Month: February 2021

Jaime Herrera Beutler shares her opinion on Trump – YouTube

Lots of Monday morning quarterbacking going on this morning in regards to the Senate trial which wasn’t a real trial per the Senate’s own pre-trial rules.

As an honors graduate of the Bob Jackson School of Law …I thought the House lawyers were okay. Nothing special though. I thought their approach with the GOP Senators was too congenial. It can’t always be rainbows and butterflies with the Dems. Sometimes you have to crawl through the mud to convict the slime. I would have gone the other route and been confrontational with the GOP Senators since I was going to lose anyway. This was an unwinnable case from the moment the jurisdiction vote went 55-45. Clarence Darrow wasn’t going to win this case in this United States Senate chamber. No way–no how.

But even doing it the Al Pacino-Scent of a Woman way the House lawyers may have lost the seven courageous GOP senators they eventually won over. So I don’t think being in your face would have garnered a conviction as well.

As a first day Bob Jackson Law School student you learn these three things about being a criminal defense trial lawyer…1 When the facts are on your side…you pound the facts. 2 When the law is on your side … you pound the law. 3 When neither the facts or the law are on your side… you pound the table, object to everything, and create confusion within the jury box.

I mean…the House lawyers didn’t really do this, but they did connect the dots beyond a reasonable doubt. And give the personal injury lawyer who Trump added to his legal team some credit…he was good with Rule No. 3. He went to war for his client and THAT’S EXACTLY what a capable defense trial lawyer is supposed to do. Namely…go to war for his/her client. Fuck the truth-fuck the facts-fuck the law. Excuse the language, but that’s how lawyers talk at times.

YOU GO TO GODDAMN WAR FOR YOUR CLIENT! I can still hear his voice booming in my ear.

I mean, let’s be clear here. This is completely on the GOP for how this turned out. It’s on Mike Pence for remaining silent. It’s on Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy for not displaying any semblance of moral leadership. And it’s on Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, and Lindsey Graham for going to war for Donald Bin Laden in the Senate chamber instead of going to war for the American people and the truth.

This is on them and it should stain each of their legacies to certain varying degrees.

Would my father have taken this case like the personal injury lawyers did for Team Trump? No. My father picked his spots and would never have disgraced himself in this manner in a courtroom with Trump. He was literally reading the decision on Gore vs. Bush in the last days of his life shaking his head in anger. My father hated Scalia with a passion….like most defense trial lawyers did at the time..

The above video is from Jaime Herrera Butler’s townhall meeting in 2017 when she as a GOP lawmaker had to explain to her constituents her stance on Donald Trump at that time.. and why she didn’t vote for either Trump or Hillary Clinton. Pretty like I didn’t vote for Trump or Hillary Clinton as well. I wrote in John McCain… literally at the last second and my vote didn’t count for anything. That’s on me.

There is a Shakesperean or at the least Godfather II irony to what we just witnessed in the ending of Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial victory in just over a year. That being— Trump was right way back when he claimed he could shoot someone in broad daylight and it wouldn’t matter to his voters or even to the Heritage Foundation types who used to own the Republican Party.

Donald Trump was right and anyone in between was wrong as to how far America has devolved both culturally and in fundamental decency in these past five years since Trump decided to become America’s first open pussy grabbing Christian evangelical draft dodging dictator.

Some will say this was a moral victory for democracy in that those in power beat the over/under of 56 senators in getting to the 57 vote plateau, but in essence what this was …was a day even darker than January 6th when Trump’s domestic terrorists invaded the nation’s capitol and left five dead in their wake of Donald Trump directed terror.

What this verdict was is a singular marker of how far America has fallen from the country of exceptionalism and aspirationalism to the tawdry base level of being Trump’s version of Jerry Springer Live from either the White House or Mar A Largo.

America has fallen so low its alleged best lawyers from the House couldn’t even get to the 60 vote plateau with all of January 6th on video for all of the world to witness ad nauseum.

