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mostlysignssomeportents · 7 months

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The conservative movement is cracking up

I'll be in Stratford, Ontario, appearing onstage with Vass Bednar as part of the CBC IDEAS Festival. I'm also doing an afternoon session for middle-schoolers at the Stratford Public Library.

Politics always requires coalitions. In parliamentary democracies, the coalitions are visible, when they come together to form the government. In a dictatorship, the coalitions are hidden to everyone except infighting princelings and courtiers (until a general or minister is executed, exiled or thrown in prison.)

In a two-party system, the coalitions are inside the parties – not quite as explicit as the coalition governments in a multiparty parliament, but not so opaque as the factions in a dictatorship. Sometimes, there are even explicit structures to formalize the coalition, like the Biden Administration's Unity Task Force, which parceled out key appointments among two important blocs within the party (the finance wing and the Sanders/Warren wing).

Conservative politics are also a coalition, of course. As an outsider, I confess that I am much less conversant with the internal power-struggles in the GOP and the conservative movement, though I'm trying to remedy that. Books like Nathan J Robinson's Responding to the Right present a great overview of various conservative belief-systems:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/14/nathan-robinson/#arguendo

And the Know Your Enemy podcast does an amazing job of diving deep into right-wing beliefs, especially when it comes to identifying fracture lines in the conservative establishment. A recent episode on the roots of contemporary right-wing antisemitism in the paleocon/neocon split was hugely informative and fascinating:

https://www.dissentmagazine.org/blog/know-your-enemy-in-search-of-anti-semitism-with-john-ganz/

Political parties are weak institutions, liable to capture and hospitable to corruption. General elections aren't foolproof or impervious to fraud, but they're miles more robust than parties, whose own leadership selection processes and other key decisions can be made in the shadows, according to rules that can be changed on a whim:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/30/weak-institutions/

Which means that parties are brittle, weak vessels that we rely on to contain the volatile mixture of factions who might actually hate each other, sometimes even more than they hate the other party. Remember the defenestration of GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy? That:

https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555

Even outsiders like me know that there's a deep fracture in the Republican Party, with Trumpists on one side and the "establishment" on the other side. Reading accounts of the 2016 GOP leadership race, I get the distinct impression that Trump's win was even more shocking to party insiders than it was to the rest of us.

Which makes sense. They thought they had the party under control, knew where its levers were and how to pull them. For us, Trump's win was a terrible mystery. For GOP power-brokers, it was a different kind of a nightmare, the kind where you discover that controls to the the car you're driving in high-speed traffic aren't connected to anything and you're not really the driver.

But as Trump's backers – another coalition – fall out among each other, it's becoming easier for the rest of us to understand what happened. Take FBI informant Peter Thiel's defection from the Trump camp:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/11/12/silicon-valley-billionaire-donors-presidential-candidates/

Thiel was the judas goat who led tech's reactionary billionaires into Trump's tent, blazing a trail and raising a fortune on the way. Thiel's support for Trump was superficially surprising. After all, Thiel is gay, and Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, openly swore war on queers of all kinds. Today, Thiel has rebuffed Trump's fundraising efforts and is reportedly on Trump's shit-list.

But as a Washington Post report – drawing heavily on gossiping anonymous insiders – explains. Thiel has never let homophobia blind him to the money and power he stands to gain by backing bigots:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/11/12/silicon-valley-billionaire-donors-presidential-candidates/

Thiel bankrolled Blake Masterson's Senate race, despite Masterson's promise to roll back marriage equality – and despite the fact that Masterton attended Thiel's wedding to another man.

According to the post, the Thiel faction's abandonment of Trump wasn't driven by culture war issues. Rather, they were fed up with Trump's chaotic, undisciplined governance strategy, which scuttled many opportunities to increase the wealth and power of America's oligarchs. Thiel insiders complained that Trump's "character traits sabotaged the policy changes" and decried Trump's habit of causing "turmoil and chaos…that would interfere with his agenda" rather than "executing relentlessly."

For Trump's base, the cruelty might be the point. But for his backers, the cruelty was the tactic, and the point was money, and the power it brings. When Trump seemed like he might use cruel tactics to achieve power, his backers went along for the ride. But when Trump made it clear that he would trade opportunities for power solely to indulge his cruelty, they bailed.

That's an important fracture line in the modern American conservative coalition, but it's not the only one.

Writing in the BIG newsletter, Matt Stoller and Lee Hepner describes the emerging conservative split over antitrust and monopoly:

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/is-there-an-establishment-plan-to

Antitrust has been the centerpiece of the Biden Administration's most progressive political project. For the left wing of the Dems, blunting corporate power is seen as the necessary condition for rolling back the entire conservative program, which depends on oligarch-provided cash infusions, media campaigns, and thinktank respectability.

But elements of the right have also latched onto antitrust, for reasons of their own. Take the Catholic traditionalists who see weakening corporate power as a path to restoring a "traditional" household where a single breadwinner can support a family:

https://www.capitalisnt.com/episodes/when-capitalism-becomes-tyranny-with-sohrab-ahmari

There's another reason to support antitrust, of course – it's popular. There are large, bipartisan majorities opposed to monopoly and in favor of antitrust action:

https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/Antitrust_Policy_poll_results.pdf

Two-thirds of Americans support anti-monopoly laws. 70% of Americans say monopolies are bad for the economy. The Biden administration is doing more on antitrust than any presidency since the Carter years, but 52% of Americans haven't heard about it:

https://www.ft.com/content/c17c35a3-e030-4e3b-9f49-c6bdf7d3da7f

There's a big opportunity latent in the facts of antitrust's popularity, and the Biden antitrust agenda's obscurity. So far, the Biden administration hasn't figured out how to seize that opportunity, but some Dems are trying to grab it. Take Montana Senator John Tester, a Democrat in a Trump-voting state, whose campaign has taken aim at the meat-packing monopolies that are screwing the state's ranchers.

The right wants in on this. At a Federalist Society black-tie event last week during the National Lawyer's Convention, Biden's top antitrust enforcers got a warm welcome. Jonathan Kanter, the DOJ's top antitrust cop, was praised onstage by Todd Zywicki, whom Stoller and Hepner call "a highly influential law professors," from George Mason Univeristy, a fortress of pro-corporate law and economics. Zywicki praised the DoJ and FTC's new antitrust guidelines – which have been endlessly damned in the WSJ and other conservative outlets – as a reasonable and necessary compromise:

https://fedsoc.org/events/national-press-club-event

Even Lina Khan – the bogeywoman of the WSJ editorial page – got a warm reception at her fireside chat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FwdAxOSznE

And the convention's hot Saturday ticket was "a debate between two conservatives over whether social media platforms had sufficient monopoly power that the state could regulate them as common carriers":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwoO7bZajXk

This is pretty amazing. And yet…lawmakers haven't gotten the memo. During markup for last week's appropriations bill, lawmakers inserted a flurry of anti-antitrust amendments into the must-pass legislation:

https://www.economicliberties.us/press-release/fsgg-approps-bill-must-support-enforcers-not-kneecap-them/#

These amendments were just wild. Rep Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI) introduced an amendment that would give companies carte blanche to stick you with unlimited junk fees, and allow corporations to take away their workers' rights to change jobs through noncompetes:

https://www.congress.gov/congressional-report/118th-congress/house-report/269

Another amendment would block the FTC from enforcing against "unfair methods of competition." Translation: the FTC couldn't punish companies like Amazon for using algorithms to hike prices, or for conspiring to raise insulin prices, or its predatory pricing aimed at killing small- and medium-sized grocers.

An amendment from Rep Kat Cammack (R-FL) would kill the FTC's "click to cancel" rule, which will force companies to let you cancel your subscriptions the same way you sign up for them – instead of making you wait on hold to beg a customer service rep to let you cancel.

Another one: "a provision to let auto dealers cheat customers with undisclosed added fees":

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-118hr4664rh/pdf/BILLS-118hr4664rh.pdf

Dems got in on the action, too. A bipartisan pair, Rep Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep Lou Correa (D-FL), unsuccessfully attempted to strip the Department of Transport of its powers to block mergers, which were most recently used to block the merger of Jetblue and Spirit:

https://www.congress.gov/amendment/118th-congress/house-amendment/640

And 206 Republicans voted to block the DoT from investigating airline price-gouging. As Stoller and Hepner point out, these reps serve constituents from low-population states that are especially vulnerable to this kind of extraction.

This morning, Jim Jordan hosted a Judiciary Committee meeting where he raked DOJ antitrust boss Jonathan Kanter over the coals, condemning the same merger guidelines that Zywicki praised to the Federalist Society:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7jxc8dp8erhe1q3wpndre/GOP-oversight-hearing-memo-11.13.23.pdf?rlkey=d54ur91ry3mc69bta5vhgg13z&dl=0

Jordan's prep memo reveals his plan to accuse Kanter of being an incompetent who keeps failing in his expensive bids to hold corporate power to account, and being an all-powerful government goon who's got a boot on the chest of American industry. Stoller and Hepner invoke the old Yiddish joke: "The food at this restaurant is terrible, and the portions are too small!"

Stoller and Hepner close by wondering what to make of this factional split in the American right. Is it that these members of the GOP Congressional caucus just haven't gotten the memo? Or is this a peek at what corporate lobbyists home to accomplish after the 2024 elections?

They suggest that both Democrats and Republican primary contesters in that race could do well by embracing antitrust, "Establishment Republicans want you to pay more for groceries, healthcare, and travel, and are perfectly fine letting monopoly corporations make decisions about your daily life."

