MAGAThread XVIII: The Authority Is Total

[Aclion]

See but the thing is that it took that long for you, and you even had more going for you than most people do. This is a system that obviously needs to be completely revamped, because it is seriously broken, and really doesn't work for anyone.

The system is designed to be broken. Immigration is only useful to the elite when it is illegal, hence why there are barriers to legal entry and barriers to processing people who've entered illegally.

[Imperial Joseon]

See but the thing is that it took that long for you, and you even had more going for you than most people do. This is a system that obviously needs to be completely revamped, because it is seriously broken, and really doesn't work for anyone.

The system is designed to be broken. Immigration is only useful to the elite when it is illegal, hence why there are barriers to legal entry and barriers to processing people who've entered illegally.

Give some chance to illegal immigrants. They tend to do the dirty work in low-pay jobs.

[Phoenicaea]

^_Aclion is within the right path, good line

[Albrenia]

I don't know what Gormwood's problem with me is. I strongly support the Republicans and President Trump. Gormwood strongly supports the Democrats and strongly opposes President Trump. But I have no problems with Gornmwood or those who support the Democrats. I respect their rights to do so and their rights to post it to me and all fellow nations in a respectful manner.

You know you don't need to repeat the line about supporting Trump and Republicans and others supporting Democrats and it being ok all the time, right? It's gotta be a pain in the ass to type all that out all the time.

[Greater Miami Shores]

I don't know what Gormwood's problem with me is. I strongly support the Republicans and President Trump. Gormwood strongly supports the Democrats and strongly opposes President Trump. But I have no problems with Gornmwood or those who support the Democrats. I respect their rights to do so and their rights to post it to me and all fellow nations in a respectful manner.

You know you don't need to repeat the line about supporting Trump and Republicans and others supporting Democrats and it being ok all the time, right? It's gotta be a pain in the ass to type all that out all the time.

It makes my point very clear that it is ok. since I get strongly criticized for supporting President Trump and the Republicans, as if their is something wrong with that. Especially by a certain fellow nation, and I don't do that to any one in reverse.

[Vassenor]

You know you don't need to repeat the line about supporting Trump and Republicans and others supporting Democrats and it being ok all the time, right? It's gotta be a pain in the ass to type all that out all the time.

It makes my point very clear that it is ok. since I get strongly criticized for supporting President Trump and the Republicans, as if their is something wrong with that. Especially by a certain fellow nation.

We don't criticise you for supporting him. We criticise you for the things you say in support of him.

[Greater Miami Shores]

It makes my point very clear that it is ok. since I get strongly criticized for supporting President Trump and the Republicans, as if their is something wrong with that. Especially by a certain fellow nation.

We don't criticise you for supporting him. We criticise you for the things you say in support of him.

lol the same thing, I am having a lol attack, good one.

[Vassenor]

We don't criticise you for supporting him. We criticise you for the things you say in support of him.

lol the same thing, I am having a lol attack, good one.

No, they are very much not the same thing. See all the other people on this forum who post pro-Trump things without being criticised for it.

[Greater Miami Shores]

lol the same thing, I am having a lol attack, good one.

No, they are very much not the same thing. See all the other people on this forum who post pro-Trump things without being criticised for it.

I admit I support President Trump the strongest with my posts. But I don't criticize the Democrats and Anti Trumpers for their strong anti Trump Posts like they do to me. Many Democrats and anti Trumpers strongly hate President Trump and I have no problems with it.

[Imperial Joseon]

No, they are very much not the same thing. See all the other people on this forum who post pro-Trump things without being criticised for it.

I admit I support President Trump the strongest with my posts. But I don't criticize the Democrats and Anti Trumpers for their strong anti Trump Posts like they do to me. Many Democrats and anti Trumpers strongly hate President Trump and I have no problems with it.

Have you read "Great Again"?

[Aclion]

The system is designed to be broken. Immigration is only useful to the elite when it is illegal, hence why there are barriers to legal entry and barriers to processing people who've entered illegally.

Give some chance to illegal immigrants. They tend to do the dirty work in low-pay jobs.

That's a lovely way to spin "we don't have to pay them a living wage or follow OSHA guidelines with them"

[Gormwood]

Give some chance to illegal immigrants. They tend to do the dirty work in low-pay jobs.

That's a lovely way to spin "we don't have to pay them a living wage or follow OSHA guidelines with them"

As if the companies would bother to give those to native labor if the Strange Brown People were all banned. Even with competetive wages some states have trouble getting Real Muricans to want to pick crops.

[Marxist Germany]

That's a lovely way to spin "we don't have to pay them a living wage or follow OSHA guidelines with them"

As if the companies would bother to give those to native labor if the Strange Brown People were all banned. Even with competetive wages some states have trouble getting Real Muricans to want to pick crops.

"Transatlantic slavery was OK because Real Muricans didn't want to pick sugar canes."

[Shrillland]

Trump just commuted our behated former governor's sentence: https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-illinois-governor-rod-blagojevich-trump-commute-20200218-ktpeijxjmjavzldz43k4pbnp4q-story.html

And all because he was on The Celebrity Apprentice....

[Gormwood]

As if the companies would bother to give those to native labor if the Strange Brown People were all banned. Even with competetive wages some states have trouble getting Real Muricans to want to pick crops.

"Transatlantic slavery was OK because Real Muricans didn't want to pick sugar canes."

Slaves migrated to Murica entirely on their own now.

[Zurkerx]

Trump has pardoned former 49ers Owner, Eddie DeBartolo Jr.. DeBartolo pleaded guilty to fraud back in 1998 for paying former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards $400,000 to help secure a casino license.

Trump will also grant clemency to former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and former NYPD Commissioner, Bernard Kerik. Blagojevich was sentenced on corruption charges for trying to "sell" Obama's Senate Seat while Kerik committed tax fraud, lied to White House Officials, and received lavish gifts in exchange for giving up his authority (Text in spoiler).

All of these cases have one thing in common: they were all corruption cases, either people accused of abusing their power or involved in bribes. Hmm, this sounds very similar, I sense a pattern here.

Edit: Damn it, Ninja'd by Shrill...

Edit 2: I'm also seeing he commuted Michael Milken, who pleaded guilty on security violations; it seems he was originally charged with racketeering and insider trading. He's barred for life from the Securities Industry by the SEC.

WHITE PLAINS — Bernard B. Kerik, a former New York police commissioner who rose to national prominence, was sentenced to four years in prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to eight felony charges, including tax fraud and lying to White House officials.

Under the terms of a plea agreement, the prosecution and the defense recommended that Judge Stephen C. Robinson sentence Mr. Kerik to 27 to 33 months in prison. But the judge departed from the sentencing recommendations, giving Mr. Kerik a longer sentence because he said he had betrayed the public’s trust.

“I think it’s fair to say that with great power comes great responsibility and great consequences,” Judge Robinson said. “I think the damage caused by Mr. Kerik is in some ways immeasurable.”

Federal prosecutors had denounced Mr. Kerik, a former police detective who rose to the upper echelons of power, as a corrupt official who sought to trade his authority for lavish benefits. He pleaded guilty on the eve of his trial in November.

Wearing a pinstriped navy-blue suit, Mr. Kerik was thinner and clean-shaven — without the mustache he was long identified with — as he entered the courtroom in United States District Court here. He surveyed the gallery, packed with friends and supporters, embracing some, nodding to others.

When Judge Robinson offered him a chance to speak before sentencing, Mr. Kerik rose from the defense table and spoke in a low and gravelly voice.

“I make no excuses,” he said. “I take full responsibility for the grave mistakes I’ve made. Believe me when I say I have learned from this and I have become and will continue to become a better person. I know I must be punished. I only ask that you allow me to return to my wife and two little girls as soon as possible.”

As the judge delivered the sentence, Mr. Kerik sat impassively at the defense table, flanked by his lawyers. Behind him, his supporters — including Geraldo Rivera and Steven McDonald, a former New York City police officer who was paralyzed from the neck down in 1986 — sat silently.

Mr. Kerik will begin serving his sentence on May 17. Prosecutors had requested that Mr. Kerik be sent to prison immediately, but Judge Robinson allowed him to surrender later to get his affairs in order in light of the length of the sentence. Mr. Kerik has awaited sentencing under strict house arrest at his home in Franklin Lakes, N.J.

The sentence follows a fall from a rarefied perch where he wielded power with a signature mix of brash confidence and tough-guy charm.

He was a close ally of former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, whom he served as a bodyguard and driver. Mr. Giuliani then tapped him for a senior position in the Correction Department, and he went on to become the agency’s commissioner. As testament to his clout, Mr. Kerik had a jail named after him in downtown Manhattan. (The name has since been changed.)

