“We have no doubt that Mr. Trump is guilty of many things...from moral failings to transgressions of taste, financial shenanigans and dodgy document dealings, high crimes and misdemeanors too.” [Joel Bowman 02 June 2024]
Actually, Joel, we do have doubt that Trump is guilty of anything. “Moral failings”? Could be, but who isn’t? “Transgressions of taste”? Same as above. “Dodgy document dealings”? I doubt it given that he has been examined more than anyone in America by people who want to harm him and the best they could do was Alvin’s case in chief. “High crimes and misdemeanors”? Been tried TWICE and found not guilty [and you can be assured if there were others they would have been brought forth in his two impeachments]. So, Joel, although I admire and enjoy your penmanship, I find you guilty of doing what all the Trump haters are doing: Accusing Trump of things that he simply has not done. “He’s a racist” the left-wing media claim. But when challenged they give NO examples of his racism [contrary to Sleepy Joe’s often cited examples of typecasting minorities]. “He is a Nazi.” Yet, he is the best friend the Jews of the world have. On and on those accusations go but never is there any specific details of the proof of the accusations.
Guilty of mean tweets: Yes. Guilty of calling people names: Yes. Guilty of “not acting presidential:” Yes. But, come on man, all of these “sins” are there for all to see in every politician [and maybe every person]. So, please, Joel, continue to write your eloquent prose with the vocabulary that forces me to my Webster’s regularly, but don’t make general derogatory statements without backing them up with references that I can go investigate. You are absolutely correct that America is changing into a banana republic, but we Americans, or at least a large portion of Americans, are “mad as hell and won’t take it anymore.”
100% agree, well said! I'm not a supporter of Trump or any other candidate. I'm only interested in truth and focusing on what I can control, such as where I spend my money, what I consume, my values, what I believe, who I associate with, where I live, and who I trust for information based on empirical facts, critical thinking, and unbiased opinion.
Most of all, I want to be left alone to live in peace and safety. But that is becoming more difficult in our deeply divided, corrupt, immoral, non-meritocratic, and woke society and distorted economy that has abandoned the free market and founding principles of the United States.
American proles will do absolutely nothing to stop the corrupt locomotive of elite politicians and all that breeds in avarice and deceits from its final destination. The destruction of the of the United States of America. However, they might post in blogs that they will not take it anymore. Don't forget to vote.
Rich: In reading your comment, I am uncertain if you are agreeing with me or insulting me. I had to look up the definition of “proles” which led me to Orwell’s 1984 book where he wrote: If there is hope, it lies in the proles.” Digging a bit deeper, it seemed that Orwell was speaking kindly of the proles in suggesting they could play a part in righting a ship that was listing to the point of sinking. So, I guess, that may have been a term used to describe me. In any event, I appreciate your response, compliment or insult that it may be. And, you can be sure I vote. I fear the number of voters is irrelevant. It is the vote counters that are important.
Dan, I certainly do not intend to insult you. Winston Smith, the book's hero, ends in total defeat and submission after his long-suffering fight against Big Brother. ( He is the metaphor of the patriots who, from the beginning of our country until now, wish it to be how we dream it to be.) The proles, as I understand them, are the working class, primarily kept in ignorance ( MSM ) and distraction ( gender identity ), and are considered harmless and of little threat to Big Brother's ( our uni party ) power and are mainly indifferent. So. I see no hope. We are too far gone. That doesn't make me right; I hope I am wrong. As far as my "Don't forget to vote" tagline, it is my non sequitur. Keep fighting the fight. We need you! r
I actually thought that you were not trying to insult me, but I’ve run up against a few insult experts that I needed to ponder over before recognizing the insult. So, no fear, no harm and no foul. I, too, worry that we may have come too far especially when I hear the generation of my grandson who refuse to recognize the peril their freedom is in and, therefore, cannot be motivated to do something about it. I am too old to do much more than bitch about it although i am always willing to discuss. I have my bourbon, cigar and fire pit to put me in a state of relaxation so I am not too pained by all this stuff. Regards to you for keeping it civil.
Democracy is a fraud. And it will persist in the Land of the Freeloader until even the grifters revolt against the system they undergirded.
Incidentally, deceiving and manipulating the voters is the objective of every political campaign. But unless you are an insider of the system, you will get punished, because evil always finds a way to come out of the shadows from which it was lurking.
Only hope that a Milei will come forward, probably long after I am turned to dust, to lead my grandchildren and great-grandchildren back to what America used to stand for.