I don't know if Republicans will take them up on it. The party's most important donors are pathologically loss-averse and unwilling to budge on even the smallest compromise. Even a faint whiff of state action against unlimited corporate power can provoke a blitz of frenzied scare-ads. In New York state, a proposal to ban noncompetes has triggered a seven-figure ad-buy from the state's Business Council:

https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/noncompete-campaign-raises-state-lobbying-18442769.php

It's hard to overstate how unhinged these ads are. Writing for The American Prospect, Terri Gerstein describes one: "a hammer smashes first an alarm clock, then a light bulb, with shards of glass flying everywhere. An ominous voice predicts imminent doom. Then, for good measure, a second alarm clock is shattered":

https://prospect.org/labor/2023-11-10-business-groups-reflexive-anti-worker-demagogy/

Banning noncompetes is good for workers, but it's also unambiguously good for business and the economy. They "reduce new firm entry, innovation by startups, and the ability of new firms to grow." 44% of small business owners report having been blocked from starting a new company because of a noncompete; 35% have been blocked from hiring the right person for a vacancy due to a noncompete. :

https://eig.org/noncompetes-research-brief/

As Gerstein writes, it's not unusual for the business lobby to lobby against things that are good for business – and lobby hard. The Chamber of Commerce has gone Hulk-mode on simple proposals to adapt workplaces for rising temperatures, acting as though permitting "rest, shade, water, and gradual acclimatization" on the jobsite will bring business to a halt. But actual businesses who've implemented these measures describe them as an easy lift that increases productivity.

The Chamber lobbies against things its members support – like paid sick days. The Chamber complains endlessly about the "patchwork" of state sick leave rules – but scuttles any attempt to harmonize these rules nationally, even though members who've implemented them call them "no big deal":

https://cepr.net/report/no-big-deal-the-impact-of-new-york-city-s-paid-sick-days-law-on-employers/

The Chamber's fight against American businesses is another one of those fracture lines in the conservative coalition. Working with far right dark money groups, they've worked in statehouses nationwide to roll back child labor laws:

https://www.epi.org/blog/florida-legislature-proposes-dangerous-roll-back-of-child-labor-protections-at-least-16-states-have-introduced-bills-putting-children-at-risk/

They also fight tooth-and-nail against minimum wage rises, despite 80% of their members supporting them:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/04/04/leaked-documents-show-strong-business-support-for-raising-the-minimum-wage/

The spectacle of Republicans in disarray is fascinating to watch and even a little exciting, giving me hope for real progressive gains. Of course, it would help if the Democratic coalition wasn't such a mess.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/14/when-youve-lost-the-fedsoc/#anti-buster-buster

Image: Jason Auch, modified https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antarctic_mountains,_pack_ice_and_ice_floes.jpg

CC BY 2.0

#pluralistic #trustbusting #antitrust #schisms #infighting #conservativism #millionaire on billionaire violence #jim jordan #lina khan #jonathan kanter #federalist society #trumpism #class struggle #labor

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mariacallous · 5 months

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Two days before the January 6 insurrection, the Trump campaign’s plan to use fake electors to block President-elect Joe Biden from taking office faced a potentially crippling hiccup: The fake elector certificates from two critical battleground states were stuck in the mail.

So, Trump campaign operatives scrambled to fly copies of the phony certificates from Michigan and Wisconsin to the nation’s capital, relying on a haphazard chain of couriers, as well as help from two Republicans in Congress, to try to get the documents to then-Vice President Mike Pence while he presided over the Electoral College certification.

The operatives even considered chartering a jet to ensure the files reached Washington, DC, in time for the January 6, 2021, proceeding, according to emails and recordings obtained by CNN.

The new details provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the chaotic last-minute effort to keep Donald Trump in office. The fake electors scheme features prominently in special counsel Jack Smith’s criminal indictment against the former president, and some of the officials who were involved have spoken to Smith’s investigators.

The emails and recordings also indicate that a top Trump campaign lawyer was part of 11th-hour discussions about delivering the fake elector certificates to Pence, potentially undercutting his testimony to the House select committee that investigated January 6 that he had passed off responsibility and didn’t want to put the former vice president in a difficult spot.

These details largely come from pro-Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro, who was an architect of the fake electors plot and is now a key cooperator in several state probes into the scheme. Chesebro pleaded guilty in October to a felony conspiracy charge in Georgia in connection with the electors’ plan, and has met with prosecutors in Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin, who are investigating the sham GOP electors in their own states.

Chesebro is an unindicted co-conspirator in the federal election interference indictment against Trump.

CNN has obtained audio of Chesebro’s recent interview with Michigan investigators, and exclusively reported earlier this month that he also told them about a December 2020 Oval Office meeting where he briefed Trump about the fake electors plan and how it ties into January 6.

An attorney for Chesebro declined to comment. A spokesman for the special counsel’s office did not reply to a request for comment for this story.

‘A high-level decision’

Emails obtained by CNN corroborate what Chesebro told Michigan prosecutors: He communicated with the top Trump campaign lawyer, Matt Morgan, and another campaign official, Mike Roman, to ferry the documents to Washington on January 5.

From there, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and a Pennsylvania congressman assisted in the effort to get the documents into Pence’s hands.

“This is a high-level decision to get the Michigan and Wisconsin votes there,” Chesebro told Michigan prosecutors. “And they had to enlist, you know, a US senator to try to expedite it, to get it to Pence in time.”

Chesebro also discussed the episode with Wisconsin investigators last week when he sat for an interview with the attorney general’s office as part of a separate state probe into the fake electors plot, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

Wisconsin prosecutors asked about the episode “extensively,” the source said, noting Chesebro discussed how a Wisconsin GOP staffer flew the certificate from Milwaukee to Washington and then handed it off to Chesebro.

The firsthand account from Chesebro’s perspective helps fill in the narrative behind the effort to hand-deliver elector slates to Pence, which is vaguely referenced in Smith’s federal indictment.

Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include conspiring with Chesebro and others to obstruct the January 6 certification proceeding. Before Chesebro’s guilty plea in Georgia, his attorneys reached out to Smith’s team. As of this week, he has not heard back from federal prosecutors, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

Federal investigators have spoken with several individuals involved in the scramble with the phony elector certificates, according to a source familiar with the matter. This includes interviews with Trump staffers who were tapped to fly the papers to DC, and some fake electors who knew of the planning.

A spokesperson for the Trump campaign did not reply to a request for comment.

Asked about the episode, a spokesperson for Johnson pointed to his previous comments, where he said, “my involvement in that attempt to deliver spanned the course of a couple seconds,” and that, “in the end, those electors were not delivered.”

‘Day-by-day’ coordination

According to the recordings of Chesebro’s sit-down with Michigan prosecutors, he explained how a legal memo he wrote for Wisconsin transformed into a nationwide operation, where Trump lawyers were “day-by-day coordinating the efforts of more than a dozen people with the GOP and with the Trump campaign.”

On January 4, 2021, Morgan sent an email to Chesebro and Roman asking for confirmation that all of the Trump elector slates had been received by Congress, according to the documents obtained by CNN.

Roman responded that the Michigan certificate had been mailed on December 15 but was still “in transit” at a US Postal Service facility in DC. Wisconsin’s certificate also had apparently not arrived.

Chesebro told prosecutors that Morgan was “freaked out” when the campaign realized the phony certificates from Michiganwere still in the mail.

That same day, Morgan weighed in over email asking Chesebro and Roman to rethink how they would deliver the certificates to Pence.

“As I thought about this more, a courier will not be able to access the Capitol to deliver a sealed package,” Morgan wrote on January 4, according to emails obtained by CNN “You will probably need to enlist the help of a legislator who can deliver to the appropriate place(s). I strongly recommend you guys discuss a revised delivery plan with Rudy (Giuliani) to make sure this gets done the way he wants.”

‘Can we charter a flight?’

Roman was concerned the Wisconsin documents wouldn’t reach Washington in time.

“Can we charter a flight? The only available commercial from MKE (Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport) to DCA (Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport) arrives at 2130 tomorrow night,” Roman wrote to Chesebro on January 4 at 11:24 p.m.

The job of physically flying the elector documents to Washington fell to two people: A Trump campaign staffer and a Wisconsin GOP official, according to the emails and what Chesebro told prosecutors.

The Wisconsin GOP official who had that state’s elector documents landed after 10 a.m. on January 5 at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, according to the emails.

Trump campaign aide Michael Brown flew with the Michigan certificates to Washington National Airport with a scheduled arrival around 1 p.m., according to emails obtained by CNN. A source familiar with the matter told CNN that Brown flew to DC from Atlanta, because the Trump staffers who had custody of the Michigan ballots were in Georgia for the Senate runoffs.

The campaign booked and paid for Brown’s flight on Southwest Airlines, the source said. Federal campaign finance records indicate that a pro-Trump super PAC paid the airline on the day of Brown’s flight for travel related to election “recount” efforts.

Trump Hotel meetup

The emails show that Brown and the Wisconsin GOP official were instructed to meet Chesebro at the Trump International Hotel in downtown Washington to hand off the fake elector certificates. Chesebro said in an email that he’d keep the ballots in his hotel room safe until it was time to pass them along.

Wisconsin Republican Party officials were annoyed at the request to courier the fake elector certificates to Washington. “Freaking trump idiots want someone to fly original elector papers to the senate President,” a Wisconsin GOP official wrote to then-state party chairman Andrew Hitt on January 4, according to the January 6 committee report.

Hitt – who has provided information to federal investigators about the efforts to get the fake elector certificates to Washington, according to a source familiar with the matter – told the January 6 committee that the couriering ended up being overkill, because the original documents that the state party had mailed to Washington actually made it in time.

Getting the certificates inside the Capitol

The documents still had to be hand-delivered to Pence’s Senate office in the Capitol.

The electors plot – as envisioned by Chesebro and other Trump allies – was that Pence could reject Biden’s legitimate electors and recognize Trump’s “alternate electors” on January 6, while lawmakers tallied the electoral votes from each state. Per federal law, the certificates need to be physically presented on the floor of Congress during the joint session, while lawmakers tally the electoral votes.

