Trump in killing mood ...

[Gadianton]

I didn't see this, Dean. You beat me to it.

Not at all. I'm sure you knew the truth long before I did. When Shades objected, I realized that while he was getting obstinate and overly-technical for the sake of making a libertarian point, that he was correct, and that the news source didn't really make it clear how Trump was responsible. I didn't know the answer myself as I'm not much of a student of politics, and so I had to look up the answer. Strangely, this was a tough nut to crack, and it took me upwards of five minutes to solve. Surely, the multitude of mainstream news sources reporting the way they did weren't just making it up (even though 'killing mood' is hyperbole for effect), but I wasn't quickly rewarded with an explanation.

In contrast, up until a couple of days ago (I think), I didn't know anything about Hillary Clinton and the email server. Seriously. It took under three minutes to get to the bottom of that one, starting with subs favorite news source, the National Review.

I may be doing the concept of "news" an injustice by calling that a news source. I don't think I've met a right-wing "news source" yet. Rather, I've only seen news commentary, where they get information from legitimate sources and then react to it. The reactions are unhinged and the quality of analysis nearly always abysmal.

[Dr. Shades]

Hmm, you all have convinced me 99% of the way. Regarding that niggling remaining 1%, isn't it more accurate to say that the Trump Administration ended the de facto moratorium on the death penalty?

[Gadianton]

Hmm, you all have convinced me 99% of the way. Regarding that niggling remaining 1%, isn't it more accurate to say that the Trump Administration ended the de facto moratorium on the death penalty?

Quite honestly, I'd have to do a little more reading before providing my own definitive statement. However, I think technical accuracy may be missing the point journalists are making by taking liberties and going beyond available documentation to lay this all at the feet of the President, and with a little hyperbole. Who else could realistically be driving this? It appeared to me in the brief minutes of my searching that the Prez is going for deniability. If that's true, then all the more reason why a journalist would want to take the blame to his door personally.

A roughly similar impulse would be to Blame Brigham Young for MMM or Oaks for Prop 8.

[Chap]

Who else could realistically be driving this?

Yup. We all know that there is no evidence that Mr Corleone is anything but a legitimate businessman. But in the realm of practical decision making that we inhabit except on the very rare occasions when we find ourselves in the jury hearing a criminal case, we can feel a high degree of assurance that it is Mr Corleone who is pulling the strings when his rivals suddenly turn up in the Hudson river wearing concrete boots.

And as Trump has hollowed out the government by firing pretty well everybody who does not follow his every whim without question, our assurance that every significant buck deserves its place on Trump's desk has reached a high level of confidence.

Dr Shades is of course under no logical compulsion to believe anything about Trump's connection with the unprecedented outbreak of federal executions in his final days in office. But I take leave to doubt that he makes the practical decisions of life on the basis of the kind of judgement he appears to be exercising in the present instance.

[honorentheos]

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/executio ... -years-ago

[Morley]

Hmm, you all have convinced me 99% of the way. Regarding that niggling remaining 1%, isn't it more accurate to say that the Trump Administration ended the de facto moratorium on the death penalty?

...and therefor Initiated his "end-of-term execution spree"?

Sure.




edit: Whoops: therefore. So sorry, Shades.

[honorentheos]

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/executio ... -years-ago

I guess so it's not a link and run, here's the header showing ian order to schedule three executions from Bill Barr dated 11/20/2020.

Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, November 20, 2020

Executions Scheduled for Inmates Convicted of Brutal Murders Many Years Ago

Attorney General William P. Barr today directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to schedule the executions of three federal-death row inmates sentenced to death for staggeringly brutal murders, including the murder of a child and, with respect to two inmates, the murder of multiple victims.

[Some Schmo]

Executions Scheduled for Inmates Convicted of Brutal Murders Many Years Ago

Attorney General William P. Barr today directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to schedule the executions of three federal-death row inmates sentenced to death for staggeringly brutal murders, including the murder of a child and, with respect to two inmates, the murder of multiple victims.

If only they had publicly complimented Trump once, they would have been pardoned instead.