Please pardon my brevity. It’s one of those days. I’m as busy as a hooker at a Republican pseudo-Christian convention.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:44 (average 5:53). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Donald Trump Hand-Picked Acting-AG Raises New Obstruction Questions (20 min.)
I hope someone is filing a legal action to prevent Whitaker from keeping the office. RESIST!!
From NY Times: What now seems an eternity ago, the conservative law professor Steven Calabresi published an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal in May arguing that Robert Mueller’s appointment as special counsel was unconstitutional. His article got a lot of attention, and it wasn’t long before President Trump picked up the argument, tweeting that “the Appointment of the Special Counsel is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL!”
Professor Calabresi’s article was based on the Appointments Clause of the Constitution, Article II, Section 2, Clause 2. Under that provision, so-called principal officers of the United States must be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate under its “Advice and Consent” powers.
He argued that Mr. Mueller was a principal officer because he is exercising significant law enforcement authority and that since he has not been confirmed by the Senate, his appointment was unconstitutional. As one of us argued at the time, he was wrong. What makes an officer a principal officer is that he or she reports only to the president. No one else in government is that person’s boss. But Mr. Mueller reports to Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general. So, Mr. Mueller is what is known as an inferior officer, not a principal one, and his appointment without Senate approval was valid.
But Professor Calabresi and Mr. Trump were right about the core principle. A principal officer must be confirmed by the Senate. And that has a very significant consequence today.
It means that Mr. Trump’s installation of Matthew Whitaker as acting attorney general of the United States after forcing the resignation of Jeff Sessions is unconstitutional. It’s illegal. And it means that anything Mr. Whitaker does, or tries to do, in that position is invalid.
Click through for much more. If it was legal, Republicans would not do it. RESIST!!
From The New Yorker: Donald J. Trump warned on Wednesday that a caravan of Democratic women was heading toward Washington, D.C., with the explicit goal of invading the nation’s capital.
Speaking at a press conference at the White House, Trump acknowledged that he had failed in his bid to stop the caravan, which is on schedule to arrive in Washington on January 3, 2019.
“The Democrats are responsible for sending this caravan, and, frankly, it’s a disgrace,” he said. “They are sending some dangerous women.”
Elaborating on the threat posed by the caravan, Trump said, “Some of these women have fought in wars. They have fired guns. One of them is a mixed-martial-arts specialist. These are women who will kick your ass without hesitating.”
Amen Andy! May the caravan keep growing! RESIST!!
Cartoon:
12 Responses to “Open Thread – 11/9/2018”
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5:35 Hmmm… To hunt? Or to fish? Decisions, decisions.
This is not the newest information on the northern California fires, but it is very vivid and personal, both the article itself and the comments. Southern California has some too. Thousand Oaks just can’t catch a break this week.
MSNBC – Illegal (unConstitutional) as hell. I hope there is someone with standing to sue who is willing to do so. This situation reminds me of the Aesop fable about who is going to put the bell on the cat (not on you, TC, of course).
NYT – This is an excellent analysis, and terse enough to be understood by anyone witha functioning brain. Much appreciated.
TNY – Amen indeed. (Incidentally the feminine plural of the approval “Bravo!” is “Brave,” pronounced “bra-vay.”) Brave to these wonderful women!
Cartoon – She needs to be an Indian goddess with multiple hand, so she can also be using that sword to cut the chain on the weightier side and send it into oblivion.
Just a little something for Native American History Month.
In case anyone was as worried as I was, I just read RBG is out of hospital and back on the job. The person who brought the news added “Stainless steel, that woman.”
If I knew the right person or people to address, I would make a petition against keeping Whitaker aboard.
Here’s one.
MSNBC: Being illegal doesn’t bother dt, and it doesn’t surprise me…he’ll do anything he pleases, as he doesn’t care, for the good of our Country.
NYT: Good article, passing this one on.
NYer: Bring IT, Ladies!!!
