Wait until Trump learns about the pardon law in Georgia
Georgia is one of the few States where the Governor does not grant pardons. If Trump is convicted of a felony in Georgia he must request a pardon from the State Board of Pardons and Parole. There are five members on the board. But wait – – – there is more good news.
- The Board has to follow certain rules that are long and complicated. Getting pardoned takes a long time in Georgia.
- You cannot request a pardon until you have completed at least 5 years of your sentences.
- People who request a pardon in Georgia have to go through a long, drawn- out process.
So, if Trump is convicted in Georgia on State felony charges, no president can pardon him because it’s State charges. No Governor of Georgia can pardon Trump because he does not have the power to do so.
And that is GOOD NEWS!!!!
Next month the new Grand Jury will be put in place in Georgia. They only serve for two months. They should return indictments fairly quickly because they only need to review the evidence of the Special Grand Jury. They don’t have to recall witnesses, go through the whole process again.
Trump has less than 60 days.
“Evangelical Christians” have a problem with what they are selling — no one is buying it
Christianity has a brand problem. If it were a corporation, brand managers would be scrambling to scrub public image—maybe by greenwashing or with corporate diversity trainings or by renaming their product, say natural gas instead of methane, or by coming up with a new catchy slogan. Or they might actually do something substantive, like ceasing to “gift” baby formula to poor moms or to use child labor in their factories. There are many ways to polish a brand.
Christianity’s recently launched He Gets US campaign—millions of people got a dose during the Superbowl—tells us two things: 1. Conservative Evangelical Christians care about their brand problem. 2. Some major Christian donors have decided, to the tune of $100 million apparently, to go with the greenwashing strategy rather than substantive change. And that combination provides a possible avenue for fighting back against some of the ugly objectives and tactics of the Religious Right.
The people paying for this ad campaign are the same ones promoting homophobia, advocating against reproductive healthcare for women, and funding politicians to protect the good old pecking orders: rich over poor, men over women, white people over everyone with more melanin.
Losing customers
Back when the world and I were young, Evangelical Christians were a politically diverse group. But Republican strategists recognized them as a potential political voting block. Hierarchical social structures within churches meant the strategists had to recruit only Church leaders, and those leaders would bring along their congregations. It worked for the Republican party, but at an enormous cost to Christianity as an institution. That is because right wing operatives were spending down Christianity’s good name by merging its brand with their own. The more Christianity came to be associated with ugly political priorities—and then crass power grab-‘em-by-the-pussies—the more young people fled the Church. By the millions. (Tangentially, Islam faces a similar brand problem and deconversion pattern wherever the Mullahs wield political force. Almost half of Iranians say they used to be religious.)
Losing money
Losing customers by the millions would be a problem for any corporate body—especially one with a product that people realize they don’t need when they actually take a good look. When there are better options, in this case secularism, people rarely go back to the same-old-same-old. The financial impact of deconversion is potentially huge. The Mormon Church may coerce tithes with visits from elders who review a family’s finances, but most protestant and Catholic sects rely on more subtle social and emotional pressures. Either way, market share requires mindshare. You have to get people in the door before you can pass the basket.
Losing prospects
But this isn’t merely a financial calculus. At some point, brand damage becomes a threat to identity. Evangelicals are evangelical. It’s part of the ideology. Go into all the world and make disciples of every creature. Unlike Judaism or Hinduism, Christianity is a proselytizing religion. Proselytizing (ok, coupled with colonization and holy wars) has been the strategy that allowed Christianity to spread across the planet. Missionaries may not explicitly recognize that they are recruiting paying customers who will trade cash for club benefits and afterlife services, but they do recognize that “harvesting souls” is a central commandment of their faith. For many, this mandate—called the Great Commission—is their version of praying five times facing Mecca. For some, it becomes an underlying feature in virtually every relationship: All non-Christians are potential converts; friendliness becomes friendship missions; feeding the poor becomes first-and-foremost a path to winning their souls. Evangelicals are a sales force, and as their brand becomes more and more soiled, it gets harder to do their job.
In need of a savior
Having spent down Christianity’s brand, the patriarchs of the religious right are uncomfortable with how far that has gone—the image, that is, not the substance. Most Americans used to think of the Bible as The Good Book, but not anymore. Most Americans used to think of Christianity (and religion more broadly) as benign, but not anymore. Jesus, though—the image of Jesus is relatively untainted. Even those who don’t buy into the idea of him being the perfect human sacrifice who saves our souls (Are you washed in the blood?) tend to believe that he was a good, wise, loving man. They think we know a lot more about him than we do, and what they think we know is positive. So, it totally makes sense that a $100 million rebranding and recruiting effort would center on the person of Jesus. Much of Christian theology is nasty, and the Iron Age texts in the Bible contradict what we now know about science, anthropology and—well, pretty much every other field of modern scholarship. This iconic personal Jesus is all they have left.
The fact that conservative Christians are spending $100 million on marketing Jesus means they are bad off and know it. It means they recognize the deterioration in their brand, and they feel desperate to turn it around. They have made the mistake of letting that desperation slip out, and those of us who would rather not return to the good old dark ages when the Church ruled the world can exploit that vulnerability. Their product sucks, and we need to keep saying so in every way possible. We need to make sure the general public keeps associating Christianity with what Christians are doing, not what they are saying: Those anti-abortion centers that dupe women into keeping pregnancies aren’t Crisis Pregnancy Centers, they are Church Pregnancy Centers. Fetal personhood isn’t a philosophical debate, it’s theology. Denying rights to queer folks and women isn’t conservative, it’s theocracy.
When people do ugly things that are motivated by religious dogma, we should name what’s going on. Conservative Christians are telling us that they can’t afford more brand damage. And maybe if their bad works keep getting exposed they will realize that the answer isn’t Jesus-washing; it’s substantive change.
Here’s a bit of really, really good news
In the town of Rifle, Colorado, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s Shooters Grill is being replaced by a Mexican restaurant!!!
The restaurant, called Tapatios, recently applied for a hotel and liquor license at 120 E. 3rd St., Unit C,, according to the Rifle City Council agenda. The Glenwood Springs Post Independent reports the council unanimously approved the application at a meeting on Feb. 15.
Tapatios runs another restaurant in nearby New Castle,, where the menu features tacos, tortas, enchiladas, burritos and other fare.
Rep. Boebert was forced to close Shooters, a gun-themed eatery where the wait staff was encouraged to open carry, last summer after the building changed ownership. Milken Enterprises, a corporation headed by Mike Miller and Dan Meskin, took over legal ownership of the building in May 2022, property records show, and declined to renew the business’ lease.
“Oath Keepers,” “Proud Boys,” “III Percenters:” All a bunch of little boys living out fantasies
At some point in our lives we grow out of the childhood fantasy stage. Not these idiots.
I have been following the Proud Boys trial and reading the Proud Boys e-mails, public comments, and text messages. Same for the “III Percenters” and the “Oath Keepers”. It’s unbelievable.
These idiots have always fantasized they are the true American patriots who would one day rise up like the Americans of 1776 and overthrow a tyrannical government. Then Trump showed up and played them for the childlike fools they are.
When Trump tweeted “Come to the Capitol, it’s going to wild!!”, they took that as verification their fantasy was real, coming true. In their e-mails, text messages, public and private comments they were giddy with excitement. They were so happy they were going to repeat 1776. How in the hell can you repeat 1776? They actually believed they were going to take over the government.
I will never understand how grown men can be so stupid. It’s like they never grew up. I wonder if any of them have figured out Trump played them for the fools they are. Maybe they will figure it out as they sit in their prison cells for many years.
But then again, maybe not. Ugly is skin deep but stupid goes all the way to the bone.
