I could get into further detail of what I presume was going through Phillips head, both when approached the group and when he gave the interviews, but it would only be a presumption..
I don't see why you couldn't - it seems to me everyone who defends the kids presumes based on the biased first hand information they want (Hey Jamal vs Build the Wall. We can't hear either, and yet I've seen you defend the former by citing a twitter thread you spent paragraphs tearing down the rest of)
It isn't clear. The media was wrong to pile on initially. I think everyone defending the kids as if we know they're 100% without fault are just as wrong.
I really can't overstate how important and dangerous this moment is. Trump is going to declare a national emergency for NO other reason than he didn't get his way legislatively on a campaign promise. There is no turning back from this. This is no different than if the ACH had not passed Congress and Obama had attempted to implement it by Executive fiat.
If you have been planning on declaring an emergency for TWO MONTHS, but just decided to now, it is, by any standard imaginable, NOT an emergency. Don't believe me, ask Merriam-Webster:
Emergency: an unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action
Now let's dive farther. What does the dictionary say about "unforeseen":
Yep. Hitler was elected by a minority of Germans and used a national emergency to seize and consolidate power from the legislature. The parallels to Trump are right in our faces.
I really can't overstate how important and dangerous this moment is. Trump is going to declare a national emergency for NO other reason than he didn't get his way legislatively on a campaign promise. There is no turning back from this. This is no different than if the ACH had not passed Congress and Obama had attempted to implement it by Executive fiat.
If you have been planning on declaring an emergency for TWO MONTHS, but just decided to now, it is, by any standard imaginable, NOT an emergency. Don't believe me, ask Merriam-Webster:
Emergency: an unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action
Now let's dive farther. What does the dictionary say about "unforeseen":
Unforeseen: not anticipated or expected
Do I need to go on??
Whelp, thank goodness you guys still have an independent court system.
No seriously... this is just trump saying “I kept my promise” knowing the courts are going to shut it down, making them the bad guys in all this. Even when it reaches the Supreme Court, pundits are pondering that Gorsuch will side with the left being more libertarian than conservative.
Then he has a 2020 pledge to “fight the establishment and give the people what they want” to chants of build the wall.
~
Allegedly there is a poison pill in the budget against the wall allowing municipal governments to overrule walls being built in their jurisdiction so there is that as well.
I really can't overstate how important and dangerous this moment is. Trump is going to declare a national emergency for NO other reason than he didn't get his way legislatively on a campaign promise. There is no turning back from this. This is no different than if the ACH had not passed Congress and Obama had attempted to implement it by Executive fiat.
If you have been planning on declaring an emergency for TWO MONTHS, but just decided to now, it is, by any standard imaginable, NOT an emergency. Don't believe me, ask Merriam-Webster:
Emergency: an unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action
Now let's dive farther. What does the dictionary say about "unforeseen":
Unforeseen: not anticipated or expected
Do I need to go on??
Whelp, thank goodness you guys still have an independent court system.
No seriously... this is just trump saying “I kept my promise” knowing the courts are going to shut it down, making them the bad guys in all this. Even when it reaches the Supreme Court, pundits are pondering that Gorsuch will side with the left being more libertarian than conservative.
Then he has a 2020 pledge to “fight the establishment and give the people what they want” to chants of build the wall.
~
Allegedly there is a poison pill in the budget against the wall allowing municipal governments to overrule walls being built in their jurisdiction so there is that as well.
I don't doubt the courts will block it (at least, that is the hope, though it is never an absolute certainty). But the precedent here is absolutely bonkers. It's basically saying a President can ignore Article 1 of the Constitution for any reason at all. If this goes forward, any Democrat will be able to make the argument after ANY mass shooting that a national emergency needs to be declared to confiscate certain firearms. Let's say we have a terribly bad flu season, and hundreds more people die than usual. Wham, bam, thank you ma'am, we'll nationalize healthcare and shut down private insurance because, after all, national emergency. And, to be honest, both of those examples would STILL be more valid than what Trump is doing, because they would be.........unforeseen.
And since just about every state government on the border is withdrawing their national guard troops and not wanting that wall... well... it's hard to see how *any* wall gets built. Or the House adding a rider that "The money appropriated in this bill cannot be seized by the President for the purpose of building a wall on any border."
And I wonder if this also applies to the Butterfly sanctuary that Orange Julius 45's wall is going to be built in the middle of. Could they say, "No, we do not want this wall on our land," and make it stick? Defy "Eminent Domain"?
Edited to Add: I'm watching "The Last Word" with Lawrence O'Donnell. They already have done that In fact, they also added a rider saying, "You cannot build the wall in these areas: and listed several cities and states. So they already did this....
And since just about every state government on the border is withdrawing their national guard troops and not wanting that wall... well... it's hard to see how *any* wall gets built. Or the House adding a rider that "The money appropriated in this bill cannot be seized by the President for the purpose of building a wall on any border."