Trump had a legal team headed by an insurance personal injury lawyer which seemed more fitting for Mr. Pillow’s defense team than the 45th POTUS and not only won the trial, but didn’t even have to endure one witness tesstifying in front of the country on television.

It’s beyond the realm this is the same country which won WWII, put a man on the moon, passed Civil Rights legislation, won the Cold War, and killed Bin Laden.

This trial was in a word pathetic and a historic marker of how much the Democrats and Republicans distrust each other. That in essence, they mutually allowed Donald Bin Laden to merely walk away from this with no retribution for any of his actions these past five years.

Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham, the two most previously owned by the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute, were the main enablers of all of this—but to a ceratin extent all of America should get an assist for what this counry has become in the last five years.

Namely…a transactional whorehouse which is a disgrace to America’s greatest generation which defeated Hitler and of which Tom Brokaw wrote about in his book… The Greatest Generation.

Does anyone walking and breathing today in America think for a second what we just witnessed from Joe Biden’s Democratic Party and Mitch McConnell’s GOP— that this America is going to go get Donald Bin Laden? Let alone put him in a federal prison for his role in the deaths of those five humans, and somehow restore any sense of moral realignment in America after what we just witnessed?

Count me as one who doesn’t.

Instead, what Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham did was kick the can down the road again and in the process miss a glorious opportunity to begin the rehab process of what used to be America.

How sad.

John McCain should consider himself lucky he didn’t live long enough to be a member of this United States Senate.

I’m so happy!!! It’s a balmy 13 degrees and sunshine in Deer Crek–plus the Sooner’s hung on with a a gritty gutcheck 91-90 win in double overtime at West Virginia. The Sooners move into second place in the Big 12 and with another signature win.

Since the Thunder no longer play relevant basketball games … I’m moving this over to my OU post game celebration music folder as Lon Kruger’s Sooners surge towards the goal acheiving portion of the college basketball season.

Alondis came back from Covid protocol today and the Sooners are back to their eleven deep rotation… with the 11th guy being Trey Phipps who pretty much understands he’s the 11th guy in a ten man rotation.

It’s a beautiful thing when ten guys and a coaching staff know they have something potentially beautiful within their grasp.

It’s a beautiful thing when eleven guys and a coach know they have something good going on with their team and great things are within their grasp.

We get both OU and O State today in the early games. OU at West Virginia and O State at home versus the lowly Kansas State Wildcats. Meanwhile… Sam Presti finally has his Thunder team in full tank mode as they lost again last night at Denver when Diallo took one of the worst goaltending plays in Thunder history to snatch defeat from victory.

Finally…the Thunder seem to get it—losing is good this season. No one is in your building. No one is listening to Michael Cage on the Thunder telecasts. No one except those on the Daily Thunder messageboard are hungering for the Little Nick Gallo hot takes…sigh. This is that time to lose with complete audacity. No one with a life cares right now about Thunder bastetball other than seeing the team get two top half draft picks this summer in the draft.

Now to Cade. He’s really struggled ever since he went down with Covid. He’s looked nothing remotely like a player who should even be in the discussion as the No. 1 pick in this summer’s draft. But again…in the Big 12 everything is running uphill unless you’re playing either Kansas State or Iowa State.

What a wonderful thing it is for Mike Boynton’s team that they get K State and Iowa State back to back at home. Much needed balm for a team and a player who need a reset on their season headed towards the Big 12 regular season finish line.

I still love Cade. He’s just a colt who needs to get his mojo back a bit and get his confidence restoked. He’s just looked awkward these last several games after he had a two week sit due to Covid protocol. Actually…this very young O State team very much needs these two home games.

If Cade were my player..I’d put my arm around him and simply say, ” Play with joy. Play with that sense of joy and passion you have for the game. Don’t sweat winning the NPOTY deal. I watched Blake Griffin, Buddy Hield, and Trey Young go through this the seasons they won NPOTY.”

Then I’d pull Rondel Walker, Bryce Williams, Avery Anderson, and Flavors aside and simply say, ” Your shots are going to start falling. Don’t be shy. Play with joy.”

Basketball is a simple game. Mike Boynton needs to remind his team of that this morning.

Quit playing scared to make a mistake and play with some joy.

Of course…this Frank music-fest is perfect timing given it’s going to be -12 in a day or so. We live on a three acre mini ranch out here in the woods of Deer Creek and I’m worried about the wild turkeys and other wild life. I’m trying to think of some way I can install some sort of heating system next to the back porch like the Green Bay Packers have at Lambeau Field without burning down the house.

Pauli the diva black lab has pretty much indicated to me she’s not an Arctic lab. She’s all spread out on her little doggie bed in front of the fireplace with her paws almost in the flames. She loves the flames…absolutely mesmerized by the flames.

It will be a good day to reflect on Trump as we wait for the real closing statements by the House prosecutors later today.

Trump has changed me. And this is something I will have to deal with as I navigate with what’s left of my life. I find myself in reality having no sympathy for my Trump relatives and friends who doubled and tripled down on this piece of shit.

Let me put it this way…if I were George Conway married to Kellyanne Conway—I’d be looking to end the marriage tomorrow. In fact–if I were hypothetically single there is no way in hell I could ever have a relationship with a woman who voted for Donald Trump twice.

I could get past the fact she voted for him the first time in an act of frustration, but to double down on the human junk bond the second time would be it for me for this simple reason…. he has no heart. There is nothing redeemable about this person.

The man has no empathy for other humans in any regard. Like my young CPA friend Kyle told me, ” Mike–the man is not an empath. He’s not capable of being kind to anyone.”

Fortunately for me…my wife hates Donald Trump. I mean…could I stay in a relationship with someone who to this day still thinks O.J. Simpson didn’t commit that double homicide. No way. I could not live with a woman who watches Fox even it was Kate Beckinsale from Serendipity. Maybe if I was young again and stupid like I was in my twenties–I could have casual non-commital sex with a Trump empty vessel one time like George Costanza, but that would be it. Nothing beyond that. One and done, baby. But everyone is stupid to some degree when they’re young.

But if you’re in your forties and fifties and still clueless and stupid…that’s a concern.

As far as other relatives and friends. I don’t know. I mean…if at this point you’re still clinging to Trump… why would I want you as a friend. I know that sounds callous and cold, but why would I be with someone who in no way values kindness to others. This has nothing to do with politics or policy because Trump has no doctrines or policies. He’s just a punk.

Anyway…if you get a chance during this brutal weather take the time to watch the Frank docu film. The music entertwined with his life story is quite remarkable.

Here’s the thing… this isn’t a movie with Paul Newman making an eloquent closing statement to a jury of twelve reasonable human beings. There is no reasonable jury in the whoreish United States GOP Senate side of what used to be the world’s most deliberative body.

Nope.

There hasn’t been since Mitch McConnell became the majority leader.

Character and integrity aren’t in their playbook.

Michelle Obama..hon–this is one of those times you can’t go high because you’re dealing with a collective group of corrupt cowards.

So…if you’re going to lose..I say lose going down in flames and make an indelible statement for the history books.

The Bob Jackson School of Law would have me with a cain in my hand walking as close as I could to Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, Josh H, and the other five stars pussies of the GOP and stare at them with the glaze of a doberman. He would even have me climbing into the seats if Patrick Leahy would allow it.

This is when the theatrics of a real trial lawyer come into play. Just stand there staring at these worthless pricks for two minutes until everyone in the building could hear a pin drop.

Literally…stand there until there is an awkward silence. People watching this on television are now the jury.

Then do something like in the video above. You have nothing to lose except maybe being thrown in jail.

Have a nice Saturday. Don’t be stupid in this cold weather.

It’s genuinely pathetic. All these white weakling faux Christian men who make up the current GOP power structure have no balls with Oklahoma’s own James Lankford leading that list of dickless, little spineless evangelical cowards.

