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Epp Predicts Impeachment of Press-Suppressing Tyrant

Todd Epp predicts Donald Trump will be impeached “sometime during his first term.” (Alec Baldwin’s Saturday Night Live writers peg impeachment at two months.) The sooner this anti-free-press thug is removed from the White House, says Epp after watching the President-Elect’s circus/press conference, the better:

…But does he sound like a dictator when he shouts down journalists, refuses to answer questions, publicly calls respected news organizations “fake,” and threatens to physically toss “disruptive” reporters from press events?

I think the answer is “yes.” Even Richard Nixon didn’t act like this in the throes of Watergate.

Certainly, this is red meat to Trump supporters, which are still a minority of the electorate. But it is not Presidential. It is not the way a vibrant democracy functions.

To a former journalist like me who used to ask (and sometimes still does) ask difficult and even embarrassing questions to politicians to try to get to the truth, I found it chilling.

Which is exactly the impact Trump was trying to have, I believe. Trump is smart. He knows what effect his words and behaviors will have [Todd Epp, “Explaining Trump,” KELO Radio: Token Liberal, 2017.01.12].

Irish bookmaker Paddy Power puts odds of a Trump impeachment within six months at 8 to 1. Over the next four years, Power puts those odds between 2 & 3 to 1.

85 Comments

  1. Curt 2017-01-15 09:21

    Remember, impeachment must start in the House. I’ll bet a year’s pay (at 8 to 1) there is no impeachment ‘within 6 months’.

  2. Don Coyote 2017-01-15 09:43

    @epp: “Certainly, this is red meat to Trump supporters, which are still a minority of the electorate.”

    Irrelevant. But since Epp wants to play this game it should be noted that Clinton supporters are also a minority of the electorate making up only 48%. And her husband never received a majority of the popular vote either.

  3. Mike Boswell 2017-01-15 09:52

    I think Todd Epp isn’t smelling the coffee. The news has became an opinions club. Real news reporting went out with Walter Cronkite. You have left news sources and right new sources, but they fill you with opinion. That’s the problem. I am no support of Trump, but this nation is so divided, there is no way the Republican Congress is going to impeach Trump unless it is criminal acts, and not how he treats the Press.

  4. jerry 2017-01-15 09:57

    For you Coyote,
    George Takei ✔ @GeorgeTakei
    After 146 yrs, Ringling Bros will close “Greatest Show on Earth.” That title now goes to the daily sh!+show coming from the President-elect.

  5. jerry 2017-01-15 10:26

    Daddy Don has promised millions of high paying jobs to employ real Americans, not just American Americans, but the real kind (dog whistle). When you take away healthcare and then replace it with nothing for your first 100 days. The real Americans can get kind of pissy. At the same time, these real Americans will continue to see you and your party gaining by corruption so they go to the streets. It is one thing to see fake protests in the streets by astro turf racists, it is quite another when you see the real deal, like what was seen in the 60’s, with violent confrontations that will shake this country like a billion fracking’s.

  6. Loren 2017-01-15 10:32

    What are the odds that the SD delegation will even NOTICE in the next 6 months?

  7. John Sullivan 2017-01-15 10:40

    Just remember that if Trump gets impeached…This is the presidential line of succession after he takes over on Jan 20th:
    1. Vice President. . .Mike Pence (R)
    2. Speaker of the House of Representatives. . . Paul Ryan (R)
    3. President pro tempore of the Senate . . .Orrin Hatch (R)
    4. Secretary of State. . .Rex Tillerson (will be former Exxon C.E.O.)

    I am not looking forward to any of them becoming President.
    I’m just saying…

  8. Donald Pay 2017-01-15 10:48

    This part of Epps commentary deserves some discussion: “To a former journalist like me who used to ask (and sometimes still does) ask difficult and even embarrassing questions to politicians to try to get to the truth, I found it chilling.”

