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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy is Barr SEEMINGLY choosing TREASON over PATRIOTISM?
His family and descendants will be subjected to this far-more-egregious-than-Benedict-Arnold legacy for as long as recorded history still exists.
The way these lifelong elites make their career decisions is beyond my comprehension.
And it's way to late for me to "go sociopath". I could not bring myself to do what they do. I'm cursed with this basic sense of human decency.
Why take a lifetime bullet for such a loathsome crime family?
-90% Jimmy
redstatebluegirl
(12,454 posts)He did it first from GHW Bush, saving him from impeachment.
sarabelle
(453 posts)I will look for the link.
democratisphere
(17,235 posts)zipplewrath
(16,682 posts)To what enemy did he give aid and comfort?
He may be impeachable if he misleads congress. But I'm not sure the charge would be treason.
edhopper
(34,580 posts)he has chosen to protect a traitor (Trump working for Russia) rather than defend his country.
Abetting a man who continues to serve a foreign power.
zipplewrath
(16,682 posts)The problem is, Mueller concluded (presumably) that Trump DIDN'T "serve a foreign power" (probably because he was too incompetent to do so). Treason is VERY narrowly defined in the constitution for a reason. Barr may be a traitor, but he didn't commit treason. (Nixon on the other hand...)
edhopper
(34,580 posts)I hope someday we will.
zipplewrath
(16,682 posts)Unless Barr literally said the opposite of what Mueller did, apparently Mueller didn't find anything that met his personal high standard for definition of what cooperation was. I am a bit suspicious that there is still plenty of "smoke" there that is going to be quite interesting to the democrats in the House.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)WTF?
zipplewrath
(16,682 posts)Mueller said there was no treason or coordination. Of course Mueller had a very high standard for such a charge. It will be interesting to see what level the evidence suggests.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)We have no idea what Mueller said. We only know what the cover-up guy claims about what Mueller said.
zipplewrath
(16,682 posts)Like I said, he had a very narrow criteria for some reason that wasn't met. One wonders what criteria could have been met.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)It's all the words of Cover-up Guy.
zipplewrath
(16,682 posts)Some time back he established the high degree for what constituted "cooperation" and evidence thereof. Basically if he couldn't establish that Trump, or someone on the immediate staff, actually made AND EXECUTED an agreement to interfere in the elections, he wouldn't bring charges. Trying and failing apparently wasn't going to be good enough for him. It might be for congress and the American people however.
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)I can't quite figure out why.
As far as I'm concerned, we have no idea what Mueller actually says in the report.
zipplewrath
(16,682 posts)I'm fairly sure Mueller didn't recommend charging Trump with cooperation with Russia. Everything else is wide open.
former9thward
(33,353 posts)Even though you admit "we have no idea what Mueller actually says in the report."
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)If you've watched his recent hearings on C-Span, or if you have followed his career of being the dishonest cleanup crew for dishonest Republicans, you will understand my skepticism.
Fiendish Thingy
(17,913 posts)Certainly obstruction and abuse of power, but treason is very narrowly defined, and this ain't it.
edhopper
(34,580 posts)a traitor by obstructing the evidence.
onenote
(44,184 posts)We have billions of dollars in bilateral trade with Russia. American citizens can freely travel to Russia.
Does that sound like a country we're in a state of war with?
Russia is an adversary, but that doesn't make them an "enemy" for purposes of the very narrow treason clause of the Constitution.
edhopper
(34,580 posts)but sometimes legal definitions are not the same as general definitions.
Clarity2
(1,009 posts)not define russia as an enemy. They hacked our elections. They changed the course of our election. How is that not an enemy? Difference is, because of who we have in the WH, nobody can act on that or strongly voice that in a public way in this administration.
triron
(22,240 posts)I think this mode (that you refer to) is essentially obsolete.
onenote
(44,184 posts)Treason was intended to be construed very narrowly. If what Russia did was an act of war, it would have all sorts of legal ramifications (such as requiring NATO members to take action). Since none of those things have happened, the courts will not find a state of war exists between Russia and the US. Hell, they didn't find such a thing during the Cold War either.
zipplewrath
(16,682 posts)So it can mean whatever you want. But treason is very narrowly defined.
Lying to congress is also defined.
edhopper
(34,580 posts)FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)Synonyms for treason
crime
mutiny
sedition
subversion
treachery
deceit
deceitfulness
deception
disaffection
dishonesty
duplicity
faithlessness
perfidy
revolt
revolutionary
traitorousness
breach of faith
lèse majesté
seditious act
seditiousness
Butterflylady
(3,927 posts)It's what drives civilization.
Bettie
(16,836 posts)and he's being well-paid to do it.
That phrase, "the rich are different"...they are, because their wealth generally (not always, but more often than not) insulates them from pesky consequences for their actions, so they believe that they don't have to adhere to societal and legal norms.
So, in his mind, he's doing "the right thing" because it benefits him and those who will give him more money/favors.
