
<h2>How do you think Trump is seen by the jury?</h2>
David E. Clementson: As a researcher, I have conducted <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2023.2244030">experiments</a> testing the effects of a politician’s demeanor. I’m interested that Trump is often <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/13/trump-endures-trial-testimony-cohen-00157728">keeping his eyes closed in the courtroom</a>. It’s this one simple nonverbal cue that could have a huge impact on the trial and the jury. 
There’s an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764201000802">adage</a>, “One cannot not communicate.” Take, for example, a person on an airplane closing his eyes when he sees the flight attendant coming down the aisle. He isn’t doing or saying anything – yet he’s actually saying a lot, such as, “Don’t talk to me. Don’t bother me. I don’t want a beverage. I don’t need peanuts.”
It could be a strategy by Trump’s lawyers telling him to sit there with his eyes closed. Otherwise, at minimum he’d probably be responding with derision, nonverbally, during the proceedings. And that can backfire and make you seem guilty.
But keeping his eyes closed could also be risky and maybe disastrous, because the No. 1 way that people think you are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X211045724">deceptive</a> is if you don’t make eye contact and look away. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0022022105282295">That finding</a> is cross-cultural, across languages, across people groups. If jurors think Trump is averting his gaze, they probably think he is deceptive.
But if the jury thinks he is communicating with his eyes closed, like the person on the airplane closing his eyes, it could be an exception to the rule that you have to make eye contact to seem honest. This may be the case if the jury thinks he’s justified in his derision about the proceedings. 
John E. Jones III: I read that Trump’s proclivity to keep his eyes closed is a way of controlling himself so that he doesn’t act out. And recall that during the E. Jean Carroll trial, <a href="https://theconversation.com/strife-in-the-courtroom-a-former-federal-judge-discusses-trumps-second-trial-for-defaming-e-jean-carroll-221841">he acted out constantly</a>. It’s my belief – having talked to countless jurors after trials and verdicts in cases – that jurors do not like parties who don’t respect the proceedings. It makes them very uncomfortable. They tend to see the judge as their friend, their keeper. When the judge is stepped on by a party, that offends the jurors. They see the judge as an ally because of the structure of the court.
<h2>Michael Cohen gave crucial testimony this week. He’s admitted <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-michael-cohen-ec08be1219703deb3cd10604844deacb">previously lying under oath</a>. How should a jury and the public evaluate his testimony?</h2>
Clementson: Reportedly, Cohen is the best witness that the prosecution has, yet he’s easily discredited. We know from <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-10-2022-0133">social psychology and communication research</a> that credibility is largely based on whether an audience thinks a speaker is expressing his own viewpoint or not. If a speaker is saying his own truly held opinions, the speaker is seen as honest and unbiased and sincere and persuasive. 
But if the audience thinks he’s controlled by external circumstances, if he’s pressured by an outside situation, then he isn’t seen as honest and persuasive. Cohen exemplifies this external pressure controlling his words and actions. Based on his own testimony, he was formerly Trump’s biggest fan; he claimed to do and say whatever he was told. Then he turned on Trump, so even jurors who hate Trump are probably suspicious of a jilted lover who used to be infatuated with Trump.
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/594711/original/file-20240516-19-mqtf29.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man in a blue suit jacket, red tie and with hands folded, sitting at a table with police behind him." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/594711/original/file-20240516-19-mqtf29.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/594711/original/file-20240516-19-mqtf29.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/594711/original/file-20240516-19-mqtf29.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/594711/original/file-20240516-19-mqtf29.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/594711/original/file-20240516-19-mqtf29.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/594711/original/file-20240516-19-mqtf29.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/594711/original/file-20240516-19-mqtf29.jpeg?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"/></a><figcaption>
Former President Donald Trump appears in Manhattan Criminal Court on May 16, 2024, in New York during his trial for allegedly covering up hush-money payments. 
<a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/former-u-s-president-donald-trump-appears-in-court-during-news-photo/2152641361?searchscope=image%2Cfilm&adppopup=true">Mike Segar-Pool/Getty Images</a> 
</figcaption></figure>
Jones: The philosophical question, I think, is can a person who lies repeatedly about myriad subjects figuratively change their spots and begin to tell the truth? That’s what the jury has to wrestle with.
The prosecution’s challenge in this case, from a trial and a legal perspective, is can they corroborate the things that Cohen is saying? I think they did a good job of precorroborating, as has been widely written, what Cohen said. Now the cross-examination that has been taking place over the last couple of days is really designed to show not just that he’s a liar, and that liars continue to lie, but also that he detests Donald Trump. And, as David Clementson says, that he is the sort of scorned lover to the extent that it colors his testimony.
I don’t think that the cross-examination is scoring as well as it might, because I think it’s somewhat meandering in nature.
I think the likely result of this case is going to be at this point – given all that I’ve seen and particularly if Cohen is the last prosecution witness – either a conviction or a partial conviction, or it’s going to be a case that involves a hung jury. Unless the defense pulls a rabbit out of the hat.
<h2>What does it mean, both for the jury and the public, and for the credibility of what happens in this courtroom, that Trump is most likely not going to testify?</h2>
Jones: It means that you have a whole spate of unrebutted testimony. And, of course, the judge will instruct the jury that the burden is on the prosecution and it’s a burden that never shifts, and it is absolutely not required for the defendant to testify. The judge really makes that quite pronounced in the instructions both before and after the trial. 
As a trial judge, I would really press the jurors in my instructions on the rights of a defendant not to testify. That’s essential to our system of jurisprudence, and they need to understand that, and particularly that they are not to hold that against a particular defendant, because the burden of proof is on the prosecution. And I think most jurors operate with that in mind.
But human curiosity being what it is, the jury would probably like to know Trump’s version of the facts. It is always a very difficult decision for the defense to make. It’s kind of a cost-benefit analysis, based on what you get having your defendant testify versus the downside. The downside here is enormous. 
Clementson: Trump can’t testify. Full stop. He’s too much of a loose cannon. Everything to lose, nothing to gain.<img loading="lazy" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/230261/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade" />
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/david-e-clementson-282119">David E. Clementson</a>, Associate Professor, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-georgia-1547">University of Georgia</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/john-e-jones-iii-1505928">John E. Jones III</a>, President, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/dickinson-college-3288">Dickinson College</a>
This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-silent-trump-with-eyes-closed-and-a-convicted-liar-on-the-stand-2-experienced-observers-of-trumps-criminal-trial-discuss-what-stands-out-230261">original article</a>.
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<title>NC Senate Republicans vote to make it illegal to wear a medical mask in public</title>
<link>https://themoderatevoice.com/nc-senate-republicans-vote-to-make-it-illegal-to-wear-a-medical-mask-in-public/</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[KATHY GILL, Associate Editor]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 21:01:32 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[The bill sponsor, state Senator Buck Newton, claims protesters wear masks to hide their identity, calling it “craziness.” Rejecting repeated efforts to amend House Bill 237, the 30 Republicans in the North Carolina Senate struck down a state law “passed after the start of the Covid pandemic that explicitly allowed the public to wear masks<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/nc-senate-republicans-vote-to-make-it-illegal-to-wear-a-medical-mask-in-public/"> […]</a>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h2 style="font-size: 1.4rem;">The bill sponsor, state Senator Buck Newton, claims protesters wear masks to hide their identity, calling it “<a href="https://www.wect.com/2024/05/16/nc-senate-votes-ban-people-wearing-masks-public-health-reasons/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">craziness</a>.”</h2>
<img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/no-masks-300x233.png" alt="no masks" width="300" height="233" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-278203" />
Rejecting repeated efforts to amend House Bill 237, the <a href="https://www.ncleg.gov/Members/MemberList/S" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">30 Republicans in the North Carolina Senate</a> struck down a state law “passed after the start of the Covid pandemic <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/north-carolina-moves-to-take-away-legal-protections-for-wearers-of-face-masks/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="courthouseN">that explicitly allowed the public to wear masks for health reasons</a>.”