    I find attempts like Trump’s and other politicians to intimidate the press to be an indication of weakness and stupidity. Trump thinks he can bluff his way through the Presidency. Call his bluff and the only thing he can answer with is bluster. At times Trump had the deer in the headlights look of someone who was totally intimidated and scared. So, what does a scared person do: rely on scripted rants and name-calling. People with Trump’s sociopathic personality issues can’t be expected to tell the truth, or to recognized what the truth is. What journalists should do is one of two things: totally ignore him, and find the truth elsewhere or draw him out so he contradicts himself and exposes his complete cluelessness.

  9. caheidelberger Post author | 2017-01-15 11:03

    Now Boswell commits the fallacy Trump wants: dismiss all unpleasant facts as opinion, without offering genuine counter-evidence, to justify swallowing whole their preferred Breitbart propaganda.

  10. Bob Newland 2017-01-15 11:18

    “Irish bookmaker Paddy Power puts odds of a Trump impeachment within six months at 8 to 1. Over the next four years, Power puts those odds between 2 & 3 to 1.”

    I read that to mean that a bet of $10 will win you $80 if you bet against impeachment within six months and win.

    I don’t understand why the odds would go down as time goes on.

    I think proper grammar would say “the odds of a Trump impeachment within six months are 8 to 1 against the probability of the event occurring.”

  11. bearcreekbat 2017-01-15 11:48

    I share John Sullivan’s concern, with only one caveat – Trump’s mental illness could more easily get us in a war than his potential successors. Otherwise a crazy and more unpredictable Trump may well be preferable as president over a duplicitous, uncaring Pence, who would work with Ryan to take a wreaking ball to our Country’s safety net. At least Trump has the capacity and stupidity to create splits in the Republican party and alienate some Republican Senators, who might just side with Democrats to avoid enacting Trump’s more idiotic, and likely unconstitutional, ideas.

  12. jerry 2017-01-15 12:03

    Mr. Sullivan, goeth Daddy Don, so goeth Mike Pence
    1. Speaker of the House…Nancy Pelosi

    2018 is not so far away.

  13. Roger Cornelius 2017-01-15 12:22

    A couple days ago I watched Putin’s once a year four hour press conference(Putin allows only one a year). Will that be all trump allows?
    The trump presser and the Putin presser had many similarities, but mostly they were both chaos with a lot of shouting and coming close to brawling.
    Is this what we can come to expect from the infrequent pressers trump will allow the press?
    Knowing the way trump operates he probably already has a hate list of reporters he plans to ban by taking away their White House credentials.
    If anything gets trump impeached it will be one of two things.
    First would be what ever is contained in his taxes that he doesn’t want Americans to see.
    And given trump’s paranoia and other mental health issues, abuse of power.
    When he starts using government agencies to investigate people he dislikes or hates he will be toast, just as Richard Nixon became.

  14. Tim 2017-01-15 12:54

    “When he starts using government agencies to investigate people he dislikes or hates he will be toast, just as Richard Nixon became.”

    RC, I disagree, things are so much different now then they were in Nixon’s day. First, so many Republican districts in the country are so hopelessly gerrymandered these Republicans have nothing to fear and will do as they please. Second, Republicans nation wide seem to be so absolutely terrified of the 20% or less of true Trump supporters in this country that they will do nothing to stand in Comrade Trumps way.

  15. Tim 2017-01-15 12:58

    Crap, should read, 20% or less of voters that are true, sorry.

  16. Mike Boswell 2017-01-15 13:16

    Cory you are the perfect example of where the press has went too. You care nothing about being fair. You are pushing the liberal agenda. It is equally just as bad on the right. We (the people) sorely miss the days where the news was fair and biased. BTW Trump has nothing to do with my Opinions. He is just as much of the problem in this division between left and right as is the Press.

  17. grudznick 2017-01-15 13:34

    It is amusing there is an Irish bookie named Paddy Power. And that Mr. PP would be laying odds that Mr. Trump is impeached.

  18. jerry 2017-01-15 14:15

    Yes Mr. Boswell, and we are all thankful for Cory’s press. We, including you, get to say your piece. That is a great thing. There is no such thing as a liberal agenda, never has been either. Only ideas, never agendas. Daddy Don has everything to do with your opinions otherwise, you would not have been so divisive in your “liberal agenda” mantra. We have no press and have not had for some time. We have venue’s like Dakota Free Press for you, I, and others to read and comment on. This is good stuff. Hey, did you get to see the “presser” daddy Don put on? What a spectacle.

