Monthly Archives: April 2023

#478 The Democracy Gods Were Working This Week

30 Sunday Apr 2023

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Welcome to a discussion about the upcoming 5th Revolution in the US, which I’ve titled the “Revenge Revolution.” For more about the Revenge Revolution and the author, Entry #1.  Periodically I write a “sense check” to assess whether a revolution in the US is possible or whether the entire exercise is based on a statistical aberration — i.e., a roughly 50-year cycle between major upheavals in the US Entry #476 was the most recent “sense check.”

BEGIN ENTRY #478: Well, well. The democracy gods were working this week. In no particular order:

  1. Trump’s legal defense against the special counsel Jack Smith lost ground.  BTW, have Trump’s lawyers won any arguments in court lately?
  2. Former Trump Administration VP Mike Pence testified to the January 6 grand jury for most of Thursday (04/27). Transcripts were sealed but apparently Pence answered many questions.
  3. E. Jean Carroll’s rape suit against Trump proceeded in Manhattan courtroom. The Donald was not present for Carroll’s testimony.  Wonder what the jury will think about the defendant being absent during the trial. Gee Donald, cat got your tongue? Or maybe Trump’s counsel was afraid of a typical tirade from the Donald when the questioning got tough.
  4. Fani Willis, Fulton County (Georgia) DA sent a letter to the county sheriff about beefing up security in and around the courthouse from early July through mid-September. Maybe an indictment is on its way? 
  5. Tucker, Carlson, Fox News’ most profitable talking head, was fired. Apparently, the termination had nothing to do with Carlson’s repeated lies on the air. Rather, the termination followed the Murdoch family becoming aware of Carlson’s texts that were derogatory to family members. Where were Fox’s lawyers in all of this? The texts had been available for months as part of the discovery process in the Dominion suit. Seems that Fox’s counsel never bothered to review the unredacted versions other than a day or two before the trial was to start.
  6. While likely there won’t be any repercussions, we learned of another example of unethical behavior by a conservative Supreme Court justice. Associate Justice Gorsuch did not report selling property to a law firm that frequently argues before SCOTUS. Oh well, you know those disclosure rules are for less-important people and besides, such rules are an inconvenience. Besides, Clarence Thomas told me no disclosure was required.
  7. Mickey Mouse roared at Ron DeSantis.  The Walt Disney Company filed a lawsuit against Florida Governor DeSantis about shenanigans DeSantis took to strip Disney of long-held rights to manage development on its property in Orlando.  Why?  Little Ronnie doesn’t like Disney’s personnel policies that provide protection for everyone — youknow, those people. 

The hard right did have its moments this week.  For example, the Montana House, dominated by Republicans, banished a transgender member from being allowed in the chamber. The trans representative now must work in the hall. Why?  She spoke in support of LGBTQ people.  Can you imagine how disruptive that was to the legislative process?  Guys, pick an issue that matters. Who cares if the person is trans?  Wait until one of your family members comes out.  Banish them too?

Enough for now.  Yes, a week of progress on the rational front! END #478

Other Topics. Interested in more info about climate change, what’s required to electrify a fleet of cars/trucks, what it was like to work day-to-day with Lee Iacocca and an array of other topics? Visit another page of this website, https://usrevolution5.com/jrd-thought-comments/

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#477. Dominion’s Dumb Decision Damages Democracy

22 Saturday Apr 2023

Posted by in Causes of the Revolution, Societal Issues, Uncategorized

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Welcome to a discussion about the upcoming 5th Revolution in the US, which I’ve titled the “Revenge Revolution.” For more about the Revenge Revolution and the author, Entry #1.  Periodically I write a “sense check” to assess whether a revolution in the US is possible or whether the entire exercise is based on a statistical aberration — i.e., a roughly 50-year cycle between major upheavals in the US Entry #476 was the most recent “sense check.”

