CarlG@CarlG314@universeodon.com

I was part of the November 2022 exodus to Mastodon, and never wrote an #Introduction - better late than never.

I am a former U.S. Army JAG Officer, and current attorney in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

My background and lifelong interest is politics and international relations - that was my undergraduate degree at the University of Southampton in the UK, I grew up all over (US, Egypt, Norway & UK), and while in the Army I deployed to Haiti & Bosnia in the 1990s.

I obtained my J.D. from the UCLA School of Law, and while I practice family law, most of my posts are on current political & legal issues. I don't originate breaking stories, and tend to respond in threads more than creating my own threads. But either way, I strive for informed opinions and posts worth reading.

#Colorado
#ColoradoSprings
#RussiaUkraineWar
#NATO
#LawFedi
#Lawyer
#Law
#SCOTUS
#FamilyLaw

If the Shoe Fits

Can I remind people that no president in history has ever acted MORE STEREOTYPICALLY LIKE A GANGSTER than Trump? He owned casinos. He has deep connections in the New York City construction industry. His son-in-law’s father did time for extortion. He calls people who inform on him “rats.” He bullies. He threatens to expose people’s private shame to obtain endorsements. He filled his administration with pro wrestling magnates....

#trumpindictment

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/

#Trump is morally culpable for creating a culture of violence and intimidation among his supporters. #FaniWillis and all the #FultonCounty #grandJurors who #indicted Trump have been bravely serving justice. They should not be subjected to smears and threats. Reporting from Washington Post, gift link: https://wapo.st/3sfzrOi

BREAKING: Hunter Biden made $640 million while “working” in daddy’s administration, and received $2 billion from the people behind 9/11.

Now that I got Republicans’ attention. That was actually Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump.

WTF has happened to our country? One party's frontrunner was unanimously adjudged a rapist by a federal jury, his namesake company was convicted of tax fraud, and he's under indictment for 91 felony counts in 4 different jurisdictions.

#Trump followers stormed the capital trying to block the peaceful transition of power. He calls them patriots and pledges to pardon them, which will only embolden more followers to commit more crimes in his name.

He attacks the prosecutors, judges and witnesses, vowing to go after them, while his followers dox the grand jurors and threaten a federal judge.

Meanwhile, the GOP sits by in silence, as if any part of this is normal??? These are warning signs of a nation on the precipice, and should not be ignored due to cowardice, or to political expediency

Can the 236 year-old American experiment in democracy survive a cult built around a dangerous and autocratic criminal?

I will be accused of being alarmist for posting this. I’m just working to keep history from repeating itself.

Damn - Trump's trial dance card for the next year is completely full.

Even allowing for a couple of cases being bumped or judges not accepting dates requested by the prosecutor, Trump is going to be in trial fairly solidly for most of the campaign season - taking time away from the campaign trail, depleting campaign funds, and generating negative headlines. FAFO.

It is not "weaponizing" the criminal justice system to indict people on strong evidence of their criminal conduct.

If MAGA can't see the difference between overt acts in furtherance of a conspiracy and stand-alone crimes, they are either gaslighting, or moronic - either way their commentary should be ignored.

It's not illegal to buy a gun or stencil kit. But if two people conspire to rob a bank, buy the weapon for that purpose, and the stencil kit to create a demand letter, those otherwise lawful acts prove the fact of their illegal agreement.

EDIT - the acts in furtherance are what separate a criminal enterprise from some guys just sitting around bullshitting about committing a crime they have no intention of actually attempting.

The Trump Indictment count is now 91.🫨

Let's be clear.

Trump was NOT indicted by Biden, Clinton, Soros, Big Bird, Target, Wokeness, Disney, pride flag, CRT, or Barbie. Trump was indicted by private citizens—as the US Constitution requires. (And most witnesses were Republican).

Funny how how some can't REMEMBER STUFF - eh?

Almost 25 years ago, Clarence Thomas said in a speech that he didn’t want to be a federal judge, he just “wanted to be rich.” Turns out you really can have it all!
https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-other-billionaires-sokol-huizenga-novelly-supreme-court

Via Sahil Kapur:

Can’t overstate it: Roe v Wade was an electoral gift to Republicans while it was alive. It turned an issue that’s a huge loser for the party into a winner—they could mobilize their anti-abortion base without triggering a backlash by the abortion rights majority.

Now that’s over.

A quick minute order from Judge #Chutkan in the J6 #TrumpIndictment setting a quick hearing. Pity that she's waiving the defendant's appearance as it means no in-person bench-slap for #Trump.

At least not yet - it's still early days, and given Trump's pathological inability to control his emotional tantrums, there will be other opportunities for an ass-chewing, likely in the near future.

@andrew

The admin on my instance has changed somewhat suddenly and I'm thinking it may be time to switch instances.

If you don't mind sharing the info, how many users do you have on esq.social, and are you around for the long haul? (I'm fine contributing, and actually have a monthly patreon payment going to my current instance)

When you know that the candidate is a legitimate threat to democracy and you still won't rule out voting for him, that makes you both a coward and a fool. #USPol

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/03/politics/bill-barr-trump-what-matters/index.html

A GOP county in AZ finding out that hand-counting complete ballots takes 3 minutes each, so is too expensive, time-consuming, and inaccurate to be practicable.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/arizona-republicans-hand-count-ballots-price-tag-errors-mojave-county-rcna97769

No takebacks! A group of RDOF winners bid down the #FCC broadband grants, and are complaining they cannot economically deliver on their promises.

By undercutting more realistic bids, they deprived competitors from the chance to get grants, and consumers in the area of the intended broadband. Buyer's remorse is not a basis to avoid fulfilling their obligations.

And how can the GOP, which claims to want government run efficiently like a business, demand the government forgive breaches instead of enforcing the contracts like any business would? (Rhetorical question - the answer is obvious).

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/08/internet-providers-that-won-fcc-grants-try-to-escape-broadband-commitments/