  19. Greg Deplorable 2017-01-15 14:40

    So lets see, 65 mainstream reporters, anchors & editors head to John Podesta’s house and the agenda is:
    1. give reporters their first thoughts from team HRC in advance of the announcement
    2. setting expectations for the announcement launch period.
    3. Framing the HRC message and framing the race.
    4. Enjoy the night drink before working more.

    This via the Ruskies!

    Bernie never had a chance.

  20. grudznick 2017-01-15 15:03

    Mr. Epp, who started out blogging as a straight lawyer from Harrisburg, is a swell enough fellow and one of the few bloggers who transitioned into being kind of a real media reporter. His radio gigging with Mr. Belfrage affords him some air time I am sure and the local area by Sioux Falls gets to hear much of him on the car radios. I think it is good he is going back to the bloggings more after a long absence.

  21. Porter Lansing 2017-01-15 15:20

    Deplorable Greg – A reputable mainstream reporter is fully capable of picking and choosing stories void of bias, no matter what material is presented to them. Name a crime that Hillary Clinton committed or STFU.
    PS … the election’s over and Trump cheated.

  22. Greg Deplorable 2017-01-15 16:47

    Poor Porter, still exhibiting CSS (Clinton Stockholm Syndrome). Everyone wants fair elections, and you should be happy if the Russians hacked the DNC, maybe a guy like Bernie can get a fair primary in the future without all the collusion & scheming within the party. Fear not, your captors have been vanquished.

  23. jerry 2017-01-15 16:59

    The United States has a long history of wrecking democratically elected president in other countries. Hank Kissenger was a master at that as you could note in Chile. We did the same in the Republic of Iran to their democratically elected president. Africa has a known foot print of the same. Recently Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, the list goes on. No one expected fair elections in this country or state for that matter. Take a look at Phil Jensen’s gerrymandered district for starters. What we did not expect was the Russians invading this country to take it over, that is something we did not expect. I speak for myself on this, but submission to a foreign power is not a very good way to start the highest office in the land.

    So there ya go Greg D., thanks for making us a conquered people.

  24. Greg Deplorable 2017-01-15 17:02

    I think you guys finally jumped the shark.

  25. jerry 2017-01-15 17:16

    Greg D., did you somehow find this saying someplace and thought it cute? Explain jumped the shark..

  26. Porter Lansing 2017-01-15 18:26

    Your mind wanders, Greg. You’ve slipped on the “ice”.

  27. Don Coyote 2017-01-15 18:50

    @Jerry: You don’t even have to go as far back as Chile let alone Iran and Eisenhower. The Obama State Department spent over $300K trying to unseat Netanyahu and influence the Israeli elections in 2015. Bill Clinton’s administration interfered with the Russian elections in 1996 by helping arrange a $10B+ IMF loan, doing polling for and openly backing Yeltsin which help cause the Putin backed candidate, Gennady Zyuganov, who had been leading substantially in the polls to lose.

  28. jerry 2017-01-15 19:00

    Exactly coyote, that is why I am all for Russia. Long live the Russian Bear. And all in for Netanyahoo so we can give the dude some more of your tax dollars. Lets send him some more Iron Dome…What?? Obama sent him that to protect the Israeli people from rocket attacks…and it works…you know it… You betcha, I can see Russia from my house and it has your address.

    Obama sent http://fortune.com/2016/09/13/us-israel-military-aid/

    So what did Bush do http://www.haaretz.com/bush-sold-arab-states-arms-in-violation-of-deal-with-israel-1.261106

    ruh oh, your story does not jive

    In fact, Israel is gonna miss Obama because they knew they could trust him http://www.salon.com/2017/01/13/israeli-intelligence-fears-the-u-s-will-be-a-sieve-for-russia-under-donald-trump/

  29. Don Coyote 2017-01-15 19:57

    @Jerry: Crikers, can you throw up any more spaghetti? Your breathless lamentations have nothing to do with Russian interference in US elections or US interference in foreign elections. Try again loser.

