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“The Court effectively creates a law-free zone around the President, upsetting the status quo that has existed since the Founding,” Sotomayor wrote. “This new official-acts immunity now ‘lies about like a loaded weapon’ for any President that wishes to place his own interests, his own political survival, or his own financial gain, above the interests of the Nation.”“The relationship between the President and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the President is now a king above the law,” her dissent read.
My take-away, f*ck.
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How to make crimes legal. It is legal if it is done in performance of his duties. That is intentionally so vague as to make legal all criminal acts by a president.
Unfortunately we are looking at a US that is slowly becoming Nazi. We even imprisoned and tortured 800 people in Guantanamo. So that Gestapo tactics could be used on what was almost all innocent people. Something well less than 30 were maybe guilty. But even that will never be known. Since Nazis subverted the courts (legal action). Even extremist in the Cellar said that was good.
Give imperial power to a president who has said (in campaign rallies) that he does not like democracies. He even praised Putin by condemning all American intelligence agencies. And has said he will replace Civil Service with political appointees. Since civil service is somehow corrupt like Hillary and Joe.
He said he can kill someone on Fifth Ave and still be elected president. That was true. But now it is legal. This Trump Supreme Court (especially a corrupt Justice Thomas) loves this future - a despot American government. Now that Pearl Harbor style attacks other nations with no justified reason (ie Mission Accomplished) is acceptable.
One can understand why both Russia and China are concerned.
Sinclair broadcasting is now doing same. Their corporate headquarters are writing fake new stories that all Sinclair TV stations must broadcast, word for word - no variation, as if fact. Just like in 1930 Nazi Germany. And so the fake news story about Biden soiling himself at a campaign rally is reported as if true by almost 100 TV stations.
Today is what happened in 1930s Germany. It is scary. And as it happened in 1930 Germany, the moderates have an oblivious response.
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It's rotten to the core. There is no silver lining.
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This is like, the thing that Nixon tried to do, right?
eta: I thought that was remebered as a national disgrace..?
Last edited by Flint (7/02/2024 4:17 pm)
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I read THE WHOLE THING:
Excerpt:
This case poses a question of lasting significance: When may a former President be prosecuted for official acts taken during his Presidency? In answering that question, unlike the political branches and the public at large, the Court cannot afford to fixate exclusively, or even primarily, on present exigencies. Enduring separation of powers principles guide our decision in this case. The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the President does is official. The President is not above the law. But under our system of separated powers, the President may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for his official acts. That immunity applies equally to all occupants of the Oval Office.
My take-aways...
Presidents and former Presidents have immunity for official acts.
They have a presumption of immunity for acts peripheral to their office. It would have to have proven that a prosecution would not set a precedence that could harm the effectiveness of any Presidency in order to go forward with it.
They have no immunity for unofficial acts.
Presidential immunity supports separation of powers which outweighs other considerations.
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Had Nixon been prosecuted, then the Supreme Court would have a problem exonerating Presidents from all criminal actions. A legal standard was never established.
I always though Ford made a major mistake. He said he did not want the distraction. Silly. Ford would not be involved. That would have been 100% on the Justice Department. the President would have no business being involved. So I find Ford's reasoning bogus.
Rumors said Ford and Nixon made a deal. Nixon would resign and Ford would be President. Then Ford would pardon Nixon. That theory is reasonable (a hypothesis). But facts (experimental evidence) just don't exist.
I always thought is was strange that Spiro Agnew was driven from office for corruption. Back then, Congress had many more moderates. I always suspected they knew Nixon would never complete his second term. And clearly knew Spiro Agnew was not presidential material. So his corruption was exposed to drive his from office. And a man that almost everyone in Congress had respect for (Gerald Ford) was given the job. Expecting him to be president.
Notice a major difference. Back then Congress was full of moderates. Even Democrat and Republican families would join in Christmas dinners. That could never happen in a nation that is becoming more like 1930 Germany. Because so many are ordered what to think by professional liars. And hate justifies all conclusion.
I am quite struck by a BBC interview of Steve Bannon. He was so adversarial and so much in denial that I thought I was watching the reincarnation of Heinrich Himmler.
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... not everything the President does is official.
A vague term. Everything he does is as president. So things he does not do as president is unofficial? They forget to mention unofficial never exists.
He would drive "The Beast" at high speed through hundreds in a crowd. Even that he does as President. And it would be legal?
Defense lawyers will routinely turn that sentence into what Trump says. He can kill someone on Fifth Avenue and still be elected president. His exact quote:
"I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?"
Even the public would still vote for him. Prosecutor cannot even prosecute him for obvious Federal crimes. Trump has lived his entire life doing more crimes than Al Capone. Getting away with it. Due to the slightest 'vagueness' in each law. He even bragged how he could get away with more crimes than Al Capone.
And yet these facts do not seem to matter to the rightist wing extremists in the Supreme Court. So corrupt as to not even recuse themselves in obvious conflicts of interest. Including homes and vacations paid for by right wing extremists for many decades.
Corruption at the highest levels in increasing.
What Sinclair Broadcasting is doing is also legal. Intentionally lie. And then claim, as all major Fox News reporters admitted. They intentionally lied. But they were giving an opinion; not reporting the news.
More vagueness openly endorsed by this Supreme Court.
Some justifices all but promised they would not overturn Roe v. Wade. And yet did exactly that. We now have a serious problem with honesty. That exceeds the Nixon era of routine lying on everything. Including Vietnam.
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What is an official act will be determined by a radicalized Supreme Court. If the President is DJT be assured that bar will be much lower than if it is a random milquetoast Democrat. If a President gives an "illegal" order to assassinate a foreign leader, would that not be an official act? If a soldier refuses such an illegal order he is in deep trouble under the new monarchy.
...For as in absolute governments the King is law, so in free countries the law ought to be King; and there ought to be no other... -Thomas Paine
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Reflect on the chaos created by this SC when they've cut the throat of the administrative state only to give absolute power to the top administrator. These people hate America and Americans.
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Anon wrote:
I read THE WHOLE THING:
... official acts...
Good job. 117 pages is a commitment, and I haven't done it.
"official acts" is the whole thing, and is a pretty big loophole.
They say this is specifically a ruling in response to:
"The indictment alleged that after losing that election, Trump conspired to overturn it by spreading knowingly false claims of election fraud to obstruct the collecting, counting, and certifying of the election results."
How is that an "official act" in any way? But this Supreme Court is cool with Presidents doing this.
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glatt wrote:
It's rotten to the core. There is no silver lining.
It may make more people reluctant to vote for someone, of whom they're wary of abuse of power, if they know in advance that there's no deterrent without the ability to punish them.
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griff wrote:
…If a President gives an "illegal" order to assassinate a foreign leader, would that not be an official act? If a soldier refuses such an illegal order he is in deep trouble under the new monarchy….
Meh, Biden said that soldiers refusing to be human guinea pigs for experimental vaccines (against COVID) should be given dishonorable discharges for refusing to obey orders. That’s the only type of discharge reported to the FBI data base and it carries the weight of a felony conviction. He may have done it if he knew then that he couldn’t be prosecuted later for coercing involuntary human medical experiments as an official act.
Edit: Typo
Last edited by Anon (7/03/2024 8:19 pm)
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tw wrote:
….Defense lawyers will routinely turn that sentence into what Trump says. He can kill someone on Fifth Avenue and still be elected president. His exact quote:
"I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?"
…
Well, probably not if he shot a moderate. They’re proving to be pretty much worthless these days.
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Anon wrote:
Biden said that soldiers refusing to be human guinea pigs for experimental vaccines (against COVID) should be given dishonorable discharges for refusing to obey orders.
If well proven COVID vaccines made us guinea pigs, then we are all guinea pigs for all drugs. Demonstrated is how subjective (anti-American) lies can be spun into fear. Since extremists use emotions to prove something. Extremists are, therefore, a greatest threat to any nation.
Every drug can be called experimental when one ignores numerical facts and statistics. Same reasoning also proved that global warming does not exist. "I feet it is true. Therefore vaccines also create autism." A blond bimbo, with nothing more than a high school education, said that. So it must be true. Any good extremist knows that.
Covid vaccines were only a threat to human existence when one is emotional; not using intelligence.
Every day that one gets into a car, he is a guinea pig. Using extremist rhetoric, emotional fears, and spin. Moderates use intelligence and perspective.
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Anon wrote:
Well, probably not if he shot a moderate. They’re proving to be pretty much worthless these days.
So we blame moderates for Trump? Spin, to sell something, would be comical if reality was not so sad.
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tw wrote:
Anon wrote:
Biden said that soldiers refusing to be human guinea pigs for experimental vaccines (against COVID) should be given dishonorable discharges for refusing to obey orders.
If well proven COVID vaccines made us guinea pigs, …
They weren’t well proven at the time Biden said that. They were still experimental requiring FDA waivers for emergency use. Your argument implies that the end justifies the means and exemplifies why moderates of your persuasion are considered ineffectual.
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Stating what the most naive (the both scientifically and mathematically illiterate) say does not represent honesty. Professionals said something completely different. Where are tens of thousands killed by many Covid vaccinations? No numbers posted since none exist. No problem. Extremists do not cite what is always required for honesty - perspective. Subject decrees are somehow proof?
Who endorses those - your posted lies? Marjorie Taylor Greene. A fashion model with no apparent science or mathematical knowledge. She lies. Proving Covid was killing people. Therefore we know you must be magnificantly honest. She said so. Proving but again that one need not post a single honest fact that says why. Or numbers.
According to your reasoning, cars are unsafe (kill so many). Proving that all cars use us as guinea pigs. Using your reasoning, obviously those should be banned. Numbers say so. So ignore all numbers - to promote hate. Lies that make extremists popular - and dangerous. That mock patriotic Americans - the moderates who first learn facts and numbers.
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Your argument is again all in hindsight and irrelevant to what transpired during the circumstances of that time. The military ended up asking those who left service over it to come back . Deny, deny, deny and counter-accuse is all you’ve got. You’re a disgrace to moderates everywhere. Most ineffectual.
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Anon wrote:
It may make more people reluctant to vote for someone, of whom they're wary of abuse of power, if they know in advance that there's no deterrent without the ability to punish them.
Of course, because then the Supreme Court can say to the people, "why are you hitting yourself?"
..it's 4D chess of the highest order /s