Robert Mueller

It's time for Democrats to throw down ...we've been playing by the rule book and [D** T* and the R**********] have been playing by street rules. We need to play by street rules ... it would be unforgivable if Democrats roll on this."  Former Congresswoman Donna Edwards

I couldn’t agree more with Donna Edwards.

David Faris is a political scientist and writer.  Back in 2018, he wrote a book encouraging Dems to start to fight dirty.  He said that the Dems have been engaged in policy fights, while the Rethugs have waged procedural wars. 

Faris states that the Constitution is vague, relying on both sides of the aisle working together.  Ever since Gingrich was in charge of Congress, the Rethugs have exploited this Constitutional vagueness to their advantage, e.g., gerrymandering, blocking Merrick Garland, etc.  Faris calls their strategy procedural warfare, which the Rethugs have used for the past 20 years. And why not?  It’s worked for them, they’ve never been held accountable, and they’ve become powerful because of it.

Faris believes that we are in the midst of the unraveling of democracy in this country. He states that the Dems can’t restore order by respecting rules that are not respected by the Rethugs.  Faris says if the Dems don’t return the favor with some of this procedural war stuff, the only other option is to continue watching the Rethugs do it.  

One of the procedural changes Faris suggests is for Democrats to break up California  into seven states.  He reasons that based on our current system, Democratic-leaning states, which contain a lot more people, are rarely going to be fairly represented in the Senate.  Faris said this shouldn’t be that difficult to do.  It would require an act by the California governor (of course a Dem), validated by the state legislature, and then a Democrat-controlled Congress could make it official.  More electoral college votes; more Democratic senators!

The Rethugs need to know what it’s like to be on the short end of the stick.  It looks like the Dems are finally starting to fight for democracy with a sense of urgency.  Thank God.

Looking at the Mueller Report from a  mental health perspective.   It’s nothing intuitive people don’t already see, but it provides the detailed back room accounts of Mango’s weak erratic and dangerous behavior and how his staff continually protects the country from him (they also protect him from himself).  Some Yale psychiatrists analyzed it here.  

Hey Jeanne - After reading your comments about intuiting "the fierce determination and lawlessness of the GOP and Trump -- stopping at nothing that they can get away with" I recalled a similar feeling I had during a RV session here last October.

The topic, set by Maria, was about the then-upcoming Midterm elections. Among the RV "glimpses" I received was of the Senate Republican leadership, which kinda surprised me because I expected more insight into the House races. Anyway, here's what I "saw":

"There were some images and "feelings" captured, though. The Senate was foremost in my RV thoughts. I kept getting big images of Mitch McConnell. Ordinarily, his persona is hard to decipher, and for this exercise I can't determine if he's upset or not . He's got his "mask" on and he's a tough nut to crack. However, his big ol' Mitch face kept appearing on my "RV screen".  Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, also appeared. He's the Republican Senate Majority Whip. I sensed a real steely determination in him, a sort of "we must do this" attitude, like Cortez ordering his boats be burned on the beach. There's no going back now."

Mitch and Cornyn were the clearest RV moments of that session. It was like a warning that these guys would be Big Trouble going forward. There was a real sense of them and fellow GOP travelers thinking "we've got to follow through on this, no matter what."

Wow lots of stuff going on the last couple of days.  I have thought all along that the Dems have  to get tough.  Someone ask Pelosi about jailing Barr for contempt and she pointed out there is a jail cell in the Capitol building.  David Farris is right about the Rethugs playing dirty.  A state congressman  in Texis introduced a bill making illegal to transport an elderly, disabled or poor person to vote!  He is essentually trying to take away the rights of citizens.

Trump is becoming more and more unhindged, and so have his supporters.  In a rally in the Florida panhandle, when immigrants were brought up, the crowd yelled "shoot them".  Trump was smiling and joyful. He loves the violence.  In New Mexico last month a right wing militia was "helping" the border patrol round up immigrants.  One of the leaders stated he wanted permission to build towers and shoot the immigrants before they crossed the border.  If just one of these idiots lets lose and shoots will Trump excuse them  and pardon them?  They released the Coast Guard member who was stock piling weapons and threatening to shoot public officals.  They ruled that he didn't pose a terrorest threat!  

By the way, is anyone else sick and tired of Melania and her "be Best" BS?  To give the speech she did on bullying and parenting when her husband goes  on twitter rants that call people horrible names and calls for violence against "the enemies of the people" meaning enemys of his.  I don't remember where she was speaking but one of the other speakers was a ex-TV personality from fox who was fired for harrassing his female co-workers with text pics of his penis!  Great group of people FLOTUS!  When people say they feel sorry for her, I laugh.  She is as bad a s her husband.

The WH has also started pulling press passes for journalist they don't like which means anyone who isn't affiliated wiht the right wing.  Falwell calling for Trump to get two additional years is another of their tactics.  I honestly believe they are putting as much out there as they can to see if the public will rally around Trump.  I truly beieve it will backfire.  