On Wednesday, “Unmasking Mobs and Criminals” <a href="https://www.ncleg.gov/BillLookUp/2023/HB%20237" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">passed the Senate 30-15</a>. It had passed the House on May 3, 93-24; 21 Democrats voted with Republicans.
Sen. Buck Newton, 55, “told reporters that <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/north-carolina-moves-to-take-away-legal-protections-for-wearers-of-face-masks/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="courthouseN">he believes some people are abusing</a> the normalization of masks to hide their identities (emphasis added).” Belief. Not facts.
The “country lawyer” <a href="https://ncstatesenate.com/members/buck-newton/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ran unsuccessfully for state attorney general</a> in 2016. He represents <a href="https://www.ncleg.gov/Redistricting/DistrictPlanMap/S2022E/4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">state district 4 in eastern NC</a>.
It’s OK to wear a mask in public if you’re wearing a constume.
It’s not OK if you are immune-comporised due to treatment for cancer or another disease.
Governor Roy Cooper is a Democrat. <a href="https://www.theassemblync.com/politics/roy-cooper-veto-power/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">North Carolina was the last state</a> to give its governor veto power. In 1997. Most states require a two-thirds vote to override a veto; North Carolina requires only three-fifths of the members of both legislative chambers.
“Even after we’ve dealt with a massive pandemic where 30,000 North Carolinians died of COVID, we are now trying to turn back time and ignore science and allow individuals who want to protect themselves, or to protect their loved ones, from wearing a mask,” <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/05/16/north-carolina-mask-ban-bill-passes-state-senate/73716924007/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Sen. Sydney Batch (D) said</a>.
Rather than make a clear exception for health issues, <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/north-carolina-moves-to-take-away-legal-protections-for-wearers-of-face-masks/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="courthouseN">the line from the GOP was</a> “trust the cops.”
<blockquote style="font-size: 1.2em; padding-left: 10px; border-left: 5px solid gray; margin-top: -10px; padding-top: 0px;">Republicans contended that the bill is intended to hold criminals accountable for attempting to disguise their identity while committing a crime, and that police will not be enforcing the ban on average citizens…
Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue, a Democrat, said that Republicans can’t ask citizens to “pick and choose” laws to follow. Democrats have cited concerns that removing the protection could have large-scale consequences for people who continue to choose to wear masks. 
“Individuals will no longer be able to wear a mask in public for health and safety reasons. So it seems an absolute ban on wearing masks, and the thing about putting a ban on it, we ought not to give people the discretion to break the law,” Blue said. “The law is the law, and we ask people to observe all aspects of it.” </blockquote>
<a href="https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/states-dust-off-obscure-anti-mask-laws-to-target-pro-palestine-protesters" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">North Carolina is not alone</a>, according to the ACLU. It’s like the 1960s again: conservative institutions move to quash protests.
<ul>
<li>Florida charged “students arrested during a protest at the University of Florida [with] wearing masks in public.” </li>
<li>Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost wrote the state’s 14 public universities advising “that protesters could be charged with a felony under the state’s little-used anti-mask law, which carries penalties of between six to 18 months in prison.”</li>
<li>Texas Gov. Greg <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/texas/article/ut-austin-police-protest-arrests-19422645.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Abbott and University of Texas-Austin administrators broke up</a> pro-Palestinian protestors for wearing masks, breakingn “university rules that forbid students from concealing their identity to obstruct law enforcement.” </li>
</ul>
The <a href="https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/states-dust-off-obscure-anti-mask-laws-to-target-pro-palestine-protesters" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ACLU warns that police and security forces advocate</a> for facial recognition technology (FRT), which has an abysmal track record. Masks, of course, thwart FRT. 
<blockquote style="font-size: 1.2em; padding-left: 10px; border-left: 5px solid gray; margin-top: -10px; padding-top: 0px;">
The push to normalize face recognition by security agencies threatens to turn our faces into the functional equivalent of license plates. Anti-mask laws are in effect a requirement to display those “plates” anytime one is in public. Humans are not cars.</blockquote>
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<title>US Military Completes Critical Floating Gaza Pier Project (Photo Update)</title>
<link>https://themoderatevoice.com/us-military-completes-critical-floating-gaza-pier-project/</link>
<comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/us-military-completes-critical-floating-gaza-pier-project/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Dorian de Wind, Military Affairs Correspondent]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 18:09:31 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[At TMV]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Hamas]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[International]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Military]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Palestinians]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Refugees]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Terrorism]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Violence]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Central Command]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Famine]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Gaza]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Gaza humanitarian aid projects]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Gaza humanitarian crisis]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[JLOTS]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=278193</guid>
<description><![CDATA[UPDATE: Original Post: The U.S. Central Command press release is short, even modest: Today [May 16] at approximately 7:40 a.m. (Gaza time) United States Central Command personnel supporting the humanitarian mission to deliver additional humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in need anchored a temporary pier to the beach in Gaza. As part of this effort,<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/us-military-completes-critical-floating-gaza-pier-project/"> […]</a>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure id="attachment_278196" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-278196" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/JLOTS-Gaza-pier.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="400" class="size-full wp-image-278196" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/JLOTS-Gaza-pier.jpg 640w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/JLOTS-Gaza-pier-300x188.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-278196" class="wp-caption-text">Soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) and sailors attached to the MV Roy P. Benavidez assemble the floating pier, off the Gaza shore. (U.S. Army photo)</figcaption></figure>
UPDATE:
<figure id="attachment_278239" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-278239" style="width: 652px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-17-143533.png" alt="" width="652" height="421" class="size-full wp-image-278239" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-17-143533.png 652w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-17-143533-300x194.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 652px) 100vw, 652px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-278239" class="wp-caption-text">At approximately 9 a.m. (Gaza time), May 17, trucks carrying humanitarian assistance began moving ashore via a temporary pier in Gaza.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_278240" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-278240" style="width: 905px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-16-202453.png" alt="" width="905" height="534" class="size-full wp-image-278240" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-16-202453.png 905w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-16-202453-300x177.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 905px) 100vw, 905px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-278240" class="wp-caption-text">U.S. Army soldiers assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), U.S. Navy sailors assigned to Amphibious Construction Battalion 1, and Israel Defense Forces install the Trident Pier on the Gaza coast, May 16, 2024. (U.S. Central Command via Stars and Stripes)</figcaption></figure>
 
Original Post:
The U.S. Central Command press release is short, even modest:
<blockquote>Today [May 16] at approximately 7:40 a.m. (Gaza time) United States Central Command personnel supporting the humanitarian mission to deliver additional humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in need anchored a temporary pier to the beach in Gaza. As part of this effort, no U.S. troops entered Gaza. Trucks carrying humanitarian assistance are expected to begin moving ashore in the coming days. The United Nations will receive the aid and coordinate its distribution into Gaza.</blockquote>
Modest because it is the culmination of an ambitious, desperately needed, much criticized, even opposed, humanitarian project that met the ambitious schedule set by the Commander in Chief two months ago. A project <a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-gaza-aid-port-eb8a701b3a7dc8f946422c04323ff913">fraught with logistical, weather and security challenges</a> 
A project completed in the nick of time as aid agencies are running out of food, fuel and critical medical supplies and as military operations in Rafah, where<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rafah-israel-gaza-war-hamas-evacuation-e0754cdae0f3786982038e80feaa159e"> more than 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering,</a> threaten to disastrously worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The project, known as<a href="https://themoderatevoice.com/the-us-led-gaza-pier-project-proceeding-on-schedule-with-some-wariness/"> JLOTS, or “Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore” capability</a>, consists of a floating dock about three miles off the Gaza shore, a floating pier attached to an approximately 1,800-foot-long modular causeway anchored to the shore and, finally, a group of logistic support vessels (LSVs) that will transport the aid from the dock to the pier/causeway.
