Even as the Noose Tightens, Trumpworld Plans Presidential Power Grab
...while Israelis resist one
Even as the Noose Tightens, Trumpworld Plans Presidential Power Grab if Their Guy Gets in Again…In the waning days of his administration Donald Trump tried to purge officials who would not do his corrupt bidding. He replaced the Secretary of Defense with a non-entity who mysteriously seemed absent when the Jan. 6 riot erupted. He tried to replace the CIA head with a former chief of staff for Devin Nunes. He put an embarrassingly unqualified John Ratcliffe – who had defended him against impeachment – in charge of the intelligence sector. Wanted to replace the Acting Attorney General with an unqualified hack who was willing to lie about whether any electoral improprieties occurred, only backing off in the face of a threatened mass resignation by DOJ leadership. This list just scrapes the surface.
In the event he finds his way back to the oval office, this kind of purge is exactly what he will do, up and down the federal government. Late in his reign of terror Trump signed an executive order drafted by his staff – and rescinded immediately when Joe Biden took office – that removed employment protections from career officials who did their jobs according to the existing law and regulation instead of following possibly illegal Presidential orders.
His team is now working on a plan to remove any independence from federal agencies, so that a President Trump could dictate to the DOJ whom to prosecute and whom to lay off (e.g., “lock her up” but “go easy on Mike Flynn,” Steve Bannon, and Roger Stone), and make the Fed do his bidding rather than independently following its Congressional mandate to pursue "maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates." He could use the FCC to punish media players who tell unpleasant truths, and direct the FTC to go after businesses that did not do his bidding.
Don’t believe me? Check this out. They are very open about it. Supposedly so they can say that electing Trump on such a platform is a mandate to do as they plan.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Thankfully it appears that Special Counsel Jack Smith will imminently charge Trump with several crimes committed as part of his multi-faceted coup attempt. As this news breaks, members of his party are reprehensively attacking the rule of law to protect their cult leader. If they prevail – and should Trump somehow escape prison and become president again – democracy in America is over. It will be 1933 Germany transposed to America in 2025.
That’s not being melodramatic.
Meanwhile Israelis Resist Authoritarian Power Grab by Trump’s Buddy Netanyahu…Citizens have turned out for months in mass protest…and they have been joined by Israel’s military standing against this attempted attack on Israel’s supreme court. The New York Times reports: “At least 180 senior fighter pilots, elite commandos and cyber-intelligence specialists in the Israeli military reserve have informed their commanders that they will no longer report for volunteer duty if the government proceeds with a plan to limit judicial influence by the end of the month. (Israeli Reservists Threaten Mass Resignations if Judicial Plan Proceeds, NY Times, July 19, 2023).
Benjamin Franklin supposedly emerged from Constitution Hall and announced that America had “a republic (in contrast to a monarchy) if you can keep it.” Americans concerned about keeping our democracy and the rule of law should “go to school on” what Israel’s constitutional defenders are doing.
Elsewhere…
· The “Morality Police” is Re-Emerging….no, not in DeSantis’s Florida, but in Iran.
· Have You Ever Had a Dog (or Child) That Sought Attention Through Bad Behavior? I have heard that this is not uncommon…the canine or young human is seeking attention and will go to any lengths to get it. Could that explain the behavior of Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO)?
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