;)
Sunday
Feb212021
The Commentariat -- February 22, 2021
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
Michael Balsamo, et al., of the AP: "Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden's attorney general nominee, vowed Monday to prioritize combating extremist violence and said his first focus would be on the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as he sought to assure lawmakers that the Justice Department would remain politically independent on his watch.... 'The attorney general represents the public interest, particularly and specifically as defined by the Constitution and the statutes of the United States,' Garland said. 'I do not plan to be interfered with by anyone.'"
Ed Pilkington of the Guardian: "Neera Tanden, president of the left-leaning Center for American Progress, seemed unlikely to be confirmed as budget director in the Biden administration after Susan Collins and Mitt Romney, two moderate Republican senators, said they would not vote in her favour."
Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court on Monday rejected ... Donald Trump's last-chance effort to keep his private financial records from the Manhattan district attorney, ending a long and drawn-out legal battle. After a four-month delay, the court denied Trump's motion in a one-sentence order with no recorded dissents. District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. has won every stage of the legal fight -- including the first round at the Supreme Court -- but has yet to receive the records he says are necessary for a grand jury investigation into whether the president's companies violated state law." Thanks to Ken W. for the link. As Ken writes, "Whoopie!" Update: The New York Times' story is here. Politico's story is here. ~~~
~~~ "What's Next?" William Rashbaum, et al., of the New York Times: "Terabytes of data. Dozens of prosecutors, investigators and forensic accountants sifting through millions of pages of financial documents. An outside consulting firm drilling down on the arcana of commercial real estate and tax strategies. That is the monumental task that lies ahead in the Manhattan district attorney's criminal investigation into ... Donald J. Trump and his family business after a United States Supreme Court order on Monday cleared the way for prosecutors to obtain eight years worth of Mr. Trump's tax returns and other financial records.... The crucial next phase in the Manhattan inquiry will begin in earnest this week when investigators for the district attorney's office collect the records from the law firm that represents Mr. Trump's accountants, Mazars USA...."
Virginia. Laura Vozzella & Gregory Schneider of the Washington Post: "Two bills to abolish the death penalty in Virginia won final approval in the state General Assembly on Monday and were headed to Gov. Ralph Northam (D), who is expected to sign them. Virginia -- historically one of the nation's most prolific death penalty states -- would then become the first in the South to abandon the ultimate punishment. The state Senate approved by a vote of 22 to 16 a House bill that bans executions and establishes a maximum punishment of life in prison without the possibility of parole. A judge would have discretion to suspend part of that sentence -- a sticking point for some Republicans, who pushed unsuccessfully to make life without parole a mandatory minimum. An identical Senate bill, sponsored by Sen. Scott A. Surovell (D-Fairfax), passed the House by a 57-to-43 vote, with two Republicans joining all Democrats. Del. Michael P. Mullin (D-Newport News), a prosecutor for the city of Hampton, carried the House version."
~~~~~~~~~~
Today is the anniversary of George Washington's birth. He was a slaveholder all of his adult life, but he still was a better president than used-prez* Fatso.
Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "Attorney general nominee Merrick Garland plans to tell the Senate on Monday that if confirmed to become the nation's top law enforcement official, he will strive to lead an agency committed to battling discrimination in American life and extremist attacks on democracy. In written remarks prepared for delivery at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Garland, 68, highlighted the history of the Justice Department, noting that the agency was formed in the aftermath of the Civil War, and that many of the issues it confronted then remain pressing concerns today." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
All the President*'s Lawsuits. Rosalind Helderman of the Washington Post: "The state of Michigan and the city of Detroit have asked a federal judge to sanction attorneys who filed lawsuits that falsely alleged the November vote was fraudulent, the first of several similar efforts expected around the country.An Atlanta-area prosecutor has launched a criminal investigation into whether pressure that ... Donald Trump and his allies put on state officials amounted to an illegal scheme to overturn the results of the presidential election. And defamation lawsuits have been filed against Trump's allies -- the start of what could be a flood of civil litigation related to false claims that the election was rigged and to the subsequent riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan.& 6. Although Trump was acquitted by the Senate on a charge that his rhetoric incited the deadly Capitol siege, public officials and private companies are pursuing a multi-front legal effort to hold him and his allies accountable in other ways. The actions target the former president and numerous others -- including elected officials, media pundits and lawyers -- who indulged and echoed his falsehoods that President Biden did not win the election."