Once fully operational, JLOTS will permit the delivery of up to 2,000,000 meals per-day for Gaza’s 2.3 million people, starting with an estimated daily transport of 90 truckloads, eventually ramping up to 150 truckloads when the pier-causeway is fully operational.
There have been numerous narratives of the project and its goals, but Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, deputy commander of US Central Command provided perhaps the best and most up-to-date description during a special on-line briefing yesterday. 
<a href="https://www.state.gov/special-online-briefing-with-usaid-response-director-dan-dieckhaus-and-vice-admiral-brad-cooper/">Here are a few excerpts:</a>
<blockquote>For sure, delivering humanitarian aid from the sea is unique and complex. For context on the magnitude of this effort, there are 14 U.S. and partner ships of various sizes solely focused on this one mission of delivering assistance to the people of Gaza.
First, humanitarian assistance comes into Cyprus via air or sea, where it is screened, palletized, and prepared for delivery. Pallets of aid are then loaded into large commercial or military vessels that travel from Cyprus to a large floating platform that we have assembled and is anchored several kilometers off the coast of Gaza. The floating platform acts as a stable workspace to transload pallets from the larger commercial ships onto smaller U.S. military vessels that can reach closer to shore. These smaller ships can carry between five and 15 trucks of aid each.
The smaller ships then shuttle these trucks with aid from the floating platform to a temporary pier – basically, a floating causeway that is several hundred meters long that is fixed to the beach in Gaza. So, aid goes from the floating platform onto trucks, onto the small ships; the floating – then from the small ships onto the floating causeway; the trucks roll down the causeway onto land and commodities are dropped off on land.
…after commodities are ashore, the UN and World Food Program will receive the humanitarian aid for onward distribution inside Gaza. These are two separate processes.</blockquote>
The Admiral goes on to thank the many international donors, partner nations and the international community for their support and contributions.
He is not oblivious to the risks associated with the mission. “[Force protection] is our top priority,” Admiral Cooper says. “We take the security of our service members and the humanitarian aid workers very seriously. As a point of emphasis, this a 100 percent humanitarian mission and any attack on those working on it, on this mission, is an attack on aid for the people of Gaza. We will continue to assess and reassess security to inform our operation every day.”
And indeed, while the IDF will be responsible for on-shore security, the U.S. has two US Navy warships near the area in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, the USS Arleigh Burke and the USS Paul Ignatius to “<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-military-completes-installation-of-gaza-pier-aid-to-start-flowing-within-days/?utm_source=The+Daily+Edition&utm_campaign=daily-edition-2024-05-16&utm_medium=email">to protect American troops offshore and allies on the beach.</a>” 
The MV Sagamore <a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-gaza-aid-us-pier-9414c4148285917f1c858b9590117a84">loaded with 475 pallets of food</a> left Cyprus last week and has already transferred the pallets to the U.S. military ship Roy P. Benavidez off the coast of Gaza, which should be the first vessel to offload essential humanitarian aid to a region that is in “<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-famine-world-food-program-israel-hamas-war-476941bf2dc259f85a706408b2a665ff">full-blown famine.</a>”
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<title>A pivotal moment in history: “the most consequential [election] in our lifetimes”</title>
<link>https://themoderatevoice.com/a-pivotal-moment-in-history-the-most-consequential-election-in-our-lifetimes/</link>
<comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/a-pivotal-moment-in-history-the-most-consequential-election-in-our-lifetimes/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[KATHY GILL, Associate Editor]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 11:12:57 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=278167</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Bernie Sanders writes in The Guardian: “I know. Biden is not popular and many progressives, including me, strongly disagree with his policies regarding Israel and this disastrous war in Gaza. “But, let’s be clear. Biden is not running against God. He is running against Donald #Trump, the most dangerous president in American history whose second<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/a-pivotal-moment-in-history-the-most-consequential-election-in-our-lifetimes/"> […]</a>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_5098.jpeg" alt="The world is what it is. It is a mess. And the situation is not going to improve unless we do the hard work required" width="1047" height="450" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-278168" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_5098.jpeg 1047w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_5098-300x129.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 1047px) 100vw, 1047px" />
Bernie Sanders writes in The Guardian:
<blockquote>
“I know. Biden is not popular and many progressives, including me, strongly disagree with his policies regarding Israel and this disastrous war in Gaza.
“But, let’s be clear. Biden is not running against God. He is running against Donald #Trump, the most dangerous president in American history whose second term, if he is re-elected, will be worse than his first. And, on his worst day, Biden is a thousand times better than Trump…
“ And if you have problems with Biden’s position on Israel and the war in Gaza, Trump’s position is far worse. Biden has at least restricted some powerful bombs from going to the Israel and has been critical of Netanyahu. Trump and his Republican colleagues are “all in” for the massive destruction of the Palestinian people…
“We must work in coalition with all those who understand that we must do everything possible to defeat Donald Trump and his extreme rightwing Republican party, not just because he is “worse”, but because nothing less than the future of our democracy is at stake in this election.”
</blockquote>
Read the entire essay: 
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/15/bernie-sanders-election-biden?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">We’re in a pivotal moment in American history. We cannot retreat</a>
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<title>If found guilty, Trump should serve time: Yahoo! News Survey</title>
<link>https://themoderatevoice.com/if-found-guilty-trump-should-serve-time-yahoo-news-survey/</link>
<comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/if-found-guilty-trump-should-serve-time-yahoo-news-survey/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[KATHY GILL, Associate Editor]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 04:02:47 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=278160</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Overwhelmingly, participants in a Yahoo! News Survey who have an opinion believe that Donald J. Trump should serve time if he is convicted of falsifying business records in the New York election interference case (media dubbed “hush money” case). About half of those surveyed (51%) approved of a prison sentence. In contrast, only 36% disapproved.<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/if-found-guilty-trump-should-serve-time-yahoo-news-survey/"> […]</a>
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[Overwhelmingly, participants in a Yahoo! News Survey who have an opinion believe that <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/732503628/yahoo-trump-20240513" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Donald J. Trump should serve time if he is convicted</a> of falsifying business records in the New York election interference case (media dubbed “hush money” case).
About half of those surveyed (51%) approved of a prison sentence. In contrast, only 36% disapproved. About 1-in-8 surveyed (13%) had no opinion. By similar measures (54%, 34%, 15%), poll participants “think the judge should jail Trump if <a href="https://themoderatevoice.com/trump-surrogates-repeat-his-lies-very-beautifully-and-launch-personal-attacks-on-judges-daughter-witnesses/">he violates the gag order again</a>.” More women than men favor incarceration.
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/15/trump-allies-call-trial-sham-public-opinion-isnt-cooperating/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">What missing from news stories</a> like this one in The Washington Post are how many have no opinion. The stories are written as though answers are binary: if 51% approve, then 49% must disapprove. This is misinformation by omission or by burying the lack of binary beliefs deep in the story. 
Moreover, only about half of those surveyed have been following the trial very closely (16%) or somewhat closely (32%). One-in-five of those polled said they are “[n]ot following [the trial] at all.” In my opinion, their opinions should not have been included.
And 15% would not vote or are unsure of what they would do in November should Trump be found guilty. Not quite half, 46%, stated they will vote for Joe Biden.
* Survey methodology: 1,794 U.S. adults representing party affiliation from November 2022 (33% Democratic, 27% Republican) with 2.7% margin of error.