I’m so excited about this news, I’m about to pee in my pants
WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Mike Pence said Friday that he will make a decision “by the spring” about whether to seek the presidency and suggested that he would pledge to support the eventual GOP nominee if that’s a condition of participating in primary debates.
“If I’m a candidate, I’m sure I’ll meet whatever the requirement is for debates,” Pence told NBC News in an exclusive interview.
As for his timing, Pence said he has a little while before he has to make a decision. “We’re listening, we’re reflecting, we’re talking to firms,” Pence said, adding that “by the spring, our family expects to have a very clear sense of our calling.”
His timing could be complicated by special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into former President Donald Trump. Smith is asking a federal judge to compel Pence to testify before a grand jury about Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
The Republicon Party died in 2020 . . . they just don’t know it.
Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in 2020 by several million votes and things are only going to get worse for the Republicon Party.
By 2024, the Republicon base will have become smaller as more voters over 65 die and the 18-24 voting block increases its numbers.
The fatal wound for the GOP is its “platform,” which embraces: the 1950’s when women and minorities knew their place; the Gilded Age when the many were subservient to the few; and the Middle Ages when the only classes in existence were the Royals and the Serfs.
As the table shows, the only voting bloc in which the Republican Party dominates is the over 65 group, to which FOX and other right wing media outlets have been spoon feeding their propaganda for more than a generation. Some from that bloc continue a slow drip over time to the Democrats, as former Republicans leave the party.
When death occurs, there are the inevitable death throes. So when you see Donald Trump screaming about a stolen election that wasn’t stolen, Marjorie Taylor Greene screaming about 6 billion illegal immigrants and Jewish space lasers, or Tucker Carlson parroting Russian talking points, do not fret. This is just the death throes of a dying rat.
Do not worry about the future. Vote, and look forward to what is coming. It is going to be good.
Kentucky biblethumpers warned about measles outbreak . . . they are too stupid to understand
Kentucky health officials have warned people who attended a large “spiritual revival” to be on the lookout for any measles symptoms after an unvaccinated participant came down with the disease.
Measles are re-emerging as a concerning health issue as anti-vaxxers have spread their message to cover other vaccines. Some religious groups also preach against vaccines. Measles can have serious complications, such as pneumonia and encephalitis. Nearly 250,000 kindergarten children are now vulnerable to the disease amid a drop off in vaccinations, according to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control. (COMMENT: Let’s hope the anti-vaxxers die off from diseases that the rest of us are protected from.)
“Anyone who attended the revival” at Asbury University in the town of Wilmore on Feb. 18 “may have been exposed to measles,” Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, warned in a statement. “Attendees who are unvaccinated are encouraged to quarantine for 21 days, and to seek immunization with the measles vaccine, which is safe and effective.”
He also warned anyone with symptoms not to show up at hospitals, clinics or emergency rooms without advance notice so health care workers can take precautions to protect themselves and others. Measles is extremely contagious.
The latest case is the third in three months, according to officials, but cases can spike quickly.
Symptoms may include fever, cough, runny nose and a rash three to five days after symptom onset.
The Kentucky Health Department is working with local agencies to boost the number of children who receive the combination measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination. MMR vaccine coverage among Kentucky kindergarten children is among the lowest in the nation, according to CDC statistics. (COMMENT: “among the lowest in the nation . . . “!!! After all, this is Kentucky.)
Headlines we will see for the next few years
Your Daily News Headlines for the Foreseeable Future
“Marjorie Taylor-Greene humiliates herself with latest insane remarks.”
“Lauren Boebert proves she’s even dumber than previously thought.”
“Hunter Biden’s laptop still being investigated – GOP insists ‘smoking gun’ evidence will be found any day now.”
“Mike Lindell says he has irrefutable proof that 2020 election was stolen – and this time, he really means it.”
“Kari Lake claims her ‘installation’ as Arizona governor imminent.”
“George Santos adds six more university degrees to his resume.”
And the inevitable …
“Trump still acting like deranged lunatic at ever-shrinking ‘rallies’.”
Trump deals with a toxic train wreck