Thanks Joel for the recap. Maddening isn't it... let's see, powerful people with the help of judges, prosecutors and juries abusing the Constitution, law and lady justice... the horror of it.
Except, this is not new, we have been headed to this place for three decades. I suspect that their are lots of inner city black men who could school us in the grotesque art of prosecutorial misconduct. Or, how about the J6'ers, seems to me there was some significant abuse involved in making their lives hell. Actually it is not hard at all coming up with long lists, historical and modern, of people who have been harmed by people holding power. It is why people should never be given too much power. Our Constitution, Constitutional Republic, were designed to check excessive power and find balance with competing interests. What happened... political parties, fiat money, corruption, faithlessness and hate... a witches brew that has brought us heartache, capped off with choosing leaders who ignore their oaths and duties.
I don't know if America in its current form can be saved. There are a dozen states that are well along the path of collectivism. In contrast the majority of States are populated by a majority of citizens who would not find it difficult to recommit to our Constitutional Republic, Constitution and Bill of Rights. The seeds are there they just need to be nourished. When people are faced with irreconcilable differences between them and others, when tyranny lurks in the hearts of opposition it is inevitable that separation might be the only path. The Democratic party would appear to be willing to do anything to gain and retain absolute power. They have most certainly accomplished this in California, New York and some other States. Worse they seem to believe that they can control all with lies, censorship and coercion. I do not believe that most citizens of America want this as a way of life.
Men and women of goodwill are sometimes slow to respond effectively to evil, tyranny and those who have dark hearts, but in time they rise to the occasion. I'm confident our Constitutional Republic will survive as it remains the best form of government if you desire Life, Liberty and want to pursue Happiness. But what form it might take, how many States, how many citizens can only be revealed after events and time have had their way.
We have decades of signs accumulating that are telling us that our institutions, systems, experts and political leaders have failed us. The conviction of Donald Trump is just one more along the path. The time for renewal is soon upon us... maybe 5 years, maybe 10, and will be accomplished not by one person, but by many citizens committed to Liberty and supported by their Courts, States and duty bound leaders. I may be skeptical at times, cynical at others but always optimistic about an America unburdened by a far too large parasitic federal government.
It amazes me how ineffective are elucidations of public malfeasance. Many care. Most do nothing about it. We talk about it, sure. We forward these messages. We write our own complaints. Oddly, we realize the helplessness of voting, yet continue to do so. Frustrating.
I truly believe that this country will break into three or four different parks. The conservative south, and conservative south east will become one country. The West Coast, California, Oregon, and Washington state will become another country. The Midwest will become its own country and finally the Northeastern states will become another country. There is no way that this country can survive with the amount of corruption that exists in the federal into a lesser degree the state governments. The constitution that was made up 250 years ago, basically as a practical matter, no longer exists.
The next likely thing to happen is with the idiots will try to put our former President Donald Trump in jail. If that does not support a Civil War nothing ever will.
At the very least we need a new party and they noted states that someone said could be called the constitution party that might be a start right now I believe that 75 to 80% of the entire nation believes the government is 100% corrupt from the top down.
Justice should not exist anywhere, but it has become the rule of law in the United States of America. Sickening situation.
Hello Joel: For several weeks since discovering your posts I have been telling my friends and readers how much I have been enjoying your objective and insightful comments, but your 'sesh' today pulled me up short.
"We have no doubt that Mr. Trump is guilty of many things...from moral failings to transgressions of taste, financial shenanigans and dodgy document dealings, high crimes and misdemeanors too."
The first four are certainly debatable, but "high crimes and misdemeanors, too"?
Where does that statement come from? You say you have "no doubt", but what proof can you offer to support such a position?
Coming to expect reliable, factual commentary from you, after today I feel as though I have been duped, seduced by your very skillful and often enjoyable command of the language, and what I took to be deep insights into human nature and contemporary politics. Instead, I have been blindsided by a scurrilous accusation for which you offer not a scintilla of proof. The only support for (and the undoubted genesis of) such an accusation can be found almost exclusively in the pathological perfidy of the American left. Your comments are the kind of insupportable accusation one would expect to find in the media in a banana republic .
That is not an opinion from a disappointed Republican voter (I vote neither Republican nor Democrat) but a statement of fact. Unless you have verifiable proof that Trump has committed high crimes and misdemeanors, (and if you do, why have you not released it to the world?) your statement reveals your writing to be no more dependable that the garbage from the unreliable mainstream news outlets now so despised by so many thoughtful seekers after truth.
I had grounds to hope for so much better from you, and until today had not been disappointed, but alas, your comments noted above destroyed that expectation in a few words.
Not sure if the Republic can be saved or not. Unfortunately it depends on my fellow Americans who don't take the time to write their own Representatives and half don't even vote.
Joel, I agree its a Banana Republic we are in, but i don't believe we grow Banana's here, just a corrupt elite is the only product. I think we should help our GDP and export this product. Maybe even give a rebate just to get rid of them and start all over.
I want to know who answers polls. I always delete and report junk texts. How can pollsters know what the "public" really thinks when most people I know don't answer polls? Are the dark pollsters watching every site I visit and taking note?
Let us consider this final end to our constitutional federal republic experiment as it is. Hopefully, Sr Melei will see the inherent failures in our constitution, the ones that allowed the legal growth of corruption in its system, and amend Argentina's constitution with laws that will protect her from these cancers, assuming he wants life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for his electorate. I wish him luck. To us Americans: Don't forget to vote!
Furthermore, can you think of anyone crazy enough to try to lead this country? Who is so perfect that the press and pundits cannot find one word or act that would not be fodder to be blown out of proportion? In order to win an election, it appears one would have to be rather crooked in some way. We are in a mess. I just can't think of another country that is any better and if I just don't watch the news, things are rather fine in my little neighborhood.
This week’s verdict will have earned contemptuous laughter from Moscow and Beijing. You don’t need to support Trump in order to believe that a fundamental miscarriage of justice has occurred. I’m a Brit but I believe that the US and British systems are both based on the same principles of justice for all; ie no one is above the law but everyone whether mighty or not is entitled to a fair hearing and considered judgement by 12 folk good and true. On the basis that it would appear (to an outsider so I may be mistaken) breaks the US constitution on multiple counts and all charges were upheld when presumably one or a few would suffice to damage Trump if this was a just and fair trial then I’m Beyoncé…… Spoiler alert, I’m not.
“We have no doubt that Mr. Trump is guilty of many things...from moral failings to transgressions of taste, financial shenanigans and dodgy document dealings, high crimes and misdemeanors too.” [Joel Bowman 02 June 2024]
Actually, Joel, we do have doubt that Trump is guilty of anything. “Moral failings”? Could be, but who isn’t? “Transgressions of taste”? Same as above. “Dodgy document dealings”? I doubt it given that he has been examined more than anyone in America by people who want to harm him and the best they could do was Alvin’s case in chief. “High crimes and misdemeanors”? Been tried TWICE and found not guilty [and you can be assured if there were others they would have been brought forth in his two impeachments]. So, Joel, although I admire and enjoy your penmanship, I find you guilty of doing what all the Trump haters are doing: Accusing Trump of things that he simply has not done. “He’s a racist” the left-wing media claim. But when challenged they give NO examples of his racism [contrary to Sleepy Joe’s often cited examples of typecasting minorities]. “He is a Nazi.” Yet, he is the best friend the Jews of the world have. On and on those accusations go but never is there any specific details of the proof of the accusations.
Guilty of mean tweets: Yes. Guilty of calling people names: Yes. Guilty of “not acting presidential:” Yes. But, come on man, all of these “sins” are there for all to see in every politician [and maybe every person]. So, please, Joel, continue to write your eloquent prose with the vocabulary that forces me to my Webster’s regularly, but don’t make general derogatory statements without backing them up with references that I can go investigate. You are absolutely correct that America is changing into a banana republic, but we Americans, or at least a large portion of Americans, are “mad as hell and won’t take it anymore.”
100% agree, well said! I'm not a supporter of Trump or any other candidate. I'm only interested in truth and focusing on what I can control, such as where I spend my money, what I consume, my values, what I believe, who I associate with, where I live, and who I trust for information based on empirical facts, critical thinking, and unbiased opinion.
Most of all, I want to be left alone to live in peace and safety. But that is becoming more difficult in our deeply divided, corrupt, immoral, non-meritocratic, and woke society and distorted economy that has abandoned the free market and founding principles of the United States.
American proles will do absolutely nothing to stop the corrupt locomotive of elite politicians and all that breeds in avarice and deceits from its final destination. The destruction of the of the United States of America. However, they might post in blogs that they will not take it anymore. Don't forget to vote.