And I wonder if this also applies to the Butterfly sanctuary that Orange Julius 45's wall is going to be built in the middle of. Could they say, "No, we do not want this wall on our land," and make it stick? Defy "Eminent Domain"?
If people had any idea just how much conservatives have been screaming about eminent domain for the last, oh, 30 years oh so, they might be able to comprehend just how ridiculous this entire thing is. Again, ostensibly, this would be a diversion of MILITARY funds and personal to start a construction project on the southern border, undertaken by soldiers. It would absolutely require people to give up their property. So what is the plan here, for American soldiers to start confiscating land?? Are we also throwing out the 3rd Amendment while we're at it?? Now, of course this isn't going to come to fruition, but why is that the major concern?? The very idea this is even being discussed when these are how the logistics would have to work out is lunacy. Trump is setting a precedent that is THIS dangerous as some sort of end-move to get himself out of a political bind, damn the repercussions and historical significance.
I really can't overstate how important and dangerous this moment is. Trump is going to declare a national emergency for NO other reason than he didn't get his way legislatively on a campaign promise. There is no turning back from this. This is no different than if the ACH had not passed Congress and Obama had attempted to implement it by Executive fiat.
If you have been planning on declaring an emergency for TWO MONTHS, but just decided to now, it is, by any standard imaginable, NOT an emergency. Don't believe me, ask Merriam-Webster:
Emergency: an unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action
Now let's dive farther. What does the dictionary say about "unforeseen":
Unforeseen: not anticipated or expected
Do I need to go on??
Whelp, thank goodness you guys still have an independent court system.
No seriously... this is just trump saying “I kept my promise” knowing the courts are going to shut it down, making them the bad guys in all this. Even when it reaches the Supreme Court, pundits are pondering that Gorsuch will side with the left being more libertarian than conservative.
Then he has a 2020 pledge to “fight the establishment and give the people what they want” to chants of build the wall.
~
Allegedly there is a poison pill in the budget against the wall allowing municipal governments to overrule walls being built in their jurisdiction so there is that as well.
I will eat a sock if Gorsuch rules against Trump on anything of this magnitude. He'll join the conservatives and say it's justified under the executive powers of controlling immigration. I've heard arguments about it back in 2017 when Trump first got elected because there's a law saying that the President has the authority to dictate what the immigration quotas are. And so the conservative justices did rule back in June.
In short, what independent court system? Mitch McConnell got rid of that slowly over the last decade with the coup-de-grace these last 3 years.
And the House is bringing a bipartisan gun bill to the floor, mandating background checks on people wanting to buy guns, the first one since 1991 (!). Also, a poll has come out, saying that Most Americans support investigations looking into Trump and his contacts with Russia, even as the House starts up new investigations into Trump's Foreign Financial ties (Nods to The Hill website)
And in some good news, Alex Jones has been ordered to undergo a Sworn Deposition over the suit against him by the Families of Sandy Hook Shooting victims, in addition to having to turn over internal memos and Documents from his show at Info Wars. No Comment from Alex Jones *or* info Wars, of course. (via CNN)
And, to no surprise, FOX national turned down an ad about a film about a Pro-Nazi rally in the 1930's that happened in Madison Square Garden, to be run during the Sean Hannity show. They claim that the Nazi imagery went against their Programming, which is extremely ironic, considering how very much Trump seems to be stealing from the Nazi playbook. The filmmaker wanted to make that point, and the ad ends after showing the rally by saying "It happened before, it could happen again". The Film, known as "A Night at the Garden" can be viewed on YouTube in its entirety (it's 15 minutes long).
And another piece of Good news. a transgender man won a civil case against an Iowa state penitentiary who discriminated against him because of his transgender status. Not only did he win the case, but he got awarded $120,000 in damages for "Emotional Distress".
So former acting FBI director McCabe confirmed the anonymous white house source from the "resistance within the white house" NYT op-ed that there had been discussions of removing Trump from office based on the 25th amendment.
"Given the instability many witnessed, there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment, which would start a complex process for removing the president. " - NYT oped writer
That unstable guy is declaring a national emergency to circumvent congress.
I really can't overstate how important and dangerous this moment is. Trump is going to declare a national emergency for NO other reason than he didn't get his way legislatively on a campaign promise. There is no turning back from this. This is no different than if the ACH had not passed Congress and Obama had attempted to implement it by Executive fiat.
If you have been planning on declaring an emergency for TWO MONTHS, but just decided to now, it is, by any standard imaginable, NOT an emergency. Don't believe me, ask Merriam-Webster:
Emergency: an unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action
Now let's dive farther. What does the dictionary say about "unforeseen":
Unforeseen: not anticipated or expected
Do I need to go on??
Whelp, thank goodness you guys still have an independent court system.
