I am interested in history -- particularly of American history going back to about 1700. As such, I have read about (or watched video documentaries of) a number of prominent Americans who lived before the age of electronic communications, and left a "paper trail" of letters, memos, etc., for the benefit of their own descendants and the rest of us Americans.
(As an old style "progressive" Republican, I regard Theodore Roosevelt as the most interesting of these. I admire most of his policies, but like another favorite American of mine -- Samuel Clemens (a.k.a., Mark Twain) recognize his jingoistic excesses.)
For better and for worse, the explosion in electronic communications has practically eliminated old fashioned paper letters and diaries. I wonder whether there will be enough of these that are "archived" to enable our descendents to objectively answer the question of "what the actual f... were you all thinking?"
For my own part, I document the numerous public statements that I have made in support of rational, centrist policies that consider the political, economic, cultural, and environmental implications of the United States and the world that our descendents will inherit. As those policies continue to be largely ignored by extremists of the left and the right, I dread the consequences, but trust that I will be respected for having done what I could to prevent them.
electronic communications- emails, texts, social media posts, blogs, websites etc, are still able to be archived and in fact are being used as evidence in the Jan 6th cases. As we see in the documents case, all correspondence must be kept by the National Archives. The Archives has been in the process of transferring all written communications, both past and present, into digitized format, collecting all electronic communications in the same digital system and saving them.
I don't know -- but certainly hope on the basis of the rights to privacy of all Americans, including public officials -- that the only communications that are being kept by the National Archives are (a) official communications by public officials, and (b) personal communications by public officials that they authorize to be archived.
Of course, there are other electronic records of recent private communications that can and should be subpoenaed under court order, such as those relating to the January 6 insurrection and the Biden family's alleged collusion with foreign parties for their personal gains. There is no "right to privacy" in concealing illegal activities, but that needs to be determined by the judicial process, governed primarily by the U.S. Constitution.
My post was a response to your concern regarding "the explosion in electronic communications has practically eliminated old fashioned paper letters and diaries. I wonder whether there will be enough of these that are "archived" to enable our descendants to objectively answer the question of "what the actual f... were you all thinking?" Just because they are not old fashioned paper doesn't mean they are less likely to be saved and in fact the old-fashioned paper is being transferred onto digital. "Electronic Records Archives (ERA) is our strategic response to the challenge of preserving, managing, and providing access to electronic records." The ERA- Electronic Records Archives program began in 1998. It "keeps essential electronic Federal records retrievable, readable, and authentic for as long as they remain valuable—whether that is a few years or a few hundred years." They also digitize older documents to preserve them as hard copies fade over time.
It is fine that official documents are being digitally archived. But much of what historians have learned about historical figures such as, say, John Adams or Theodore Roosevelt, has come from personal letters and diaries that were written throughout their lives, before they became prominent. In this age of massive electronic communications, very few such communications by people who are not yet "public figures" are likely to be preserved. I am not advocating legislation to "correct" this, but am recognizing its down-side for posterity.
This week has been a good week for democracy! First, Sydney Powell pleads guilty and commits to testify. Next, we have Ken Chesebro pleading guilty the felony of conspiracy with the other defendants in the GA Ricoh case and also commiting to testify. Finally, we have election denier Jim Jordan losing his third bid to become Speaker of the House by a greater margin than his last two attempts. He is no longer a candidate for Speaker.
It seems that better angels are prevailing and democracy may just be saved -but we have a long way to go!
I LOVE that every interview with a Republican Congress critter, the Democrats are being blamed along with our favorite 8 Republicants. LOL Democrats are supposed to fix THEIR mess? What would the thanks be? More calling them terrorists, Communists, Fascists, (can't make up their minds), country destroyers, evil, and more?
Nancy Pelosi is not my favorite representative but she had her stuff together. Can you see ANY of those Republicans voting along with Nancy?
May cool heads FINALLY prevail, may people come to their senses and soon!!!!! May the KRAKEN be released!!!!!! LOL
I agree. How hypocritical is it that the Republicans blame the Democrats for this because the Democrats voted against former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (whom they came to distrust based on their experience) while at the same time not one single Republican will vote for ANY bipartisan solution to their mess!