If John McCain were still living… he, Liz Cheney, and perhaps Mitt Romney would give the current GOP some minor semblance of credibility.

This is the one thing which Donald Trump has been saying since his candidacy began in late 2015 of which I can agree with him. That being–the likes of these feckless little men cowards who comprise the current roster of the GOP’s list of Usual Suspects is a group of cowards who no one would want next to them to help in a street fight.

Utter f–king cowards of historical prominence.

Feckless little weakling make believe Christian cowards. There’s no need for the Senate to go beyond yesterday with this Senate trial. I’m also going to shock myself by saying compared to this collective group of soul-less little pussies who never could have survived a week at John Marshall High School…I’ve actually come to ‘somewhat’ admire the unhinged likes of Trump and the equally unhinged Sarah Palin.

I know…that’s pretty unhinged–but compared to this list of GOP losers–I at the minimum have to give Trump and Palin some credit for at least not perpetuating this charade which we’ve now witnessed first hand. At least these two haven’t made a pretense of who and what they are.

I know…maybe not all of them are dickless cowards. Not all of them are Sissy Fairy Lindsey Graham amd Lyin’ Ted Cruz. Don’t think I haven’t considered this. Alabama’s own Tommy Tuberville and Congressman Mo Brooks who are collectively dumber than a sack of rocks made me consider the possibility that it might be untethered stupidity over cowardice.

But in the end it’s mainly cowardice of epic historical consequence. This is why the Dems had to do what they just did these past two days…that being, expose these cowards for who they truly are.

Where the f–k is Mike Pence?

If these feckless little GOP cowards had any semblance of testosterone in their DNA they’d call Mike Pence to the stand and allow him to make their case for Donald Trump’s actions on January 6th circa 2021.

Where is Mike Pence hiding? Where is he? All the others who were in the nation’s capitol on 1/6 are at these proceedinga. Nancy Pelosi has a big ol’ set of balls. Liz Cheney has a big ol’ set of balls.

But where is Mike Pence? Can somebody tell me where Mike Pence is since Trump tried to have him lynched and gang raped on January 6th. I mean…that would kind of piss me off if someone whom I’d been going down on for four years running tried to have me gang raped and lynched.

See my point.

How ironic. The only two humans with power in D.C. with a figurative set of balls are both women…Liz Cheney and Nancy Pelosi. Go figure.

In closing..let me write this. After using the word castrated..I went to Webster’s Dictionary to see their specific examaple of the word usage in a sentence.

I kid you not..this is how Webster’s Dictionary used the word…’The nation is a castrated giant, afraid to punish subversives.’

Your Honor, thank you for allowing me lattitude to complete my ‘first’ closing statement. I have nothing further to add in regards to these pathetic cowards at this time.

Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, and Little Marco Rubio wasted their law school tuition. They should have gone to the Bob Jackson School of Law. Just saying.

(8) Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell Recap Day 1 of Impeachment 2 – YouTube

I should have had this up on my blog last night, but got caught up watching the last episode of Southern Charm with my wife.

The Dem lawyers knocked it out of the park both days. Won’t matter. Some of those GOP senators are the most gutless, dickless, pathetic humans to ever enter the U.S. Senate chamber. We can only hope after the vote both Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz don’t go down on each other right there in the chamber.

I pretty much nailed the Super Bowl. I have no idea where Nate Silver has the Senate vote. So I’ll go 56 vote to impeach…44 vote not to impeach.

My bonus tiebreaker says McConnell despite all the bluster votes not to impeach.

So my impeach over/under is 56 votes. Given that singular choice—I’d go under. Moral of the story…you can’t coach character or integrity in a two day span.

Truth hurts.

Ever since I watched the Netflix docu on Frank…I haven’t been able to get his songs out of my head. If you haven’t seen the film…you must. Bravisimo! ***** That’s five stars for those of you Okies not in the film industry.