TheBlackAdder
(28,810 posts)smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)I will never understand why so many people willing destroy their lives, careers and reputations for this vile ignoramus.
Me.
(35,454 posts)This isn't the first time he has done this type of thing
Thomas Hurt
(13,924 posts)He is a traitor to the rule of law in this country, a traitor to principles of American democracy but he is not waging war against the US anymore than the toddlers and mothers at the border are invaders. He is a partisan hack and hypocrite, he may even be breaking the law, but he is not giving aid comfort to the enemies of the US.
FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)Miss the point much?
90-percent
(6,868 posts)So I looked up synonyms that I hope better match the meaning of my original intent. And picked out a few that could replace "treason" in my original post.
sedition
subversion
treachery
perfidy
traitorousness
seditiousness
Subsititute any of the above for "treason".
My point is: These guys take oaths. Destroying hundreds of years of American values so as to support a president hell bent on becoming a Dictator is a very despicable thing to do. Up there with helping terrorists nuke the US. And it's happening right in front of us in real time and our Institutions seem too hopeless and corrupt to turn this fascist police state tide!
-90% Jimmy
OnDoutside
(20,625 posts)disreputable, but I'll bet it is not illegal, because that's how lowlife like him survive. To many Republicans, this is a game.
donkeypoofed
(2,187 posts)He meets THAT definition.
ScratchCat
(2,371 posts)As it is for Trump, as this cover-up was orchestrated probably a year ago and it clearly involves Lindsay Graham and other GOPers.
PeeJ52
(1,588 posts)Haven't you noticed? Doesn't it seem like all the secret stuff is sealed and never to be released until 50 years later? We only learned about some of the deepest Watergate secrets lately, and most people didn't even care. The only ones that did were the true legal scholars. Who knows what all they really found out about Iran/Contra. People went to jail over that, or should have. All the hearings about 9-11 won't be published until most of us are dead and gone. All we have is conspiracy theories to go on. Why should this be any different?
Baltimike
(4,415 posts)qazplm135
(7,465 posts)being patriotic means protecting republicans.
Not defending it, just understanding it.
Grasswire2
(13,684 posts)I believe he's compromised. His tax returns should be requested when it's time to impeach HIM.
Kablooie
(18,723 posts)The greatest defender of the greatest president in history, dictator for life , Donald trump.
Many Republicans are anticipating a successful coup and want to be on the right side of history.
awesomerwb1
(4,503 posts)and riding it out over time. If that's the case, Barr will only be a villain to Dems and those paying attention.
The trump base may be enough to keep them in power and that's why the trump demon kids may be future candidates.
hatrack
(60,565 posts)From Barrs 1995 essay Legal Issues in a New Political Order:
We live in an increasingly militant, secular age. We see an emerging philosophy that government is expected to play an ever greater role in addressing social problems in our society. It is also expected to over-ride various private interests as it goes about this work. As part of this philosophy, we see a growing hostility toward religion, particularly Catholicism. This form of bigotry has always been fashionable in the United States. There are, today, even greater efforts to marginalize or"ghettoize" orthodox religion.
Okay, wow. And Barr gets even more extreme in his essay. A few of the highlights:
America should not be secular, but instead should enforce a transcendent moral order with objective standards of right and wrong that flows from Gods eternal law.
He blames crime, poverty, and even sexually transmitted diseases, on a nebulous Federal government attack on what he believes are American traditional values.
He outright calls for the Federal government to pay for religious education through subsidies
He calls for the creation of laws which restrain sexual immorality which will target homosexuals and transgenders
He complains about laws which treat a cohabitating couple as a married couple, and goes on to suggests housing discrimination against unmarried couples, gay or straight, should be perfectly legal
The essay goes on and on in this fashion, clearly demonstrating the depth and commitment Barr advocated to removing the wall between church and state.
EDIT
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/4/15/1850225/-Barr-Is-No-Mystery-He-Is-Simply-A-Zealot
JHB
(37,366 posts)"People like you are still living in what we call the reality-based community. You believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality. Thats not the way the world really works anymore. Were an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you are studying that reality judiciously, as you will well act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and thats how things will sort out. Were historys actors, and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do." -- anonymous Bush adviser later identified to be Karl Rove
That's been the conservative standard operating procedure a few decades now: Push hard, grab with both hands, brazen it out, and you'll get what you want and leave everyone else stumbling to pick up the pieces. And what they want is to be the ones unequivocally on top, the people who call all the shots and can brush off or squash anyone who thinks different.
duforsure
(11,885 posts)Like his son in law and daughter working in the House, and he was involved with Alfa Bank , which has ties to putin. So , he's very likely compromised , and putin and trump are using it against him.
AncientGeezer
(2,146 posts)He's overseeing a U.S. issue...not 1 that has to do with a declared foreign enemy
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)area51
(12,095 posts)Guy Whitey Corngood
(26,746 posts).