SMS Cohen
SMS Cohen's JournalKushner not under oath. But still can be prosecuted for lying.
I was in the middle of writing this thread title asking since Jared Kushner, won't be under oath today, he can be prosecuted for lying to Congress if it's shown that he lied.
Glad to hear a reporter just say that although he isn't under oath, he still can be indicted for lying if it is revealed he didn't tell the truth.
But why not put him under oath?
Is the crime of perjury (lying under oath) more serious than lying to Congress?
Or is it just a formality that since he swore an oath to the Constituion that like members of Congress, he doesn't have to swear an oath in front of the committee?
Introduction from SMS Cohen
It was suggested that I come here to introduce myself.
My user name is SMSc Cohen, but you you can called me SMS. 
I am probably on the older side of the DU. A true baby boomer, very much influenced by the threat of nuclear war; a kid growing up in a "Golden Ghetto" of upper-middle class luxury, a person influenced by the civil rights movement; and as an older person, a woman trying to understand and relate to Gen X and Millennials.
And please excuse me if I say things that insult you or others in my posts. Some things are too ingrained to change easily at my age.
Populism is not why Republicans and Trump are in power
Trump's message was not just populism.
There was a large dose, from day one", of "them versus us" where "them" were Mexican immigrants taking your jobs, raping your women, and committing crimes, Every time he promised to build the wall, he as saying that dark-skinned, Spanish-speaking people are dangerous.
There was his original "claim to fame" of birtherism which was not forgotten by his base. That theme was part of a racist rant against an African-American President.
There was his refusal to promptly refute David Duke. Which made his campamade attractive O the Aryan Nation and others who believe whites have lost their rights and power.
And his talk to ban all Muslims coming to America because they are dangerous to our way of life. That is because they are not Judeo-Christian.
"Make America Great Again" was a thinly-veiled message that things were better way back when, (fifties and early sixties) we didn't have civil rights laws, didn't pay minimum wages, didn't have women in the workforce, and didn't give recognition to the LGBT community.
None of that is a true populist message. Even the Tea Party seemed to have a populist message. But it too was tinged with racism.
The Democrats may try to put out a populist message. True populism is a message that government has grown too big to understand or help the little guy. Populism says you're not getting your fair share, that government programs are taking resources from you and giving it to "them".
But that message is too weak and actually goes against the traditional Democratic values.
And since the Democrats won't flavor that message with bigotry and hatred, that populism may not resonate with the base that elected Trump.
Of course! The personal is not political.
Of course you can feel sad for John McCaine but still hate his legacy (politics). You can look at a someone's personal life to try to understand why a person holds certain political beliefs. Although it's harder to see how their political beliefs affect their personal life.
In fact it is very easy for anyone to separate the personal from the political.
Consider the incredibly close friendship between Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Anton Scalia. The were very good friends with a shared interest in opera. Yet their political (constitutional) ideas were 180 degrees apart.
Ginsburg was sad that her friend died. But that would not change her disagreement with his views.
It can't end well
No matter what happens, it's not going to be a happy ending.
If they get arrested—by Stan—it will be both parents and Paige. They will try to get Henry off saying he knew nothing. But he will get dragged into the mess.
If they go back to Russia, and both children go, they will not be happy with the actuality of life in Russia. Food shortages, constant surveillance, poo living conditions. And Paige might want to learn Russian. But Henry will be miserable. As a little twist, Stan Beeman will find out—after they have fled—the truth about them. This will cause him problems. If he reveals the truth, the FBI will consider him the dumbest agent they ever had. If he doesn't, he can be blackmailed by the Center.
If they go to Russia, it could be without the children. Some fake "accident" will kill off the parents. Paige will know the truth. Henry won't. But Paige will be happy as she will be used by the Center to keep spying. Henry will know nothing. And will be miserable with his parents dead.
I worry about Trump buildings
The man has demonstrated a complete lack of understanding of so many things: health insurance, difference between Medicare and Medicaid, differences between areas of the constitution assigned to the states, why Sessions had to recuse himself from Russia investigation, etc. etc.
So it is not at all surprising that he would mix up a life insurance commercial for health care.
But given how much ignorance he has shown about so many things, I worry about the soundness of the materials used to build the many Trump[ buildings around the world. Anyone with such a limited education should never be in charge of building anything bigger or higher than a backyard tree house. And even then, I might not let children play in that edifice. 
He's an addict
There is a known and accepted condition of addiction to web forums, social media, etc.
The addict gets a rush from seeing his/her own post read and responded to by others.
Trump began his addictive behavior many years ago when he had few followers. Then as the number of followers grew, as more people would answer his tweets, as he got into more debates online, he got more and more excited. And the rush of endorphins was exhilarating.
It is also not surprising that he tweets late at night. During the day there has often been many people telling him how important he is. (Long before he was a candidate or the pres.)
But at night he is all alone with nobody talking to him. He needs the stimulation of posting a tweet. And enjoys the rush when he thinks of how people will respond.
And he is totally high when "Morning Joe" or any of the other cable nets mention his tweets.
This addictive behavior is why aides and family have been unable to get him to stop tweeting.
Also, I would not be surprised to find out that he has a secret, other-named Twitter account that he posts quite outrageous comments just to see what reactions he can stir up.
Of course I'll be watching this thread to see if anyone responds to me
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: Noo Yawk Seedy
Home country: USA
Current location: NYC, NY USA
Member since: Sat Jul 22, 2017, 10:19 AM
Number of posts: 18