Interesting, the Republicans had a SECRET ballot to see support for Gym AND he got 85 votes. I may be a vote of two off but is was between 80 and 90. So there are still many hypocrites in that caucus.
The Republicans' mess is the nation's mess, and as Adam has pointed out, it should be resolved by a coalition of reasonably-centrist Republicans allying with reasonably-centrist Democrats to elect a consensus candidate for Speaker.
There is a "problem solvers' caucus" of Republicans and Democrats (initiated largely by the No Labels organization) that has done some good work in getting bipartisan legislation passed. But they don't have nearly enough members to constitute a majority and don't seem to have agreed among themselves to assemble an "anti-extremist majority" to elect a Speaker who would put country first. Too bad that Adam is not still a Representative eligible to be Speaker.
I listened to a lot of interviews with a lot of Republican representatives today and for now, no one seems to be leaning that way. The weekend can certainly allow for changes, I'm pretty sure the phone wires will be burning up. I certainly agree that the entire country is involved in this, no one gets to opt out.
I would certainly not mind a coalition of good people, there are some left. I saw an interview with Steve Womack, Representative from Arkansas. He was quite disappointed in how his colleagues are behaving. He didn't vote for Jordan and isn't positive at this point where things are going. He did say one thing that I liked and found a lot of truth in it. It came from Will Rogers. He basically said you can learn three ways, by observation, by reading, or peeing on the electric fence and directly finding out for yourself. LOL I hope I'm not offending anyone, I found it hilarious as well as true.
The Republicans get one thing right - they KNOW how to work the press and the people. They can stand there and lie as easily as they breathe and tell the world, it was the Democrats fault. Their message gets through the noise. The Dems always make the mistake that people are move savvy than that and don't offer a rebuttal. Big Mistake.
Here is how I see why it went down. Matt Gaetz hates McCarthy and put him up to be removed to a vote. McCarthy had lied to everyone: his fellow Republicans, the Dems, and Biden and reneged on deals he had made. Of course the Dems were going to vote him out as he was not someone that proved trustworthy and that they could work with to get things done.
I would love to be a fly on the wall in the basement as the Republicans try to figure out who everyone can work with. The maga Republicans don't want it to work, so unless they can reach out and get Democrats to support their candidate, they will fail again.
I remain hopeful that enough iterations of this madness go on, that the idea of some moderate Republicans in vulnerable districts support Jeffries in an unprecedented move.
This is nice but I hope you’re working with moderates and Dems to become speaker. We need someone who understands what the MAGA caucus is trying to do. Even with Gym out, there is still lots more crazy in there and it requires someone to dismantle it so the Rs can get back to legislating.
We all know how terrified he is of wind and windmills. They cause cancer according to him. I'm surprised he would take any advise from someone having anything to do with wind, and no I'm not going into Rudy and HIS wind problems /s
This is a great day no matter how you look at it. Chesebro pleading guilty just as jury selection was set to begin, Powell leading the way for him and more to follow. A new reality show "All My Attorneys" because I think Jenna Ellis will be next. The implication for Trump, Rudy and so many more are dark. Judges are yelling at Trump, and one has asked his attorneys why he should not be jailed for contempt of court, his petitions are being shot down and he is starting to see Accountability edging its way over the horizon.
Lock him up.
He is using the lobby of a taxpayer funded courthouse to fund raise and campaign. Why is this being allowed? Isn't there a judge anywhere that can see past the fact that he was president, is no longer president and deserves to be treated like any of us would be treated?
Thanks for your time and I wish all of you a wonderful weekend. Be safe and be kind.
I don’t want to be over confident but am hoping that this is the tip of the iceberg and more flip. Kraken lady is looney tunes for sure and not sure she is totally there, even now. However, I am presuming she has some credible testimony to be given the deal she has. Things are getting interesting on one hand but going off the cliff with the house GOP. Right now, go Kraken and Cheeseburger.
I am so pleased that all the hard work that you Jan 6 committee members did is coming to fruition. Thank you, Adam. I am sorry it came at such a cost, but you are on the right side of history.