No seriously... this is just trump saying “I kept my promise” knowing the courts are going to shut it down, making them the bad guys in all this. Even when it reaches the Supreme Court, pundits are pondering that Gorsuch will side with the left being more libertarian than conservative.
Then he has a 2020 pledge to “fight the establishment and give the people what they want” to chants of build the wall.
~
Allegedly there is a poison pill in the budget against the wall allowing municipal governments to overrule walls being built in their jurisdiction so there is that as well.
I will eat a sock if Gorsuch rules against Trump on anything of this magnitude. He'll join the conservatives and say it's justified under the executive powers of controlling immigration. I've heard arguments about it back in 2017 when Trump first got elected because there's a law saying that the President has the authority to dictate what the immigration quotas are. And so the conservative justices did rule back in June.
In short, what independent court system? Mitch McConnell got rid of that slowly over the last decade with the coup-de-grace these last 3 years.
Let me know if it tastes good . I could just about imagine the Supreme Court supporting Trump in a battle between the executive and the legislative branches, even though the chosen method of doing that clearly undermines the constitution. I can't though imagine them supporting him in a battle with the judiciary - and that's what this is just as much as with the legislature.
If the case ever got fully heard at the Supreme Court (and I very much doubt it will) some useful guidance on what the limits on this Presidential power are would probably emerge. The existing law already covers the relationship between Congress and the President, though there's certainly room for further guidance there. Where the court could have more of an impact though is in defining what constitutes an emergency (e.g. severe danger to life or security of the nation; very quick action needed, making it unrealistic to consult Congress).
There could even be guidance relevant to shutdowns, e.g. describing what would happen to existing programs in the event that Congress was unable to meet - now that would be a real benefit of taking this course of action ...
This will end up being another one of those times when Constitutional literalists interpret the Constitution to say whatever is convenient for the republican party. They are completely full of shit when they claim "golly gee I'm just here to call balls and strikes. And whatever the Constitution says is what it means. But on the other hand the Republican party is always right."
Representative Democracy in the United States died at roughly 9:50am Central time this morning. For all time, Presidents who can't get Congressional funding for a policy, project, or campaign promise now only need to declare a national emergency and assume dictatorial powers, stripping the Congress of the power of the purse granted in Article 1 of the Constitution.
You are going to hear people say "Obama and Bush declared national emergencies". Yeah, in response to an outbreak of swine flu to protect the populace against a deadly disease possibly getting into the nation's food supply and on frickin' 9/11. It has NEVER, ever been done to seize money for a contentious issue that Congress refuses to fund. Never. Again, this is nothing less than a blatant, transparent attempt to strip the power of the purse from Congress that is granted to them by the Constitution in NO uncertain terms because he lost a political battle. It's the nullification of the rights of everyone who is represented by someone who doesn't favor wall funding. So it turns out Mexico isn't paying for the wall after all. The price is democracy itself. It was a nice run.
I want to reiterate once again. Though there have been 58 national emergencies declared since 1976, NONE of them, not a single one, have been used to seize the power of appropriation from Congress. This is utterly unprecedented. This is supremely dangerous, and the only reason we aren't in MORE trouble is that Trump is, in the end, too stupid to be an effective authoritarian.
Anyone else laughing hysterically at Trump quoting Tucker about using the 25th amendment of the Constitution as unconstitutional while at the same time declaring a National Emergency that circumvents congress’s constitutional powers. No?
Once again, the courts are going to block this and Trump has loved this wall talk since it kept Russian investigations out of the press.
The Supreme Court however now gets to define what an Emergency actually is to be used in future instances which may hinder future presidents to act quickly in certain circumstances that they may not predict (or choose not to).
Anyone else laughing hysterically at Trump quoting Tucker about using the 25th amendment of the Constitution as unconstitutional while at the same time declaring a National Emergency that circumvents congress’s constitutional powers. No?
Once again, the courts are going to block this and Trump has loved this wall talk since it kept Russian investigations out of the press.
The Supreme Court however now gets to define what an Emergency actually is to be used in future instances which may hinder future presidents to act quickly in certain circumstances that they may not predict (or choose not to).
Watching him talk this morning is starting to make me think those stories from the Apprentice days of him snorting Adderall are likely entirely accurate:
Again, there was TWO years of a Republican House and Senate to get this money. And this comes at the tail end of a months long battle on this exact issue. So the question has to be asked: if the President can just unilaterally declare the right to do something despite losing a battle with Congress over it, then why have a Congress at all??
And before you ask @Balrog99, yes, I hope they get a massive amount of money for this. It's a complete violation of every basic principle of being a citizen in an (ostensibly) free society. When it's the state who engages in these tactics, the checkbook should be forced WIDE open.
So, President Trump is having a bad time. A coal power plant he tried to save in Tennessee was closed by its utility company- 1 less place for coal to be used, and thus, less reason to use coal, period.