The weather is brutal in Deer Creek and headed for even worse. I’m thinking wine, lots of Italian food these next several days…and the best of Frank and Tony Bennett.

This song is dedicated to Lu Dort, Kenrich, and Mikey Muscala for their excellent effort in this year of tanking. I just wanted them to know there will be light at the end of the tanking tunnel.

Your effort and professionalism is appreciated at the okthunderground.com studio.

When we get knocked down in life…we pick ourselves back up and fight for those six inches of life in front of us every day.

That’s basketball. That’s life, boys.

Don’t look now but the tanking Oklahoma City Thunder have dropped to 10-14 and down to the 14th position in the Western Conference standings. If they had started this earlier they would possibly be in the No. 15 slot ahead of the sublime Minnesota Timberwolves.

Another good loss on Wednesday night as the Thunder with only eight players hung with the Lakers who had both LeBron and AD on the floor for this game.

Give these eight guys credit though—they played their asses off. I have complete respect for that. I genuinely do. This is what life is about…getting knocked down and pulling yourself back up.

It’s hard to watch some of this because it comes off as depressing in that this process wouldn’t even be taking place if the Thunder had just made the decision to stay with Sabonis, Jerami Grant, and Oladipo as their core.

But I guess to Presti’s somewhat credit he showed loyalty to Russell Westbrook kind of like the Trump crazies in Oklahoma display their daily self-abusing fealty to Donald Trump no matter how many white policemen he either kills or maims in the name of law and order. There’s an analogy there somewhere.

Suckers and losers…they’re all over Oklahoma if you keep your eyes open and take mental notes. These people not only doubled down on the likes of Donald Trump, but these people will continue to triple and quadruple down on the likes of Jim Inhofe, and the James Lankford types.

James Lankford…I’ve called the Christian youth minister’s office eight times to date to talk to him about his political soul—eight times I’ve failed to get past his aide who answered the phone. But I do get the generic emails.

I do hope the Thunder basketball team is able to stay here though because the state needs more to cling to beyond OU football. OU football is going to be lit next season. Saben…bring your Big Boy Britches. This will be the most talented OU roster since the 2000-01 national championship squad.

Back to the tanking Thunder.

To me the best transaction Presti ever made was the Serge Ibaka to Orlando deal for that bundle of players, but for whatever reason Sam Presti didn’t want to stay committed to that train of thought.

Operation Bongo is what the Thunder might become if they’re not careful. It makes me sad as someone who has lived in Oklahoma this long. It’s almost like the basketball team is a micrososm of the Oklahoma state government which is still working on becoming the last state in the union to update its driver license photo with a passport process.

To me…the Thunder coming to Oklahoma was supposed to be a sign of the state as a whole saying goodbye to being one of the dumbest in the nation and growing up. Instead…it appears the state has doubled and even tripled down on challenging Alabama and Mississippi for that honor. Smart humans ostensibly should learn from their past….and grow just a little. George Wallace and Richard Nixon…even those two grew after their transgressions….to limited extents albeit.

The Thunder are losing now, but they’re losing the right way if that makes sense. From the get go of this season I’ve proclaimed my hoops love for Lu Dort and Kenrich Williams…which I feel good about as we head into deep dive tank mode now in mid February.

Lu Dort and Kenrich…I love you guys. Please don’t ever let them change you. I’ve been a grinder my whole life. I love you. I do.

These guys play hard. Even more to the point…what’s left standing of the Thunder overall currently plays hard. I have to respect that as someone who has been around sports my entire life. I don’t like losing though when you didn’t have to take this course when you had Oladipo, Sabonis, and Jerami all on rookie scale deals.

This is clearly a season hoopswise where I’m much more intuned to OU basketball and Cade Cunningham and his draft class.

Sam Presti, you may not know it, but you’re on the clock just like Kevin Costner was in Draft Day when he played the fictional general manager of the Cleveland Browns.

That was another analogy…. that no one in Oklahoma will get or ever get in my lifetime.