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<title>She Campaigned for a Texas School Board Seat as a GOP Hard-Liner. Now She’s Rejecting Her Party’s Extremism.</title>
<link>https://themoderatevoice.com/she-campaigned-for-a-texas-school-board-seat-as-a-gop-hard-liner-now-shes-rejecting-her-partys-extremism/</link>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest Voice]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 03:12:32 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">https://themoderatevoice.com/?p=278155</guid>
<description><![CDATA[She Campaigned for a Texas School Board Seat as a GOP Hard-Liner. Now She’s Rejecting Her Party’s Extremism. by Jeremy Schwartz ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. Weeks after winning a school board seat in her deeply red<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/she-campaigned-for-a-texas-school-board-seat-as-a-gop-hard-liner-now-shes-rejecting-her-partys-extremism/"> […]</a>
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<h1>She Campaigned for a Texas School Board Seat as a GOP Hard-Liner. Now She’s Rejecting Her Party’s Extremism.</h1>
by Jeremy Schwartz
ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for <a href="https://www.propublica.org/newsletters/the-big-story?source=reprint&placement=top-note">The Big Story newsletter</a> to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
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Weeks after winning a school board seat in her deeply red Texas county, Courtney Gore immersed herself in the district’s curriculum, spending her nights and weekends poring over hundreds of pages of lesson plans that she had fanned out on the coffee table in her living room and even across her bed. She was searching for evidence of the sweeping national movement she had warned on the campaign trail was indoctrinating schoolchildren.
Gore, the co-host of a far-right online talk show, had promised that she would be a strong Republican voice on the nonpartisan school board. Citing “small town, conservative Christian values,” she pledged to inspect educational materials for inappropriate messages about sexuality and race and remove them from every campus in the 7,700-student Granbury Independent School District, an hour southwest of Fort Worth. “Over the years our American Education System has been hijacked by Leftists looking to indoctrinate our kids into the ‘progressive’ way of thinking, and yes, they’ve tried to do this in Granbury ISD,” she wrote in a September 2021 Facebook post, two months before the election. “I cannot sit by and watch their twisted worldview infiltrate Granbury ISD.”
But after taking office and examining hundreds of pages of curriculum, Gore was shocked by what she found — and didn’t find.
The pervasive indoctrination she had railed against simply did not exist. Children were not being sexualized, and she could find no examples of critical race theory, an advanced academic concept that examines systemic racism. She’d examined curriculum related to social-emotional learning, which has <a href="https://kingdomfirsthomeschool.com/real-dangers-social-emotional-learning/">come under attack</a> by Christian conservatives who say it encourages children to question gender roles and prioritizes feelings over biblical teachings. Instead, Gore found the materials taught children “how to be a good friend, a good human.”
Gore rushed to share the news with the hard-liners who had encouraged her to run for the seat. She expected them to be as relieved and excited as she had been. But she said they were indifferent, even dismissive, because “it didn’t fit the narrative that they were trying to push.”
So, in the spring of 2022, Gore went public with a series of Facebook posts. She told residents that her backers were using divisive rhetoric to manipulate the community’s emotions. They were interested not in improving public education but rather in sowing distrust, Gore said.
“I’m over the political agenda, hypocrisy bs,” Gore wrote. “I took part in it myself. I refuse to participate in it any longer. It’s not serving our party. We have to do better.”
Gore’s open defiance of far-right GOP orthodoxy represents an unusual sign of independence in a state and in a party that experts say increasingly punish those deemed disloyal. It particularly stands out at a time when Republican leaders are publicly attacking elected officials who do not support direct funding to private schools.
“It’s a rare event to see this kind of political leap, especially in a world that’s so polarized,” said University of Houston political scientist Brandon Rottinghaus. “You rarely see these kinds of changes because the people who are vetted to run tend to be true believers. They tend not to be people who are necessarily thinking about the holistic problem.”
“With the presence of Donald Trump, fealty to cause has amplified, so this kind of action is much more meaningful and much more visible than it was a decade ago,” Rottinghaus said about Gore.
In March, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, was victorious in unseating five lawmakers in his own party and forcing another three into runoff elections after they voted against voucher legislation that would allow the use of public dollars for students to attend private and religious schools. His efforts sent a message that those who did not unflinchingly support his priorities would face grave political repercussions.
Gore was part of a similar movement of hard-liners who <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2021/10/12/hood-county-elections-administrator-trump/">pushed out the Republican Hood County elections administrator</a> in 2021 after determining that she was not conservative enough for the nonpartisan position. Now Gore and other disillusioned local Republicans have formed a group pushing against an “ultra-right” faction of the party that it says has become obsessed with “administering purity tests” and stoking divisive politics.
The former teacher and mother of four was influenced by such politics when she decided to run for office. She was motivated to seek a school board seat after a steady stream of reports from the right-wing media she consumed and her social media feeds pointed to what she saw as inappropriate teachings in public schools. She, too, had been outraged by school mask mandates and vaccine requirements during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But Gore said she feels that she was unwittingly part of a statewide effort to weaken local support of public schools and lay the groundwork for a voucher system. 
And she said that unless she and others sound the alarm, residents won’t realize what is happening until it is too late. 
“I feel like if I don’t speak out, then I’m complicit,” Gore said. “I refuse to be complicit in something that’s going to hurt children.”
Because of that outspokenness, Gore is facing backlash from the same people who supported her race. She has been threatened at raucous school board meetings and shunned by people she once considered friends.
School marshals escort her and her fellow board members to their cars to ensure no one accosts them.
When things get particularly heated, a fellow trustee follows her in his car to make sure she gets home safely. 
<h3>“None of It Was Adding Up”</h3>

Before Gore decided to seek office for the first time, prominent GOP operatives had been pushing for like-minded allies to take over school boards, framing the effort as necessary to maintain conservative Christian values.
In May 2021, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon told followers on his podcast that school boards were the road back to power for conservatives following the 2020 presidential election. Two months later, North Texas-based influential pastor Rafael Cruz, the father of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, amplified that message on social media, saying that getting candidates on school boards was critical.
“We need to make sure that strong, principled Americans, those who uphold our Judeo-Christian principles that have made America the greatest country in the world, are elected to school boards,” Rafael Cruz said in a July 2021 video posted to his Facebook page. “Because I’ll tell you the left is controlling the school boards in America.”
Those messages reached Granbury, where former Republican state Rep. Mike Lang and political consultant Nate Criswell asked Gore to run for the school board. Gore recalls hearing Cruz give a fiery speech while she was campaigning. In the speech, which reinforced her decision to run, she said Cruz boasted about flipping the school board in Southlake, Texas, by getting the churches involved in helping to install Christian candidates.
“When you put in the minds of parents that there is an agenda to indoctrinate their children … and the only answer is to get conservative Christian people elected to the school board,” Gore said, “it’s a very powerful message”
Gore, now 43, first became involved in local politics in 2016 when she campaigned door-to-door for Lang, a former constable who successfully ran for the Texas Legislature. She then served on a leadership committee for the Hood County GOP.
After Lang decided not to run for reelection in 2020, he asked Gore to join the “Blue Shark” show, a web-based program he founded and co-hosted with Criswell that produced videos taking aim at local politicians and officials considered insufficiently conservative. Criswell later ran campaigns for Gore and Melanie Graft, another school board candidate who previously <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/02/07/lgbtq-books-texas-school-boards/">tried to remove LGBTQ-themed books</a> from the children’s section of the county library.
Soon after the women won their elections, the Granbury school district descended into a high-profile fight over school library books.