Cartoon: Yep!
Hope that you get all your chores done, Get some rest, take good care, and Thanks, Tom.
This just in: “At the next press conference, all reporters should begin their questions with, ..’Jim Acosta wants me to ask’……….”. ~ Janet V. ~
I don’t know who “Janet V.” is – but she’s got a GREAT sense of humor!
MSNBC: Everything tRump does or speaks is illegal. He things he’s so high and mighty , but hes going to get it all slapped right back at him with a whole lot of subpoenas, which will finally put an end to this dreadful farce.
NYT: Agree, good informative article. .
TNY: Wow..all of these powerful woman are coming. Sounds to me that tRump is scared to death. Oh my.
By the way, I’m praying that these firefighters can get these CA fires under some sort of control. Seeing them on the news this evening is truly heartbreaking. My thoughts and prayers going to all that are and have been forced to leave. I pray for their safety.
Rachel Maddow & NYT: We all knew it was coming: Drumpf would go after Mueller and try to bring his investigation into his and his ilk’s wrongdoings to a halt. We knew it would come, yet Drumpf has surprised us all, not by sacking Sessions as that has been in the books for more than a year, but by plucking Matthew Whitaker out of thin air and installing him illegally within 24 hours. This must have been prepared by people in his administration, or elsewhere?, because Drumpf couldn’t possibly have thought this up. And this time the attention was diverted enough and all possible leaks closed tightly enough to make this surprise attack. Makes me wonder who was behind it all.
But the main question remains: how can Whitaker, who shouldn’t be there for two legal reasons (illegal appointment and personal bias for which he should recuse himself) be prevented from throwing all the spanners he can think off in between Muellersbinvestigative machine before January? Because there’s no way to get that jini back into his bottle.
TNY: Celebrate the best outcome of all from the midterms: the caravan of progressive/young/coloured women who are going to kick Drumpf’s ass as hard as they can!
Cartoon: The GOP’s version of Lady Justice also holds her hand on the scales, TomCat.
Hope your appointment went OK yesterday, Tomcat.
Puzzle — 4:58 Going fishing? Don’t get your paws wet because you’ll catch your death of cold!
MSNBC — This AlterNet article, “Trump’s New Attorney General Slammed as a ‘F*cking Fool’ and a Suck-Up Inside the DOJ: Report” casts this Diaper Dan loyalist in a not flattering light at all, in addition to Rachel’s revelation. In addition, DD is maintaining that he did not know Whitaker at all. Strange . . . why would DD appoint someone he does not know with the disaster that was the elfintine Geoff Sessions having just concluded, and he knew Sessions? I certainly hope that this debacle is laid to rest smartly. I suspect that it will end up before SCOTUS where DD’s handpicked sycophants can make their partisan positions work for DD. IMO, DD has f*cked the constitution and We The People!
NY Times — It would appear that all DD needs to do, if he really has his heart set on Whitaker, is have Whitaker endure confirmation hearings — now (Republicans still have a small majority) or under the super Republicanised Senate starting in January — but Whitaker’s appointment now, as it stands, is clearly illegal! Clearly, Diaper Don is a crook no matter how you slice the bread! With all DD’s bullshit, at home and abroad, he is alienating the US further and further from other countries, but also increasing the national divide to monumental proportions. I would love to see Canada declare DD and all of his progeny and business dealings “persona non grata”!
The New Yorker — “… These are women who will kick your ass without hesitating.” And it would be a well deserved ass kicking in my opinion. I have been having the same dream for some time now — I tell off DD in not so nice language. Oh, if I only could and he was forced to at lest hear my words!
Cartoon — I agree with Lona but I think it is Lady Justice’s elbow that is on the scale! And do I detect a wink from that peeping eye?
I doubt Whitaker is going to be around very long.
But was scares the bejesus out of me is the damage he might do to our country and constitution the short time he is around!
Thanks all. Hurried Pooped Hugs!