Randy Rainbow Strikes Again

Although her words indict her, a feckless Republican Party won't hold her to account. Her crazed stream-of-consciousness utterances go unchecked. To whom do I refer? Marjorie Taylor Greene, of course, the face of all that is wrong with the GOP. An ardent subscriber to QAnon conspiracy 'theories', a denier of tragic school shootings (not to mention her harassment of their survivors), and a believer in strange Jewish lasers from space, this mad woman seems to have instilled fear in much of her Republican colleagues to the point that their silence gives consent.

One person not cowed by her insane proclamations is the redoubtable Randy Rainbow, as you will see in the following:

No Mask? No Problem

What is wrong with people? That is really little more than a rhetorical question; nonetheless, let me offer but a small observation.

We all live within our own reality, reality that is framed by our upbringing, our education, our life experiences, our intellectual capabilities, etc. Those factors can make for healthy, dynamic debate. Yet they can also lead to the conclusion that some members of our species exist in a universe completely unrecognizable to the rational.

If you advance to the seven-minute mark in the following video, you will see what I mean.

I Rather Like This

 And I have nothing to add to it.

An Alternative To Impeachment

 

The chance of Donald Trump being convicted in his upcoming Senate trial is remote. There are far too many Republicans happy to forgive and forget (read that as fear of losing support of the Trump hordes). 

There is, however, a quite valid alternative to Senate conviction, as Jennifer Rubin writes:

A criminal trial, both on the former president’s attempt to strong-arm Georgia election officials to change the state’s vote totals and his incitement before the Jan. 6 violent insurrection (coupled with his refusal to immediately and definitively call a halt to the uprising), would serve multiple purposes. If the Senate will not ban him from holding office, a criminal conviction — should Trump be found guilty — would almost certainly do the trick (or at least, we should hope it would in the era of right-wing conspiracy theories).

A criminal conviction would guarantee that Trump cannot run for future office, but it would serve perhaps an even more important function:

[A] criminal trial could provide a severe deterrent for future presidents who attempt to retain power through violence. It is not enough to mouth the empty platitude that the ex-president’s behavior was “unacceptable” if there are no adverse consequences. Without punishment, his failed coup would remain an open invitation to future presidents to try the same sort of power grab. Constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe observes, “Impeachment is about getting rid of officeholders who endanger the republic by abusing their powers, not about punishing them for their crimes. Punishment still must be meted out if the rule of law is to be respected and wrongdoers are to be held accountable.”

Moreover, as long as the hardcore MAGA crowd keeps repeating the Big Lie that the election was stolen, the need for a full factual airing of the white supremacist plot and the ex-president’s own attempt to induce Georgia to commit voter fraud remains. “If Trump is still maintaining the big lie after January 6, knowing his words have the power to incite violence, then it seems to me it’s potentially indicative of both his intent on the 6th and continued intent to engage in sedition,” says former prosecutor Joyce White Vance. “It’s certainly an interesting piece of evidence for prosecutors to have.” 

Donald Trump has made a life and career out of evading consequences for his behaviour and actions. A criminal trial and conviction would go a long way toward rectifying that longstanding injustice.

 

Thought For The Day

 In light of a damning report, this speaks much truth, eh?

H/t Toronto Star

Berated, Belittled And ..... Brutalized?

 It is beginning to look like our erstwhile and volatile Governor General, Julie Payette, did not limit herself to verbal abuse of staff. CBC reports the following:

Complainants who took part in an independent probe into claims of a toxic workplace culture at Rideau Hall claim former governor general Julie Payette's verbal harassment of staff crossed over into instances of physical contact, CBC News has learned.

The claims of physical contact were reported in testimony given to Quintet Consulting during interviews and will be included in the final report, multiple sources said.

Several sources with direct knowledge of the final report say Payette's workplace behaviour went beyond screaming at, belittling and publicly humiliating employees — and included unwelcome physical contact that caused some participants in the review to feel threatened.

As has been noted by others, the appointment of Payette calls into question both the judgement of Prime Minister Trudeau and the integrity of the vetting process. Let's hope due deliberation is given before choosing Canada's next representative of the Queen.

 

Summing Up The Last Four Years Under Trump

 Randy Rainbow does it with panache: