. . .
K “It says something – profound and troubling – about
the America experiment that the Empire pursues war crimes as national policy and celebrates war criminals as national heroes.”
L “That it does. It celebrates war in all its manifestations. You know what they say. If you want a state funeral in America, first be a war criminal.”
. . .
J “And he is a lawyer.”
K “American-trained.”
. . .
K “Any American citizen who publicly calls for the assassination of another person particularly a foreign leader violates more than a few provisions of Title 18. Is there even one U.S. Attorney who has the courage and integrity to indict Graham after he called for the assassination of Putin?”
J “You know that every U.S. Attorney wants to be a federal judge. They must prove that they will avoid enforcing the law against those in power so that they can get into a position of power to . . . enforce the law.”
. . .
K “I shared a story that I reflect on frequently. An old experienced law professor who taught comparative law in American and European law schools for over two score years shared his settled observations about the fundamental difference in training and perspective between American-trained lawyers and European-trained lawyers. With some exceptions, an American-trained lawyer first asks: ‘Can we get away with it?’ With some exceptions, an European-trained lawyer first asks: ‘Is it lawful?’.”
. . .
K “Lindsey Graham is a doppelgänger for John McCain.”
J “He is a doppelgänger for Madeline Albright.”
K “He is eminently qualified for the honor.”
. . .
K “Lindsey Graham is a vile and venal admixture of a sociopath and a psychopath who is indifferent at best whether the entire world is obliterated in a nuclear war. He is pursuing a private agenda on the public dole. For these and other compelling reasons and despite ferocious competition, he is most deserving of the prestigious ‘John McCain – Madeline Albright Rancid Vermin Award’ for 2024.”
. . .
[See the e-commentary at Victoria “Fuck the EU” Nuland: Recipient Of The Prestigious John McCain – Madeline Albright Rancid Vermin Award! Oh, And Happy May / Law Day! (May 1, 2023).]
Bumper stickers of the week:
“And as for him who lacks the courage to defend even his own soul: Let him not brag of his progressive views, boast of his status as an academician or a recognized artist, a distinguished citizen or general. Let him say to himself plainly: I am cattle, I am a coward, I seek only warmth and to eat my fill.” Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, “Live Not by Lies” written before he was arrested on February 12, 1974.
“To the 2024 graduating class of the College On War And Violence – and the home of the “Fightin’ Fighters” – I remind you of one of the central truths of life in America. If you want a state funeral in America, first be a war criminal. Good luck on the Foreign Service Officer’s examination, your first step on the path to a state funeral. And for the one or two of you who get it and get out of line, a funeral occasioned by the state. Godspeed to you.”
We live in a country with many, many, many rules and many, many, many laws, but we do not live in a country that believes in or adheres to the rule of law.
You cannot get out of bed in the morning without violating some section of title 18 of the United States Code, the federal criminal code. In fact, and as a matter of law, you cannot stay in bed in the morning without violating some section of title 18 of the United States Code, the federal criminal code. In practice, the United States is a system of men not laws because men and women opt from the panoply of laws that punish all behavior and decide who is and who is not imprisoned.
e-commentary 