Administrators pulled 130 library books from the shelves after Matt Krause, a Republican representative from Fort Worth, published a list of 850 titles that he said touched on themes of sexual orientation and race. At the time, ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and NBC News <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/were-going-to-be-conservative-official-orders-books-removed-from-schools-targeting-titles-about-transgender-people">obtained audio of the district’s superintendent</a>, Jeremy Glenn, making clear to librarians that he had concerns about books with LGBTQ themes, including those that did not contain descriptions of sex. After the reporting, the Department of Education <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-banned-books-library-granbury-lgbtq">opened a civil rights investigation</a>, which is ongoing, into whether the district violated federal laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender.
A volunteer review committee of parents and district employees eventually recommended returning nearly all of the books to the shelves.
Hard-liners wanted additional titles removed, claiming that the district was allowing “pornography,” without offering evidence to support the assertion. But Gore backed the committee’s findings, saying she was satisfied with the handful of books the district had removed for explicit content. Glenn, too, drew the ire of his onetime allies after he also supported the committee’s recommendation. Lang and Criswell have since called for his ouster. Glenn declined an interview request through a district spokesperson.
The book debate, along with a series of other fissures, contributed to Gore’s growing belief that her former colleagues were more interested in misleading residents than in improving educational outcomes.
In early 2022, leaders of the rapidly growing district announced plans to ask voters for $394 million in bonds to build a new high school and renovate existing campuses. School board members established a community advisory committee that would counsel the district.
Gore chose Criswell as her representative on the committee. She thought that once Criswell saw the district’s needs firsthand, he would support the bonds. But the opposite happened. Criswell urged voters to reject the measure, claiming some parts, such as providing full-day pre-K programs for all students, were “communist in nature.”
Gore said Criswell directed her and Graft, who did not respond to requests for comment, to post messages on social media against the bonds. When Gore pushed back, she said Criswell accused her of betraying the party. (The bonds ultimately lost by a wide margin.)
According to Gore, Criswell also pressured her to stop speaking with all of her fellow school board members, except for Graft. “They’re just lying to you. They’re not your friends,” she recalled him saying.
“I was like, how am I supposed to do my job as a board member if I’m not talking to anybody?” Gore said. “None of it was adding up.”
Criswell, who has previously said that he supports public schools, declined to answer detailed questions. Lang did not respond to requests to comment. In April 2022, Gore rescinded her nomination of Criswell to the bond advisory board. She felt that he and Lang were misleading voters about the bond and its cost to taxpayers.
“Mike Lang would call them snowballs,” she said. “You just get as many little snowballs as you can so you’re attacking from multiple fronts. And then you see which ones start to stick and gather speed and get bigger and bigger.”
In June 2022, Lang and Criswell directed one of their snowballs in Gore’s direction, taking a veiled shot at the former co-host of their show. In a video, Criswell praised Graft for continuing the fight to remove books from the school district’s libraries, saying she was “the only one that acts as the buffer right now on that board. Which is sad, because, you know, we’ve had other people elected in recent elections that just haven’t lived up to the expectations.”
Three days later, Gore fired back.
“I refuse to be someone’s puppet,” she wrote in a June 8 Facebook post. “I refuse to be told what to do, what to say or how to vote. I refuse to participate in any agenda that will dismantle or abolish public education.”
<h3>“Extremism IS the Problem”</h3>
A week after that post, Gore watched the livestream of a Granbury school board meeting on her laptop from a hotel room along Mexico’s Caribbean coast while on an anniversary trip with her husband.
Emotions ran high as about a dozen residents complained that board members had not removed enough books from the library. Some argued that the school board was stifling dissent from Graft by requiring the consent of two board members to place an item on the agenda.
During the meeting, Cliff Criswell, the grandfather of Nate Criswell, took the microphone, carrying what police would later describe as a black handgun in a leather holster. He accused board members of allowing pornography in school libraries and of trying to “rip apart” Graft, whom he had previously described as “the only conservative on the board.”
“We have profile sheets” on all the trustees except for Graft, Cliff Criswell shouted. “We know what you do. We know where you live.”
Gore was shocked. Panicked, she started calling family members. “My grandmother was home with our children,” she recalled in an interview. “My brother came over and slept on my front porch to make sure nobody showed up at our house in the middle of the night. I mean, my kids were terrified after that.”
Later that night, Gore addressed the incident on Facebook.
“Tonight, threats were made against me, every board member (except one) and our superintendent. We were individually called out by name, told we had profile sheets made on each of us and that we would be dealt with accordingly. THIS IS NOT OK. I take threats against myself and my family seriously, especially with all of the violence in today’s world. Will we be dealing with school board shootings next?!? WE MUST DO BETTER!”
In response to a commenter’s message of support, Gore wrote, “extremism IS the problem.”
According to a Granbury police <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24608708-cliffcriswell-police-report">report</a>, an off-duty officer spotted a black pistol in a holster in Cliff Criswell’s waistband and alerted school and city police. Possession of an unauthorized firearm at a school board meeting is a third-degree felony under <a href="https://www.texasbar.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=articles&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=34296">state law</a>, but because officers didn’t conclusively identify the weapon that night, and because Cliff Criswell declined to cooperate, prosecutors were unable to file charges, said Granbury police Deputy Chief Cliff Andrews. Cliff Criswell could not be reached for comment.
“Had we identified the gun at the very moment, yes, absolutely, we could have filed charges on it,” Andrews said. “We made a simple mistake.”
The incident forced the district to adopt tighter security measures, including clearly posting signs prohibiting firearms and bringing in additional officers during board meetings anytime administrators expect that certain topics could lead to heated exchanges.
“That was the moment I saw how crazy it was, how unhinged it had become and how far some people were willing to go to prove their points,” Gore said.
Yet rhetoric over the school district only ratcheted up in the ensuing months.
That fall, Hood County’s far-right leaders backed the school board candidacy of Karen Lowery, who in May 2022 was one of two women who <a href="https://www.hcnews.com/stories/despite-two-ag-rulings-constable-hasnt-released-file-in-gisd-porn-claim,4152">filed a criminal complaint against district librarians</a> claiming they were providing pornography to children. A Hood County constable has declined to answer questions about the status of the complaint.
Lowery, who had served on the committee that reviewed library books but opposed returning them to the shelves, also received a key endorsement from Rafael Cruz. She went on to win her election in November 2022.
Her victory helped resurface the district’s book battles as she pressed to remove more titles. Then, in August 2023, Lowery snuck into a high school library during a charity event and began inspecting books using the light of her cellphone, <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24656701-investigation-report_august-23-2023">according to a district report</a>.
School board members met to discuss censuring Lowery at an Aug. 23 public meeting for violating a policy that requires them to get permission from principals when entering a campus and for not being truthful when confronted by an administrator. Lowery claimed she had disclosed her visit to the library beforehand as required. She did not respond to calls or emails seeking comment. A district spokesperson said he was unable to pass along an interview request because Lowery has requested to only be contacted through her board email.
The board voted to censure Lowery, who opposed the symbolic measure along with Graft.
“It is clear that the actions Mrs. Lowery took, as evidenced by the community and the outcry that we have heard tonight, has broken some of that trust with our staff, parents and community members,” said Gore, who motioned to censure Lowery. “The only people that pay the price for this, no matter what happens tonight, are the kids of this district.”
<h3>Old Foe, New Friend</h3>
By November 2023, the battle lines over school vouchers were hardening in Granbury, and at the state Capitol in Austin.
Abbott had begun waging war against Republicans who had not supported voucher efforts and contributed to their failure during the last legislative session. One lawmaker who escaped Abbott’s wrath was Shelby Slawson, a Republican who represents Hood County. Unlike some of those now being targeted, Slawson had bucked a request spearheaded by Gore and supported by the school board majority that urged lawmakers to vote against a measure that would send public dollars to private schools. Slawson did not respond to questions regarding her decision to vote in favor of vouchers despite the local school district’s opposition to the legislation.