I know we all have to stay strong and generate as much light as we can.  Personally I am sick and tired of all the negitive crap the administration is putting out there and I know I'm not the only one.  I quit watching the news in 2016 and am very selective were I get my info on the internet.

Namaste.

Sorry I got a little off topic here.  I believe Mueller will eventually testify and it will be earth shattering.

Has anyone seen the movie "VICE"? It is an eye opener to see just how the GOP started their systematic destruction of our democracy and how they skewed things for their nefarious deeds.  It was also a very good movie too :-)

I have been saying for years now that the dems need to fight dirty - you can't "bring a knife to a gun fight". That does not mean I want them to use their power the way the GOP has, however the idea of dividing up California for the sake of having more senators is brilliant. Problem is the voters may not always vote the way you think...so perhaps it can work, but even better would be someday when there is a blue wave in all houses the amount of senators per state should be one of the things that future administration will need to change. Senators should be based on both criteria, state and population. A state like North Dakota should have 1 or 2 but California should have 6 or 7. N. Dakota has the same amount as California - 2! Yet you could fit everyone in N. Dakota in just one city in California! 

Well it's official - Nancy Pelosi just admitted on TV that we are in a constitutional crisis.

Even so, the Dems keep bringing neatly folded napkins to the gunfight.

And I agree, they need to start swinging their d*cks like the Rethugs do, and start fighting dirty fire with dirty fire. Obeying the laws to the letter in this case means the end of our democracy.

I'm hopeful that Mueller will leave DoJ soon, and then go have a few nice tattle tale sessions with Congress. BUT he may be bound by his security clearances to not reveal everything, even if he is subpoenaed.

Meanwhile, I think the IRS commissioner should just go ahead and hand over Twitler's returns, do the right thing and f*ck Mnuchin. I'd fall on my sword gladly if it was me.

     I have a number of questions I would like for Jeanne or other psychics to answer: It's abundantly clear that Republicans are eager to shut down the investigations under a false premise, that the Mueller investigation found nothing and there is nothing more to be learned. The situation with Senator Richard Burr's  Senate Intelligence Committee raises a number of questions. If Donald Trump Jr. defies the subpoena, will Senator Burr have the courage to take enforcement action? Did Richard Burr make a deal with someone to ignore all the flack he's getting from GOP partisans and have his committee continue to investigate issues that haven't been fully resolved?

     We're undoubtedly going to see court litigation that will determine whether Trump and his followers get away with the blatant cover ups. What exactly what should we expect during the next 3 or 4 months which impacts the success or failure of the GOP cover up attempts?

why that may not work: https://theweek.com/speedreads/833454/trumps-handpicked-irs-chief-irs-legal-counsel-both-have-ties-trump-businesses

Meanwhile, I think the IRS commissioner should just go ahead and hand over Twitler's returns, do the right thing and f*ck Mnuchin. I'd fall on my sword gladly if it was me.

Which is why we are happy that NY State just voted to release his New York State taxes, which should contain much of the same information as the federal taxes. 

The one way Twitler isn't a complete moron is that he installed people who have just as much to lose by his downfall as he does.  Truth will out, it'll just take longer.

I get the feeling that EVERYTHING Trumple Dumpskin et al are doing right now is all about delaying. They want to run out the clock on statutes of limitations, or until they can somehow escape.

I believe Mango Jr. will plead 5th Amendment when he gets in front of the Senate Intel Committee. Doing so delays things considerably.

Yes, the truth will out eventually, but similarly to Jeanne, my feeling has always been that it will take at least a decade to sort out and reset.

Laura, those issues are known and are being worked on. Eric Swalwell announced two months ago that legislators were working on a bill to address that very issue.  Today the No President Is Above the Law Act was introduced by Swalwell, Nadler, and Deutch. In a nutshell, it waives the statue of limitations on crimes that incumbent presidents may be accused of in the event that the DOJ rule about not indicting a sitting president is invoked. I don't know if McConnell will allow it to see the light of day in the Senate, and if it does pass, I'd assume that Cheatolini would veto it-if he's still in office by then (I'm still a Pollyanna). However, this is just the start. Eventually bills like this will be written and passed so that we will never have to go through such criminal governance in the future. 

Note: this thread turned into a potent  discussion about how to deal with tough emotions about DT and his enablers.  I have moved those posts to a new thread in a section on coping: Can you love Donald Trump and Company? 

Feel free to continue posting here on Robert Mueller. :-)

Back to Mueller.

Is he looking forward to or dreading his upcoming testimony?  Does he have any desire to protect the illegal actions of his alleged friend Barr?  How much impact will he have?  Twitler sure seems frantic about it.

I threw a few cards on Barr and Mueller this morning and got the following: 

I asked how Barr is feeling now and in the near future (after Mueller’s testimony) and got (Rider Waite):

The seven of pentacles - reaping what you have sown, preparation for retirement?