Chesebro told investigators that Roman connected him with an aide for a Pennsylvania GOP lawmaker that he believed was Rep. Scott Perry to turn over the documents. Chesebro wasn’t certain which congressman the staffer worked for – and the January 6 report says a staffer for a different Pennsylvania Republican, Rep. Mike Kelly, helped shuttle the documents that day.

“I had the Wisconsin stuff. [Trump campaign aide] Mike Brown had the Michigan stuff. We walked to the Longworth Office Building, and the guy with Perry, or whatever his name is, and some other fellow, that were like staff members of the House, took them and said, ‘We’re going to walk them over to the Senate and give it to a Senate staffer,’” Chesebro told Michigan prosecutors, according to the audio obtained by CNN.

“I don’t know why logistically we didn’t take it directly to Johnson. But that’s how we did it,” he added.

Kelly and Perry’s offices did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment.

Brown did not comment for this story. CNN previously reported that he testified in June to Smith’s grand jury in the Trump election subversion probe.

CNN previously reported that Roman sat for a proffer interview with Smith’s team before Trump was indicted. He was also indicted in the sweeping Georgia election racketeering case, in connection with the fake electors scheme, and has pleaded not guilty.

Roman’s attorney did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The details from Chesebro put a finer point on how members of Congress, including a sitting US senator, were involved in making sure the electoral certificates for Trump ended up in Pence’s hands.

The January 6 committee first revealed last year Johnson’s involvement in trying unsuccessfully to deliver the fake elector certificates to Pence, who announced on the morning of the joint session that it would be unconstitutional to do what Trump wanted and unilaterally overturn the election results.

The committee revealed text messages during their hearings last year that Johnson aide Sean Riley sent to Pence aide Chris Hodgson, saying that Johnson “needs to hand something to VPOTUS please advise.”

“What is it?” Hodgson asked.

“Alternate slates of electors for MI and WI because archivist didn’t receive them,” Riley responded.

“Do not give that to him,” Hodgson said.

‘F**k these guys’

In his Michigan interview, Chesebro also dished on some of the internal disagreements among the Trump lawyers, campaign officials and other allies, who clashed over the purpose of the electors’ plan and how far to take things on January 6.

Chesebro has maintained – then, and now – that the plan was a lawful move to preserve Trump’s legal rights.

Even before the Trump electors met in their state capitals on December 14, 2020, to cast their fake ballots and sign the certificates, Chesebro heard about concerns from some of the electors about possible legal jeopardy, according to emails and text messages reported by the Detroit News and obtained by CNN.

Chesebro added hedging language for the faux certificates from Pennsylvania and New Mexico in response to those concerns. He proposed to Roman and Morgan that they add the contingency caveats to the paperwork for all seven states in the plan. But Roman rejected the idea, according to the emails.

“F**k these guys,” Roman texted Chesebro on December 12, 2020.

By this time, the Trump campaign had essentially cleaved in two. Top officials who had managed day-to-day activity for Trump up to the election, including in court, say they ceded responsibility to Rudy Giuliani and others, such as Chesebro, according to congressional testimony transcripts. Roman effectively switched teams to work under Giuliani’s structure, according to the testimony from Morgan and others.

A spokesperson for Giuliani did not reply to a request for comment.

‘It really went south on me’

Chesebro told Michigan investigators that his own emails show that Morgan remained deeply involved, including in the final hours before January 6, to ensure that the certificates reached DC.

“I don’t have a really warm feeling toward, at least, the top Trump lawyers that did this, hid from me what they were doing and then lied to Congress about me. So, it’s been really difficult,” Chesebro said.

In his congressional testimony, Morgan said he knew of the elector plan but wanted to distance himself from the effort, delegating the work to others, including those under Giuliani.

Morgan told the January 6 committee last year that he initially believed the electors were only meant to be used as a contingency. The electors, he believed, should meet in their state capitals and cast their electoral votes but “not necessarily submit” the certificates to Congress unless “we prevailed” in court.

Morgan told the committee that the plan changed in December, saying it morphed from a “cast-and-hold” operation and had “shifted to cast-and-send.” And that’s when Morgan told the committee that he backed out, testifying that he directed an aide to “email Mr. Chesebro politely to say, ‘this is your task. You are responsible for the Electoral College issues moving forward.’”

“This was my way of taking that responsibility to zero,” Morgan told the committee, later adding that he “moved on” after that email was sent.

Morgan explained that he was concerned that the new plan to try to count the fake electors on January 6 “would make the Vice President’s life harder, and I didn’t want to be a part of that.”

“Mr. Morgan stands by his congressional testimony,” his defense attorneys told CNN in response to his emails and Chesebro’s statements to investigators.

Ultimately, on the eve of the joint session of Congress, Morgan helped get the ballots in place, according to the emails and according to Chesebro, who blamed his legal troubles squarely on the Trump campaign’s legal team.

“I could have avoided all this,” Chesebro vented to Michigan prosecutors. “It’s been a real lesson in not working with people that you don’t know and are not sure you can trust, because it really went south on me.”

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nikethestatue · 1 year

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The Agreement

Chapter 3

Elain Archeron

Rushing up the stairs, Elain picked up her skirt almost to her knees, trying to avoid tripping and falling. She was clumsy enough in her everyday life to do just that. Her hat almost flew off her head, and she clutched at it haphazardly, trying to locate the pin that kept it in place. It was her last pin too! She hoped that it was just lost in the mass of her hair.

The pitter patter of her boots sounded awfully loud on the stairs and she winced, hoping that she wasn’t disturbing anyone.

Rounding the corner, she almost skidded and barely caught herself, while a strong arm steadied her on her feet. She also ran straight into a warm, monolithic wall of a man’s body, with her nose now pressed into his chest. It was a firm, wide chest, and as her cheek bumped into the pec, she felt the warmth of the man’s flesh and the just how muscle-corded he was under his shirt. His scent was delectable–something of cedar and chill or snow, it was cool and refreshing, sharp and wildly masculine. Before she could even say anything, the man’s heavy hand grasped the back of her head, as he threaded his long fingers unto her hair, under the brim of her hat, gently pulling her head back.

“I am sorry, I am sorry, my lord,” she breathed, feeling hot and shaky and nervous all at once, “I lost track of time! Forgive me, my lord,”

“I am happy that you are here now, Miss Archeron,” Azriel said placidly, though his eyes, and something in his expression indicated that he wasn’t quite as blase about her appearance as he pretended to be. His eyes…they blazed.

God, he was attractive.

Elain couldn’t help but swallow, probably louder than she intended to, because being this close to him was…challenging. His sheer size, his towering form, which loomed high over her, the span of his wide, muscular shoulders, the breadth of his chest and that absolutely breathtaking face obliterated all sense in her. It absolutely did not help that he was still holding her head in his warm, strong hand, watching her with his amber eyes, keeping her close to his body. If she didn’t know better, it would’ve felt…possessive. As if he did not want to release her, and for a brief moment she wondered if he didn’t plan on letting her go.

“What’s the cause of your tardiness, Miss Archeron?” he asked, his brow raised and his full lips quirking in a silent chuckle.

Reluctantly, he made a feeble attempt to disengage from her, but somehow, his massive form was still crowding her and he herded her towards the door to her room.

She took out the key and opened the door, while explaining,

“There is a charming bakery just down the street and I was just overcome with the silliest desire,”

“For a pastry, I assume,” he smiled and she wondered how he could possibly know.

His gaze fell on the little paper bag that she was clutching, and she laughed–of course! The name of the bakery was on the bag.

Also, his smile made his already incredible beauty shine even further. He was rugged, masculine, and yet devastating in a most elegant way.

He followed her into the room and she continued talking, feeling terribly out of sorts and embarrassed,

“The pastries were six pence each, which is,” she sighed, “expensive! But I couldn’t resist,”

He listened attentively, not making any comments.

“I got you one,” she admitted, turning to face him, although she couldn’t look at him. Her eyes dropped to her bag and she opened it, her fingers trembling as she offered it to him. He looked inside, and to her utter surprise, dipped his beautiful scarred fingers inside and fished one of the pastries out.

“Thank you, Elai-,” he caught himself just in time and corrected himself quickly, “Miss Archeron.”

“You may call me Elain,” she allowed.

He hummed, considering it and then said, “Not yet.”

She chewed her lower lip, not missing his eyes watching her hungrily, and babbled on, “And then I saw the most adorable dog! And I just had to pet it…”

He snorted a laugh at that and the sound was so unexpected and inelegant, and she laughed too.

“A dog?”

“Yes, it was a rather portly Corgi named Archie…I chatted with the owner,” she kept talking, willing herself to be quiet, and seemingly not being able to. “Are the flowers for me?” she jerked her head towards a lavish bouquet of peonies that he was currently holding. They probably cost a whole month worth of her family’s wages, but the bouquet was gorgeous. Harkening back to the days when she could have any flowers she wanted and the gardens at their estate were blooming with the fruits of her labour. It’s been a long time since anyone’s given her a bouquet. Everything that she was able to grow right now, they sold at the market.

He presented her with the bouquet without flourish and simply said, “they are for you.”

“Thank you, my lord,” she took the bouquet, and before things could get awkward, there was a knock on the door.

“I thought we could have some tea,” Azriel said, while a maid carried in a huge tray with the tea service.

Once they were alone again, he poured two cups, while Elain fussed with the bouquet, putting it in a vase that the maid brought along with the tea. Elain also felt awfully uncomfortable, so tense, it felt like her tendons would snap at any time, and after the lovely morning that she had, now she was feeling really wound up and all feelings of relaxation evaporated like the tea’s steam.

“And here I was worried that you’d left me, Miss Archeron,” Azriel mused, almost to himself, as he busied himself with the tea.