** "The Lost Hours." Mark Mazzetti & Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "At 1:09 p.m. on Jan. 6, minutes after protesters had burst through the barricades around the U.S. Capitol and began using the steel debris to assault the officers standing guard, the chief of the Capitol Police made a desperate call for backup. It took nearly two hours for officials to approve the deployment of the National Guard. New details about what transpired over those 115 minutes on that dark, violent day -- revealed in interviews and documents -- tell a story of how chaotic decision-making among political and military leaders burned precious time as the rioting at the Capitol spiraled out of control.... This period is likely to be a focus of a congressional hearing on Tuesday, when lawmakers will publicly question Steven A. Sund, the Capitol Police chief at the time, and other current and former officials for the first time...."
Jennifer Valentino-DeVries, et al., of the New York Times: "As federal prosecutors unveil charges in the assault on the Capitol last month, they have repeatedly highlighted two militant groups -- the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys -- as being the most organized, accusing them of planning their strategy ahead of time and in some cases helping escalate a rally into an attack. The two organizations stand in contrast to a majority of the mob. Of the more than 230 people charged so far, only 31 are known to have ties to a militant extremist group. And at least 26 of those are affiliated with the Oath Keepers or the Proud Boys.... Conspiracy charges, among the most serious levied so far, indicate that members of these groups may have worked together and planned their activities, potentially in ways that made them more dangerous than other rioters." MB: And isn't it odd?: both groups have known ties to Roger Stone who has known ties to Donald Trump.
Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "A leader in an alleged Oath Keepers conspiracy in the US Capitol insurrection claims she was given a VIP pass to the pro-Trump rally on January 6, had met with Secret Service agents and was providing security for legislators and others, including in their march to the Capitol, according to a new court filing. Attorneys for Ohio Oath Keeper Jessica Watkins detail how the efforts among paramilitants who are now accused of conspiracy on January 6 were closer to the apparatus around ... Donald Trump and his rally than was previously known.... The US Secret Service, in response to Watkins' claims in the Saturday filing, denied that private citizens were working with the Secret Service to provide security on January 6." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Hannah Knowles of the Washington Post: "By taking part in the riots at the U.S. Capitol, Pennsylvania officer Joseph W. Fischer did not just break the laws he was tasked with enforcing, the FBI says -- he was also allegedly at 'the front of the pack pushing against the police.'... Fischer, a patrolman with the North Cornwall Township [east of Harrisburg] Police Department, is charged with obstructing law enforcement during 'civil disorder,' accused of aiding the insurrection that resulted in the deaths of one police officer and four others and left many others wounded. More than a dozen off-duty members of law enforcement are suspected of participating in the Jan. 6 riots.... But the allegations against Fischer stand out for how directly they pit him against members of his own profession."
A Mysterious Reversal of Fortunes. Eric Lipton of the New York Times: "A mining magnate who had been accused for years of corruption in deals he struck with leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo, [Dan] Gertler had been slapped with stiff sanctions by the Trump administration in 2017, effectively cutting off his access to the international banking system and freezing money held in U.S. banks. He had unsuccessfully tried since then to get the sanctions rolled back by hiring high-powered lobbyists and lawyers, including Alan Dershowitz ... and the former F.B.I. director Louis Freeh. But with time running out on the Trump administration and the incoming Biden administration unlikely to give his pleas much of a hearing, Mr. Gertler put one last offer on the table.... In mid-January..., Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin granted Mr. Gertler much of what he wanted.... The decision stunned and angered American diplomats ... and government officials and human rights activists in the Democratic Republic of Congo.... The outcome was also distinguished by the secrecy of the process, which ... appeared to have been handled largely at the level of Mr. Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The decision became public only after Mr. Trump had left office."