The tower reversed - fear, averting disaster or possibly deferring disaster 

I asked how Mueller is feeling in the lead up to testifying, after testifying and then further into the future as clarification:

The knight of swords - committed to completing his mission, courage

Death reversed - delay and change?  I thought possibly being shunned by the R’s for causing them problems

King of pentacles reversed - I wasn’t sure what to make of this except maybe that he retires because he is fed up or disappointed with the whole situation.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the combinations of the cards and I felt a bit apprehensive about Mueller’s. I am still a novice at this. If anyone has a take on it, I would be very interested to hear it. These are most certainly trying times! 

Joining you here, Baba, with so much admiration and gratitude. I threw a card on Trump last weekend and saw he was sick with fear. He channels darkness so not surprised that he has given himself over to dark forces to help him stay on top.  

Throwing cards today, I see it is all in flux right now, like a fierce battle where power shifts daily.  

For Barr, I get that suddenly he is feeling better after previously feeling that all might be lost.  He has staked his future on continued right wing control and this past week it was looking like he might lose. He looked scared, and become a rat who jumps ship. I grew a card for his his wife, just to see if I could learn more about Barr's condition, and  looked scared too (Thoth Five Cups - Disappointment).

When I throw more cards, I see  it's all in flux now:  They are in a battle for control over this court order,  and Trump sends messages to Barr to hang in there because he's concocting something, as always, using his gift at swaying public sentiment.

I get vision of Trump as Khali, the Octopus god of darkness,  rapidly moving his many arms like he's conducting an orchestra. He's stirring up energies in the collective to make things go his way. (He's love bombing various factions that might support him. He's  tweeting this thing and sending orders for that thing, i.e., the border control, tweets to please various factions, he's talking, tweeting, rallying support, offering gifts.

None of Trump's love bombing is sincere - just trying to protect himself.

Back to Barr and Trump's other enablers.

Not using cards now, but inner images flowing in my head:  They are working on a plan to deal with the court order to release the Flynn tapes.  Delay, injunctions, tie it up in appeals.  

If they can't stop the release of the tapes, then Barr's plan is to play good guy. His argument will be that he has always acted in good faith and followed the letter of the law.

They will delay Mueller's testimony.  If they have to keep on on the Justice payroll longer in order to prevent him from testifying, then they will do that. Feels like it is already in process. 

Cards on Mueller:  Outwardly he is quiet, awaiting orders. Inwardly, I get the Tower which is the Tarot card for serious life crisis. In the Tower, the world you have lived in has become too small for you.  You have outgrown your prior beliefs, mentors, and, well, your world as you have known it is like a house that is burning down.

Mueller is a soldier who believes in the rule of law. The issue here is which law does he feel he should follow? I pull the Thoth Five of Wands, Strife, Saturn in Leo.  His Leo needs autonomy to complete his work in the way he saw his job to be.  But Saturn is the Office of the Attorney General, the General Council's office of the A.G., and their interpretation of the laws of the U.S. restricting him. I ask if he will testify in June.  It seems yes, (Magus card - God of Communication speaking), but then is followed by the Tower, a huge crisis ensues. It feels like he is being drawn and quartered.

This is a big moment for Mueller's own development.  He doesn't want to become a tool for a corrupt commander.  But he is a soldier.  He wants to find a commander, but there is no one. He struggles with how to proceed. He knows that if he defies orders, they can arrest him. 

I wish I had a bottom line for June and July. But I can't see it right now.  

Baba and Jeanne,

Fascinating!!! You make a great team!

Anyone else picking up anything or tagging onto Baba and Jeanne's wonderful Tarot gifts?

?

Why doesn’t Mueller resign from the DOJ?  Do you think it has to do with his sense of loyalty, i.e., he's a good soldier?   About a week ago Judge Andrew Napolitano, who used to be a staunch supporter of Con Don, stated that Mueller can resign from the DOJ if the president or the AJ tries to stop him from testifying about his final report.  Napolitano stated that the president has power over a government employee, but not over a private citizen.  There is no privilege.  He says the author of the report (Mueller) made it 99%  public.  Which means he can lawfully testify about it.

I strongly sense Mueller is very conflicted.   I feel his distress.

 

Why doesn’t Mueller resign from the DOJ? --deetoo

I threw a card asking the question, What will Mueller do? I got that he will testify and tell the truth. The cards say it will happen in August. 

I sense we only know a small fraction of the expansiveness of the crimes. I have felt overwhelmed the last few days..there seems to be so many tentacles to the corruption. I can easily find myself spiraling into despair since there appears to be yuck everywhere! The self righteousness from the right really depresses me. So dense and dark. 

I don’t understand why the Democratic house isn’t taking a hard line holding people in contempt. I get it that they want to exhaust all avenues prior to going to court, but can’t they take a hard line, hold them in contempt and then proceed through a court process?  

I am so hoping for a breakthrough..some kind of breakthrough that will move us forward through this terrible darkness.