BEGIN ENTRY #477: A few days ago, Dominion Voting Systems agreed to an out-of-court settlement with Fox News. News Corporation, Fox’s parent, agreed to pay Dominion $787 million as part of the settlement for a libel suit brought by Dominion.  In addition, Fox had to admit, somewhat tepidly, that it had made false statements, aka lies, on the air about the credibility of Dominion’s voting machines.

By settling out of court, Fox avoided having testify in court CEO, Rupert Murdoch, and several high-profile talking heads.  Dominion had evidence that would have forced Murdoch and the talking heads to admit they lied on the air about Dominion as well as lied about the credibility of Trump’s claims the 2020 election was somehow “stolen.”

Following the announcement settlement, a number of lawyers, particularly on cable, began slobbering all over themselves about the unprecedented amount of payment and that other portions of the settlement would put guardrails on Fox’s behavior.

My view? Fox was the winner, not the loser.  Dominion was the loser. While the $787 million settlement was unprecedented for a libel case, the $787 million represents a minor hiccup to Fox’s earning stream.  Fox will still have a profit for FY2023 and possibly a profit for the quarter in which the settlement is booked. In addition, Fox is likely to slightly increase 30-second ad rates to cover the expense.

The settlement will have virtually no effect on Fox’s audience.  Fox viewers are likely to remain loyal.  Most will discount any terms of the settlement and many viewers may be unaware of most of the terms, given the limited coverage on Fox.

As far as the settlement controlling lies by Fox’s talking heads – Carlson, Hannity et al – don’t count on it. The Fox staff will train the talking heads to reframe lies as questions or claim in the commentary that they are merely “reporting” on what others have said.

The likelihood of Fox encountering another successful libel suit is very small.  The threshold for such suits is very high and Dominion was lucky to have had access to a trove of emails, texts and voice recordings proving Fox was lying.  As such, there is no incentive for Fox to change. Per chance, if Fox is facing another lawsuit, bring out the checkbook and buy your way out.

Why did Dominion settle?  By not settling, Dominion could have increased its market share.  Granted, no “self-respecting” election official in a Republican-dominated district would ever buy a Dominion voting machine.  I suspect many Republican-dominated state legislators will introduce legislation to ban any district in the state from purchasing Dominion voting machines.  If the Donald says “no” then the legislators must say “no.”

By not settling, Dominion could have gained market share in more Democratically controlled states. Officials in those states could have leaned toward Dominion’s system because the system is credible, and Dominion stood up to Fox and Trump.  Now those officials have less incentive to support Dominion.  For many of those officials, Dominion’s decision to grab the money and effectively cave into Fox is a reason not to buy Dominion machines. 

So, one more time, why did Dominion settle when they had Fox by the short hairs?  Even the presiding judge said Fox was not credible.  Oh, yes, follow the money.  The decision by Dominion may not have been made by Dominion executives, but guess who?  Yes, you guessed right – the paragons of ethical behavior.  A private equity firm that purchased a portion of Dominion a few years ago. 

So, in the end,  the private equity firm’s greed forced Dominion management to push aside ethics and principles. While the PE firm got cash and a huge ROI multiple for caving to Fox, the public got nothing. Fox bought its way out on the cheap and also bought the right to continue distorting the truth with no guardrails and little fear of repercussion.  Another dagger in the heart of democracy.

As for the future of Dominion, the PE firm will take the money and run, leaving Dominion a wounded player.  Let’s hope Dominion recovers.  However, don’t be surprised if in the next couple of years Dominion Voting Systems declares Cha11 bankruptcy or ends up being purchased by another company.  In the meantime, the members of the private equity firm will probably be watching Fox News. 

Other Topics. Interested in more info about climate change, what’s required to electrify a fleet of cars/trucks, what it was like to work day-to-day with Lee Iacocca and an array of other topics? Visit another page of this website, https://usrevolution5.com/jrd-thought-comments/ 


					


	





	

								
#476. Sense Check: Is Revolution V on Track?
										