Shawna Mizelle, et al., of CNN: "Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had amassed $4.7 million in her fundraising efforts to help Texans hard hit by last week's winter storm as of Sunday evening, her press secretary Ivet Contreras confirmed to CNN. The New York Democrat launched her fundraiser Thursday.... While in Texas [over the weekend], the progressive lawmaker and other Democrats visited food distribution centers, water delivery sites and toured the damage left behind from an unprecedented storm." MB: What's Ted Cruz doing? Unpacking? Licking his wounds? -- it's unlikely the dog will do it.
Bill Whitaker of CBS' "60 Minutes" interviews federal judge Esther Salas. "Half the time someone is unhappy with a judge's ruling. The normal recourse is an appeal. But in the caustic atmosphere of today's politics, there's a real chance the disgruntled party will threaten the judge. In the last five years, threats of federal judges have jumped 400% to more than 4,000 last year -- many of them death threats, sometimes ending in violence. Now, judges are breaking with tradition and publicly calling on lawmakers to provide more protection. One of the strongest voices is federal judge Esther Salas. This past July, she was at home in New Jersey, in the basement with her son Daniel, cleaning up after his 20th birthday party, when a man disguised as a FedEx driver pulled up outside." This is a transcript of the interview and includes video.
Niraj Chokshi & Ben Dooley of the New York Times: "Boeing said on Sunday that all 128 of its 777 jetliners powered by a particular Pratt & Whitney engine model should be grounded worldwide until the Federal Aviation Administration determines the best way to inspect the engines. The aerospace giant issued its recommendation late Sunday, a day after a 777 operated by United Airlines suffered a dramatic engine failure over Colorado and hours after the head of the F.A.A. said he was requiring 'immediate or stepped-up inspections' of planes equipped with the Pratt & Whitney PW4000 family of engines, which are used only on 777s. The vast majority of Boeing 777s are equipped with engines made by GE Aviation. United, which is the only American carrier affected by the F.A.A. order, said it would temporarily ground the two dozen 777s powered by that Pratt & Whitney model that it had been flying. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading an investigation into the crash."
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Monday are here.
Daniel Arkin of NBC News: "The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus topped 500,000 on Sunday, according to an NBC News tally -- a milestone that underscores the grave threat the virus still poses nationwide even as more Americans get vaccinated. The coronavirus has claimed the lives of more than 2,462,000 people worldwide, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The death toll in the U.S. is the highest in the world, even though the country has less than 5 percent of the global population.... More than 28,206,600 cases have been confirmed in the U.S., according to the NBC News tally." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Chris Pollard of the Sun: "WEARING glasses makes you up to three times less likely to catch Covid, a study has found. Researchers found people with spectacles rub and touch their eyes less, which is a 'significant route of infection'. The analysis also found poor and uneducated people are more likely to get the virus - partly because they don't wear glasses as much. According to the report, published in India, people touch their faces 23 times an hour and their eyes three times an hour on average. Lead researcher Amit Kumar Saxena wrote: 'Transmission occurs by touching the face, nose, mouth and eyes.... 'Touching and rubbing of the eyes with contaminated hands may be a significant route of infection for the virus'." MB: Sorry to cite a British tabloid, but it was the only paper I found that carried a story I could access. One of the stories is a more reliable paper (-- the U.K. Independent or Telegraph --) noted that the study has not been peer-reviewed.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Sunday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Beyond the Beltway
Florida. Shopping While Hispanic. Miami Herald in a Tampa Bay Times publication: "A Mount Sinai Medical Center anesthesiologist has been arrested and charged with a hate crime after police say she attacked a Hispanic man at a Hialeah Publix, vandalizing his car, calling him a racial slur and vowing to 'get rid of every single one of you.' She became enraged, police say, after the man asked her to maintain social distancing while in line at the supermarket. Dr. Jennifer Susan Wright, 58, a white ardent supporter of ... Donald Trump, has been charged with criminal mischief, tampering with a victim and battery with prejudice, a 'hate crime' enhancement that upgraded the charge to a felony." MB: I grew up in Hialieah; it makes me so proud to see my old home town make the news. Wright, BTW, is not from Hialeah, but from contiguous Miami Springs. Back when I went to high school, the Miami Springs kids went to Hialeah High; they were the (relatively) "rich kids," and many looked down their noses on us poor kids who lived in Hialeah. More than five decades later, it appears the demographic 'tude hasn't changed. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Native Americans settled in Florida about 14,000 years ago. Somebody should tell Dr. Wrong that the first white people known to have gone ashore in what is now Florida were in an expedition headed by a Spaniard named Juan Ponce de León. It was he who named the region "la Florida." Dr. Wrong doesn't seem to know as much as schoolchildren do as to where she's at, the kids say.