“Left you?” she was surprised by the comment, and also by the tone of his voice. It was wistful.

And perhaps he expected her to leave? Or maybe feared that she would.

But there was another note to his comment. That of relief.

“Yes, I thought you might have gone back to Dover…Thought that you might not have wanted to be with me,” he whispered, his normally deep, husky voice somehow gentler than usual. He sounded…Elain wasn’t sure, but perhaps, he sounded hurt?

She shook her head, saying,

“No, my lord. I don’t wish to return there right now. I would rather be here. In London. I think that I should come to love it,”

“London is beautiful and regal,” Azriel agreed. “London imprints itself onto your soul and never lets go. London is pain and glory, history and sorrow, determination and will. London may swallow you and destroy you, but it may yet forge you into something new and powerful. London is triumphant and unforgettable, and it will demand things of you that you never thought you’d give or give up.”

Elain whipped her head to him and stared at him, listening to his impassioned speech.

One part of her wondered if he was speaking of the city, or of himself. Of what awaited her and how high a price she might have to pay for her decision.

“London seems to be all the things that you just mentioned,” she agreed, returning back to her bouquet.

There was a pause, and she felt as if he wanted her to say more, something more personal, something about them, but she didn’t and he didn’t push.

“May I ask you some questions?” she blurted out at last, without turning to him.

“Of course,” he said simply, and then offered her a chair, “let’s be a little less formal and have a chat. Like you did with Archie. And I won’t bite. Unless you want me to,”

At that, Elain threw him a panicked glance and saw that he was laughing.

“That got your attention,” he teased and waited for her to sit down, which she did, plopping down in the chair ungracefully. “We have good tea and tasty pastries–thank you for buying me one, by the way–and I think that allows for good conversation.”

The tea was lovely–dark and smokey, robust and fragrant–much like the man who poured it. Elain hasn't had such fine tea in a long time. The best they could get was the cheapest variety, which was probably just grass, or chicory. She hated chicory. She’s had coffee a few times in her life, and its heavenly aroma and pungency were the stuff of dreams. But coffee was out of the question for their meagre budget. That left cheap tea.

Still unsettled by his joke, Elain gulped down her tea, scalding her throat, but she didn’t even care, when she asked, “Are you going to bite?”

At that, Azriel threw his head back, exposing his long, strong, sinew-corded throat, making her heart thrum heavily in her chest. She even felt her pulse thrashing against her skin. What was wrong with her? A man laughing–laughing at her–shouldn’t make her feel these things.

“Forgive me, Miss Archeron,” he said at last, “but yes, I will likely bite,”

“Why?” she demanded, horrified. What was wrong with him?

“You may bite as well, if you wish,” he said lightly.

“I do not wish to bite anyone, my lord!” she announced, scandalised. “This is completely inappropriate. When we–if we–engage in carnal coupling,” her cheeks blossomed with heat, and she noticed that he was observing the changes in her colouring very closely, which only made her blush even more. He winced, though, at her words, but she continued, “it is only to make a babe and not to…bite!”

“Anything else?” he asked lazily, looking bored.

She bristled at his tone and seethed, “Yes! The fornication shall take,”

He raised his hand to her, effectively shutting her down and said, in the same lazy, indulgent tone,

“Let me stop you right there, Miss Archeron,”

“And you don’t expect me to be naked, do you?!” she demanded hysterically, completely ignoring his plea.

He drummed his long, scarred fingers on the table and said,

“Oh, I absolutely do expect you to be naked.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“Absolutely not. I shall wear my shift and we may proceed with the conjugation in,”

“By god, woman!” he actually rolled his eyes, “will you stop it?”

“Stop what?!”

“With these fucking words,” he groaned in exasperation.

Elain’s hand flew to her mouth and she gasped in horror.

“My lord!” she cried out, “your language!”

“Uncouth, but at least it’s real,” he shrugged. Then he slowly took a sip of his tea and bit into the pastry that she brought for him. “Mmmm, this is good…”

“My lord,” Elain began again, but he stopped her and said,

“Enough with the ‘my lord’ Miss Archeron,”

“Then what shall I call you?” she asked, eyes wide. This was a whole new side of this man that was absolutely shocking. Not that she knew any sides of him, but yesterday, he seemed…proper. Or as proper as the circumstances allowed. Today, he seemed…unleashed. Demanding. Contrary. Sarcastic. And so…rude! She couldn’t believe it. She also couldn’t believe that she secretly liked his brash attitude, his sharp, inappropriate words, the finality of his statements. It excited her, and yet, she needed to put these foolish feelings aside.

“I don’t care,” he admitted, “but in private, you don’t need to keep ‘lording’ me. Call me Azriel. Az. Even ‘Sir’. Anything you want,”

“So, if there is carnal joining,”

“Oh my god,” he moaned. “Miss Archeron, for the love of all that is holy, please stop,”

“Stop what?”

“Using your insane Biblical terminology for sexual relations,” he scrubbed his hand over his face. “Really, if you are going to insist on saying that I might ‘know’ you in a Biblical sense, then we might need to reconsider this whole deal,”

“My lord!” she exclaimed, “you wouldn’t dare reconsider, simply because I refer to the…acts…by their proper names. It is lustful fornication,”

“Jesus Christ. I would definitely dare. But I don’t want to,” he glanced at her, and saw that she was completely befuddled and the conversation was perplexing her greatly. “Miss Archeron, all fornication, as you call it, should be lustful. That’s the whole idea.”

She frowned and asked, “Why so?”

He cocked his head to the side and gave her an assessing look, though she wasn’t sure how to interpret it.

“Because sexual relations are meant to be enjoyed, Miss Archeron.”

“By men, perhaps,” she parried.

At that, Azriel chuckled heartily and then leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette. He inhaled deeply and then waved his hand, inviting her to speak,

“Ask your questions,”

She straightened and balled her hands on her lap.

“Where will I live?”

“With me,” he said instantly, his decision unequivocal and yet it was as if he was challenging her to argue.

She gulped softly and watched his expression become steely and set.

“Alright…with you,” she barely nodded. “But where?”

“I mostly live in London. I have a family seat in Oxfordshire, it’s called Rosehall Manor. We might travel there once in a while, but my younger brother Cassian keeps an eye on it and we are both available for our staff and those who live on our land.”

“What does Cassian do?” she inquired.

“General Cassian, Lord Night, is my brother. He has recently been elected to the House of Commons and is looking to be in politics for the foreseeable future.”

“How old is he?” she marvelled.

“27.”

“A General and a politician?”

Azriel shrugged, “Much was expected of us.”

She considered for a moment and wondered,

“Can’t he…you know…”

“What?”

“Produce an heir.”

“I am sure he can produce a child. An heir–no. He is my adoptive brother, so he is not blood and he is not married.”

“Oh.”

“Anything else?”

She chewed on her thumb and lowered her eyes. It was necessary. He was staring at her like she was his next meal. Ravenously and possessively.

His heavy, assessing gaze was full of unbridled desire and need, and it made her anxious. She didn’t understand why he’d even want her, or why he’d look at her like this–like she was the only thing of interest to him.

Gathering her courage, the continued,

“And how often do we…Am I expected…”

Flatly, he reminded her, “As per our agreement, whenever I ask you to.”

“Hmmmm.”

“Is that a problem?”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“As per our agreement, you’d be expected to explain the reason.”

She chewed on her thumb further, and he suggested,

“You should be asking a different question, Miss Archeron.”

“Which is?” she looked up at him, curious, only to be greeted by that insufferable smirk.

“What if you want it?”

She gasped, “I shan’t!”

“Don’t be so sure.”

“My lord, I am not looking for fornication,”

His eyes narrowed at her use of his hated words and she quieted abruptly.

“No, you definitely are,” he insisted.

“Why would I want that?”

“Why don’t we wait and see,” he decided placidly.

She sighed and changed the course of her questioning,

“Besides the…obvious, is there something else you require from me?”

“Yes.”

Uneasy, he whispered, “What?”

“If the agreement is signed, I will ask you to oblige me, Miss Archeron.”

“In what?”

“Acquiesce to me. To my needs and desires. I feel that the more you allow yourself to do that, the easier it would be for you. Please remember that I will not hurt you.”

Elain chewed on her lips, not answering, but he added,

“I do find your enthusiastic and forthcoming attitude delightful. I should like to keep it that way. You may challenge me, Miss Archern, to your heart’s delight.”

“And you wouldn’t be angry if I am disobedient and contrary?”

“No, I won’t be angry.” His statement was definitive and simple. “Obedience is a curious beast…” he sipped his tea, watching her. “Besides, you are not my wife. I cannot require obedience from you.”

“What can you require of me?”

“Acquiescence, as I said. Especially in sexual matters.”

“I have no choice in that, sir,” Elain sighed.

Azriel smiled at her.

“Oh boy, where is that enthusiasm that I like so much?” he taunted gently. “You are about to give me a complex due to your reluctance.”

She gasped and cried, “I am not!”

“I’ll ask you to trust me, Miss Archeron, should we go forward with this scheme. You may very well enjoy it in the end.”

“What else?” Elain asked, not looking or sounding convinced by his promises of her liking or enjoying these sexual relations.

He thought for a moment and then said,

“I would ask you to get rid of your hair,”

“My hair?” she cried out, horrified, clutching at her long, thick braid. “I am sorry, but that’s,”

“Not on your head,” he interrupted her.

She burned bright red and buried her face in her hands. Yet he was unrelenting, as he looked at her in silence.

“I ask this for your benefit,” he said at last.

“Why?” she was almost in tears.

Suddenly, his finger ran along her hand and her wrist, scorching the skin with his touch. His hand was warm, and the pressure of his finger firm.

Elain shuddered.

“You must trust me in certain matters, Miss Archeron,” he murmured softly, and then lifted her chin, so she could look up at him.