Meanwhile, Granbury was facing a tough election. The school district was asking voters to approve a $151 million bond measure to build a new elementary school in the rapidly growing and overcrowded district, as well as provide security updates and renovations to aging campuses. The balance of the school board was also at stake in the same election.
Bond opponents formed the Granbury Families political action committee. In advertising materials, the group cited library books as one of the principal reasons residents had lost trust in the board. “Our community has lost faith in the board’s ability to conduct business,” <a href="https://secure.fundhero.com/granbury-families-pac?fbclid=IwAR0_2cvX-1CwoEDQsBROOGdWes3lThfhJkpq-wZmX06ZTfhJk7xOx-Ajs80">the group claimed</a>. “Not another penny until GISD gets new leadership.”
Nate Criswell, Gore’s former co-host and campaign manager, loaned the PAC $1,750, according to <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24608717-2023granburyfamiliespac#document/p9/a2554548">campaign finance reports</a> filed with the district. The loan constituted about 40% of the PAC’s funding ahead of the November election.
Although a majority of the state’s school districts with bond measures scored victories, Granbury’s tax measure failed once again. (Voters rejected another bond measure this month.) Hard-line conservatives celebrated the loss, pointing to anger over the library books issue.
But even as they celebrated, the November election delivered a setback to those who wanted to take over the school board. The two candidates supported by hard-line conservatives lost by wide margins, denying the county’s far-right faction the majority on the board. Among the winners in that election was Nancy Alana, the school board member whom Gore ousted two years earlier. This time around Gore endorsed Alana, and the two former opponents have since become friends and allies.
“She let everybody know that she had been misled and that she has seen for herself the good things that are happening in our school district,” Alana said. “That the school board can be trusted. That the administrators can be trusted. And she has spoken out on that. And that has made a big difference. And she is very well thought of in our community because of her willingness to step up and say, ‘I was wrong.’”
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<title>Unethical Lying Sleazebag (Cartoon, Column and Video)</title>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Clay Jones]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 02:55:04 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[Donald Trump, his crappy lawyers, and crappy Republicans are attempting to discredit Michael Cohen who testified this week in the Trump hush money case. Cohen was the money man in paying Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about her awkward and uncomfortable hotel quickie with Donald Trump. The way the scheme worked was that Cohen<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/unethical-lying-sleazebag-cartoon-column-and-video/"> […]</a>
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Donald Trump, his crappy lawyers, and crappy Republicans are attempting to discredit Michael Cohen who testified this week in the Trump hush money case.
Cohen was the money man in paying Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about her awkward and uncomfortable hotel quickie with Donald Trump. The way the scheme worked was that Cohen would pay Daniels with his own money and later be reimbursed by Trump. Cohen paid Daniels the full $130,000 upfront and Trump would repay Cohen in installments in order to conceal his connection to the payments to Daniels and because he’s cheap. When Trump created invoices for the payments to Cohen, he listed them as legal fees.
In case you’re not already aware of this, paying off a porn star not to talk about a gross shagging is NOT a legal fee.
Trump, his crappy lawyers, and crappy Republicans are trying to convince the public that they can’t believe anything Michael Cohen says because he’s a perjured convicted criminal, and generally an all-around scumbag. All that is true which makes me ask, why did he work for Trump for 12 years?
If Michael Cohen is such a dishonorable person and a lying piece of crap, why did Trump keep him around for so long? Why did Trump hire him in the first place? Because that’s what Trump wanted.
Michael Cohen was officially Trump’s lawyer, but his real job was being Trump’s fixer. For example, he’d call reporters and intimidate them over a story they were writing about his boss. He’d call The Wharton School and threaten them not to release Trump’s transcripts even though they can’t legally do that anyway. He’d lie to reporters and even members of Congress for Trump, which is one reason he went to prison. And then he’d pay off a porn star to be quiet about her one night in Bangcock.
Remember, Trump claims he only hires the “best” people and while Michael Cohen was an extremely crappy lawyer before he lost his license to practice, he was the best at fixing and pulling his boss’ ass out of the ringer. The stuff Cohen did for Trump was very mob-like, and that’s exactly how Trump and Cohen saw themselves, as the mob.
When someone turns on the mob and makes a deal with prosecutors, the government’s witnesses are mobsters. Informants aren’t usually good guys. Is Cohen a good guy? No, but find a good person in the Trump Organization. How about the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg? He’s currently serving a second sentence in Rikers Island. How about other Trump employees, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, Steve Bannon, Peter Navarro, George Papadopoulos, Rick Gates, etc? They were all convicted and sentenced to prison. Trump only hires the best people.
If so many associates of Donald Trump are convicted felons, what does that make the guy who hires them?
Michael Cohen is an unethical lying sleazebag who didn’t do any of his sleazing without it being a direct order from his boss, Donald Trump, another unethical lying sleazebag.
On another note: Don’t get your hopes up with this trial. Don’t believe Trump will be found guilty or even if he is, sentenced to prison.
The case is not about Trump cheating on his wife, sleeping with a porn star, lying about it, making hush payments, lying about those, or even hiding the payments. It’s about how he reported the payments, and I’m not sure a jury can be convinced he broke the law regarding the filing.
The prosecution has proven Trump is a lying unethical scumbag, but they may not have proven their case yet and maybe they won’t. Remember, only one juror has to side with the defense. And the jury may find he broke the law but not that any of it amounts to a felony.
And if the jury does find Trump guilty on any of the 34 counts, this will be his first offense. A first-time offender would usually only receive probation, not a jail sentence. The judge has already stated he doesn’t want to send Trump to jail.
This is all very depressing because this is the weakest of Trump’s four criminal trials. The more serious ones, attempting to steal an election, staging an insurrection, and stealing classified documents won’t be tried until after the election…if ever.
Don’t let MSNBC get your hopes up.
Watch me draw: 
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8_PoxDmG2To?si=Rb5ufKSqzDUNYLeN" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Visit Clay Jones’ website <a href="https://claytoonz.com/">www.claytoonz.com</a> and email him at Clay@claytoonz.com.
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<title>PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY FROM ROMANS TO ALITO</title>
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<dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest Voice]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 02:35:55 +0000</pubDate>
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<description><![CDATA[by Edward Watts I have been studying and writing about Roman emperors for more than 30 years. I never imagined I would live in a time and place where the judicial system might give more extensive legal immunity to an American president than any Roman emperor ever enjoyed. Until last Thursday. Contemporary imagination often assumes<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/presidential-immunity-from-romans-to-alito/"> […]</a>
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by Edward Watts
I have been studying and writing about Roman emperors for more than 30 years. I never imagined I would live in a time and place where the judicial system might give more extensive legal immunity to an American president than any Roman emperor ever enjoyed. Until last Thursday. 
Contemporary imagination often assumes that Roman emperors enjoyed absolute authority to do what they wanted with their empire’s resources, wealth, and military power. They did not. Rather, Roman emperors were magistrates who held office for life, managing the Roman state on behalf of its citizens. This position gave emperors vast powers to initiate wars, choose administrators, appoint generals, order criminal investigations, and take the property and lives of convicted criminals. But, like their fellow citizens, Roman emperors were subject to Roman law.
Emperors themselves said so. In 429 C.E., the emperors Theodosius II and Valentinian III explained that “a reigning sovereign must be subject to the laws because our authority is dependent upon that of the law and it is the greatest attribute of imperial power for the sovereign to be subject to the laws.” It is only by accepting that laws apply to every Roman, the emperors continued, that we are able to “forbid others to do what we do not suffer ourselves to do.” In other words, an emperor claiming an exemption from Roman law had no right to expect his fellow citizens to obey those same laws.