Illinois. Maria Cramer of the New York Times: "Illinois has become the first state to completely eliminate cash bail, a result of a push by state legislators to end a practice they say keeps poor people in jail for months awaiting trial and disproportionately affects Black and Latino defendants. The change is part of a sweeping law signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, on Monday. He said the legislation would transform the state's legal system and increase accountability measures for police officers, such as requiring the use of body-worn cameras by police departments statewide."
Louisiana. Shootout at the Gun Shop. Stacey Plaisance of the AP (Feb. 20): "A person entered a gun store and shooting range in a New Orleans suburb and fatally shot two people Saturday, prompting customers and staff to open fire on the shooter, a sheriff said. The shooter also died. The shooting happened around 2:50 p.m. at the Jefferson Gun Outlet in the suburb of Metairie, according to a release from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said the shooter initially struck two people inside, and then several other people -- whether employees or store customers -- opened fire on the shooter, both inside and outside of the building."
Oregon. Dick VanderHart of Oregon Public Broadcasting: "A conservative state senator from Myrtle Creek is the new chair of the Oregon Republican Party, following an event Saturday in which Republicans overhauled their top party leadership. According to multiple Republican sources, state Sen. Dallas Heard handily won the job, beating three-term chair and Adair Village Mayor Bill Currier.... The in-person election of top party officials was held Saturday at a VFW hall in Salem. Photos sent to OPB from a person who reported attending the event showed a hall packed with people in close quarters, none of them wearing face masks. The leadership swap comes at a time the Oregon GOP has gained national attention for passing a resolution claiming the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was a 'false flag' operation by leftist forces -- a conspiracy theory that has been debunked in the weeks since the incident."
Texas. Annie Gowen, et al., of the Washington Post: The deadly winter storm disaster "is one in a series that [Gov. Greg] Abbott has faced in his six years as governor: Hurricane Harvey in 2017, which resulted in the deaths of 68 people, at least six major mass shootings that left more than 70 people dead and a pandemic that has killed 42,000 in the state. In each crisis, Abbott often carefully studied the situation -- and its political ramifications -- before taking action, usually demanding future legislative changes that may never happen. He is known to deliver different messages to the various constituencies in his state, all while trying to build a national profile as a conservative leader. In the past, this approach seems to have worked.... [But] the Arctic chill of 2021 will probably loom large in next year's gubernatorial race, analysts say." ~~~
~~~ Nomaan Merchant of the AP writes a good overview of the Texas power crisis. (Also linked yesterday.)
News Ledes
Guardian: "Dutch authorities are investigating after a Boeing 747-400 cargo plane dropped engine parts shortly after takeoff from Maastricht airport. The Longtail Aviation Flight 5504 cargo plane scattered mostly small metal parts over the southern Dutch town of Meerssen on Saturday, causing damage and injuring a woman. The Bermuda-registered plane, which was headed from Maastricht to New York, was powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines, a smaller version of those on a United Airlines Boeing 777 involved in an incident in Colorado on Saturday."
New York Times: "Arturo Di Modica, a Sicilian-born sculptor best known for 'Charging Bull,' 3.5 tons of bronze belligerence that he illegally deposited in Lower Manhattan one night in 1989, died on Friday at his home in Vittoria, Italy. He was 80.... 'Charging Bull,' which Mr. Di Modica had made with his own hands and his own money, quickly became one of the most famous works of art in the country.... "
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Reader Comments (20)
As suspected last week: "What a Texas Plumber Faces Now: A State Full of Burst Pipes."
