Aside – Roy Moore

Roy Moore and his defenders have been claiming that the fact that his accuser(s) didn’t speak out for 40 years is evidence that the accusations aren’t true.  Roy Moore said to Sean Hannity that he would ask for the mother’s permission to date a teenager when he was in his 30s.  How is that appropriate, parental permission or not?  Furthermore, his accuser did not come out now.  She told some people at the time, who have corroborated her story.  But, most importantly, she did not seek out the press to tell her story.  From what I have heard, The Washington Post reporters who heard rumors about Roy Moore found her.  Roy Moore has never been involved in an election that reached beyond Alabama.  He claims he is the most investigated politician. I agree with the person on MSNBC who said Moore should talk to Hillary Clinton.  It was pointed out on MSNBC that this is probably the first time national reporters have descended on Alabama to look into him.  Because of that, these reporters found his accuser and got her to tell her story.  His accuser did not seek them out – she did not come forward now, she was found now.

With more and more women coming out every day with stories about Roy Moore pursuing them when they were teens, it seems like reporters have started to ask the accusers why they are telling their stories now.  On MSNBC yesterday or today (11/15/17 or 11/16/17) Ari Melber quoted one of Moore’s accusers (now numbering 9 or 10) as saying when asked why she told her story now that she did so because someone asked.

Now that Roy Moore may become a Senator, reporters are asking.  Who knows what the count of his accusers will be by Election Day.  It’s just too bad that he’s been powerful enough in Alabama that it took someone asking.

Aside – The Paris Climate Accord

We are now the only nation not signed on to the Paris Climate Accord.  When Trump announced that we would withdraw, Syria and Nicaragua had not signed it either.  Not exactly a group we want to be a part of.  Nicaragua signed on around the time Trump decided we should withdraw, and now Syria announced they would be signing too.  I think Syria may even have joined last week.  We are now alone in not being a part of the Paris Climate Accord.  We should be ashamed. And we should be at the table when all the other nations are doing the right thing regarding the survivability of the planet.

Aside – China Is Not North Korea’s Only Backer

North Korea is supported by more than just China.  Its main ally is China, but Russia is also an ally of the rogue regime.  Yet, in all the attacks on countries who support North Korea, Russia is never mentioned by President Trump or his administration.  Trump makes it a point never to insult or attack Russia or Vladimir Putin, but I wonder how many people realize that that behavior also means Russia doesn’t get called out for its support for North Korea.  Is the Trump administration so bound to Russia in some way that they can’t even call them out for supporting a rogue nation that is building nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach us?  This is a lie of omission – fake news indeed.

North Korea is supported by more than just China.  Its main ally is China, but Russia is also an ally of the rogue regime.  Yet, in all the attacks on countries who support North Korea, Russia is never mentioned by President Trump or his administration.  Trump makes it a point never to insult or attack Russia or Vladimir Putin, but I wonder how many people realize that that behavior also means Russia doesn’t get called out for its support for North Korea.  Is the Trump administration so bound to Russia in some way that they can’t even call them out for supporting a rogue nation that is building nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles that can reach us?  This is a lie of omission – fake news indeed.

Aside – The Pardon and the Fifth Amendment

I have heard a number of attorneys on MSNBC mention that if Trump grants pardons in the Russia investigation, those people receiving them will no longer have the right to invoke the Fifth Amendment – their right against self-incrimination.  There is also a good article by Jill Wine-Banks, former Watergate Prosecutor, here:  http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-pardon-0725-jm-20170724-story.html.  If you have been pardoned, there is no longer a risk of self-incrimination.  However, while that makes sense to me, I did recently hear another attorney on MSNBC, (sorry I didn’t catch his name, and I hadn’t seen him before or since), mention that the Fifth Amendment still applies if the person is at risk of a state or local prosecution.  Now that Muller is conferring with NY State Attorney General Schneiderman, the possibility for any relevant state charges is looming large.  And Trump can’t pardon state or local crimes.

So pardon recipients might end up in contempt of court or contempt of congress if they do not testify, or subject to state or local prosecution for what they say if they do. He may not be doing them any favors. If nothing else, it’ll subject them to whopping legal fees while all this is worked out.