Rich: In reading your comment, I am uncertain if you are agreeing with me or insulting me. I had to look up the definition of “proles” which led me to Orwell’s 1984 book where he wrote: If there is hope, it lies in the proles.” Digging a bit deeper, it seemed that Orwell was speaking kindly of the proles in suggesting they could play a part in righting a ship that was listing to the point of sinking. So, I guess, that may have been a term used to describe me. In any event, I appreciate your response, compliment or insult that it may be. And, you can be sure I vote. I fear the number of voters is irrelevant. It is the vote counters that are important.
Dan, I certainly do not intend to insult you. Winston Smith, the book's hero, ends in total defeat and submission after his long-suffering fight against Big Brother. ( He is the metaphor of the patriots who, from the beginning of our country until now, wish it to be how we dream it to be.) The proles, as I understand them, are the working class, primarily kept in ignorance ( MSM ) and distraction ( gender identity ), and are considered harmless and of little threat to Big Brother's ( our uni party ) power and are mainly indifferent. So. I see no hope. We are too far gone. That doesn't make me right; I hope I am wrong. As far as my "Don't forget to vote" tagline, it is my non sequitur. Keep fighting the fight. We need you! r
I actually thought that you were not trying to insult me, but I’ve run up against a few insult experts that I needed to ponder over before recognizing the insult. So, no fear, no harm and no foul. I, too, worry that we may have come too far especially when I hear the generation of my grandson who refuse to recognize the peril their freedom is in and, therefore, cannot be motivated to do something about it. I am too old to do much more than bitch about it although i am always willing to discuss. I have my bourbon, cigar and fire pit to put me in a state of relaxation so I am not too pained by all this stuff. Regards to you for keeping it civil.
Democracy is a fraud. And it will persist in the Land of the Freeloader until even the grifters revolt against the system they undergirded.
Incidentally, deceiving and manipulating the voters is the objective of every political campaign. But unless you are an insider of the system, you will get punished, because evil always finds a way to come out of the shadows from which it was lurking.
Only hope that a Milei will come forward, probably long after I am turned to dust, to lead my grandchildren and great-grandchildren back to what America used to stand for.
For a Republic to work you need a well informed, rational, moral populace, which we don't have.
Franklin was right, " A Republic if you can keep it". We couldn't keep it.
Thanks Joel for the recap. Maddening isn't it... let's see, powerful people with the help of judges, prosecutors and juries abusing the Constitution, law and lady justice... the horror of it.
Except, this is not new, we have been headed to this place for three decades. I suspect that their are lots of inner city black men who could school us in the grotesque art of prosecutorial misconduct. Or, how about the J6'ers, seems to me there was some significant abuse involved in making their lives hell. Actually it is not hard at all coming up with long lists, historical and modern, of people who have been harmed by people holding power. It is why people should never be given too much power. Our Constitution, Constitutional Republic, were designed to check excessive power and find balance with competing interests. What happened... political parties, fiat money, corruption, faithlessness and hate... a witches brew that has brought us heartache, capped off with choosing leaders who ignore their oaths and duties.
I don't know if America in its current form can be saved. There are a dozen states that are well along the path of collectivism. In contrast the majority of States are populated by a majority of citizens who would not find it difficult to recommit to our Constitutional Republic, Constitution and Bill of Rights. The seeds are there they just need to be nourished. When people are faced with irreconcilable differences between them and others, when tyranny lurks in the hearts of opposition it is inevitable that separation might be the only path. The Democratic party would appear to be willing to do anything to gain and retain absolute power. They have most certainly accomplished this in California, New York and some other States. Worse they seem to believe that they can control all with lies, censorship and coercion. I do not believe that most citizens of America want this as a way of life.
Men and women of goodwill are sometimes slow to respond effectively to evil, tyranny and those who have dark hearts, but in time they rise to the occasion. I'm confident our Constitutional Republic will survive as it remains the best form of government if you desire Life, Liberty and want to pursue Happiness. But what form it might take, how many States, how many citizens can only be revealed after events and time have had their way.
We have decades of signs accumulating that are telling us that our institutions, systems, experts and political leaders have failed us. The conviction of Donald Trump is just one more along the path. The time for renewal is soon upon us... maybe 5 years, maybe 10, and will be accomplished not by one person, but by many citizens committed to Liberty and supported by their Courts, States and duty bound leaders. I may be skeptical at times, cynical at others but always optimistic about an America unburdened by a far too large parasitic federal government.