  30. Porter Lansing 2017-01-15 20:23

    Don Coyote calls someone a “loser”? Don Coyote’s the Howard Sprague of Loserville.

  31. Don Coyote 2017-01-15 20:40

    So says the man who can remember the McCarthy hearings on tv although he was all of 1 yo with very few people having access to tv sets then. I believe your bowtie is tied a tad tight there Porter. Just more squeaking from Cory’s Outrage Brigade.

  32. Porter Lansing 2017-01-15 20:46

    Fake News @doncoyote Porter didn’t say he remembers the hearings on tv. Porter said he remembered the Red Scare and remembers hearing adults talk about the hearings. No bowtie. Sporting the whites, now.
    “Without outrage one is but a pawn.” “Without new ideas one is but a populist libertarian.”

  33. jerry 2017-01-15 21:06

    Coyote, your mind wanders like your daddy Don. Try to stay in the game or just foul out.

  34. Don Coyote 2017-01-15 21:28

    @Porter: Yes, I see that now. You did say that you remembered the Red Scare but not specifically tv coverage. My apology. But still I’m the same age as you and have no remembrance (other than constructed memories) of any of the Red Scare. The Cuban Missile Crisis I do remember as well as the “duck and cover” drills of the cold War era but that was a different kettle of fish. Sorry you’ve given up bowties. Always been intrigued by the tying of them.

  35. Porter Lansing 2017-01-15 21:36

    Nothing personal, friend. You’re a pretty good guy. Your side has all the ammo, now. We all want to know if populists can play offense.

  36. Don Coyote 2017-01-15 21:44

    At Jerry: “What?? Obama sent him that to protect the Israeli people from rocket attacks…and it works…you know it”

    FYI the Iron dome works because the Israelis designed and built it albeit with the assistance of US aid. The Iron Dome is not a clone of the US Patriot system but a system developed for the unique defense against a the smaller missiles that it protects against. It’s centralized computer system is selective in which missiles it kills, ignoring the incoming missiles that will fall harmlessly or do little damage. It is really an Israeli engineering marvel.

  37. Roger Cornelius 2017-01-15 21:58

    Don Coyote has adopted another trump favorite saying by calling Jerry a ‘loser’. Isn’t that “sad’.

  38. Roger Cornelius 2017-01-15 22:08

    If you haven’t read David Newquist’s Northern Valley Beacon blog today, please take the time, it is well worth it.
    It is probably too comprehensive for Deplorable and Coyote.

  39. Donald Pay 2017-01-15 22:10

    As bad as the House Republicans are, they haven’t yet indicated they are as reckless as Trump in matters of foreign affairs. They will impeach Trump if Trump’s behavior or policy cuts against the interests of the nation. Right now the selections for his cabinet seem to be willing to put Trump in a box, ignoring his goofier positions. They have been saying they will not carry out his directives on certain issues, but whether that will happen after confirmation is another matter. I expect Trump will have a little leeway to try another Russian “reset,” but Trump is going to be watched closely by the intelligence services for any treachery. They have his number, and are sending him signals that he is going to be in a tight box. If Putin acts to take advantage of Trump’s fecklessness (say, by moving into the Baltic states), I’d bet House Republicans will impeach, and the Senate will convict. It would likely happen within a day or two.

  40. jerry 2017-01-15 22:13

    Coyote, “Iron Dome is made by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and funded largely by the U.S.”
    http://www.defensetech.org/2014/08/01/u-s-rushes-funding-for-israels-iron-dome/
    Every time these guys go and fire some missiles, we taxpayers foot the bill. Thanks Obama, geesh And for what? They have the money, why are we paying for their stuff? We are in a crisis here for basic healthcare that is going to be denied, and they have universal healthcare courtesy of the the United States taxpayers, Thanks Obama.

    Neytanyahoo can complain as much as he wants about Obama, but the facts speak for themselves and now he is leaving the building. So the two bozoheads on the bus will have to work it out. Neytanyahoo will miss the Black feller that is for damn sure as he already knows.

