Sure, the Supreme Court is conservative. It’s even more neoliberal

benfell

Neoliberalism

Work


Fig. 1. Yeah, this is me. The sign says, “If you’re whining about a labor shortage, STOP ignoring my job applications!” And the QR-code leads here. Photograph by author, January 16, 2023.

Only one justice dissented from the ruling,[1] which is a reminder that before, even, it is a conservative court, it is especially a neoliberal court.

Marjorie Cohn, “Supreme Court Slashed Legal Protections for Striking. Only Jackson Dissented,” Truthout, June 5, 2023, https://truthout.org/articles/supreme-court-slashed-legal-protections-for-striking-only-jackson-dissented/

Gilead

Donald Trump

Coup attempt


Fig. 2. “Jake Angeli (Qanon Shaman), seen holding a Qanon sign at the intersection of Bell Rd and 75th Ave in Peoria, Arizona, on 2020 October 15.” Photography by TheUnseen011101 [pseud.], October 15, 2020, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

The attempt by [Donald] Trump’s lawyers to assert that he’s being treated unfairly implies that their legal strategy, at this point, is to rely on [Merrick] Garland somehow agreeing with them that [Jack] Smith’s inquiry was conducted improperly. Smith will decide, after the grand jury makes a recommendation to him, whether to indict Trump over his mishandling of documents. Garland has the power to overturn Smith’s decision, if he indeed seeks to charge Trump, but only if Garland believes Smith acted improperly at some point during the investigation. . . .

“The [classified records] case is so strong. You cannot imagine his getting away with this,” former Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks said in a separate interview with the network, adding that she believes Trump is “toast.”[2]

I’ll believe there are charges when I see charges and not nanosecond before. I still think Merrick Garland is desperate for an excuse to avoid charging Donald Trump.[3] Harry Litman, a former U.S. attorney describes the case as

an already obviously powerful case of obstruction and other charges against Donald Trump in the federal classified documents case, they underscore the impression that the case Smith is preparing will be overwhelming.[4]

Which is to say that no, no matter what anyone has told you, the Department of Justice has not needed this much time to investigate Donald Trump. It has chosen to take this time.

We can interpret that generously, as Litman does, suggesting that “the case [Jack] Smith is preparing will be overwhelming.”[5] Or we can interpret it as I still do, and as Trump’s lawyers are plainly hoping,[6] as all performance in an ongoing desperate quest to find some excuse not to charge Trump.[7]

The very fact of a discrepancy between how long it has taken the Justice Department to investigate, try, and convict lower level people[8] and the time it is taking to do the same to Trump only confirms that we have a two-tier system of injustice in this country.[9] The fact that Trump’s lawyers have sought to have the case brought as a civil rather than a criminal case[10] confirms that Trump’s lawyers understand this discrepancy very, very well, for that is precisely how the crimes of the rich are normally treated.[11]

Jacqueline Alemany et al., “Trump lawyers meeting with Justice Dept. on classified documents case,” Washington Post, June 5, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/06/05/trump-lawyers-meeting-justice-doj/

Josh Dawsey and Amy Gardner, “Trump-funded studies disputing election fraud are focus in two probes,” Washington Post, June 5, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/06/05/trump-funded-studies-disputing-election-fraud-are-focus-two-probes/

Chris Walker, “Trump’s Lawyers Have 2-Hour Meeting With DOJ Over Mar-a-Lago Documents Case,” Truthout, June 5, 2023, https://truthout.org/articles/trumps-lawyers-have-2-hour-meeting-with-doj-over-mar-a-lago-documents-case/

Imperialism

China


Fig. 3. “Map of Qing Empire filled with the flag.” Graphic by Daniel222potato [pseud.], via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

The US is prepared to address China’s “increasing level of aggressiveness” in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea after Beijing conducted two “unsafe” intercepts in recent days, a senior official [John Kirby, National Security Council spokesperson] said on Monday.[12]

So, just exactly how is the U.S. “prepared to address” it? On this, I’m sorry to say, the article goes silent.

In general, when you are confronting a hostile military force, whose commanders won’t respond favorably to your requests, your options for that confrontation are standing off, fighting, or retreating. That force obviously has the same options and may accordingly foreclose some of your options—“standing off” only works until the shooting starts—just as you may foreclose some of their options. You can anticipate hostile forces and send larger forces or maneuver tactically to counter them. But short of an actual shooting war, I don’t know what John Kirby means when he says, in paraphrase, “The US is prepared to address China’s ‘increasing level of aggressiveness’ in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.”[13] It sounds like a bluff and I’m pretty sure China will call him on it.