Great article Joel. It does appear the US must hit rock bottom. Too many Americans can't see the bottom coming.
It amazes me how ineffective are elucidations of public malfeasance. Many care. Most do nothing about it. We talk about it, sure. We forward these messages. We write our own complaints. Oddly, we realize the helplessness of voting, yet continue to do so. Frustrating.
I truly believe that this country will break into three or four different parks. The conservative south, and conservative south east will become one country. The West Coast, California, Oregon, and Washington state will become another country. The Midwest will become its own country and finally the Northeastern states will become another country. There is no way that this country can survive with the amount of corruption that exists in the federal into a lesser degree the state governments. The constitution that was made up 250 years ago, basically as a practical matter, no longer exists.
The next likely thing to happen is with the idiots will try to put our former President Donald Trump in jail. If that does not support a Civil War nothing ever will.
At the very least we need a new party and they noted states that someone said could be called the constitution party that might be a start right now I believe that 75 to 80% of the entire nation believes the government is 100% corrupt from the top down.
Justice should not exist anywhere, but it has become the rule of law in the United States of America. Sickening situation.
Hello Joel: For several weeks since discovering your posts I have been telling my friends and readers how much I have been enjoying your objective and insightful comments, but your 'sesh' today pulled me up short.
"We have no doubt that Mr. Trump is guilty of many things...from moral failings to transgressions of taste, financial shenanigans and dodgy document dealings, high crimes and misdemeanors too."
The first four are certainly debatable, but "high crimes and misdemeanors, too"?
Where does that statement come from? You say you have "no doubt", but what proof can you offer to support such a position?
Coming to expect reliable, factual commentary from you, after today I feel as though I have been duped, seduced by your very skillful and often enjoyable command of the language, and what I took to be deep insights into human nature and contemporary politics. Instead, I have been blindsided by a scurrilous accusation for which you offer not a scintilla of proof. The only support for (and the undoubted genesis of) such an accusation can be found almost exclusively in the pathological perfidy of the American left. Your comments are the kind of insupportable accusation one would expect to find in the media in a banana republic .
That is not an opinion from a disappointed Republican voter (I vote neither Republican nor Democrat) but a statement of fact. Unless you have verifiable proof that Trump has committed high crimes and misdemeanors, (and if you do, why have you not released it to the world?) your statement reveals your writing to be no more dependable that the garbage from the unreliable mainstream news outlets now so despised by so many thoughtful seekers after truth.
I had grounds to hope for so much better from you, and until today had not been disappointed, but alas, your comments noted above destroyed that expectation in a few words.
Or am I missing something?
Jim
Not sure if the Republic can be saved or not. Unfortunately it depends on my fellow Americans who don't take the time to write their own Representatives and half don't even vote.
Joel, I agree its a Banana Republic we are in, but i don't believe we grow Banana's here, just a corrupt elite is the only product. I think we should help our GDP and export this product. Maybe even give a rebate just to get rid of them and start all over.
I want to know who answers polls. I always delete and report junk texts. How can pollsters know what the "public" really thinks when most people I know don't answer polls? Are the dark pollsters watching every site I visit and taking note?
Let us consider this final end to our constitutional federal republic experiment as it is. Hopefully, Sr Melei will see the inherent failures in our constitution, the ones that allowed the legal growth of corruption in its system, and amend Argentina's constitution with laws that will protect her from these cancers, assuming he wants life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for his electorate. I wish him luck. To us Americans: Don't forget to vote!
Furthermore, can you think of anyone crazy enough to try to lead this country? Who is so perfect that the press and pundits cannot find one word or act that would not be fodder to be blown out of proportion? In order to win an election, it appears one would have to be rather crooked in some way. We are in a mess. I just can't think of another country that is any better and if I just don't watch the news, things are rather fine in my little neighborhood.
This week’s verdict will have earned contemptuous laughter from Moscow and Beijing. You don’t need to support Trump in order to believe that a fundamental miscarriage of justice has occurred. I’m a Brit but I believe that the US and British systems are both based on the same principles of justice for all; ie no one is above the law but everyone whether mighty or not is entitled to a fair hearing and considered judgement by 12 folk good and true. On the basis that it would appear (to an outsider so I may be mistaken) breaks the US constitution on multiple counts and all charges were upheld when presumably one or a few would suffice to damage Trump if this was a just and fair trial then I’m Beyoncé…… Spoiler alert, I’m not.
well balanced view of where we are today!