Fair point. Timely reminder that uncharged conduct (criminal acts for which prosecutors did not secure conviction at trial) can also be used in sentencing in U.S. federal courts, which (to me) also feels grossly unjust.
It's rather tyrannical, too. The sort of precedent where a judge could lock up political dissidents for life on a minor charge just by falsely charging them with something heinous that gets dismissed dhring trial.
It's more like you can charge the person with the one crime you know you can get a conviction on, then bring up all the uncharged/acquitted related (however tenuously) conduct at sentencing to get them effectively convicted for it on a much lower burden of proof. I'd recommend reading the introduction (5 half-pages) of what I linked, it gives a decently brief overview.
Pauly broke his arrest cherry, but he ain't snitched... he's practically a made man now.
That's essentially what I meant. I just didn't spend much time wording it to be accurate.
Wait, is this the same illegal alien who was a trusted employee at the GOP candidate's family farm?
Man, if only they hadn't let him in the country, he could have just murdered a Mexican girl...
I take it Trudeau was sick today?
They'd have polled the jury and the judge would have given a directed verdict. While the process of jury nullification is a thing in our legal system, so are directed verdicts: basically the judge telling the jury to fuck off if there is no reasonable way they could have come to any other decision.
figmentPez
Staff member
"It's called flipping and it almost ought to be illegal," Trump said in the interview, adding he's witnessed similar scenarios over his decades in public life. "I know all about flipping, 30, 40 years I have been watching flippers. Everything is wonderful and then they get 10 years in jail and they flip on whoever the next highest one is or as high as you can go."
How can anyone listen to such ravings and conclude that they're listening to an honest and morally upstanding person?
How can anyone listen to such ravings and conclude that they're listening to an honest and morally upstanding person?
figmentPez
Staff member
Translation, "I'm losing face because of all this, so I have to make a public statement in an attempt to appear powerful, but don't expect me to actually do anything."
This seems about as real as the "backstage" posturing between professional wrestlers. "Jeff Sessions never took control of the Justice Department! He was always weak, and I'll show him that in the ring during Sunday's Crown the King of the West Wing!"
I've said it before, too stupid to live.
I really don’t believe they do. I believe the reason people are dragging their feet is because he is so easily influenced/baited and so they are going to put it off as long as possible until they don’t think they can take advantage of him any more.
—Patrick
In his direct environment, sure. I don't doubt that many a Republican senator and party leadership type thinks Trump is nuts. I think @figmentPez is referring to the people who voted for him and continue to support him, though.
I have relatives who are trump supporters. Near as I can figure, it's because they think he'll take the country back from the blacks, browns, and yellows.
Insofar as they even have it, he'll try - and give it to the rich, white and male. People like us who are two-for-three will still lose, thoughI have relatives who are trump supporters. Near as I can figure, it's because they think he'll take the country back from the blacks, browns, and yellows.
I actually think it's starting to be a case of sunk cost. Changing your mind after a huge upset is one thing, changing over a long sliding slope of ever-worsening crap is hard. "Why did you support Doctor Evil when he was killing off puppies, but have you turned on him now he's killing kittens? Is that really the line for you? That's weird." "Err, no, I didn't exactly like his calf-killing, and I started to worry at the puppy killing ,but now it's clear from the kitten-killing that he will really continue and this wasn't a one-off disagreeable choice." is hard for people. Once you've accepted the calfs, and the puppies, it just gets harder to suddenly pull out because of kittens. Of course, in this case, I'd say he should go try baby doomies, that'll lead to firework.
Speculation I'm seeing is that Trump may fire Sessions if the midterms don't go his way.
Actually that really only works in the favor of the defendant. In the American justice system there is no higher authority than a not guilty verdict by a jury. It can't be appealed and it can't be overruled.
Note that this is only true for criminal law. In civil law, a judge can override a jury in either direction if warranted (google "JNOV" for more information).
I have an aunt (by marriage) who lives in the FL panhandle and thankfully I only have to see once a year for a couple of days, that thinks exactly this, if you add non-Christians to that list as her reason for her diehard Trumpism.I have relatives who are trump supporters. Near as I can figure, it's because they think he'll take the country back from the blacks, browns, and yellows.
Would be really nice if she had the sense not to say it in front of my husband and child.
I always have the strong urge to troll my racist relatives by shouting "the man is orange! He's not going to give the country back to *white* people!"I have an aunt (by marriage) who lives in the FL panhandle and thankfully I only have to see once a year for a couple of days, that thinks exactly this, if you add non-Christians to that list as her reason for her diehard Trumpism.
Would be really nice if she had the sense not to say it in front of my husband and child.
figmentPez
Staff member
I have relatives who are trump supporters. Near as I can figure, it's because they think he'll take the country back from the blacks, browns, and yellows.
My dad is a Trump supporter, but he's not racist. Well, he is, in that he supports policies that are racist, but it's not because he thinks any less of other races, he just genuinely thinks the policies he supports are the best for everyone, and doesn't really acknowledge that institutionalized racism exists.I have an aunt (by marriage) who lives in the FL panhandle and thankfully I only have to see once a year for a couple of days, that thinks exactly this, if you add non-Christians to that list as her reason for her diehard Trumpism.
Would be really nice if she had the sense not to say it in front of my husband and child.
My dad has bought into the idea that Trump's politics outweigh Trump's personal failings. Proving that Trump knew about paying off women won't change my dad's opinion, because that's private life and shouldn't matter. Proving that Trump knowingly sought information about the Democrats from Russia won't matter, because he thinks whatever information the Russians provided needed to come out anyway. The conviction of Manafort won't make any difference, because it was just fabricated evidence by a corrupt justice system. (Funny how the justice system is totally corrupt when it's trying rich white men with political connections at the highest levels, and access to the best lawyers in the country, but the justice system is completely fair and impartial when it comes to poor minorities.)
And that's the type of attitude that really scares me the most. Racism is scary, but it's not going to draw a lot of moderates out to vote. I can't imagine there are many moderates who are voting Republican primarily because of racism. Most racists seem to already have been Republican voters, and are just happy that they can be open about their racism. I'm scared by all the people who aren't racist, but who seem ready to dismiss racism, foreign meddling, financial corruption, and more as a lesser problems than "the democrats". The people who are willing to turn a blind eye to racism bother me more than those who are wiling to be openly racist. The people willing to accept lying, stealing, corruption, etc. as long as it's done in service of "the greater good" bother me even more than people who are too stupid to see that lies are being told, money is being stolen, and that the politicians they support are corrupt.
"Don't impeach me ... or else!"
I'm starting to believe something might happen, less out of the court proceedings and more out of Trump's reacting this way.