A few decades later, Priscus of Panium, a Roman official and rhetorician who served as an ambassador to the court of Attila the Hun, explained to an acquaintance he calls Graikos why Roman legal procedures must apply equally to everyone. Graikos had once lived in Roman territory but had chosen to live among the Huns. He told Priscus he preferred the Hunnic empire, where, unlike in Rome, Attila limited corruption, did not assess high taxes, and presided over a people who did not trouble one another. True, the brutal barbarian king could do what he wanted to anyone. But Graikos still believed this was better than Rome, where “lawsuits are much protracted, much money is spent on them,” and everyone is distracted from doing what they want by concerns of when or even whether a legal penalty will be enforced.
Priscus corrected Graikos sharply. “Those who founded the Roman state,” he said, “ordained wise and good men to be guardians of the laws so that things should not be done haphazardly.” In Rome, “the laws apply to all, even the emperor obeys them,” and “the time taken in cases results from a concern for justice lest a judge err in his decisions.” Under Attila, by contrast, “one must give thanks to Fortune for freedom.” In a society without laws, Priscus asserted, your life and property are protected only by fate and the whims of Attila. Realizing his mistake, Graikos “wept and said that the laws were fair and the Roman state was good.”
It is, then, astonishing to read the <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/2023/23-939_f204.pdf">April 25 transcript </a>of the Supreme Court’s oral arguments in Donald J. Trump v. United States. The day began with Donald Trump’s lawyer, D. John Sauer, boldly asserting, “Without presidential immunity from criminal prosecution, there can be no presidency as we know it.” 
As the proceedings continued, the exchanges became increasingly shocking. At one point, Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked what would happen if the president “orders the military” to assassinate a political rival. In response, Sauer claimed that such an order “could well be an official act” and thus render the president immune from prosecution. Then, near the hearing’s conclusion, Justice Samuel Alito took on an incredulous tone as he asked the government’s lawyer, “If [the president] makes a mistake, he makes a mistake; he’s subject to the criminal laws just like everyone else?”
Any serious Roman jurist would know how to answer Alito’s question. They would respond as the 10th century bishop Nicholas of Constantinople did to the emperor Leo VI when he tried to get married illegally: “It is evil, a most evil doctrine to say that, because one is an emperor he is permitted to do wrong in a way that no one would permit his subjects to do.” Romans knew that even the limited liberty permitted by their autocracy depended on every citizen, regardless of their station, being equally subject to the protections and restrictions of a common legal system. To assert otherwise would be to leave the Roman world of law and enter the unpredictable, anarchic kingdoms led by people like Attila the Hun.
Alito is, without a doubt, a finer legal scholar than I am. But he is not a finer legal scholar than Tribonian or Papinian or many of the thousands of other jurists who taught and wrote about a tradition of Roman legal scholarship that stretched across nearly 2,000 years. These wise men refused to grant the powers to an emperor that Alito and Sauer seem to want to grant to an elected president. Maybe our Supreme Court could learn something from reading their work.
Edward Watts is a historian at the University of California, San Diego. He is the author of The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome: The History of a Dangerous Idea, and Mortal Republic: How Rome Fell Into Tyranny. This was written for Zócalo Public Sqaure. 
by Edward Watts
I have been studying and writing about Roman emperors for more than 30 years. I never imagined I would live in a time and place where the judicial system might give more extensive legal immunity to an American president than any Roman emperor ever enjoyed. Until last Thursday. 
Contemporary imagination often assumes that Roman emperors enjoyed absolute authority to do what they wanted with their empire’s resources, wealth, and military power. They did not. Rather, Roman emperors were magistrates who held office for life, managing the Roman state on behalf of its citizens. This position gave emperors vast powers to initiate wars, choose administrators, appoint generals, order criminal investigations, and take the property and lives of convicted criminals. But, like their fellow citizens, Roman emperors were subject to Roman law.
Emperors themselves said so. In 429 C.E., the emperors Theodosius II and Valentinian III explained that “a reigning sovereign must be subject to the laws because our authority is dependent upon that of the law and it is the greatest attribute of imperial power for the sovereign to be subject to the laws.” It is only by accepting that laws apply to every Roman, the emperors continued, that we are able to “forbid others to do what we do not suffer ourselves to do.” In other words, an emperor claiming an exemption from Roman law had no right to expect his fellow citizens to obey those same laws.
A few decades later, Priscus of Panium, a Roman official and rhetorician who served as an ambassador to the court of Attila the Hun, explained to an acquaintance he calls Graikos why Roman legal procedures must apply equally to everyone. Graikos had once lived in Roman territory but had chosen to live among the Huns. He told Priscus he preferred the Hunnic empire, where, unlike in Rome, Attila limited corruption, did not assess high taxes, and presided over a people who did not trouble one another. True, the brutal barbarian king could do what he wanted to anyone. But Graikos still believed this was better than Rome, where “lawsuits are much protracted, much money is spent on them,” and everyone is distracted from doing what they want by concerns of when or even whether a legal penalty will be enforced.
Priscus corrected Graikos sharply. “Those who founded the Roman state,” he said, “ordained wise and good men to be guardians of the laws so that things should not be done haphazardly.” In Rome, “the laws apply to all, even the emperor obeys them,” and “the time taken in cases results from a concern for justice lest a judge err in his decisions.” Under Attila, by contrast, “one must give thanks to Fortune for freedom.” In a society without laws, Priscus asserted, your life and property are protected only by fate and the whims of Attila. Realizing his mistake, Graikos “wept and said that the laws were fair and the Roman state was good.”
It is, then, astonishing to read the April 25 transcript of the Supreme Court’s oral arguments in Donald J. Trump v. United States. The day began with Donald Trump’s lawyer, D. John Sauer, boldly asserting, “Without presidential immunity from criminal prosecution, there can be no presidency as we know it.” 
As the proceedings continued, the exchanges became increasingly shocking. At one point, Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked what would happen if the president “orders the military” to assassinate a political rival. In response, Sauer claimed that such an order “could well be an official act” and thus render the president immune from prosecution. Then, near the hearing’s conclusion, Justice Samuel Alito took on an incredulous tone as he asked the government’s lawyer, “If [the president] makes a mistake, he makes a mistake; he’s subject to the criminal laws just like everyone else?”
Any serious Roman jurist would know how to answer Alito’s question. They would respond as the 10th century bishop Nicholas of Constantinople did to the emperor Leo VI when he tried to get married illegally: “It is evil, a most evil doctrine to say that, because one is an emperor he is permitted to do wrong in a way that no one would permit his subjects to do.” Romans knew that even the limited liberty permitted by their autocracy depended on every citizen, regardless of their station, being equally subject to the protections and restrictions of a common legal system. To assert otherwise would be to leave the Roman world of law and enter the unpredictable, anarchic kingdoms led by people like Attila the Hun.
Alito is, without a doubt, a finer legal scholar than I am. But he is not a finer legal scholar than Tribonian or Papinian or many of the thousands of other jurists who taught and wrote about a tradition of Roman legal scholarship that stretched across nearly 2,000 years. These wise men refused to grant the powers to an emperor that Alito and Sauer seem to want to grant to an elected president. Maybe our Supreme Court could learn something from reading their work.