Mr. Kerik later served as police commissioner, and his performance after the 9/11 attacks turned him into a national figure, earning him the respect of President George W. Bush, who nominated him to lead the Department of Homeland Security. That bid quickly collapsed in scandal, marking the beginning of the end of Mr. Kerik’s career.

The case against Mr. Kerik centered on charges that a New Jersey construction company, the Interstate Industrial Corporation, which was suspected of ties to organized crime, had paid for renovations at his home in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. Prosecutors said company officials had hoped Mr. Kerik would help them obtain a city license.

In June 2006, Mr. Kerik pleaded guilty in State Supreme Court in the Bronx to two misdemeanors tied to the renovation of his apartment. He paid $221,000 in fines and penalties but avoided any jail time.

In the more recent federal case, Mr. Kerik pleaded guilty to two counts of tax fraud, one count of making a false statement on a loan application and five counts of making false statements to the federal government while being vetted for senior posts. Judge Robinson ordered him to pay restitution of $187,931 to the Internal Revenue Service.

Prosecutors had called for Judge Robinson to make an example out of Mr. Kerik, and to punish him for his “egotism and hubris.”

During the hearing, Judge Robinson said he admired much about Mr. Kerik, particularly his leadership in the 9/11 aftermath. But, he said, “the fact that Mr. Kerik would use that event for personal gain and aggrandizement is a dark place in the soul for me.”

Mr. Kerik’s lawyer, Michael F. Bachner, asked the judge for leniency, citing his years of public service, and the dozens of letters of support written by family members, former colleagues in the Police Department and even strangers who said they admired Mr. Kerik’s bravery.

When asked if Mr. Kerik intended to appeal the sentence, Mr. Bachner said, “No comment.”

After the sentencing, Mr. Kerik paused outside the courthouse, where he read a statement before being driven off in a black sport utility vehicle.

“I’d like to apologize to the American people for the mistakes I’ve made and for which I have just accepted responsibility,” he said. “As history is written, I can only hope that I will be judged for the 30 years of service I have given to this country and the city of New York.”

[Bear Stearns]

That's a lovely way to spin "we don't have to pay them a living wage or follow OSHA guidelines with them"

As if the companies would bother to give those to native labor if the Strange Brown People were all banned. Even with competetive wages some states have trouble getting Real Muricans to want to pick crops.

Then that means the wages aren't competitive. But god forbid we make agribusinesses pay fair market wages like every other industry.

[San Lumen]

Trump just commuted our behated former governor's sentence: https://www.chicagotribune.com/politics/ct-illinois-governor-rod-blagojevich-trump-commute-20200218-ktpeijxjmjavzldz43k4pbnp4q-story.html

And all because he was on The Celebrity Apprentice....

wow so according to Trump tried to sell a Senate Seat is perfectly ok. Why doesn't he just issue a blanket pardon for any elected official every convicted of anything since he seems to believe that elected officials should be above the law.

[Gormwood]

Trump has pardoned former 49ers Owner, Eddie DeBartolo Jr.. DeBartolo pleaded guilty to fraud back in 1998 for paying former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards $400,000 to help secure a casino license.

Trump will also grant clemency to former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and former NYPD Commissioner, Bernard Kerik. Blagojevich was sentenced on corruption charges for trying to "sell" Obama's Senate Seat while Kerik committed tax fraud, lied to White House Officials, and received lavish gifts in exchange for giving up his authority (Text in spoiler).

All of these cases have one thing in common: they were all corruption cases, either people accused of abusing their power or involved in bribes. Hmm, this sounds very similar, I sense a pattern here.

Edit: Damn it, Ninja'd by Shrill...

Edit 2: I'm also seeing he commuted Michael Milken, who pleaded guilty on security violations; it seems he was originally charged with racketeering and insider trading. He's barred for life from the Securities Industry by the SEC.

WHITE PLAINS — Bernard B. Kerik, a former New York police commissioner who rose to national prominence, was sentenced to four years in prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to eight felony charges, including tax fraud and lying to White House officials.

Under the terms of a plea agreement, the prosecution and the defense recommended that Judge Stephen C. Robinson sentence Mr. Kerik to 27 to 33 months in prison. But the judge departed from the sentencing recommendations, giving Mr. Kerik a longer sentence because he said he had betrayed the public’s trust.

“I think it’s fair to say that with great power comes great responsibility and great consequences,” Judge Robinson said. “I think the damage caused by Mr. Kerik is in some ways immeasurable.”