  41. jerry 2017-01-15 22:22

    Coyote, here is how it works. The taxpayers here gave billions to Neytanyahoo to do whatever the hell he wanted to do. He wanted this new toy so he bought up a bunch of them, with American taxpayer money. http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.755888
    If you can explain how Obama mistreated this putz, that would be amazing. Obama just gave him billions on top of the already billions he has gotten in the recent past. Nope, the American taxpayer has always opened its checkbook to Israel, go find another car to chase.

  42. caheidelberger Post author | 2017-01-16 08:17

    Loren, I feel confident predicting that no member of the South Dakota delegation will play any leading role in impeaching President Trump.

  43. caheidelberger Post author | 2017-01-16 08:19

    My apologies, Bob. Odds language tangles me up. Yes, Power will pay out more for a bet that impeachment happens in the next six months than he will for an equivalent bet that impeachment happens by the end of the first term.

  44. caheidelberger Post author | 2017-01-16 08:23

    Mike B., again, I reject the false equivalency. That’s a cheap ploy used to excuse people from discernment and to disguise there untenable biases with a veneer of even-handedness.

    I am not like Trump or his white-supremacist promoters in that (1) I’m not racist, (2) I’m not resistant to learning new things, and (3) I have never lied to you and will not lie to forward my (clear, never disguised) agenda.

  45. Mike Boswell 2017-01-16 11:32

    Cory you do point out corruption without proof. So don’t put yourself on any pedestal, sir. You pedal the liberal point of view without an attempt to be unbiased. Again where is your proof on EB5 and Gear UP. Until you can substantiate your claims on those two items, you are nothing more than a left opinion mouth piece.

    There is really the issue with IM22 you all complained about corruption, but you never proved diddly. You expect us to pay for your lack of finding anything. Sorry but No.

  46. caheidelberger Post author | 2017-01-16 11:47

    Wrong, Mike. I document my claims more than anyone else in the South Dakota blogosphere. My reporting on EB-5, GEAR UP, the flag theft, conflicts of interest, and other governmental corruption have been based entirely on documents. My regular documentation of numerous issues (and I submit nearly every post on this blog as proof of this claim) proves that I am far more than a left opinion mouth piece.

    I will also reject the “mouth piece” charge, because “mouth piece” implies I am but a passive tool used by others to put forward their opinions. That is a completely false accusation. No post goes on this blog that I don’t want on this blog. (Comments are separate beasts.) I am absolutely not a mouthpiece: this is me talking.

    Now, Mike Boswell, if we’re going to compare unfair, I’d say you’re being far more unfair than I. As a matter of fact, I’m not being unfair at all. I’m offering a fair opportunity to discuss the obvious, anti-democratic, anti-factual ills of Donald Trump. You, unable to defend Donald Trump, have to change the subject by resorting to false equivalencies and false accusations.

    My reportage is rooted in fact. Donald Trump’s public statements are rooted (I initially Freud-typed rotted) in fascism and fantasy.

  47. Porter Lansing 2017-01-16 12:21

    Freud-typed. Good one. ??

  48. Mike Boswell 2017-01-16 12:27

    I don’t support Donald Trump because of his behavior and is why I didn’t vote for the man. You said you proved your facts on government corruption. You never proved that anyone from the Governor’s office (either Governor) was involved with the taking of the funds. At worst you could prove is there wasn’t enough oversight. That is hardly corruption. It could be negligence, but many private sector companies have has the wool pulled over their eyes by clever embezzlers. That’s the real fact of EB5 and Gear Up. You had a very few clever people that pulled the wool over everyone.

    You as the liberal mouth piece accused the Administration. That’s opinion driven and politically driven. You may have decided to do this on your own and not from an outside source. But that doesn’t make it right. If you are an honest unbiased journalist you would have waited until the facts were in. Same is said of Rick Weiland, Kennecke and others.

    As for as the Buzzfeed article maybe CNN should have verified the authenticity of the story before reporting on it. I think Trump has good cause to call out CNN as “Fake News”. When I first read it, I said no way am I commenting on this until it is verified.