Fani Willis is a smart DA and I don't think she would have offered such a sweetheart deal to Powell if she didn't have real evidence, not her hearsay, because she knows as you have said, she would not be credible.
At first, I was so disappointed that it took so much longer for the case to move forward to indictments in GA. After all the grand jury had presented its findings long ago. But this was the time that she and her team built the case. They were ready to go to trial the same day the indictments went out. I don't think she believed she would get movement so quickly, but Chesebro and Powell thinking they were out maneuvering her, called for a quick trial. HA! The dominoes are falling sooner than she thought and this is a great thing.
No shenanigans in Congress can interfere with a state's judicial process. This will be the one that gets Trump in prison - to stay. The Kraken will stay under the sea and out of public office, for good.
I do hope these plea bargains result in ample testimony to convict Trump and lock him away for the rest of his days. As a former felony prosecutor, however, I’m concerned that probation without jail time doesn’t at all fit the actions of either Powell or Chesebro. We’ve seen significant prison terms for those who participated in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol--but it was THESE people, together with their co-defendants, who spread lies with impunity, and on whom gullible rioters relied for truthful information. I am concerned that these lenient sentences may be interpreted as yet another failure to hold people in authority to account, reinforcing the notion of some people being “above the law.” I expect Powell may be unlikely as a compelling witness, as she is clearly a few synapses short of a full load, but she may have irrefutable documentary evidence. Chesebro should be as compelling against Trump as he had been for him. I do know Fani Willis is a fierce and trustworthy litigator who must surely have all her ducks lined up in a row. Go, team!
All these Trump people, Trump Rallies, Trump hysteria, Trump fanatics, etc reminds me of Amway people and Amway conventions I had people try to hustle me with back in the late 70’s/early 80’s.
No offense to the multi-level marketing household-item sales people btw. Lol.
I don’t know about Chesebro’s credibility but Powell is loopy. The defense will have fun with her unless she has a paper trail that ties back to other co-defendants.
Reading Sydney Powell's claims and proclamations has my head spinning. I think the expression "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs" may apply here. Makes Alice's journey Through the Looking Glass seem like nothing more than a stroll down Main Street in Mayberry, in comparison.
But if she can lay foundation for paper and electronic communications that implicate others in a criminal enterprise, the fact that she’s a questionable witness won’t matter as much as the documents she is able to provide.
The saga continues, and just keeps getting weirder! This Democrat already loves you, Adam. A great many do, I believe.
Just because we want to spend your money and raise your taxes and invent new taxes for you to pay does not mean you should avoid us. We typically are very friendly, especially when we have money to spend.
Fantasies of Krakens and a world without heroes like Jim are great for entertainment and passing the time. I am secretly waiting to hear a story about somebody Congressional walking into a courtroom and announcing, "If I think hard enough, I can moooooove things."
Haven't heard from MTG recently. Maybe she got scolded.
Let me try my hand at coming up with a fantastically weird announcement. Here goes: "Call me a DINO for caring about what's on Adam Kinzinger's mind, but I am a little of both. In fact, I might be a little of seven. Maybe I am many of many, many. I've never considered precisely how many of me I am."
For your entertainment purposes only. The Kraken was so cool in the movies!
Your writing is excellent. Thank you for putting it together. So many well written responses. Not sure what else to add. Thank you all for your thoughts. It is appreciated.
In the process of lining up the culprits who perpetrated the BIG LIE, please recall the so-called 'academic' vd hanson who has made every effort to sustain the BIG LIE. vd hanson is a oan-style opinion columnist who masquerades as a 'classicist' and a 'farmer'. vd hanson's act is mostly an affectation. vd hanson continues to defend the parties currently indicted for their attempted election fraud. vd hanson is merely one more of the many nazi enablers in this cabal.
Generations from now people are going to look back on this time and say “what the actual f were you all thinking?!?!”
I am interested in history -- particularly of American history going back to about 1700. As such, I have read about (or watched video documentaries of) a number of prominent Americans who lived before the age of electronic communications, and left a "paper trail" of letters, memos, etc., for the benefit of their own descendants and the rest of us Americans.
