The Bloody Morning After

Ken AshfordGun ControlLeave a Comment

You know what is the worst thing about today — the first full day after a horrible mass shooting in the United States? [UPDATE – Extremely graphic NSFW disturbing video can be seen here — view at your on risk] The worst thing is that there is nothing to say that hasn’t been said previously in other horrible mass shootings. We … Read More

USA Breaks Record For Mass Deaths By Gun Shooting

Ken AshfordCrime, Disasters, Gun ControlLeave a Comment

And here we go again. Politicians will send thoughts and prayers and… My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 2, 2017 … right… condolences and sympathies, etc… and then nothing will be done. So here’s what happened. There are now at least … Read More

Day’s Unfolding Events

Ken AshfordBreaking News, Rightwing Extremism/Violence, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

(1) Protest in Durham NC: Scheduled for noon and 4 pm.  I’m following live feeds and the anti-protesters seem to have taken over downtown Durham. Not much of a fascist presence. Looks peaceful at the moment — some minor vandalism of base of statue that once had confederate monument.  Basically everything postponed until 4 pm. (2) By the way, this … Read More

Our Bigoted President: An Historical Week of Shame

Ken AshfordRightwing Extremism/Violence, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

It’s Friday, and it’s still difficult for me to comment on the fallout from Trump’s moral equivalence press conference on Tuesday.  Having tucked into his pocket some notes about what he was SUPPOSED to say… Trump “went rogue” (i.e., was himself) and spoke some of the most upsetting words of any President ever. The national discussion is all on my … Read More

Charlottesville

Ken AshfordRightwing Extremism/Violence, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

I did not know it was even going on. I should have been paying attention to social media.  But I woke up on Saturday to news of skirmishes in Charlottesville. White nationalists gathered for a “Unite the Right” march in Charlottesville, ostensibly choosing that town because of the statute of Robert E. Lee, which was going to be taken down. It had … Read More

Breaking: Mueller Empanels DC Grand Jury

Ken AshfordCourts/Law, Crime, L'Affaire Russe, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

In a piece by Del Quentin Wilber and Byron Tau of the Wall Street Journal, just published: Special Counsel Robert Mueller has impaneled a grand jury in Washington to investigate Russia’s interference in the 2016 elections, a sign that his inquiry is growing in intensity and entering a new phase, according to two people familiar with the matter. The grand jury, which began … Read More

Document Dump: Protecting Mueller

Ken AshfordCourts/Law, L'Affaire Russe, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

This bill — from Sens. Lindsey Graham, Cory Booker, Sheldon Whitehouse and Richard Blumenthal — us actually one of two bipartisan bills designed to protect the special counsel from removal by the President or Attorney General. The other bill — by Sens. Thom Tillis and Chris Coons (both on the Senate Judiciary Committee) — does essentially the same thing: it says … Read More

Can A Sitting President Be Indicted?

Ken AshfordConstitution, Crime, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

The conventional wisdom has always said that a sitting president cannot be indicted. Under current law, a President is immune from civil lawsuits in federal court, when it comes to his official acts as president.  This is because of Nixon v. Fitzgerald, a 1982 Supreme Court ruling.  There, the Supreme Court wrote: “The ‘singular importance of the President’s duties’ warrants a stay … Read More

Where The Rubber Meets The Road

Ken AshfordCourts/Law, Trump & AdministrationLeave a Comment

I guess it was bound to happen — the ultimate constitutional question: What happened when the top law enforcement agency refuses to comply with the courts? It has happened on the state level — with desegregation. The governors refused to comply with Brown v Board of Education. So the federal government was sent in, in the form of the US … Read More

The New O’Keefe Video

Ken AshfordFake News, L'Affaire Russe, Right Wing and Inept Media, Wiretapping & SurveillanceLeave a Comment

WH spox Sarah Sanders: “There’s a video circulating now, whether it’s accurate or not I don’t know.” Encourages everyone in nation to watch. — Steve Peoples (@sppeoples) June 27, 2017 So, the White House spokesman wants people to watch a video even though she doesn’t know if it is accurate.  How’s that for devotion to the truth? The video is … Read More

Trust The GOP, Do You?

Ken AshfordCybersecurity, Republicans, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

Well, read this: Political data gathered on more than 198 million US citizens was exposed this month after a marketing firm contracted by the Republican National Committee stored internal documents on a publicly accessible Amazon server. The data leak contains a wealth of personal information on roughly 61 percent of the US population. Along with home addresses, birthdates, and phone … Read More

Another Terrorist Attack In London

Ken AshfordBreaking News, Rightwing Extremism/Violence, War on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

Last night, a van with three people drove into a crowd of worshipers in Finsbury Park, a district in North London. One person was killed, ten were injured. It was a terrorist attack, but not a typical one that garnishes worldwide press attention. Because this time, the terrorists were white and the targets were Muslim. Here’s what is known so … Read More