And then where will we be? In a place pretty similar to where we are now. But with less credibility. Way to go, Kirby.

Ishaan Tharoor, “U.S. and China lock horns at Asia’s top security forum,” Washington Post, June 4, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/06/04/us-china-shangri-la-dialogue/

Felicia Schwartz, “US prepared to address ‘aggressiveness’ of Chinese military,” Financial Times, June 5, 2023, https://www.ft.com/content/e4e1ba87-b071-444d-ab71-f1dad1feba1a

Taiwan

Brad Lendon and Eric Cheung, “China accuses US of ‘provocation’ after near collision of warships,” CNN, June 4, 2023, https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/04/asia/china-defense-minister-shangri-la-speech-intl-hnk/index.html

Felicia Schwartz, “US prepared to address ‘aggressiveness’ of Chinese military,” Financial Times, June 5, 2023, https://www.ft.com/content/e4e1ba87-b071-444d-ab71-f1dad1feba1a

  1. [1]Marjorie Cohn, “Supreme Court Slashed Legal Protections for Striking. Only Jackson Dissented,” Truthout, June 5, 2023, https://truthout.org/articles/supreme-court-slashed-legal-protections-for-striking-only-jackson-dissented/↩
  2. [2]Chris Walker, “Trump’s Lawyers Have 2-Hour Meeting With DOJ Over Mar-a-Lago Documents Case,” Truthout, June 5, 2023, https://truthout.org/articles/trumps-lawyers-have-2-hour-meeting-with-doj-over-mar-a-lago-documents-case/↩
  3. [3]David Benfell, “It is now even more urgently orange jumpsuit time,” Not Housebroken, March 24, 2023, https://disunitedstates.org/2022/08/24/it-is-now-even-more-urgently-orange-jumpsuit-time/↩
  4. [4]Harry Litman, “The DOJ’s classified documents case was already dire for Trump. Now it looks even worse,” Los Angeles Times, June 1, 2023, https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-06-01/doj-classified-documents-case-donald-trump-mar-a-lago-jack-smith↩
  5. [5]Harry Litman, “The DOJ’s classified documents case was already dire for Trump. Now it looks even worse,” Los Angeles Times, June 1, 2023, https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-06-01/doj-classified-documents-case-donald-trump-mar-a-lago-jack-smith↩
  6. [6]Chris Walker, “Trump’s Lawyers Have 2-Hour Meeting With DOJ Over Mar-a-Lago Documents Case,” Truthout, June 5, 2023, https://truthout.org/articles/trumps-lawyers-have-2-hour-meeting-with-doj-over-mar-a-lago-documents-case/↩
  7. [7]David Benfell, “It is now even more urgently orange jumpsuit time,” Not Housebroken, March 24, 2023, https://disunitedstates.org/2022/08/24/it-is-now-even-more-urgently-orange-jumpsuit-time/↩
  8. [8]Jeremy Roebuck, “Proud Boys trial: Zach Rehl, the right-wing group’s Philly leader, and three others convicted in Jan. 6 sedition case,” Philadelphia Inquirer, May 4, 2023, https://www.inquirer.com/news/proud-boys-zach-rehl-sedition-philly-verdict-20230504.html; Chris Stein, “‘They fought for freedom’: the nightly vigil to sanctify the January 6 rioters,” Guardian, June 3, 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/03/washington-dc-vigil-january-6-capitol-trump; Rachel Weiner, Tom Jackman, and Spencer S. Hsu, “Oath Keepers leader Rhodes gets 18 years for Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy,” Washington Post, May 25, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/05/25/oath-keepers-sentencing-seditious-conspiracy-jan6/↩
  9. [9]Jeffrey Reiman, The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison, 7th ed. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2004).↩
  10. [10]Jacqueline Alemany et al., “Trump lawyers meeting with Justice Dept. on classified documents case,” Washington Post, June 5, 2023, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/06/05/trump-lawyers-meeting-justice-doj/↩
  11. [11]Jeffrey Reiman, The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison, 7th ed. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2004).↩
  12. [12]Felicia Schwartz, “US prepared to address ‘aggressiveness’ of Chinese military,” Financial Times, June 5, 2023, https://www.ft.com/content/e4e1ba87-b071-444d-ab71-f1dad1feba1a↩
  13. [13]Felicia Schwartz, “US prepared to address ‘aggressiveness’ of Chinese military,” Financial Times, June 5, 2023, https://www.ft.com/content/e4e1ba87-b071-444d-ab71-f1dad1feba1a↩

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