  49. Porter Lansing 2017-01-16 12:34

    Excellent, BCB. Loved that link. I’m proud (not too proud, though lol) to say I’ve watched Pro Wrestling consistently for over 55 years. At least one and usually 3-6 hours a week. I believe myself to be an expert on it. It’s very educational in a sociological sense. From Verne Gagne to Vince, I’ve followed every plot line with glee. That said … Chauncey DeVega’s last sentences are highly revealing. The Trump (his ring name) is adept at playing the heel. It’s probably so close to his natural persona that it’s become mixed up and homogenized within his simplistic brain. But, the question is, can The Trump play the face? (the face is the opposite of the heel). Can Trumpy become likeable as every wrestler eventually must? 99% of citizens probably think he can’t. That’s why he probably can. Won’t that be a scene? There’s no doubt already that he can easily become more likeable than Hillary Clinton could ever be. lol

  50. caheidelberger Post author | 2017-01-16 12:35

    Boswell, I said I offered documents to support my claims. You argue as if I offered nothing. I will not have you wrecking my reputation on false or unclear accusations.

    Now Boswell, why is it more important here to talk about me than to talk about the unfit fascist who is about to take possession of the nuclear codes? Why is it more important to invoke Buzzfeed, which has nothing to do with the validity of any claim I have made? Trump clearly has no respect for independent journalism. Your false equivalencies and distracting attacks on journalists only facilitate his attack on independent journalism. Maybe you should reprioritize your rhetoric to address the real threats to our liberty.

  51. Porter Lansing 2017-01-16 13:01

    Another celebrity, one of my personal heroes and the most famous person I ever cooked for modeled his career around Pro Wrestling. He became the most recognizable person on planet Earth. He and his foil, Howard Cosell took boxing to a new level of popularity by using the outlandish and disrespectful wrestling interview segments, devised by Vince McMahon Sr. He’s gone now but fondly remembered by millions. Muhammad Ali studied wrestling when he was still Cassius Clay.

  52. Mike Boswell 2017-01-16 13:21

    I have no respect for independent journalist and you are the example of why.

  53. bearcreekbat 2017-01-16 13:24

    Thanks Cory for finding my old Ric Flair/Donald trump comment.

  54. Robert McTaggart 2017-01-16 13:41

    ….suddenly, out of nowhere, Trump hits Ted Cruz with a steel chair, switches from the red tights into the blue tights, and nominates a justice for the Supreme Court that is pro-choice.

  55. Dicta 2017-01-16 13:47

    As much as I would LOVE to have that narcissistic sociopath out the of Presidency, I literally cannot put any hope on oddsmakers after the election. Silver got the most love for getting it the least wrong, for god’s sake.

  56. Mike Boswell 2017-01-16 14:00

    Dicta which one you don’t have to wait long he will gone in 4 days. The other hasn’t even started.

  57. Dicta 2017-01-16 14:09

    I don’t agree with a decent amount of Obama policies, but I sure as hell don’t think he is a sociopath. Trump wears that on his sleeve.

  58. Mike Boswell 2017-01-16 14:24

    It’s a matter of opinion and Sociopath is too over used and really has no meaning any longer.

  59. caheidelberger Post author | 2017-01-16 14:46

    Sociopath, no meaning? Disagree—Sociopath has a pretty clear meaning. Per DSM-5, the sociopath has little regard for laws, mores, and the rights of others, fails to feel remorse or guilt, tends to display violent behavior, and is volatile and prone to emotional outbursts. Trump fits much of that.

  60. caheidelberger Post author | 2017-01-16 17:11

    Note that, again, Boswell tries to distract from the main contention of the article with a patently false equivalency. Barack Obama has conducted himself throughout his Presidency with dignity, class, empathy, and respect. Barack Obama in no serious way fits the profile of a sociopath. Trump’s obvious narcissism and brutishness offers serious evidence that he is a sociopath.