“If you are to go through with this agreement with me, I would want to make it pleasant for you. If you bear me a babe, then you ought to get more from me than just money.”

“And what will I get?”

“My devotion, my care, my commitment, and I will satisfy you sexually.”

“I don’t know what that means, my lord,” she confessed at last.

“I know. And that’s alright. But as I explained before, there is pleasure in sexual relations, and not only for men, but for women as well. It’s something that I will offer you gladly.

“In the bedroom, Elain, I will give. And you will take. Not the other way around. I don’t intend to take anything from you, not your dignity, or your body. I wish for you to give it willingly to me, and then, in return, I will provide you with everything you desire.”

“You speak in riddles, my lord. But why your odd request?”

“It’s not exactly necessary, but if you are bare, it will heighten your experiences. But I will not demand it, if you refuse.”

She thought about it, but then only nodded.

He observed her with the same intense, unfaltering gaze of his, where she felt like she was being stripped of every layer of her very being, and he was attempting to crawl straight into her soul. It was unsettling, to say the least. Yet, it also made her head spin a little with excitement.

Desire.

That’s what Elain Archeron was feeling. She had no idea that the feeling was going to be so potent. So obvious. So tangible.

It was as if her body was strung as tightly as a violin string and if Azriel would pluck it once, she’d burst and melt into a puddle. Her stupid heart kept hammering in her chest and the heat that enveloped her whole body seemed to be a permanent state now.

“What if I want something from you?”

“What do you want?” he asked immediately.

“I dunno,” she muttered under her breath.

“What features or limbs do you find objectionable on me?” he chuckled.

“None,” she admitted. He was, by far, the handsomest man she’d ever seen. “How did you get your scars?” she asked suddenly, and then stared at him in horror. This was the most impolite thing she’d ever said to anyone.

He glanced at his hands, flexing his fingers.

His hands were huge. Scarred and massive and not at all aristocratic or dainty. If she didn’t know better, she’d say they were a working man’s hands.

“This one,” he lifted his right hand, “got burned when I was four. Pulled Cassian out of a fire. He wasn’t even two yet and an ember jumped from the fireplace onto the carpet,”

“Oh,”

“I heard him crying, ran into the room and pulled him out, but the fire caught on my sleeve and here we are,” he was explaining everything with a detachment, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“This one,” he lifted his left hand, “was when I was in the war. A grenade exploded near me–the scars extend to my shoulder.”

A grenade??

She could’ve…lost him.

He wasn’t hers, but she might not have ever met him because of some cursed grenade. The thought filled her with a silent, but blinding horror.

They were silent for a long while, each drinking their tea and pretending like they cared about it. Neither one did. Elain was sure that he was simply waiting.

“Do you think I am amoral?” she found it in herself to peer straight at him, into his green-amber eyes, which were so unusual in their colouring.

“No.”

“Do you always give these abrupt answers?!” she bristled and he smiled.

“Yes.”

“So you don’t think that I am,”

“No,” he interrupted her. “I already said that I don’t find you amoral. Sometimes, we do what we have to to survive and better our position. You are a woman, and unfortunately, you have fewer choices in life. It’s a shame, but that’s where we are at.”

“You are paying the same if the babe is a girl.” It was a statement. She noticed the 10,000 sum was without conditions other than that babe should be alive.

“Yes.”

She grunted her displeasure at his one-word answer and he smiled again.

“The deal is for a babe,” he reminded her. “Not a specific gender.”

“Most men want a male.”

“I don’t. I don’t care.”

“How can you not care?”

“Would you care, Miss Archeron? If the child you bore was a male or a female? Or would you love it regardless of gender?”

Elain didn’t answer, pursing her lips and he knew what she was thinking.

They fell into a tense, awkward silence.

“One final question, my lord,” Elain proposed at last.

He waved his hand and nodded, “Of course.”

“Why me?” she asked softly.

He exhaled and leaned forward, towards her. She sat in her chair unmoving, wondering what horrible truth he would tell her right now.

As his eyes slid from her face and zeroed on her mouth, he simply answered,

“I want you.”

“Me? Why?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “But you are the only one that I want, and if this doesn’t work out, then I will need to consider other options. Which, it seems, are none.”

She gaped at him, shocked by the admission which he offered so simply. Before she could respond, he shifted and moved even closer to her, saying urgently,

“I want to kiss you, Elain. I want to roll your name on my tongue, because it feels good. I want to peel all these ugly clothes off of your body and watch you in all your nude glory. I want to make you come undone beneath me. I want you. And that’s the end of that.”

She was shocked by the urgency and the erotic undertones of his words, almost panting in her chair.

She was hot and confused and needy and surely, surely this wasn’t supposed to happen.

Surely she didn’t want to be with him, skin to skin, naked, with those huge, rough hands on her flesh.

Elain didn’t know much about relations–she was aware that a man’s member went inside a woman’s womb and out came a baby. But whatever he was promising was far beyond her knowledge and understanding. Her older sister Nesta was a connoisseur of romance novels, and Elain read some of them, though she felt bashful reading the more explicit scenes. In them, the females always cried out and panted and begged for more, and she didn’t know why. Why more and what was not enough?

“I don’t know what to say to that, my lord,” she admitted weakly.

“There is only one thing for you to say–yes. Or no. And I think you know what I would like to hear from you.”

“Will I be able to contact my sisters?”

“Of course, I am not imprisoning you,” he released a muffled chuckle. “You can send them a telegram, if you wish. Would be faster than a letter.”

“Telegrams are terribly expensive.”

Azriel sighed.

He understood. He really did. Elain was conditioned to live frugally and was terrified of spending money, especially on herself. It was going to take time and patience on his behalf to make her understand that her money problems were now behind her.

“I think it would be alright for you to spend money on the telegram to your sisters,” he said reasonably.

Elain got up from her chair abruptly, and he watched her walk and disappear into the bedroom.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

#elriel #elriel fanfic #my writing #Azriel and Elain #Azriel #Elain Archeron #elain x azriel #elain #Elriel fanfic #acotar fanfic #chapter 3 #pro elriel #my fanfiction #the agreement

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contemplatingoutlander · 1 year

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FBI resisted opening probe into Trump’s role in Jan. 6 for more than a year

In the DOJ’s investigation of Jan. 6, key Justice officials also quashed an early plan for a task force focused on people in Trump’s orbit

We KNEW the DOJ was avoiding investigating Trump for January 6th. According to this report by Carol D. Leonnig and Aaron C. Davis for The Washington Post, the DOJ dragged its collective feet in starting the Trump investigation--for over a year. It was not until the House Jan. 6th committee and others started to investigate Trump's involvement in the attempted coup, did the DOJ become embarrassed enough to start their own investigation.

In this regard, contrary to what certain Republicans claim, the DOJ was NOT AT ALL "weaponized" against Trump. Rather, they were trying to avoid investigating him.

Below are some excerpts from this report:

A Washington Post investigation found that more than a year would pass before prosecutors and FBI agents jointly embarked on a formal probe of actions directed from the White House to try to steal the election. Even then, the FBI stopped short of identifying the former president as a focus of that investigation. A wariness about appearing partisan, institutional caution, and clashes over how much evidence was sufficient to investigate the actions of Trump and those around him all contributed to the slow pace. Garland and the deputy attorney general, Lisa Monaco, charted a cautious course aimed at restoring public trust in the department while some prosecutors below them chafed, feeling top officials were shying away from looking at evidence of potential crimes by Trump and those close to him, The Post found.

[See more under the cut.]

[...] Whether a decision about Trump’s culpability for Jan. 6 could have come any earlier is unclear. The delays in examining that question began before Garland was even confirmed. Sherwin, senior Justice Department officials and Paul Abbate, the top deputy to FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, quashed a plan by prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office to directly investigate Trump associates for any links to the riot, deeming it premature, according to five individuals familiar with the decision. Instead, they insisted on a methodical approach — focusing first on rioters and going up the ladder. The strategy was embraced by Garland, Monaco and Wray. They remained committed to it even as evidence emerged of an organized, weeks-long effort by Trump and his advisers before Jan. 6 to pressure state leaders, Justice officials and Vice President Mike Pence to block the certification of Biden’s victory. In the weeks before Jan. 6, Trump supporters boasted publicly that they had submitted fake electors on his behalf, but the Justice Department declined to investigate the matter in February 2021, The Post found. The department did not actively probe the effort for nearly a year, and the FBI did not open an investigation of the electors scheme until April 2022, about 15 months after the attack. The Justice Department’s painstaking approach to investigating Trump can be traced to Garland’s desire to turn the page from missteps, bruising attacks and allegations of partisanship in the department’s recent investigations of both Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election and Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. Inside Justice, however, some have complained that the attorney general’s determination to steer clear of any claims of political motive has chilled efforts to investigate the former president. “You couldn’t use the T word,” said one former Justice official briefed on prosecutors’ discussions. [...] “A decision was made early on to focus DOJ resources on the riot,” said one former Justice Department official familiar with the debates. “The notion of opening up on Trump and high-level political operatives was seen as fraught with peril. When Lisa and Garland came on board, they were fully onboard with that approach.” Some prosecutors even had the impression that Trump had become a taboo topic at Main Justice. Colleagues responsible for preparing briefing materials and updates for Garland and Monaco were warned to focus on foot soldiers and to avoid mentioning Trump or his close allies. [...] That fall and winter, a House committee pursuing its own investigation into Jan. 6 conducted interviews with top Trump administration officials. Privately, its chief investigator, Timothy Heaphy, a former U.S. attorney, had alerted prosecutors in the D.C. U.S. attorney’s office to a few details his team had uncovered about Trump’s pressure on Justice Department officials and Pence to block the election results, according to a person familiar with the exchanges. But eye-grabbing news accounts about the committee’s discoveries fueled public criticism that the Justice Department appeared to be lagging. [...] [Between January and February 2022 there was renewed interest in looking at the role of Trump and those close to him in the "fake elector" scheme.] One person directly familiar with the department’s new interest in the case said it felt as though the department was reacting to the House committee’s work as well as heightened media coverage and commentary. “Only after they were embarrassed did they start looking,” the person said.