Trump refused to sign a bill with back pay for Federal Contractors- he can count their votes goodbye. Nancy Pelosi rold Trump that if hedeclared a national emergency on the wall, a Democratic President coulddo thesame on guns. He apparently didn't care, because he declared one anyway. Trump also refused to provide a report on the Khashoggi murder, claiming he had the right to refuse to follow the law (!). Sorry, no, that's not a thing.
The best tweet to come out of the "National Emergency" declaration was one from the man who served as Ethics director under Obama, which merely said, "Being a bad negotiator is not a national emergency." And Nancy Pelosi could force the Senate to vote over whether Trump's national Emergency is a REAL emergency. Trump has just opened up the option for a Democratic President to vote all sorts of things a "National Emergency". And where is Trump going to seize the funds from? From funds intended for military family housing upgrades. Real low, Mr. President. Real low!
Even Captain Picard knows this is wrong!
Rep. Ilhan Omar gave convicted war criminal and convicted liar Elliott Abrams a figurative B* slap when she asked how the American people could count on him to tell the truth, being that he's been convicted of lying under oath, and then told him, "That wasn't a question." when he tried to interject.
White House security specialist Tricia Newbold has filed a Equal Opportunity Employment complaint against her supervisor, Carl Kline, and a whistleblower protection complaint as well. Kline is the one who gave Jared Kushner a security clearance over Newbold and others objections. He also discriminated against her because she is a dwarf.
Trump’s new budget proposal is a nightmare that would cut entitlements to people in need by $1.7 trillion dollars in order to pay for the recent $1.5 trillion in tax cuts that benefit mostly the rich and big corporations. Yet in addition to the cuts in entitlements and a whole host of other bad things, the new budget would also send $1 billion in taxpayer funds to support private religious schools. The new budget request is four times greater than the $250 million request made last year.
Trump's National Emergency delcaration is breaking the law. When Truman attempted to seize the US steel mills to prevent a walkout that would have imperiled US Steel production during the Korean War, the Supreme Court shut him down. And instituted three things, known as "The Youngstown Test" to vet National Emergencies.
1) First, when the president acts with express or implied authority of Congress, his power is at its greatest.
2) Second, in the absence of a grant or prohibition by Congress, the president can rely only on his own powers. He acts in a “zone of twilight” where he and Congress may have concurrent authority or their distribution of power remains uncertain. “In this area, any actual test of power is likely to depend on the imperatives of events and contemporary imponderables rather than on abstract theories of law.”
3) Third, when the president seeks to circumvent the expressed or implied will of Congress, “his power is at its lowest ebb, for then he can rely only upon his own constitutional powers minus any constitutional powers of Congress over the matter.” Presidential claim to such power “must be scrutinized with caution, for what is at stake is the equilibrium established by our constitutional system.”
Also, Trump administration is being sued for making people waiting for entry to the US in Mexico. And two women are suing the border patrol for detaining them for almost an hour for speaking in Spanish in a convenience store in MONTANA. Nobody called the Border Patrol, ths agent happened to be in the store and asked them where they were born and for their IDs. They taped their encounter after that. (Source, NBC News)
And this "National Emergency" isn't the only horrible thing happening in the US. There was an active shooter today in Aurora, Illinois that ended with one dead and 4 policemen wounded. The shooting occurred in an industrial park. Kansas introduced a bill calling Same Sex Marriages "Parody" marriages, and prohibiting state officials from giving marriage licenses to same-sex couples. It also attempts to define LGBTQ people as "a religion" and the rainbow flag as "A faith-based worldview".
The bills include a wide range of measures to reduce LGBTQ equality, like banning the state from recognizing transgender people’s gender identities, preventing municipal governments from banning conversion therapy or discrimination against LGBTQ people, and barring libraries and schools from hosting events like Drag Queen Story Hour.
The bills assert that LGBTQ people “erode community standards of decency” and “There are no ex-blacks but there are thousands of ex-gays.”
“The government’s endorsement of LGBTQ ideology has amounted to the greatest sham since the inception of American jurisprudence,” one of the bills says.
However, the Democrats in the Kansas State legislature is unlikely to pass these bills, and the Democratic governor is unlikely to sign them.
A West Virginia Republican was interviewed on TV, and insinuated that if his kids came out as gay, he would drown them. The way he put it was, "I'd see if they could swim."
And Kevin McCarthy admitted to donors that the GOP tried to kill the ACA's provisions for Pre-Existing Conditions, and that they got killed in the election for doing so. (Source: Mother Jones)
And in Oklahome, Justin Humphrey is trying to push through an abortion bill calling for Men's approval of women's abortions, claiming women are "Only Hosts". Attempting to justify the despicable legislation Rep. Humphrey told The Intercept that women have no right to bodily autonomy once they are pregnant because they are merely “hosts”. :sick:
In slightly better news, a man in England was sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing a 100 year old survivor of the Holocaust.
And Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid have reached a financial agreement with the NFL. Details, however, are covered by a Non-Disclosure agreement. Considering they were asking for a lucrative financial settlement, though... And Reid has found a new job with the Carolina Panthers.
Senator Richard Burr was caught in a lie about the author of the Steele Dossier, when he claimed that the author had not contacted the Senate Intelligence Committee. However, Steele had submitted his answers in writing back in August. Burr said this on tape, so he couldn't deny it. In fact, the Senate's Subpoena for Steele was dropped shortly after his reply, indicating that the committee was satisfied with his answers.
And before you ask @Balrog99, yes, I hope they get a massive amount of money for this. It's a complete violation of every basic principle of being a citizen in an (ostensibly) free society. When it's the state who engages in these tactics, the checkbook should be forced WIDE open.
Except it's not the state's checkbook, it's their citizens. The state doesn't create money out of thin-air.
And before you ask @Balrog99, yes, I hope they get a massive amount of money for this. It's a complete violation of every basic principle of being a citizen in an (ostensibly) free society. When it's the state who engages in these tactics, the checkbook should be forced WIDE open.
Except it's not the state's checkbook, it's their citizens. The state doesn't create money out of thin-air.
It was the border patrol. That's money out of the government's coffers. And these two citizens will merely be reclaiming their money plus some. And maybe this will teach the border patrol something...
New Update: Aurora shooting deaths go from 1 to 5, including the suspect.
Vatican Envoy to France under investigation for Sexual assault. Honeslty? And this is for touching a male official. It's bad when even your Ambassadors can't keep their hands off men!
And another thing about the border wall is that Americans are crossing into Mexico and Canada to get drugs cheaper than they can in America. You can cross the border with up to 3 months of medications, so it's actually cheaper to do "drug tourism" when crossing the border. (Source Kaiser Health News)
And according to Pro Publica. The US tosses out thousands of drugs every year that are perfectly okay past their Sell-by dates. The article is called "The Myth of Drug Expiration Dates" if you want to look it up.
New Update: Aurora shooting deaths go from 1 to 5, including the suspect.
Vatican Envoy to France under investigation for Sexual assault. Honeslty? And this is for touching a male official. It's bad when even your Ambassadors can't keep their hands off men!
And another thing about the border wall is that Americans are crossing into Mexico and Canada to get drugs cheaper than they can in America. You can cross the border with up to 3 months of medications, so it's actually cheaper to do "drug tourism" when crossing the border. (Source Kaiser Health News)
And according to Pro Publica. The US tosses out thousands of drugs every year that are perfectly okay past their Sell-by dates. The article is called "The Myth of Drug Expiration Dates" if you want to look it up.
Drug expiration dates are required by law. That's to protect companies from litigation. For instance, you can keep aspirin long after their expiration dates but if you do you're not going to be able to sue Bayer if they don't work or make you sick. I used aspirin since I know for a fact that they'll keep for years. You only need to get rid of them if they start smelling like vinegar...
Yet, the US stores medications for domestic use by the ton long past their "sell by" date. Pro Publica also tested drugs that were 30 years old that were just as strong as when they were manufactured. I'd post a link here, but I'm limited to 2 per day over the whole site.
And before you ask @Balrog99, yes, I hope they get a massive amount of money for this. It's a complete violation of every basic principle of being a citizen in an (ostensibly) free society. When it's the state who engages in these tactics, the checkbook should be forced WIDE open.
Except it's not the state's checkbook, it's their citizens. The state doesn't create money out of thin-air.
Then the citizens of this country should demand more responsibility out of their law enforcement institutions. The one bit of "out of control spending" I never hear anyone complain about is the millions upon millions of dollars thrown out on the state and national level for police or law enforcement misconduct. Apparently, that is just a cost we are supposed to eat, shrug, and move on from. You ever notice how all the things that NEVER get complained about from a spending perspective all involve the military or law enforcement??
And before you ask @Balrog99, yes, I hope they get a massive amount of money for this. It's a complete violation of every basic principle of being a citizen in an (ostensibly) free society. When it's the state who engages in these tactics, the checkbook should be forced WIDE open.
Except it's not the state's checkbook, it's their citizens. The state doesn't create money out of thin-air.
Then the citizens of this country should demand more responsibility out of their law enforcement institutions.
They're too busy watching Dancing with the Stars...
Comments
It doesn't matter. They will still pretend it was totally valid and they need to take away people's right to vote for Democrats.
I don't see why you couldn't - it seems to me everyone who defends the kids presumes based on the biased first hand information they want (Hey Jamal vs Build the Wall. We can't hear either, and yet I've seen you defend the former by citing a twitter thread you spent paragraphs tearing down the rest of)
It isn't clear. The media was wrong to pile on initially. I think everyone defending the kids as if we know they're 100% without fault are just as wrong.
As I said. Shrug. Move on.