    Dicta uses his terms quite intentionally. Boswell tries to co-opt those terms with a cheap shot. When confronted on his unsustainable claim, Boswell runs away, changing his tune to say the terms in question have no meaning. It’s hard to argue with such a slippery eel, but I, the independent journalist whom Boswell claims justifies his universal dismissal of all independent journalists, will continue to use words as if they have meaning and argue as if I deserve to be held accountable for the words I say.

  61. Mike Boswell 2017-01-16 18:32

    When you use a word like sociopath on someone like George W Bush, it weakens it’s meaning. Anyone could easily use it on Barrack Obama. He had little regard for laws (second amendment), mores (allowed the IRS to discriminate 501C), and the Rights of others (again the second amendment). Like I said, when it can be applied to anyone one it makes the word useless.

  62. Mike Boswell 2017-01-16 18:34

    Then Cory provide the proof of corruption of the Governor (either one) or just admit you are eloquently a mouth piece for the left.

  63. bearcreekbat 2017-01-17 11:03

    Boswell, I may have missed it, but how did Obama show “little regard for laws (second amendment), . . . , and the Rights of others (again the second amendment)?” I still have my guns and as best I can tell more people in the USA own guns today than ever before in history. What did Obama do or propose to do that adversely affected my gun rights?

  64. Dicta 2017-01-17 11:26

    “When you use a word like sociopath on someone like George W Bush, it weakens it’s meaning.”

    I didn’t use it on Bush. I don’t think Bush is a sociopath. I used it on Trump. I absolutely think Trump is a sociopath.

  65. Mike Boswell 2017-01-17 11:44

    Other have used it on George W Bush so it weakens the meaning.

  66. bearcreekbat 2017-01-17 12:08

    Boswell, thanks for the link. It lists the following goals:

    1. Keep guns out of the wrong hands through background checks.
    . . .
    2. Make our communities safer from gun violence.
    . . .
    3. Increase mental health treatment and reporting to the background check system.
    . . .
    4. Shape the future of gun safety technology.

    Which of these objectives do you contend runs afoul of the 2nd Amendment? Have any caused you some difficulty in owning, buying, or possessing whatever guns you want?

    Do you agree with Trump’s campaign promise to use “stop and frisk” as a tool to take people’s guns away?

    “Basically, they will, if they see — you know, they are proactive and if they see a person possibly with a gun or they think may have a gun, they will see the person, and they will look, and they will take the gun away,” Trump said in an interview with “Fox and Friends.”
    “They will stop, they will frisk, and they will take the gun away, and they don’t have anything to shoot with.”

    Do you think Trump’s idea is more consistent with the 2nd Amendment than Obama’s goals?

  67. Mike Boswell 2017-01-17 12:59

    not comparing just responding that Obama did attempt to control your second amendment rights. You said he didn’t and well he did.

  68. bearcreekbat 2017-01-17 13:19

    Boswell, I think you misunderstood my comment. I said if Obama has done something to disrespect or undermine the 2nd Amendment, I missed it and I asked you to enlighten me. I asked:

    how did Obama show “little regard for laws (second amendment), . . . , and the Rights of others (again the second amendment)?”

    You responded with a link to Obama’s goals, which seem to be aimed at reducing gun violence, rather than an attempt to “control your second amendment rights.” Are of the view that the 2nd Amendment is absolute and prohibits the government from all regulation of gun ownership and use such that everyone (including the mentally ill, known violent felons, terrorists, etc) has an absolute right to purchase, possess and own guns?

  69. Mike Boswell 2017-01-17 13:26

    For some it means exactly that you don’t give an inch or they will take a mile. If I want an AR-15 with a 30 round clip I should be able to get it. That may not be my exact point of view but it is how some think of the Second Amendment.

  70. mike from iowa 2017-01-17 13:43

    bcb- for a soothing caress for a tortured social soul, check out Job’s Anger.

  71. Roger Cornelius 2017-01-17 13:50

    President Obama is leaving office with a 58% approval high compared to Trump who has a 40% approval rating going into office.
    President Obama has been a real disappointment, he has only a couple of days to implement Sharia Law, make us a socialist country, and take away everyone’s guns.