This is a very long article and you will have to read the rest for yourself. But after reading this article, it now seems clear that if the Jan. 6th Committee and others had not begun to investigate Trump's involvement in the attempted coup, the DOJ would have never gotten involved.

#trump #merrick garland #department of justice #january 6th #delay in investigating trump #the washington post

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poppletonink · 6 months

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A Gift Guide For Your Bookworm Friends

Maybe you're a bookworm yourself looking for wish list ideas or maybe you're friends with a bookworm and are completely clueless on what to get. Here's a definitive guide to bookish gifts for all the literature lovers out there!

Books

Kind of on the nose, but bookworms (surprise, surprise) are quite fond of books and they would make the perfect gift this holiday season.

It's best to look for books within the genres you know the person you're gifting likes - be it romance, fantasy, a biography or something completely different - but make sure you aren't buying them something they have already read. A good way of checking this is to check apps commonly used by bookworms to track reading progress (the likes of Goodreads and Storygraph) or to simply buy a book from your friend's Amazon wish list! You could even look for books based on your friends favourite fictional character.

The best places to shop around for books are undoubtedly: Amazon, World Of Books, Books2Door, Book Bundle and Waterstones.

Bookmarks

To mark a page a bookworm requires a bookmark, and though resourcefulness can come into play and bookmarks can be found in the common shopping receipt or two pence coin it is far nicer to have a decorated bookmark to use whilst reading. The perfect bookmark could be adorned with a quote from your friend's favourite book, have pictures of their favourite characters, or simply be a pretty, ornate design you think they may like. To make a bookmark even more unique and special, you could even try to make one yourself by following a guide online.

Literary Candles

Literary candles can really set the mood of a reading session. Be it ones that smell like particular characters, themes or old bookshops. Every candle has a different scent and you can make it really personal for your book lover by choosing ones that smell like their favourite book (or even when accompanying a book you are buying for them). Etsy and Amazon are undoubtedly the best places to look for your bookish candles.

Book Related Jewelry

The joys of wearing bookish jewelry are unmatched by that of normal jewelry, especially for a bookworm. Specific book-based charm bracelets, necklaces, or book-shaped earrings - your options are varied and a book lover would be happy to have any. Etsy and The Literary Gift Company have gorgeous jewelry to admire and give to a friend.

Annotation Tabs

Annotation tabs are brilliant for numerous reasons. They allow you to make the book you are reading truly yours, tabbing key themes or your favourite passages. Or they can be used to annotate your books in a silly way to give yourself a laugh when looking back in years to come. Different colours are a necessity with annotation tabs in order to come up with a cohesive key for the book in question. Translucent coloured tabs are without doubt the superior species of annotation tabs, allowing you to read through the tab so you can still see the text that you have annotated.

A Reading Journal

Keeping track of your yearly reads can be hard, especially when you have your nose in the next book as soon as you finish your last. While many people choose to keep note of their latest reading endeavours online via Goodreads or Storygraph, a reading journal is just as wonderful for this purpose. Reading journals come in all shapes, sizes, and patterns and are available at places like Papier and The Literary Gift Company!

Book Sleeves

Book sleeves are the best way to protect your books on the go. They stop the cover from peeling and being bashed while you wade your way through the day. Plus, if you look on places like Amazon, Ebay and Etsy they can be really stylish too (almost like an extra accessory to an outfit). Book sleeves look entirely different depending on where you shop - they could have a basic fabric pattern to them (like tartan or polka dots) or they could have fandom references on them (with quotes and doodles of different characters and objects from your favourite books). If your friend often complains of bashed books or you've noticed their books looking slightly withered around the edges, then this is the perfect gift for them.

Mugs and Coffee, Hot Chocolate, Tea or Wine

Mugs are always a go-to gift for anyone, and they're just as worthwhile for readers. You can find some great mugs just about anywhere, but there are some book-themed ones on Amazon, The Literary Gift Company, and Redbubble. On that note, who doesn't appreciate a good drink to accompany a reading session. Once you've found the perfect mug, be sure to find an adjoining drink (coffee, hot chocolate, tea or wine are all excellent options) to give your bookworm friend a cozy treat. This one is pretty self-explanatory - you could buy it online (on Amazon) or at your nearest shop; either way, any bookworm will be grateful for a drink to keep them warm while flying through their latest read.

Bookish Pin Badges

Bookish pin badges can and will become an addiction once you start buying them. Pin badges with quotes, with characters, with objects. The variations you can buy are endless! Plus, it allows every bookworm to loudly and proudly display their bookish disposition and allegiance within different subcultures of the book community. Amazon, Etsy, Ebay and The Literary Gift Company have some lovely options for you to browse.

Bookshop Voucher

If you really don't know what to get, and fear you'll buy your book lover something that isn't really their taste, you could always give them a book voucher for their bookshop of choice. Money to spend at Waterstones or Barnes and Noble is always well appreciated within the community of bookish people who walk this planet.

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demoisverysexy · 8 months

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Ian S. Arden

Since the next session will start soon, this will be my last one until second session. Thank goodness cuz it means I get to delay engaging with Elder Oaks talk. But I digress.

This talk was good and inoffensive. I think that focusing on the good of engaging in charitable activities is excellent, as well as the fact he says that such activities are worthwhile even if not performed within a church setting, or even if the person performing such charitable acts is not religious. Its good to hear this language being used by church leaders. But I think this talk could have gone further.

Charity, in my opinion, is not enough. It is vital work, dont get me wrong, and we will always have need for volunteer aid. But many of the afflictions faced in the global south, or the world at large, are caused by systems of abuse: capitalism, sexism, homophobia, racism, etc. Addressing the symptoms of the issue will not fix the underlying causes. Focusing on charity, without insisting vocally and loudly on the importance of activism and overthrowing these systems, is, in some ways, self congratulatory.

While we as individuals cannot, on our own, end capitalism (unfortunately), I do think the good Samaritan is instructive as to how we should do charity in such a world: he goes the extra step.

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

This final interaction with the innkeeper is key: he promises to return, and to do more. He doesnt simply do what is required of him, he goes the extra step, and puts himself into the innkeepers debt. I think that this mode of doing service is key. Combating injustice with more than what is expected of us is, I think, instrumental to resisting them.

#ldsconf #mormonism #religion #queerstake

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 10 months

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On this day in 1974 (H/t Mary Elaine LeBey)

* * * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

August 9, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

New York Times journalists Maggie Haberman, Charlie Savage, and Luke Broadwater yesterday reported that in a memo dated December 6, 2020, Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro laid out a plan to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election that he acknowledged was “a bold, controversial strategy” that he believed the Supreme Court would “likely” reject.

Still, he presented the plan—while apparently trying to distance himself from it by writing “I’m not necessarily advising this course of action”—because he thought it “would guarantee that public attention would be riveted on the evidence of electoral abuses by the Democrats, and would also buy the Trump campaign more time to win litigation that would deprive Biden of electoral votes and/or add to Trump’s column.”

The plan was essentially what the Trump campaign ultimately tried to pursue. It called for Trump-Pence electors in six swing states Biden had won to meet and vote for Trump, and then to make sure that in each of those states there was a lawsuit underway that “might plausibly” call into question Biden’s victory there. Then, Vice President Mike Pence would take the position that he had the power not simply to open the votes but also to count them, and that the 1887 Electoral Count Act that clarified those procedures was unconstitutional.

Key to selling this strategy, Chesebro wrote, was messaging that constructing two slates of electors was “routine,” and he laid out a strategy of taking events and statements out of context to suggest support for that messaging.

This was, of course, a plan to deprive American voters of their right to have their votes counted, as the federal grand jury’s recent indictment of former president Trump charged, but Chesebro concluded: “it seems advisable for the campaign to seriously consider this course of action and, if adopted, to carefully plan related messaging.”

Three days later, Chesebro wrote specific instructions to create those fraudulent electors, and they were off to the races.

Chesebro is identified as Co-Conspirator 5 in the grand jury’s recent indictment of Trump.

It is an astonishing thing to read this memo today.

Forty-nine years ago, on August 9, 1974, President Richard Nixon wrote one line to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger: “I hereby resign the Office of President of the United States.” In late July the House Judiciary Committee had voted to recommend articles of impeachment against the president for obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress for his attempt to cover up the involvement of his people in the June 1972 burglary of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The Watergate break-in was part of the Nixon campaign’s attempt to rig the 1972 election, in this case by bugging the Democrats’ headquarters, and Republicans wanted no part of it. When the White House produced a “smoking gun” tape on August 5, revealing that Nixon had been in on the cover-up since June 23, 1972—and implying that he had been in on the bugging itself—those Republicans who had been defending Nixon abandoned him.

On the night of August 7, 1974, a group of Republican lawmakers led by Arizona senator Barry Goldwater met with Nixon in the Oval Office and told him that the House as a whole would vote to impeach him and the Senate would vote to convict. Nixon decided to step down.

Although Nixon did not admit any guilt, maintaining he was resigning only because the time it would take to vindicate himself would distract from his presidential duties, his replacement, Gerald R. Ford, granted “a full, free, and absolute pardon” to Nixon “for all offenses against the United States which he…has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 20, 1969, through August 9, 1974.”

Ford said that the trial of a former president would “cause prolonged and divisive debate over the propriety of exposing to further punishment and degradation a man who has already paid the unprecedented penalty of relinquishing the highest elective office of the United States.”