(As an old style "progressive" Republican, I regard Theodore Roosevelt as the most interesting of these. I admire most of his policies, but like another favorite American of mine -- Samuel Clemens (a.k.a., Mark Twain) recognize his jingoistic excesses.)
For better and for worse, the explosion in electronic communications has practically eliminated old fashioned paper letters and diaries. I wonder whether there will be enough of these that are "archived" to enable our descendents to objectively answer the question of "what the actual f... were you all thinking?"
For my own part, I document the numerous public statements that I have made in support of rational, centrist policies that consider the political, economic, cultural, and environmental implications of the United States and the world that our descendents will inherit. As those policies continue to be largely ignored by extremists of the left and the right, I dread the consequences, but trust that I will be respected for having done what I could to prevent them.
electronic communications- emails, texts, social media posts, blogs, websites etc, are still able to be archived and in fact are being used as evidence in the Jan 6th cases. As we see in the documents case, all correspondence must be kept by the National Archives. The Archives has been in the process of transferring all written communications, both past and present, into digitized format, collecting all electronic communications in the same digital system and saving them.
I don't know -- but certainly hope on the basis of the rights to privacy of all Americans, including public officials -- that the only communications that are being kept by the National Archives are (a) official communications by public officials, and (b) personal communications by public officials that they authorize to be archived.
Of course, there are other electronic records of recent private communications that can and should be subpoenaed under court order, such as those relating to the January 6 insurrection and the Biden family's alleged collusion with foreign parties for their personal gains. There is no "right to privacy" in concealing illegal activities, but that needs to be determined by the judicial process, governed primarily by the U.S. Constitution.
My post was a response to your concern regarding "the explosion in electronic communications has practically eliminated old fashioned paper letters and diaries. I wonder whether there will be enough of these that are "archived" to enable our descendants to objectively answer the question of "what the actual f... were you all thinking?" Just because they are not old fashioned paper doesn't mean they are less likely to be saved and in fact the old-fashioned paper is being transferred onto digital. "Electronic Records Archives (ERA) is our strategic response to the challenge of preserving, managing, and providing access to electronic records." The ERA- Electronic Records Archives program began in 1998. It "keeps essential electronic Federal records retrievable, readable, and authentic for as long as they remain valuable—whether that is a few years or a few hundred years." They also digitize older documents to preserve them as hard copies fade over time.
It is fine that official documents are being digitally archived. But much of what historians have learned about historical figures such as, say, John Adams or Theodore Roosevelt, has come from personal letters and diaries that were written throughout their lives, before they became prominent. In this age of massive electronic communications, very few such communications by people who are not yet "public figures" are likely to be preserved. I am not advocating legislation to "correct" this, but am recognizing its down-side for posterity.
This week has been a good week for democracy! First, Sydney Powell pleads guilty and commits to testify. Next, we have Ken Chesebro pleading guilty the felony of conspiracy with the other defendants in the GA Ricoh case and also commiting to testify. Finally, we have election denier Jim Jordan losing his third bid to become Speaker of the House by a greater margin than his last two attempts. He is no longer a candidate for Speaker.
It seems that better angels are prevailing and democracy may just be saved -but we have a long way to go!
I LOVE that every interview with a Republican Congress critter, the Democrats are being blamed along with our favorite 8 Republicants. LOL Democrats are supposed to fix THEIR mess? What would the thanks be? More calling them terrorists, Communists, Fascists, (can't make up their minds), country destroyers, evil, and more?
Nancy Pelosi is not my favorite representative but she had her stuff together. Can you see ANY of those Republicans voting along with Nancy?
May cool heads FINALLY prevail, may people come to their senses and soon!!!!! May the KRAKEN be released!!!!!! LOL
I agree. How hypocritical is it that the Republicans blame the Democrats for this because the Democrats voted against former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (whom they came to distrust based on their experience) while at the same time not one single Republican will vote for ANY bipartisan solution to their mess!