  72. bearcreekbat 2017-01-17 13:55

    Right, I understand that there are folks who have the absolutist viewpoint, but these folks lost many years ago. Obama didn’t propose the existing gun control laws, rather, they were adopted many years ago. Here is some info from the NRA’s history of gun control laws:

    1934: The National Firearms Act passes in response to gangster culture during Prohibition. The law implements a tax on the making and transfer of automatic-fire guns, shotguns and rifles.

    1939: Supreme Court upholds a federal ban on sawed-off shotguns, implying that the Founding Fathers adopted the amendment to ensure the then-new federal government could not disarm state militias.

    1968: Congress passes the Gun Control Act. The law calls for better control of interstate traffic of firearms. Lee Harvey Oswald used a mail-order gun to assassinate President John F. Kennedy.

    1976 D.C. City Council bars residents from owning handguns.

    1986: The Firearm Owner’s Protection Act is approved by Congress. The law prohibits felons from owning or possessing guns or ammunition. The Law Enforcement Officers Protection Act is also passed. It prohibits the manufacturing, importing and selling of ammunition that can penetrate a bulletproof vest.

    1993: Congress passes the The Brady Handgun Violence Act, establishing the National Instant Criminal Background Check System gun dealers are to use before selling a gun. The law is named after former White House Press Secretary James Brady, who was shot in the head during the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.

    1994: The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act becomes law. The law banned the manufacture, use, possession and import of 19 types of assault weapons, including AK-47s and Uzis. The law expired in 2004.

    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91942478

    Obama was first sworn in as a Senator in January 2005 so it seems far fetched to blame him for any of this history. There are many Obama policies that I disagreed with, but this idea that he in any way disrespected or tried to violate the 2nd Amendment seems to be unsupported by any available factual evidence.

  73. bearcreekbat 2017-01-17 14:12

    mfi – if you mean Job from the Bible, that is an eye opening story and one of the many that helped me become an atheist as I read through the Bible. Others include, but are not limited to, the Passover and innocent Egyptian kids, the Midianite women and kids, the burning of a family in the Daniel and the lion’s den because the father reported Daniel’s disobedience, and the cold blooded promise to slaughter of Jezebel’s children.

  74. mike from iowa 2017-01-17 15:07

    Bear-I actually meant this one….http://jobsanger.blogspot.com/ Sorry for the mix up. I am not familiar with the bible.

    He soothes my savage beast.

  75. Mike Boswell 2017-01-17 15:31

    Check the US Supreme Gun Control Rulings in 2008 and 2010 which clarifies the 2nd Amendment.

  76. bearcreekbat 2017-01-17 17:49

    mfi – thanks for the clarification, the site looks intriguing, I’ll check it out.

    Boswell, yes, thanks – those are important cases. I have studied each decision, but I am unclear how either side in the case in any way disrespected or tried to violate the 2nd Amendment. It seems to me the sides had a respectful disagreement about what the language in the 2nd Amendment meant. I recall no arguments demeaning or disrespecting the 2nd Amendment. And if my memory serves me correctly neither case made any allegation that President Obama disrespected or tried to violate the 2nd Amendment.

  77. Mike Boswell 2017-01-18 07:07

    The point to be made is that you can call people all kinds of things and the more you do the less the words mean. Sociopath is so overused that it becomes just another label. Liberals love to name call those who will not bend to their opinion and yes Jerry their agenda. Sorry there is a limit to how much Social Democracy that the American people will take. The end result was Donald J Trump.

  78. caheidelberger Post author | 2017-01-18 22:30

    That’s a terrible point, Mike B. Curse you and your relativism of convenience. I will not let you take language away from me. I use words with meaning, and I say quite deliberately that Donald Trump is quite literally a sociopath, absorbed in self-interest, with little to no regard for the rights and welfare of anyone else.

  79. Roger Cornelius 2017-01-18 23:13

    Jerry,
    When you get a copy of the Democrats agenda can you send me one. I’ve been an active Democrat all my life and have seen a Democrat agenda.
    As to sociopath, Boswell needs to get used to hearing it for the next four years as Trump’s behavior will prove the definition of sociopath.

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