Only fifteen years later, the expectation that a president would not be prosecuted came into play again when members of President Ronald Reagan’s National Security Council ignored Congress’s 1985 prohibition on aid to the Nicaraguan Contras who were fighting against the socialist Nicaraguan government. The administration illegally sold arms to Iran and funneled the profits to the Contras.

When the story of the Iran-Contra affair broke in November 1986, government officials continued to break the law, shredding documents that Congress had subpoenaed. After fourteen administration officials were indicted and eleven convicted, the next president, George H. W. Bush, who had been Reagan’s vice president, pardoned them on the advice of his attorney general William Barr. (Yes, that William Barr.)

The independent prosecutor in the case, Lawrence Walsh, worried that the pardons weakened American democracy. They “undermine…the principle…that no man is above the law,” he said. Pardoning high-ranking officials “demonstrates that powerful people with powerful allies can commit serious crimes in high office, deliberately abusing the public trust without consequences.”

Walsh’s warning seems to be coming to life. The Republican Party now stands behind a man whose legal troubles currently include indictment on 40 counts for taking and hiding classified national security documents and on four counts of trying to steal an election in order to stay in power.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Nixon Resigns #Mary Elaine LeBey #history #Heather Cox Richardson #Letters From an American #Nixon #Republicans #presidential pardons #republican wrongdoing #justice #rule of law

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mirror-to-the-past · 11 months

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Even MORE KH3 Assorted Thoughts- because this game is giving so much, for real:

San Fransokyo is absolutely sick and I've been bouncing around the skyscrapers while jamming to the Spiderverse OST. As long as Flowmotion and Shotlock exists, KH as a franchise has gotta give me more urban settings to zip around in.

The cutscene where Sora/Roxas kind of intertwine with their experiences on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. 😭"And when you're not strong enough, he'll make up the difference." Oogh, Roxas being likened to a brother figure for Sora is painful and delicious. I like the inclusion of Hayner, Pence, and Olette through Roxas' eyes. If he had looked to his other side and seen Axel, and a glimpse of Xion, that would've really completed the scene. All the people Roxas had watched the sunset with...

Was a bit confused by the Big Hero 6 plot, not gonna lie. Like, I thought our new Org. member was the Riku Replica, but then this guy says he's KH1 Riku that gave up his body in order to time travel. That and, as I see later, the Riku Replica was just hanging out with Riku in his final moments, so... I dunno, that plotline is just all sorts of fishy. In an attempt to scrutinize here the plot's going with this... I'm unsure if it's really KH1 Riku as he claims he is, especially since Maleficent dropped a major hint with the "though I'm not sure I could tell you from when," Which, given her familiarity with KH1 Riku, tells me that me that we're supposed to be questioning the validity of the Org. Riku's claims.

RIKU'S NEW KEYBLADE LOOKS LIKE A MF CAR KEY HAHA.

Oh. My. God? The World of Darkness scene, guys. So much. It looks like Sora was able to have his Power of Waking activate in order to save Riku (since he used Eraqus' Keyblade and not a Keyblade of Darkness to dive in, the only possibility left as to how that was possible would be using his Power of Waking, so...). 😭 Damn, this is what the Disney world build up was there for, guys. Foreshadowing of power of love, my beloved. Also very sweet/funny how Riku had no way of knowing about Sora rushing to save him, so he's just in the thick of battle, desperate, and mumbling "Sora..." under his breath to keep himself going. Godspeed, champ. 🫡 Then he wonders if he somehow summoned him as Sora proceeds to jump right in for a certified mind blown moment.

Riku's slow-mo POV of Sora splashing in was hilarious. Boy looked like this ->😳

How is Reality Shift Keyblade existing outside of the Sleeping Worlds? Question mark?? So sick that they brought it back but uhm? So many questions with these World of Darkness cutscenes... But wow, goddamn.

The little smile Sora turns around to give Riku after parrying off Aqua's attack. My goodness... so sweet. Not to mention the musical side of the scene, with how Sora's theme melded beautifully into Dearly Beloved when he and Riku used their Keyblade. Man... this game really feels a bit like Sora's answer to Riku's journey in DDD. They've got each other's backs, man!

Sora reaching in to grab Aqua... and the group hug afterwards... Aqua's got to be so on edge, now, after all this. If only Keyblade wielders could get complementary therapy.

Also big-sis Aqua cradling Ventus' sleeping face. 🥹

Also, also Aqua unlocking Castle Oblivion looked so cool.

Vanitas crashing the party was hilarious, considering how hard the boy must have been hustling to get there. "I have been falling through doors for THIRTY MINUTES!"

Ventus flashing between seeing Vanitas in Sora's face was interesting. Definitely a readjustment and a half. Really excited to see dynamic between Ventus and the Destiny trio. Y'know, how he perceives them due to living life through Sora's eyes in a long dream of his own. Love how he saw the Dream Eaters and thought they were adorable...

Aqua got to have a "you got so big" moment with Sora and Kairi and I just find that adorable. I expect one with Terra to Riku once we get him un-possessed.

Btw, everything with Axel/Lea (we love a multiple name king) and Kairi has been driving me crazy this game. I love them. The redheads who get left behind, the stable anchor for their groups who go through the pain of abandonment and the guilt of helplessness. Obviously, they're different people and it'd be nice to hear more of each of their own perspectives, but KH is a series of parallels, and I think that most things haunting Axel/Lea haunt Kairi as well.

...In a similar vein, I was just as gutted by and perceive the wonderful sunset scene between Sora and Kairi to be Kairi's own "You just keep running, but I'll always be there to bring you back," equivalent moment. But since it's Kairi, and not Axel, she's melancholic in her subtle pleading to Sora. "I just want to be a part of your life no matter what. That's all." She verbally minimizes herself and her presence in Sora's life because of the growing distance between them, and that's heartbreaking, dude. Still, I'm happy that Sora agreed to have a Paopu Fruit with her to give her some level of affirmation, even if he looked a little confused/unsure at first. She needs that semblance of stability before the shit goes down so much right now, and I wonder if he realized that to some degree... Kairi, my poor child. I hope she realizes how important she is, later on.

Also, I'll just say it here, because this is just me spitballing but it's on topic. I get the feeling this scene might have been foreshadowed by the Hundred Acre Woods story (and why was that world so SHORT, AAA-). I had my suspicions back in KH2 due to the amnesia subplot, and now feel pretty confident that the Hundred Acre Woods are meant to connect to Sora's perception of "home/childhood" and therefore his perception of Kairi as well. While ecstatic to see Pooh and gang in KH1 and KH2, here he was placating and ready to leave in KH3 (which was hilarious contrast to myself, btw, because I was more like "LFG" 😂). I thought it was perhaps just strange writing at first, but then the game goes out and says it when Sora considers how he feels his connection to everyone is weaker, and he's not sure why. And this is after Pooh is all "Welcome home," (KH2 ending, anyone) and worries about "forgetting [Sora] away" (Sora's absence making Pooh lose his place in his life, also alluding to KH2, possibly). Of course Sora doesn't like that and panics, because similarly to how Kairi struggles with change of character and circumstance, Sora struggles with the idea of relationships changing or growing apart- he's very stubborn about it. So, I appreciate Merlin saying the thing about relationships merely changing form, and that it's not the end of the world. Anyway, all of this is making me very morose, because it makes me think of all of those people you grew up with that you don't talk to much anymore but still think of fondly and would love to hear from them again, as you remember them in your mind's eye.

*shakes them* SORA. KAIRI. TALK TO EACH OTHER. SORA, LET KAIRI BE AT PEACE, HER SAD-ASS SOCIAL MEDIA POST THING ON THE LOADING SCREEN IS BUMMING ME OUT. Anyway, this is why I'm happy that Kairi is making friends with Axel/Lea, so she can have other people in her life that won't necessarily go galavanting into the universe and leave her behind at a moment's notice (/hj, no Sora hate, for real, just look at my blog, he's my favorite 'lil guy along with Roxas).

Uh, so... now I'm putting off progressing the story by getting chests and finding lucky emblems, lol. Right now, all my dudes are happy and taking a little break before they confront the baddies, and I'm slightly nervous to see if the game also delivers on the foreshadowing of the Disney Worlds also having a lot of dying in them. 😬 Obviously whatever happens will get fixed with the power of love and whatnot, but I don't exactly want the gang to go through more suffering than they've got to, lmao. And GIVE ME ROXAS AND XION ALREADY.

#kingdom hearts 3 first playthrough #kingdom hearts #kh3 #ngl the Sora & Kairi scene is probably one of my favorite cutscenes in this series haha it made me feel so weepy...

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dontmeantobepoliticalbut · 11 months

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Special counsel Jack Smith has informed former President Donald Trump by letter that he is a target in his investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.

Trump also confirmed the development in a post on his Truth Social platform.

The letter, which sources said was transmitted to Trump's attorneys in recent days, indicates that yet another indictment of the former president could be imminent -- though it is not immediately clear what kind of charges he could ultimately face.

Target letters are typically given to subjects in a criminal investigation to put them on notice that they are facing the prospect of indictment.

Multiple sources tell ABC News that allies, aides and attorneys for the former president have been working to determine if anyone else received a target letter from the special counsel regarding the election probe.

"We can't find anyone," a source said Tuesday afternoon.

An attorney for Trump's former personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, told ABC News that the former New York City mayor had not received a letter as of Tuesday afternoon.

Trump previously received a target letter from Smith before he was indicted by a grand jury in Florida for his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving the White House and his alleged efforts to obstruct the government's investigation.

Smith took control of the sprawling Justice Department investigation into the failed efforts by Trump and his allies to thwart his election loss upon his appointment as special counsel in November of last year, and in recent months dozens of witnesses have appeared to testify before a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C.

According to sources, prosecutors have questioned witnesses specifically about the efforts to put forward false slates of so-called false electors that were to have cast electoral college votes during the certification for Trump in key swing states that he lost to President Joe Biden.