@unwashed: Yeah, surprise, surprise. Fat fees for plumbers. But what a nightmare for residents. The NYT article cited one customer-in-need who said she couldn't get an appointment April 22. That's an awfully long time to go without running water.
I don't think we winterize pipes much in this country. The power went out in my house in New Jersey when my husband and I were away, and I came home to burst radiators, even though the system was relatively new. When I've had houses up north that I left for the winter, I've always had to have the pipes drained (or leave the heat on low all winter).
I have a sneaking suspicion that manufacturers have known for decades how to build pipes that will expand & contract when the water freezes so that the pipes don't burst, but they don't make them because it would be bad for the plumbing business. Maybe it is rocket science, but if we can get a man to the moon....
Anyway, I'll bet the person who patents X-pando-Pipe gets filthy rich. And she'll deserve it.
Have lived through generations of freeze proofing water pipes up here in the mostly, but not alway mild northwest, through various pipe materials (galvanized iron, copper and plastic) and methods of keeping the pipes from freezing (wrapping with insulation to heat tape).
No water is bad, but burst pipes with the prospect of no water for weeks to come is worse. (It's little compensation, but I can say from personal experience the sound of bursting copper pipes has a not-unpleasant musical ring to it. Fortunately that time we had a creek on the property that never froze solid and a wood stove to heat it on.)
The latest pipe material, though, might have done the trick. Can't find a rating for it, but I know that for the last fifteen years or so, plumbers have gone to PEX, freeze resistant plastic...
https://extremehowto.com/will-pex-pipe-break-if-it-freezes/
Our plumber told us that she can't get decent pipe and
other supplies because they mostly come from China now.
Don't know if she's right about that, but it seems like every
winter heating season we get a pinhole size leak in a pipe.
We've become very experienced in wrapping with rubber
membrane and clamping over the leaks, keeping a supply
on hand at all times.
"I have a sneaking suspicion that manufacturers have known for decades how to build pipes that will expand & contract when the water freezes so that the pipes don't burst, but they don't make them because it would be bad for the plumbing business. Maybe it is rocket science, but if we can get a man to the moon...." says M.B. and I says high fives! Yes! I think this same thing––my list involves much more than plumbing problems when I learn about another planet landing and what exactly it is that they discover–––all that money–-all that effort–-–and meanwhile our own backyard needs attention.
Hmmm–-looks like the little lady ain't into space travel much.
@RAS: I left a comment for you in yesterday's comment section.
Last night 60 minutes was riveting–-covered the murder of a female judge's* son and injuries to her husband by a disgruntled, extremely sick man who ended up shooting himself. (Marie had this story here yesterday); Syria's killing fields–-graphic pictures included; a story on QAnon. Catch it if you can–-in case you missed it last night.
* This story brought forth the many judges ––and I would add people like Dr. Fauci––who get hate mail, threats to their lives and to their families and are hounded negatively on tweeter and need police protection. In the judge story the papers that were found in the murderer's possession had a dossier on Sonia Sotomayor ––she was to be the next target.
More whoopee! news from those occasionally disloyal Supremes:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-trump-tax-returns/2021/02/22/05053b14-751c-11eb-8115-9ad5e9c02117_story.html
Goes along, I believe, with the GOP fracturing I noted yesterday...another element in the party's big question they avoided for four years: Oh, what to do with the woefully embarrassing Pretender?
Seems the emerging answer is to pretend he never happened.
@Ken Winkes: Thanks for telling us about PEX pipes. I'm having a house replumbed sooner or later, and I'll see if my plumber will use PEX for all intake pipes. I read that 60% of new construction uses it.
Marie
Re: tax-returngate, please tell me there will be a perp walk, in shackles, pretty please, when they come to drag the little king off to the hoosegow. It would make my entire century. Do you think they have XXXL orange jumpsuits for fat prisoners?
One of the Orange Menace’s whining complaints rejected by the court was that releasing his tax returns was an effort to “embarrass the (ex) president”. So, is there something to be embarrassed about? Seems like it, especially judging by the recent articles in the Times about Fatty’s tax shenanigans. Well, as the Decider and his pet shark, Darth Cheney, used to sniff when they were spying on Americans without warrants, “If you have nothing to hide, you got nothing to worry about”.
