I want you to think of a case about five years ago. In Florida a kid got drunk, slaughtered some folks on the side of the road and got slap on the wrist.
He claimed "afluenza," sayin' he was too RICH to understand what he'd done.
He had rich parents, who on the state level had plenty of political influence. They had some real power. His parents hired expensive attorneys and experts, spent a bunch of money, and I assume favors, and he got off.
Before I go any further, I should tell you that this thread is insider information. I, a simple old vet just scrapin' by, am a member of a family Iike to refer to as "donor class."
These are power plays in U.S. politics and religion I've seen or been told of my entire life.
4/
We're talking old southern money. Not TOO old, there's no slavery in there THANKFULLY. I've got enough slime on me from these people already: my great grandfather used to pay a guy to go to the border to pick up Mexicans in a flatbed for a 10+hr drive to make pennies a day.
5/
Now this stuff isn't easy for me to tell, it's very personal, and I do have some on that side of my family I love dearly.
But it's important to me that "outsiders" understand these things. If you don't have a family with real political clout, you just DON'T KNOW.
6/
It's money of a staggering amount. I once saw a 8'x12' wall floor to ceiling in gold bars in a family vault. Who needs THAT?
It's UGLY religion, capitalist style. I asked my grandfather his thoughts on DDT.
"The lord gave us this land to do with as we wish."
SERIOUSLY?
7/
I've seen major felons walk away SCOTT FREE. I've seen undeserving, underperforming, terrible people afforded advantages and breaks in life that would light your hair on fire if I told it all.
Now if you think these people give a damn about anything but themselves, you are SORELY mistaken. Most of the people in this class don't even LIKE EACH OTHER, even w/in family bonds.
Everyone else is a threat to their power and money.
9/
A man like Kavanaugh and his prep school buddies, think NOTHING of others. Others are just trash to them, props in the story of their lives.
Ten bucks says even if he does remember this episode of sexual assault we know about, he doesn't think a damn thing was wrong with it. 10/
The reason that there's no process with Kavanaugh is that they see this all slipping away, this old rich white guy club.
And they'll do ANYTHING to keep it. Kavanaugh's about POWER to them, about control, and woe be to those who threaten it.
"You deploy because your nation sends you to these places. And then one day you come home and you realize it was all a lie."
1/
"Our town is dying. One out of every four homes is an abandoned dilapidated structure, and you get told; keep picking up trash and let leaders do what leaders do."
2/
"Elected leaders in our towns, our states, in our COUNTRY are absolutely are self serving."
I live in Indiana, where Joe Donnelly is up for re-election. The play right now from repubs is to hammer in how awesome Kavenaugh is, then either get Donnelly's vote, or to hammer HIM with a no vote come election time.
A commercial's been runnin'.
Let's dissect it shall we? 1/
Brett rolled out of a SCOTUS clerkship right into Ken Starr's waiting arms, a low level repub legal attack dog right off the bat. A real sharp tack. washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politic… 2/
Kavanaugh's curious too, like when he wanted to know the details of Bill Clinton's sexual activities for the Starr Report. Because "family values." cnn.com/2018/08/20/pol… 3/
This is a partial list of Republicans who have resigned or lost re-election because of scandal in the last eighteen years.
Mark Foley. Larry "Wide Stance" Craig. Newt Gingrich. Chris Lee. Mike Flynn. Scott Pruitt. Tom Price. Brenda Fitzgerald.
1/
Taylor Weyeneth. David Sorenson.
Vivieva Wright Simpson. Rob Porter. Tony Tooke. Rick Gates. Paul Manafort. Steve Stockman. Tim Murphy. Trent Franks. Terence Flynn. David Petraeus. Aaron Schock. Benjamin Cole. Brett O'donnell. Thaddeus McCotter.
2/
Paul Seewald. Don Yowchuang. Jesse Benton. David Rivera. Rick Renzi. Mike Crapo. Trey Radel. John Ensign. Michael Grimm. John Tate. Dimitri Kesari. Fred Pagan. Scott Desjarlais. Adam Khune. David Wihby. Mark Fueller. Samuel B. Kent. Jack Camp.
3/
War zones are constant stress. The tension never stops, the threat of action being constant. In this information war the same applies.
The constant outrage, the looking for and stopping bad actors.
(Thread)
There's been a lot of malaise and defeatism amongst good folks out there, and the soldier in me refuses to accept that.
Morale is KEY to winning.
I've been helping that out, here and there on threads, but people keep asking me how I can be so positive.
1/
Let me say first, emotionally this has NOT been easy for me, nor any of you out there. The pain of this administration is real for SO many, and each has their own reason. After the election I hid from people for days.
But then I got motivated again.
2/
For my kids, for your kids, for our great experiment of self governance. I refused to believe that despotism will take our great nation.