If you have been planning on declaring an emergency for TWO MONTHS, but just decided to now, it is, by any standard imaginable, NOT an emergency. Don't believe me, ask Merriam-Webster:
Emergency: an unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action
Now let's dive farther. What does the dictionary say about "unforeseen":
Unforeseen: not anticipated or expected
Do I need to go on??
Whelp, thank goodness you guys still have an independent court system.
No seriously... this is just trump saying “I kept my promise” knowing the courts are going to shut it down, making them the bad guys in all this. Even when it reaches the Supreme Court, pundits are pondering that Gorsuch will side with the left being more libertarian than conservative.
Then he has a 2020 pledge to “fight the establishment and give the people what they want” to chants of build the wall.
~
Allegedly there is a poison pill in the budget against the wall allowing municipal governments to overrule walls being built in their jurisdiction so there is that as well.
What a goddamn waste. And theft from actual emergencies. There is a national emergency and it's name is Donald Trump.
I don't doubt the courts will block it (at least, that is the hope, though it is never an absolute certainty). But the precedent here is absolutely bonkers. It's basically saying a President can ignore Article 1 of the Constitution for any reason at all. If this goes forward, any Democrat will be able to make the argument after ANY mass shooting that a national emergency needs to be declared to confiscate certain firearms. Let's say we have a terribly bad flu season, and hundreds more people die than usual. Wham, bam, thank you ma'am, we'll nationalize healthcare and shut down private insurance because, after all, national emergency. And, to be honest, both of those examples would STILL be more valid than what Trump is doing, because they would be.........unforeseen.
And I wonder if this also applies to the Butterfly sanctuary that Orange Julius 45's wall is going to be built in the middle of. Could they say, "No, we do not want this wall on our land," and make it stick? Defy "Eminent Domain"?
Edited to Add: I'm watching "The Last Word" with Lawrence O'Donnell. They already have done that In fact, they also added a rider saying, "You cannot build the wall in these areas: and listed several cities and states. So they already did this....
If people had any idea just how much conservatives have been screaming about eminent domain for the last, oh, 30 years oh so, they might be able to comprehend just how ridiculous this entire thing is. Again, ostensibly, this would be a diversion of MILITARY funds and personal to start a construction project on the southern border, undertaken by soldiers. It would absolutely require people to give up their property. So what is the plan here, for American soldiers to start confiscating land?? Are we also throwing out the 3rd Amendment while we're at it?? Now, of course this isn't going to come to fruition, but why is that the major concern?? The very idea this is even being discussed when these are how the logistics would have to work out is lunacy. Trump is setting a precedent that is THIS dangerous as some sort of end-move to get himself out of a political bind, damn the repercussions and historical significance.
I will eat a sock if Gorsuch rules against Trump on anything of this magnitude. He'll join the conservatives and say it's justified under the executive powers of controlling immigration. I've heard arguments about it back in 2017 when Trump first got elected because there's a law saying that the President has the authority to dictate what the immigration quotas are. And so the conservative justices did rule back in June.
In short, what independent court system? Mitch McConnell got rid of that slowly over the last decade with the coup-de-grace these last 3 years.
And the House is bringing a bipartisan gun bill to the floor, mandating background checks on people wanting to buy guns, the first one since 1991 (!). Also, a poll has come out, saying that Most Americans support investigations looking into Trump and his contacts with Russia, even as the House starts up new investigations into Trump's Foreign Financial ties (Nods to The Hill website)
And in some good news, Alex Jones has been ordered to undergo a Sworn Deposition over the suit against him by the Families of Sandy Hook Shooting victims, in addition to having to turn over internal memos and Documents from his show at Info Wars. No Comment from Alex Jones *or* info Wars, of course. (via CNN)
And, to no surprise, FOX national turned down an ad about a film about a Pro-Nazi rally in the 1930's that happened in Madison Square Garden, to be run during the Sean Hannity show. They claim that the Nazi imagery went against their Programming, which is extremely ironic, considering how very much Trump seems to be stealing from the Nazi playbook. The filmmaker wanted to make that point, and the ad ends after showing the rally by saying "It happened before, it could happen again". The Film, known as "A Night at the Garden" can be viewed on YouTube in its entirety (it's 15 minutes long).
And another piece of Good news. a transgender man won a civil case against an Iowa state penitentiary who discriminated against him because of his transgender status. Not only did he win the case, but he got awarded $120,000 in damages for "Emotional Distress".
"Given the instability many witnessed, there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment, which would start a complex process for removing the president. " - NYT oped writer
That unstable guy is declaring a national emergency to circumvent congress.
Let me know if it tastes good
If the case ever got fully heard at the Supreme Court (and I very much doubt it will) some useful guidance on what the limits on this Presidential power are would probably emerge. The existing law already covers the relationship between Congress and the President, though there's certainly room for further guidance there. Where the court could have more of an impact though is in defining what constitutes an emergency (e.g. severe danger to life or security of the nation; very quick action needed, making it unrealistic to consult Congress).
There could even be guidance relevant to shutdowns, e.g. describing what would happen to existing programs in the event that Congress was unable to meet - now that would be a real benefit of taking this course of action ...
You are going to hear people say "Obama and Bush declared national emergencies". Yeah, in response to an outbreak of swine flu to protect the populace against a deadly disease possibly getting into the nation's food supply and on frickin' 9/11. It has NEVER, ever been done to seize money for a contentious issue that Congress refuses to fund. Never. Again, this is nothing less than a blatant, transparent attempt to strip the power of the purse from Congress that is granted to them by the Constitution in NO uncertain terms because he lost a political battle. It's the nullification of the rights of everyone who is represented by someone who doesn't favor wall funding. So it turns out Mexico isn't paying for the wall after all. The price is democracy itself. It was a nice run.
I want to reiterate once again. Though there have been 58 national emergencies declared since 1976, NONE of them, not a single one, have been used to seize the power of appropriation from Congress. This is utterly unprecedented. This is supremely dangerous, and the only reason we aren't in MORE trouble is that Trump is, in the end, too stupid to be an effective authoritarian.
Once again, the courts are going to block this and Trump has loved this wall talk since it kept Russian investigations out of the press.
The Supreme Court however now gets to define what an Emergency actually is to be used in future instances which may hinder future presidents to act quickly in certain circumstances that they may not predict (or choose not to).
Watching him talk this morning is starting to make me think those stories from the Apprentice days of him snorting Adderall are likely entirely accurate:
Again, there was TWO years of a Republican House and Senate to get this money. And this comes at the tail end of a months long battle on this exact issue. So the question has to be asked: if the President can just unilaterally declare the right to do something despite losing a battle with Congress over it, then why have a Congress at all??
1776-2019
"In the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, the following words have been deemed unparliamentary over time:
bastard
blackguard
coward
deceptive
dodgy
drunk
falsehoods
git
guttersnipe
hooligan
hypocrite
idiot
ignoramus
liar
pipsqueak
rat
swine
stoolpigeon
tart
traitor
sod
slimy
wart"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unparliamentary_language#United_Kingdom
There are of course accepted ways of getting round the prohibitions - for instance 'tired and emotional' is code for drunk.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/14/us/border-patrol-montana-spanish.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur
And before you ask @Balrog99, yes, I hope they get a massive amount of money for this. It's a complete violation of every basic principle of being a citizen in an (ostensibly) free society. When it's the state who engages in these tactics, the checkbook should be forced WIDE open.
Trump refused to sign a bill with back pay for Federal Contractors- he can count their votes goodbye. Nancy Pelosi rold Trump that if hedeclared a national emergency on the wall, a Democratic President coulddo thesame on guns. He apparently didn't care, because he declared one anyway. Trump also refused to provide a report on the Khashoggi murder, claiming he had the right to refuse to follow the law (!). Sorry, no, that's not a thing.
The best tweet to come out of the "National Emergency" declaration was one from the man who served as Ethics director under Obama, which merely said, "Being a bad negotiator is not a national emergency." And Nancy Pelosi could force the Senate to vote over whether Trump's national Emergency is a REAL emergency. Trump has just opened up the option for a Democratic President to vote all sorts of things a "National Emergency". And where is Trump going to seize the funds from? From funds intended for military family housing upgrades. Real low, Mr. President. Real low!
Rep. Ilhan Omar gave convicted war criminal and convicted liar Elliott Abrams a figurative B* slap when she asked how the American people could count on him to tell the truth, being that he's been convicted of lying under oath, and then told him, "That wasn't a question." when he tried to interject.
White House security specialist Tricia Newbold has filed a Equal Opportunity Employment complaint against her supervisor, Carl Kline, and a whistleblower protection complaint as well. Kline is the one who gave Jared Kushner a security clearance over Newbold and others objections. He also discriminated against her because she is a dwarf.
Trump’s new budget proposal is a nightmare that would cut entitlements to people in need by $1.7 trillion dollars in order to pay for the recent $1.5 trillion in tax cuts that benefit mostly the rich and big corporations. Yet in addition to the cuts in entitlements and a whole host of other bad things, the new budget would also send $1 billion in taxpayer funds to support private religious schools. The new budget request is four times greater than the $250 million request made last year.
Trump's National Emergency delcaration is breaking the law. When Truman attempted to seize the US steel mills to prevent a walkout that would have imperiled US Steel production during the Korean War, the Supreme Court shut him down. And instituted three things, known as "The Youngstown Test" to vet National Emergencies.
1) First, when the president acts with express or implied authority of Congress, his power is at its greatest.
2) Second, in the absence of a grant or prohibition by Congress, the president can rely only on his own powers. He acts in a “zone of twilight” where he and Congress may have concurrent authority or their distribution of power remains uncertain. “In this area, any actual test of power is likely to depend on the imperatives of events and contemporary imponderables rather than on abstract theories of law.”