Interesting, the Republicans had a SECRET ballot to see support for Gym AND he got 85 votes. I may be a vote of two off but is was between 80 and 90. So there are still many hypocrites in that caucus.
The Republicans' mess is the nation's mess, and as Adam has pointed out, it should be resolved by a coalition of reasonably-centrist Republicans allying with reasonably-centrist Democrats to elect a consensus candidate for Speaker.
There is a "problem solvers' caucus" of Republicans and Democrats (initiated largely by the No Labels organization) that has done some good work in getting bipartisan legislation passed. But they don't have nearly enough members to constitute a majority and don't seem to have agreed among themselves to assemble an "anti-extremist majority" to elect a Speaker who would put country first. Too bad that Adam is not still a Representative eligible to be Speaker.
I listened to a lot of interviews with a lot of Republican representatives today and for now, no one seems to be leaning that way. The weekend can certainly allow for changes, I'm pretty sure the phone wires will be burning up. I certainly agree that the entire country is involved in this, no one gets to opt out.
I would certainly not mind a coalition of good people, there are some left. I saw an interview with Steve Womack, Representative from Arkansas. He was quite disappointed in how his colleagues are behaving. He didn't vote for Jordan and isn't positive at this point where things are going. He did say one thing that I liked and found a lot of truth in it. It came from Will Rogers. He basically said you can learn three ways, by observation, by reading, or peeing on the electric fence and directly finding out for yourself. LOL I hope I'm not offending anyone, I found it hilarious as well as true.
I'm looking forward to Monday.
The Republicans get one thing right - they KNOW how to work the press and the people. They can stand there and lie as easily as they breathe and tell the world, it was the Democrats fault. Their message gets through the noise. The Dems always make the mistake that people are move savvy than that and don't offer a rebuttal. Big Mistake.
Here is how I see why it went down. Matt Gaetz hates McCarthy and put him up to be removed to a vote. McCarthy had lied to everyone: his fellow Republicans, the Dems, and Biden and reneged on deals he had made. Of course the Dems were going to vote him out as he was not someone that proved trustworthy and that they could work with to get things done.
I would love to be a fly on the wall in the basement as the Republicans try to figure out who everyone can work with. The maga Republicans don't want it to work, so unless they can reach out and get Democrats to support their candidate, they will fail again.
I remain hopeful that enough iterations of this madness go on, that the idea of some moderate Republicans in vulnerable districts support Jeffries in an unprecedented move.
This is nice but I hope you’re working with moderates and Dems to become speaker. We need someone who understands what the MAGA caucus is trying to do. Even with Gym out, there is still lots more crazy in there and it requires someone to dismantle it so the Rs can get back to legislating.
Thanks Adam! You very informative and you make me laugh😄!! It makes this craziness more tolerable😁!!
We all know how terrified he is of wind and windmills. They cause cancer according to him. I'm surprised he would take any advise from someone having anything to do with wind, and no I'm not going into Rudy and HIS wind problems /s
This is a great day no matter how you look at it. Chesebro pleading guilty just as jury selection was set to begin, Powell leading the way for him and more to follow. A new reality show "All My Attorneys" because I think Jenna Ellis will be next. The implication for Trump, Rudy and so many more are dark. Judges are yelling at Trump, and one has asked his attorneys why he should not be jailed for contempt of court, his petitions are being shot down and he is starting to see Accountability edging its way over the horizon.
Lock him up.
He is using the lobby of a taxpayer funded courthouse to fund raise and campaign. Why is this being allowed? Isn't there a judge anywhere that can see past the fact that he was president, is no longer president and deserves to be treated like any of us would be treated?
Thanks for your time and I wish all of you a wonderful weekend. Be safe and be kind.
I don’t want to be over confident but am hoping that this is the tip of the iceberg and more flip. Kraken lady is looney tunes for sure and not sure she is totally there, even now. However, I am presuming she has some credible testimony to be given the deal she has. Things are getting interesting on one hand but going off the cliff with the house GOP. Right now, go Kraken and Cheeseburger.
Tha dominoes are falling......at long last! Thank you for this weekend gift.