Investigators have also sought information on Trump's actions and his state of mind in the days leading up to and on Jan. 6, 2021, when thousands of Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol, temporarily disrupting the certification and causing lawmakers and former Vice President Pence to flee the building.

Trump was indicted last month on 37 criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials, after Smith's prosecutors said he repeatedly refused to return hundreds of documents containing classified information ranging from U.S. nuclear secrets to the nation's defense capabilities. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The former president has also pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment from the Manhattan district attorney charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 presidential election.

#us politics #news #republicans #conservatives #donald trump #abc news #trump administration #department of justice #2020 election probe #election interference #georgia election investigation #capitol riot probe #capitol riot investigation #target letter #jack smith #Rudy Giuliani #truth social #2023 #2020 election

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poem-today · 22 days

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A poem by Simon Armitage

Camera Obscura

Eight-year-old sitting in Bramhall’s field, shoes scuffed from kicking a stone, too young for a key but old enough now to walk the short mile back from school.

You’ve spied your mother down in the village crossing the street, purse in her fist. In her other hand her shopping bag nurses four ugly potatoes caked in mud,

a boiling of peas, rags of meat or a tail of fish in greaseproof paper, the price totted up in pencilled columns of shillings and pence. How warm must she be in that winter coat?

On Old Mount Road the nearer she gets the smaller she shrinks, until you reach out to carry her home on the flat of your hand or your fingertip, and she doesn’t exist.

Simon Armitage

Source: Poetry (December 2015)

#english poetry #camera obscura #simon armitage

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posttexasstressdisorder · 10 months

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TELL IT, JUDGE LUTTIG!

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steampunkforever · 9 months

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The creation of art requires a certain societal contract in which artists are allowed to push the norms of social acceptability in order to advance the cause of art. In order to protect freedom of expression artists have to be free to explore topics that are "off limits." You'll notice a lot of very braindead people protesting Nolan's Oppenheimer film because they've moralized art (a fascist action) and are unwilling to allow even the more subtle explorations of the topic. I'll be honest there are movies out there with legitimately artistic takes so offensive it'll make you throw up. Nolan's take is downright bland in comparison, but when approaching a piece of art you need to engage with it from the standpoint of the artistic/social contract regardless of your comfort level with the subject material.

In Jimmy Kimmel's Oscar speech (the one made shortly after #MeToo exposed swathes of Hollywood as predators) he held up Call Me By Your Name as a film that "Mike Pence doesn't want made," clearly referencing the LGBT content of the film and--totally lacking self awareness as is Kimmel's tradition--not the fact that this was lionizing the Movie With The Pedophile Romance, something most politicians should probably be against. Which is to say that this movie was polarizing when it came out.

Even as I'd waited for the hype to cool on Call Me By Your Name, going into the movie there were preconceptions I had to suspend and follow the artistic/social compact in order to achieve some aspect of objectivity while watching the film. This objectivity is key in separating the popular opinion of the film and what the film actually is (e.g. Blue Lagoon's charming reputation vs being pretty messed up actually).

In actuality, Call Me By Your Name is a solid film, content aside. The cinematography and editing were heavily atmospheric, reminding me of a lot of Sophia Coppola's work. The writing was well done, and the performances were nuanced, with the worst being Timothee's accent the whole time. From a merely technical standpoint, this movie deserved the awards it got. Which brings us to the part of the film everyone talks about.

The relationship in the film is complicated to write about because it's set in a much different time, the same period where your aunt and uncle whose age gap math doesn't look exactly legal got together. Things were legitimately different back then, and that's not counting the nature of Gay culture in the 80s and a lot of the age gaps that came out of that. Just like America in the 50s, there are some unsavory things that were more acceptable then than now. 17 years of age then was viewed differently even if now we know it shouldn't have been.

At the same time, Elio is very much the victim, even as he actively pursues the relationship. The movie is an exploration of youthful love for the forbidden and framing that with a homosexual relationship wasn't an accident. The movie also highlights that the victim in these inappropriate relationships often doesn't understand they're being preyed on until sometimes years later. Which is a lot to put into one film and neatly tie into a bow.

Did this film handle the controversial content ethically? Again, the suspension of the social norm is there to say "this isn't for you to say," but as you can critique a film's execution even as you refrain from making ultimatums on its existence, I will say that it definitely left room for misinterpretation (Instagram girls thinking its just SO romantic). Simultaneously, what do you need? A "Don't Try This At Home" Sticker? Licorice Pizza was no less weird and or transgressive and you know not to emulate that one. Both these films push "off limits" topics, but we must let them.

The one thing that struck me as I watched this is that my 2021 assertions that I could take Timothee Chalamet in a fight are absolutely correct. Fresh out of the blue collar regimen I would've ripped that twink apart.

#filmposting #tw pedophila mention #film #call me by your name #timothee chalamet

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stardustedknuckles · 1 year

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So I woke up to the power out. No storm. No indication of a fried squirrel. I sent a very carefully worded text to my dad who lost his job last month asking if the utilities had gone through, and seemed like they had. With no computer to work on and nothing to shield my ears from the sounds of the cats self administering their morning baths with gusto, I decided to go for a walk.

Now. I'm of the belief that there's nothing wrong with leaving the door unlocked for ten minutes to walk around the block. My father, who believes every stranger is a potential threat, drilled it into me early on in our move here that the front door needs to be locked on every walk, no matter how short (unless it's to the mailbox). He has a doorbell camera, so he knows if I don't. Whatever. I lock the door. I don't have to bring my keys (which was the biggest reason I left the door unlocked) since he got a keypad for the garage door. I can come back in that way and have for about three years.

Well. Those require power.

I pulled the front door shut behind me this morning and immediately cringed. My heat intolerant ass was outside, legs already feeling weak, without a wallet, morning vitamins, water, or food, and no knowledge whether the QT a mile away would take tap to pay on my phone (which I had to set up as soon as I got to the park, and thank the gods my cashapp card has an app function that lets you see its information so I COULD set up tap to pay).

I've busted the door open at my mom's with a credit card a few times and figured I could probably do it our front door, if I only got a card. It was 8 in the morning though, and I wasn't sure who was up.

(On the way to the park I passed a lady getting into her car with a giant dog. On the way back, I saw her front door was open about a foot and two cats were outside. I stopped and called out into the house. No response. I knocked, called again. Nobody home. The cats went inside. I shut her door. I really hope those were her cats.)

My nosy neighbor was out and about to leave, and though it would cost me friendly grilling about my life, my dad's life, and any potential lives that might intersect with ours, I thought she might have a credit card she didn't care about. She at least had a dog, which I got to pet while she explained she doesn't carry any cards she doesn't use and she doesn't give her information to credit card companies because big data is coming for us all.

She's not entirely wrong, but the faded trump/pence bumper sticker on her truck had my visibly queer ass nodding a bit more enthusiastically than I might otherwise.

When I finally extricated myself from her (no, I'm still not interested in essential oils, I have allergies to them, thank you for thinking of me, uh-huh, you too!) I checked the mail. I've been home alone Monday through Friday for weeks since dad got a new job and took the car, and I'm not very good at keeping up with the mail, so I hoped to find one of those fake cards they send you in hopes you'll call and get a real one. No dice. I was proud of myself for that idea and everything.

By then, we were hitting the low seventies and the morning mist was dissipating. The sun wasn't fully out yet, but it was unmistakably warmer, and me in my pants with an antihistamine in me from yesterday (they cause greater heat intolerance). There was a man loading his truck a couple driveways down. Never met him before, but I'd seen him. I approached, gave him my name, and sheepishly relayed the morning to him. Thankfully everyone else's power was out too, so I didn't sound too much like I was asking for him to aid and abet a break-in.

He agreed to help but wanted to be the one to do it - as in, "I'll walk with you" and didn't want my paws on his card. He gave the front door a really good try, but privately I still feel like he gave up before he could get it. Still, I was grateful for him ruining a card trying to help me and we tried the shittier door that led to the inside of the garage. Deadbolted. Goddammit dad.

Fast forward to him showing me a trick on the sliding glass door with a screwdriver - we had built up something of a friendly bond through adversity by then, though I never did get his name - which didn't work but reminded me that even though I'm really careful to lock windows (no cracks for spiders to get in that way) I might have left the kitchen window unlocked from when I opened it for my cat. We both tried using the bricks of the house to hop up and see if the latch was shut before we would try prying off the screen.

The latch was shut, and as I dropped back defeated onto the cracked concrete slab that could and had been very generously described by realtors as a patio, hot and starting to sweat, I put my hands on my hips and squinted up into the yellow porch light. And in a very rare DC 10 perception check, I REALIZED what I was seeing.

I must've made a noise, because neighbor guy looked to me with a little confusion. I pointed. He looked, tipped his head, processed. His whole face cleared. He wasn't the sort to laugh easy - gruff, built like an electric foreman, which is to say like my stepfather - but he shook his head with a little smile and made sure I could get in the garage before pushing up the bill of his cap with a finger and wandering off back to his day with his screwdriver.

My day hasn't even started yet. The email my dad (2.5 hours away) forwarded me before my walk estimated it would be four hours before the power came back. I knew it wouldn't take that many, but I didn't dare hope it would only take two. I told my supervisor then that I would keep her updated and I've still got two hours before that time hits. I spent half of one writing this, and I'm going to take ten more to eat something, and then I'll hop online and get busy.

But man. What a morning.

#I should also uninstall tap to pay/turn off my nfc again #I have a headache #I wrote this from my bed where I am horizontal because stress made me need to be horizontal #I did confirm with nosy neighbor that the one lady did have two cats #And I figure if they were feral they wouldn't have run inside #One had a collar indent #There was an empty bucket of litter outside so it's probably fine but wow that was weird #Mundane adventures

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