3) Third, when the president seeks to circumvent the expressed or implied will of Congress, “his power is at its lowest ebb, for then he can rely only upon his own constitutional powers minus any constitutional powers of Congress over the matter.” Presidential claim to such power “must be scrutinized with caution, for what is at stake is the equilibrium established by our constitutional system.”
Also, Trump administration is being sued for making people waiting for entry to the US in Mexico. And two women are suing the border patrol for detaining them for almost an hour for speaking in Spanish in a convenience store in MONTANA. Nobody called the Border Patrol, ths agent happened to be in the store and asked them where they were born and for their IDs. They taped their encounter after that. (Source, NBC News)
And this "National Emergency" isn't the only horrible thing happening in the US. There was an active shooter today in Aurora, Illinois that ended with one dead and 4 policemen wounded. The shooting occurred in an industrial park. Kansas introduced a bill calling Same Sex Marriages "Parody" marriages, and prohibiting state officials from giving marriage licenses to same-sex couples. It also attempts to define LGBTQ people as "a religion" and the rainbow flag as "A faith-based worldview".
The bills include a wide range of measures to reduce LGBTQ equality, like banning the state from recognizing transgender people’s gender identities, preventing municipal governments from banning conversion therapy or discrimination against LGBTQ people, and barring libraries and schools from hosting events like Drag Queen Story Hour.
The bills assert that LGBTQ people “erode community standards of decency” and “There are no ex-blacks but there are thousands of ex-gays.”
“The government’s endorsement of LGBTQ ideology has amounted to the greatest sham since the inception of American jurisprudence,” one of the bills says.
However, the Democrats in the Kansas State legislature is unlikely to pass these bills, and the Democratic governor is unlikely to sign them.
A West Virginia Republican was interviewed on TV, and insinuated that if his kids came out as gay, he would drown them. The way he put it was, "I'd see if they could swim."
And Kevin McCarthy admitted to donors that the GOP tried to kill the ACA's provisions for Pre-Existing Conditions, and that they got killed in the election for doing so. (Source: Mother Jones)
And in Oklahome, Justin Humphrey is trying to push through an abortion bill calling for Men's approval of women's abortions, claiming women are "Only Hosts". Attempting to justify the despicable legislation Rep. Humphrey told The Intercept that women have no right to bodily autonomy once they are pregnant because they are merely “hosts”. :sick:
In slightly better news, a man in England was sentenced to 15 years in prison for killing a 100 year old survivor of the Holocaust.
And Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid have reached a financial agreement with the NFL. Details, however, are covered by a Non-Disclosure agreement. Considering they were asking for a lucrative financial settlement, though... And Reid has found a new job with the Carolina Panthers.
Senator Richard Burr was caught in a lie about the author of the Steele Dossier, when he claimed that the author had not contacted the Senate Intelligence Committee. However, Steele had submitted his answers in writing back in August. Burr said this on tape, so he couldn't deny it. In fact, the Senate's Subpoena for Steele was dropped shortly after his reply, indicating that the committee was satisfied with his answers.
Except it's not the state's checkbook, it's their citizens. The state doesn't create money out of thin-air.
It was the border patrol. That's money out of the government's coffers. And these two citizens will merely be reclaiming their money plus some. And maybe this will teach the border patrol something...
Vatican Envoy to France under investigation for Sexual assault. Honeslty? And this is for touching a male official. It's bad when even your Ambassadors can't keep their hands off men!
And another thing about the border wall is that Americans are crossing into Mexico and Canada to get drugs cheaper than they can in America. You can cross the border with up to 3 months of medications, so it's actually cheaper to do "drug tourism" when crossing the border. (Source Kaiser Health News)
And according to Pro Publica. The US tosses out thousands of drugs every year that are perfectly okay past their Sell-by dates. The article is called "The Myth of Drug Expiration Dates" if you want to look it up.
Drug expiration dates are required by law. That's to protect companies from litigation. For instance, you can keep aspirin long after their expiration dates but if you do you're not going to be able to sue Bayer if they don't work or make you sick. I used aspirin since I know for a fact that they'll keep for years. You only need to get rid of them if they start smelling like vinegar...
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/drug-expiration-dates-do-they-mean-anything
Yet, the US stores medications for domestic use by the ton long past their "sell by" date. Pro Publica also tested drugs that were 30 years old that were just as strong as when they were manufactured. I'd post a link here, but I'm limited to 2 per day over the whole site.
Then the citizens of this country should demand more responsibility out of their law enforcement institutions. The one bit of "out of control spending" I never hear anyone complain about is the millions upon millions of dollars thrown out on the state and national level for police or law enforcement misconduct. Apparently, that is just a cost we are supposed to eat, shrug, and move on from. You ever notice how all the things that NEVER get complained about from a spending perspective all involve the military or law enforcement??
They're too busy watching Dancing with the Stars...