I am so pleased that all the hard work that you Jan 6 committee members did is coming to fruition. Thank you, Adam. I am sorry it came at such a cost, but you are on the right side of history.
Fani Willis is a smart DA and I don't think she would have offered such a sweetheart deal to Powell if she didn't have real evidence, not her hearsay, because she knows as you have said, she would not be credible.
At first, I was so disappointed that it took so much longer for the case to move forward to indictments in GA. After all the grand jury had presented its findings long ago. But this was the time that she and her team built the case. They were ready to go to trial the same day the indictments went out. I don't think she believed she would get movement so quickly, but Chesebro and Powell thinking they were out maneuvering her, called for a quick trial. HA! The dominoes are falling sooner than she thought and this is a great thing.
No shenanigans in Congress can interfere with a state's judicial process. This will be the one that gets Trump in prison - to stay. The Kraken will stay under the sea and out of public office, for good.
I do hope these plea bargains result in ample testimony to convict Trump and lock him away for the rest of his days. As a former felony prosecutor, however, I’m concerned that probation without jail time doesn’t at all fit the actions of either Powell or Chesebro. We’ve seen significant prison terms for those who participated in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol--but it was THESE people, together with their co-defendants, who spread lies with impunity, and on whom gullible rioters relied for truthful information. I am concerned that these lenient sentences may be interpreted as yet another failure to hold people in authority to account, reinforcing the notion of some people being “above the law.” I expect Powell may be unlikely as a compelling witness, as she is clearly a few synapses short of a full load, but she may have irrefutable documentary evidence. Chesebro should be as compelling against Trump as he had been for him. I do know Fani Willis is a fierce and trustworthy litigator who must surely have all her ducks lined up in a row. Go, team!
The first ones to talk always get the best deal? I doubt Powell and Chesebro got such sweet deals for no good reason or, at least that’s my hope
All these Trump people, Trump Rallies, Trump hysteria, Trump fanatics, etc reminds me of Amway people and Amway conventions I had people try to hustle me with back in the late 70’s/early 80’s.
No offense to the multi-level marketing household-item sales people btw. Lol.
It’s a cult not a political movement
I don’t know about Chesebro’s credibility but Powell is loopy. The defense will have fun with her unless she has a paper trail that ties back to other co-defendants.
Reading Sydney Powell's claims and proclamations has my head spinning. I think the expression "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs" may apply here. Makes Alice's journey Through the Looking Glass seem like nothing more than a stroll down Main Street in Mayberry, in comparison.
But if she can lay foundation for paper and electronic communications that implicate others in a criminal enterprise, the fact that she’s a questionable witness won’t matter as much as the documents she is able to provide.
The saga continues, and just keeps getting weirder! This Democrat already loves you, Adam. A great many do, I believe.
Just because we want to spend your money and raise your taxes and invent new taxes for you to pay does not mean you should avoid us. We typically are very friendly, especially when we have money to spend.
Fantasies of Krakens and a world without heroes like Jim are great for entertainment and passing the time. I am secretly waiting to hear a story about somebody Congressional walking into a courtroom and announcing, "If I think hard enough, I can moooooove things."
Haven't heard from MTG recently. Maybe she got scolded.
Let me try my hand at coming up with a fantastically weird announcement. Here goes: "Call me a DINO for caring about what's on Adam Kinzinger's mind, but I am a little of both. In fact, I might be a little of seven. Maybe I am many of many, many. I've never considered precisely how many of me I am."
For your entertainment purposes only. The Kraken was so cool in the movies!
Your writing is excellent. Thank you for putting it together. So many well written responses. Not sure what else to add. Thank you all for your thoughts. It is appreciated.
Trump's past is finally beginning to catch up him.
In the process of lining up the culprits who perpetrated the BIG LIE, please recall the so-called 'academic' vd hanson who has made every effort to sustain the BIG LIE. vd hanson is a oan-style opinion columnist who masquerades as a 'classicist' and a 'farmer'. vd hanson's act is mostly an affectation. vd hanson continues to defend the parties currently indicted for their attempted election fraud. vd hanson is merely one more of the many nazi enablers in this cabal.