Edward Watts is a historian at the University of California, San Diego. He is the author of<a href="https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/edward-j-watts/mortal-republic/9780465093823/"> The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome: The History of a Dangerous Idea</a>, and <a href="https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/edward-j-watts/mortal-republic/9780465093823/">Mortal Republic: How Rome Fell Into Tyranny.</a> This was written for<a href="http://zocalopublicsquare.org/"> Zócalo Public Square. </a>

Graphic: Dreamstime
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<title>Biblical Misogyny?</title>
<link>https://themoderatevoice.com/biblical-misogyny/</link>
<comments>https://themoderatevoice.com/biblical-misogyny/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[David Robertson]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 May 2024 00:48:58 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Christianity]]></category>
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<category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Women]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[Bible]]></category>
<category><![CDATA[misogyny]]></category>
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<description><![CDATA[Is misogyny a biblical requirement for churches, or are modern preachers missing the cultural context of the Apostle Paul’s instructions? In Paul’s instructions about women, he says, “I do not allow” instead of, “God does not allow.” So, can we deduce a limit to Paul’s restrictions on women? When debating this issue, it is too<a class="read-more" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/biblical-misogyny/"> […]</a>
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com/biblical-misogyny/">Biblical Misogyny?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://themoderatevoice.com">The Moderate Voice</a>.
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<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img loading="lazy" src="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Bible.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="350" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-278144" srcset="https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Bible.jpg 300w, https://themoderatevoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Bible-257x300.jpg 257w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Is misogyny a biblical requirement for churches, or are modern preachers missing the cultural context of the Apostle Paul’s instructions?
In Paul’s instructions about women, he says, “I do not allow” instead of, “God does not allow.” So, can we deduce a limit to Paul’s restrictions on women?
When debating this issue, it is too easy for one to overlook the cultural context of Paul’s statements. Not only did Paul have to deal with the cultural expectations of the Jewish religious leaders, he also had to deal with the cultural expectations of the traditional Greek society as well as the expectations of Roman society. To quote historian and archaelologist Andrew Wallace-Hadrill, “We are not dealing with a single, monolithic Roman world but one differentiated through time, across religion and across social divides.” [Wallace-Hadrill, A.F. (1994). Houses and Society in Pompeii and Herculaneum. Princeton University Press.]
<a href="https://depts.washington.edu/hrome/Authors/boogieon/FeminaeRomanaeTheRoleofWomeninAncientRome/pub_zbarticle_view_printable.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">As one academian puts it:</a> 
<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*-YvYIYA3mAc5BbJE4sz9Cw.jpeg" width="800" height="100" class="aligncenter size-full" />
From the PBS.org series <a href="https://www.pbs.org/empires/romans/empire/women.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Roman Empire in the First Century</a>:
“Not much information exists about Roman women in the first century. Women were not allowed to be active in politics, so nobody wrote about them. Neither were they taught how to write, so they could not tell their own stories.
We do know a little, however. Unlike society in ancient Egypt, Rome did not regard women as equal to men before the law. They received only a basic education, if any at all, and were subject to the authority of a man. Traditionally, this was their father before marriage. At that point, authority switched to their husband, who also had the legal rights over their children.”
<a href="https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/post-biblical-and-rabbinic-women" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Judaism historian Tal Ilan explains the way that Jewish religious leaders thought about women</a>:
“In post-biblical Jewish antiquity women were not viewed as equal to men or as full Jews. In this, Jews were no different from their various Greco-Roman, Semitic, or Egyptian neighbors. The difference lies in the explanation Jews gave to their views. All Jews of late antiquity considered women’s position in Judaism as determined by the injunctions of the Old Testament. Their subordinate position was viewed as emanating from Eve’s role in the creation narrative, both as created secondary and as guilty of the original sin.
Thus, the second century BCE Palestinian sage Ben Sira bitterly laments women’s role in bringing death to the world, referring to the incident in the Garden of Eden. A Jewish pseudepigraphic composition, usually referred to as the Book of Adam and Eve, greatly elaborates on this theme, constantly reiterating woman’s involvement in man’s fall, her guilt, and his accusations against her. Later midrashic literature continues in the same vein: women are eternally punished for their involvement in the original sin.”
If you think that the biblical authors were never influenced by writings outside of Scripture, then think again. They were. For example, here is Matthew 2:23:
<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*-eSjYdQY1Agccm56sP1-SA.jpeg" width="500" height="320" class="aligncenter size-full" />
The statement “He will be called a Nazarene” is not in the Tanakh (a.k.a. Old Testament).
The book of Jude also contains a non-scriptural reference:
<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*-65fYRFFsqLMg50JW3xNdQ.jpeg" width="500" height="365" class="aligncenter size-full" />
Was it possible for an Apostle to err on the side of cultural expectations? Yes, of course, as we discover when reading the book of Galatians:
<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*qqYN4qlocJK3Qd5dMPfD8w.jpeg" width="800" height="300" class="aligncenter size-full" />
Unlike Peter, Paul had to deal with the legal fallout should the fledgling Church needlessly run afoul of the Roman government. Not only were women in Paul’s day (in general) ill-prepared to teach Scriptures, putting them in authority over men could easily have caused a social uproar that would have brought the might of the Roman government into the situation. The Roman government would likely have punished the fledgling Church for causing the uproar.
Although men and women were spiritual equals in the messianic faith, it was unnecessary back then for women to be given positions of authority. So, Paul had a practical reason to restrict what women could do in the congregations under his authority.
Now, should Paul’s restrictions on women be in effect today? Are we supposed to punish the women who are alive today for something that Eve did? After all, through the prophet Ezekiel, God declares that he does not punish the innocent for the sin of the guilty.
<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*PC1QDmxNFPFvv3VitNeb6Q.jpeg" width="800" height="300" class="aligncenter size-full" />
It would be unwise to ignore the cultural context of any Bible verses that we cite. For example, consider what is stated in Joshua 10:12–13:
<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*tFSnpHvyp_mHZdoZDXJHKA.jpeg" width="800" height="300" class="aligncenter size-full" />
According to a literal interpretation of Joshua 10:12–13, the Sun circles around the Earth. Yet, we know from astronomy that the Earth rotates on its axis, thus creating the illusion that Sun circles around the Earth. So are we to declare that Joshua 10:12–13 is to be interpreted literally?
Yes, we need to take cultural context into consideration when citing Bible verses, including statements written by the Apostle Paul. In short, Paul lived in a society in which women were chattel, and Paul’s writings reflect that fact. Paul’s goal was to spread the Gospel, not to challenge the social order of his day. Had he done the latter, then he would have caused unnecessary harm to the fledgling Church.
So, is there a way to end the ongoing dispute about the role of women in the universal Church?
In pursuit of an answer, I keep five bits of reality in mind.
First, it is wrong to assume that women are somehow mentally or emotionally inferior to men. No, women aren’t that.
Second, the accuracy of a statement does not depend on the gender of the person who makes it. Logic is gender neutral.
Third, if in doubt about something that is not mandatory, then do not do it. The Bible does not mandate that women be given the role of pastor.
Fourth, it is unwise to automatically accept whatever a pastor says even if the pastor is a man. Male clergy aren’t infallible when it comes to interpreting the Bible. Indeed, no man is the final authority on how to correctly interpret the Bible. No group of men or male-led institution is the final authority on how to correctly interpret the Bible.
Fifth, if a man and a woman have a disagreement about how to correctly interpret the Bible, then it is possible for the woman to be right and for the man to be wrong. The women of today aren’t ill-educated like the women of the Apostle Paul’s day.
As I have observed, some men claim to worship Messiah Jesus when they really worship their status as being men. Instead of promoting the Gospel, they promote their ideas of what men are supposed to be like. Masculinity is their real god.
In conclusion, each person has to live with his or her conscience. I do not know of anyone who is legally forced to belong to a church that has female pastors and elders. Where I live, churches are all-volunteer organizations.
Besides, one’s eternal destiny does not depend on who are the leaders of one’s church. Nor does one’s eternal destiny depend on one agreeing with everything that church leaders say.
<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/800/1*Stq2MhzZ6LQt_mqXswPPAA.jpeg" width="800" height="435" class="aligncenter size-full" />

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