Clearly little King Fat Fuck has quite a lot on both counts.
But chickens have yet to hatch. Let’s wait and see what other illegal roadblocks are thrown up by this crook. How about “Gee, the dog ate my tax returns”? “I told junior to file those records in my office. I guess he thinks I work in a dumpster. Sorry...”
Nonetheless, this is, to recall a real president’s past comment, “A big fucking deal”.
Diapers will be changed hourly at Marred-a-Lardo.
I think I can hear the china smashing from here...
Tee-hee.
One old truck we used to employ to keep pipes up north from bursting was to turn on the taps ever so slightly, just to keep water moving through the system. Can’t ever remember that trick not working if we were without heat for a spell.
Old trick, not old truck. Jesus. Maybe the old truck can come in handy to drive away from a flooded house.
Ak: Driving away from a flooded house in an old truck
with an old trick. I have to stop reading so fast.
@Akhilleus: Apparently part of the reason water systems had so much trouble providing water was that as soon as it got cold, 90% of Texans turned on their spigots to keep the pipes from freezing. (The other big reason was that the water systems themselves had no power.)
@PD Pepe: I'm glad that you found the article useful. Unfortunately there are no easy answers to getting people to truly listen to each other.
It's nice that the Supreme Court finally got around letting New York get Trump's taxes, but I can't help but notice that it was only after the media put a spotlight on the fact that they were sitting on the case for four months.
Because I can't help myself with you all talking pipes:https://www.click2houston.com/consumer/2015/03/02/plumbers-warn-about-cpvc-piping-problems/. PEX still blows apart; much cheaper and faster to install than copper. I put different drain-outs in my system to as well as heat tape for my on-demand hot water, assuming I have electricity.
Yes, I was smiling and thinking of a forensic accountant crawling up the Orange Monkey's taxes. I bet the folks in Vance's office are going for a beverage this evening.
@Akhilleus: I think in the Supremes, Trump has come to a roadblock he can't just schooch out of the way. Vance has asked Trump's accountant Mazur's, not Trump himself, to turn over the tax returns, and Mazur's has said (mostly) all along, that they will abide by court decisions. Unless Trump engineers a heist of his returns at Mazur's (and the returns are probably on computer anyway), I think he's SOL.*
* But of course it's Trump, so I'll admit anything can happen.
PD: "I, of course, being of the "Childhood is Destiny" class think of how children are many times made to feel as though what they say or do feel is not worthy. No wonder we cling to our beliefs as adults and will fight to the death to defend them." Has it occurred in the popular imagination that the demise of the single earner family has mirrored the decline of civil discourse? Moms and parents have only so much time.
Also, From RAS's article: Edward T. Hall's "Silent Language" was as awe inspiring to my young mind as "Night" and "1984". The greatness possible from the best of us should encourage all of us.
Our Pin Point "Georgia on my mind" guy trumps his other fellows on the S.C., namely, Alito, Gorsuch & Kavanaugh who tag along singing the same old song that promotes Trump's voter fraud lies in alarming dissent. Amy was too late to get in with the gang, so we don't know what she would have done.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/02/clarence-thomas-voter-fraud-trump-pennsylvania.html
Mariachi Band visits Ted Cruz. Maybe his girls booked them?
Will the media ever learn?
I'm sure the traitors (all R's) listening to Merrick Garland were thrilled to hear that he doesn't intend to be the president's lawyer. If this were a hearing for an AG for Trump or some other confederate/traitor president, it would be a different story. They expect that their guys will be protected at all costs. But hearing that Garland isn't going to be Biden's personal lawyer makes them happy.
What makes them less happy (a lot less) is that he intends to go after their white supremacist and secessionist pals.
What I would most love to see is that the Treasonous Turtle's anti-Constitutional scam comes back to pound these scumbags in the ass.
If Garland can tie the Proud Boys-Roger Stone-Trump-Republican insurrection to treasonous R's in the congress that ultimately results in their aggressive defenestration, we might have a tiny bit of justice.
Still, it won't come close to having Garland on the court in place of Rape Boy O'Kavanaugh.
We'll take what we can get.