			09
			Sunday
			Apr 2023
		

	
	

		

			Posted  by  in Sense Check, Uncategorized		

		

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I started this blog in 2013 after accidentally discovering a pattern that “revolutions” occur in the US about every 50 years. Some of the revolutions were armed – Civil War, for example – and some were cultural – changes following significant immigration in the early 20th Century. The revolution occurring in the late 1960s/early 1970s was a bit of both.  





Based on the 50-year cycle, Revolution V should begin roughly between 2020–2025. Are we on track? (For more about the revolutions and the author, Entry #1.)





I haven’t written for a couple of weeks awaiting information from events that seemingly would help answer the question.  In addition to the anticipated events, there were some surprises.  In no particular order, the following is a partial list of events that should help determine if Revolution V, aka the Revenge Revolution, is on track .





    

  1. More mass shootings, including another killing at a grammar school.  This time in Nashville, Tennessee. Three students, all under age 10 and three staff members were killed.  The killer, a lady in her 20’s, entered by shooting open a door that had been locked, supposedly to protect students and staff.  So much for safety measures. 
    2. 




  2. Tennessee House, led by Republicans, expelling two black legislators for…can you imagine this…joining a group of students who were demanding legislators enact gun safety legislation.  The temerity of those students! The Tennessee Speaker of the House claimed the two legislators joining the young protesters was worse than the actions of the insurrectionists who invaded the US Capitol January 6. I guess the speaker believes the South shall rise again!
    3. 




  3. North Carolina legislators eliminating any restrictions on carrying concealed weapons and eliminating any requirements for training with a handgun. The NC Republicans claimed lifting the restrictions would help protect citizens, including those in situations similar to the Tennessee school shooting. Yes, if only those 2nd and 3rd graders had a pistol in their backpacks everything would have been OK.
    4. 




  4. Federal judge in Texas ruling that the FDA had neither the authority to approve nor did it follow the proper protocol in approving a drug taken orally that terminates pregnancies. Just because the drug has been on the market for 26 years, has been tested worldwide, and there are more than 100 peer-reviewed clinical studies confirming safety, the Trump–appointed judge knows more than scientists in the field. Wanna bet he never got beyond high-school chemistry?  The judge was nice enough to incorporate in the formal ruling some of the plaintiff’s inflammatory and misleading language.   Great to see such a fair and impartial judge.  Fortunately, a judge in Washington State made a different ruling that likely will result in the case going before SCOTUS.
    5. 




  5. Speaking of SCOTUS, Politico reported that for more than 20 years Justice Clarence Thomas has failed to report substantial gifts to him and/or his spouse.  At least one of these gifts had an estimated value of $500,000.  How many different people or groups provided gifts is not yet known.  At least one person who regularly provided substantial gifts is a major contributor to the Republican Party. In response to the report, Thomas claimed, but without any documentation, that other justices had told him reporting such gifts was not required. Really?  I guess Thomas can’t read because the law says otherwise. Such gifts are required.  BTW, Clarence, I’ve got this bridge for sale that goes between Brooklyn and Manhattan.  Attractive price.  Wanna buy it?
    6. 




  6. And, oh yes, the Donald. Trump must be honored to be the first US president indicted. A mere 34 felony counts charged by the Manhattan DA. Since the Donald loves publicity, there are many more charges coming. A different court case in New York City this week, which includes a possible rape charge.  Soon likely indictments from the New York State AG and a different set of charges from the Fulton County Georgia DA. All those cases are substantially broader than the Manhattan case. The Donald will get a lot of miles on the plane and oh, all that wonderful publicity.
    7. 






Well, that’s the partial list. If you don’t think the US is in the beginning stages of Revolution V, not sure what is required to change your mind. More to come.





Other Topics. Interested in more info about climate change, what’s required to electrify a fleet of cars/trucks, what it was like to work day-to-day with Lee Iacocca and an array of other topics? Visit another page of this website, https://usrevolution5.com/jrd-thought-comments/