Clarice "DJT can now commute Stone's sentence because of his age and health concerns and let the appeal take its course." True of course, but my point was that pursuing the appeal is expensive, stressful and exhausting, and unlike in the old days where a judicial exoneration might restore lost honor, the current Judiciary has so damaged its own brand that judicial exoneration is no such thing any more. It is all politics so why pretend otherwise now? (Thanks Roberts...) My more subtle point is that an outright pardon right now, while not as forceful as one done back on day one would have been, still allows Trump to regain some of his "I Protect Me and Mine" image that we thought we were electing...until he turned his back on Flynn then others...then proceeded to act as if the DoJ works for the Man in the Moon.

Jimmy "but it's possible that the potential pardonee would prefer a chance for exoneration by the court." Oh Jimmy, you are so old fashioned. That was true when courts were thought to be where "real justice" occurred, even when the crimes charged were political. Does anybody exist today who does not suspect the courts are every bit political activists with agenda to advance just like all the other Progs in the system? Yes, you can thank SCOTUS for that, and for Congress and the POTUS in allowing it to happen.

Premature perhaps but he can do it at any time in the process. Pardon need not be a final lifeline. Furthermore, if Trump feels strongly enough about a miscarriage of justice, especially on Trump's own watch, then frankly he should end Stone's suffering before the lawyers have taken what is left of his assets and life. Pardons can even be granted before a crime is even charged. Takes courage.

Jane: "I really hope Trump pardons Roger Stone. Any reason I'm wrong?" Should be a two-fer. Paragraph #1: Pardon Roger Stone. Paragraph #2: Name the top dozen DoJ/FBI people who did that to him and fire them on the spot by Executive Order. Civil Service be damned. Make them sue to get their jobs back.

Porch said this on the other thread and I was "sleeping on it". Porch: "I guess technically most of America was "wrested" from Native Americans. Or as I like to call it, "won." While it is of course true that much land has changed hands as a result of real war-war (with declared opponents, objectives, winners and losers) and the like, looking at the maps over all of history it seems to me the ebb and flow of groups of humans into and out of geographic areas has a much more organic, Darwinian (survival of the fittest), aspect to it, making humans not unlike all other sorts of creatures and insects who occupy and consume the resources they "need" to satisfy each of their own inherent biological imperatives. Only humans seem cursed with the ability to turn that into something "personal". God is laughing at all of us.

Say again, Ext. Already listening, Cap'n but thanks again!

RG "So . . . where do y'all think that new Statuary Garden should be placed?" Dead Center, Camp Pendleton?

Ext "I'd prefer someone threatened with cancellation to say something like:"There is no racism. This is all bullshit, and you're all being manipulated by political forces because this is an election year. You're fools for falling for it. All you are doing is dividing people, and ruining black lives. THAT should be the very words from DJT day after day, every day. Then he can rotate "COVID" and "RUSSIANS" into a three day repeating cycle. The COVID day should always include an abject apology for ever subjecting us to Tony Fauci and his Marxist "Experts", once he saw what they wanted to do to the country.

Cap'n: "At some point you have to consider unified stupidity as deliberate." Been my precise position since the scales fell from my eyes with GWB. Until then, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and just thought they were simply honestly stupid. They - GOPe - have been playing their role in the global hustle since they trashed Goldwater.

A-bob: "Is the CDC stupid, or malevolent?" Safest assumption: In 2020, every agency of a F,S or L government is malevolent unless a freedom loving constitutional observer has consistent evidence with his own eyes to the contrary.

Ditto all the above, Steph.

JimSV "...V shaped recovery? Or half of all US businesses die?" Yes.

JimSV "Saw my first Biden yard sign today." Dem Strategy as somebody posted yesterday: Hide Biden. Create Chaos. Impede Recovery.

Lamar represents everything wrong about the GOPe from the last four decades. Fem.

Even the Cliff Notes made me throw up, RSE.

RSE, They never seem to ask "Why in the world would even an idiot WANT to do this?" That is how I dismiss 500 pages without turning a single page.

100,000 per day means maybe 200 of them will die from Covid. 7,000 other people will die of something else that day. Here's my hair. Please light it on fire for me.

:-) Steph.

Jane "HUGE: Per His Lawyer — General Flynn Was Targeted Because “He Knew About the Billions Brennan and Company Were Running Off the Books” Not in 2020 that ain't "huge". More than half the population does not know the difference between millions, billions and trillions, thinks money falls out of the sky, and besides, Brennan was working for Obama so it had to be for a good purpose.

Agree completely, Jack.

Jane "One of my favorite people here has Parkinson's. I hope it works." That and Alz have been the entire focus of YL's science work since college. I tell her to "hurry" while I can still sign checks. :-)

One thing I am seriously rethinking. I have taken comfort in my long held assumption that in the coming New Dark Age, the smartest and best trained (which we used to call "educated") will rise to the top. No longer can I assume that even a proper education nor a superior IQ will ensure any such thing. Some other alignment of the attribute stars, yet to be determined by Darwin, is going to be required in this next cycle of history.

Porch "But I'm also sick of smart people refusing to use their brains." SOMEBODY has been listening in at the OL house!

Agree completely MM & Jane & Porch.

Porch, here too as you can see from my above.