Federal prosecutors had denounced Mr. Kerik, a former police detective who rose to the upper echelons of power, as a corrupt official who sought to trade his authority for lavish benefits. He pleaded guilty on the eve of his trial in November.

Wearing a pinstriped navy-blue suit, Mr. Kerik was thinner and clean-shaven — without the mustache he was long identified with — as he entered the courtroom in United States District Court here. He surveyed the gallery, packed with friends and supporters, embracing some, nodding to others.

When Judge Robinson offered him a chance to speak before sentencing, Mr. Kerik rose from the defense table and spoke in a low and gravelly voice.

“I make no excuses,” he said. “I take full responsibility for the grave mistakes I’ve made. Believe me when I say I have learned from this and I have become and will continue to become a better person. I know I must be punished. I only ask that you allow me to return to my wife and two little girls as soon as possible.”

As the judge delivered the sentence, Mr. Kerik sat impassively at the defense table, flanked by his lawyers. Behind him, his supporters — including Geraldo Rivera and Steven McDonald, a former New York City police officer who was paralyzed from the neck down in 1986 — sat silently.

Mr. Kerik will begin serving his sentence on May 17. Prosecutors had requested that Mr. Kerik be sent to prison immediately, but Judge Robinson allowed him to surrender later to get his affairs in order in light of the length of the sentence. Mr. Kerik has awaited sentencing under strict house arrest at his home in Franklin Lakes, N.J.

The sentence follows a fall from a rarefied perch where he wielded power with a signature mix of brash confidence and tough-guy charm.

He was a close ally of former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, whom he served as a bodyguard and driver. Mr. Giuliani then tapped him for a senior position in the Correction Department, and he went on to become the agency’s commissioner. As testament to his clout, Mr. Kerik had a jail named after him in downtown Manhattan. (The name has since been changed.)

Mr. Kerik later served as police commissioner, and his performance after the 9/11 attacks turned him into a national figure, earning him the respect of President George W. Bush, who nominated him to lead the Department of Homeland Security. That bid quickly collapsed in scandal, marking the beginning of the end of Mr. Kerik’s career.

The case against Mr. Kerik centered on charges that a New Jersey construction company, the Interstate Industrial Corporation, which was suspected of ties to organized crime, had paid for renovations at his home in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. Prosecutors said company officials had hoped Mr. Kerik would help them obtain a city license.

In June 2006, Mr. Kerik pleaded guilty in State Supreme Court in the Bronx to two misdemeanors tied to the renovation of his apartment. He paid $221,000 in fines and penalties but avoided any jail time.

In the more recent federal case, Mr. Kerik pleaded guilty to two counts of tax fraud, one count of making a false statement on a loan application and five counts of making false statements to the federal government while being vetted for senior posts. Judge Robinson ordered him to pay restitution of $187,931 to the Internal Revenue Service.

Prosecutors had called for Judge Robinson to make an example out of Mr. Kerik, and to punish him for his “egotism and hubris.”

During the hearing, Judge Robinson said he admired much about Mr. Kerik, particularly his leadership in the 9/11 aftermath. But, he said, “the fact that Mr. Kerik would use that event for personal gain and aggrandizement is a dark place in the soul for me.”

Mr. Kerik’s lawyer, Michael F. Bachner, asked the judge for leniency, citing his years of public service, and the dozens of letters of support written by family members, former colleagues in the Police Department and even strangers who said they admired Mr. Kerik’s bravery.

When asked if Mr. Kerik intended to appeal the sentence, Mr. Bachner said, “No comment.”

After the sentencing, Mr. Kerik paused outside the courthouse, where he read a statement before being driven off in a black sport utility vehicle.

“I’d like to apologize to the American people for the mistakes I’ve made and for which I have just accepted responsibility,” he said. “As history is written, I can only hope that I will be judged for the 30 years of service I have given to this country and the city of New York.”

The Republicans told him he can do whatever he likes. What a shock he'd pardon or commute corrupt assholes in a spree.

On the bright note, this is going to be cocaine for Sanders and Warren.

[Ifreann]

Remember when Trump first proposed pardoning Blagojevich and people booed? Or did I dream that.

[Gormwood]

Remember when Trump first proposed pardoning Blagojevich and people booed? Or did I dream that.

Goldfish memory.

[Zurkerx]

The Republicans told him he can do whatever he likes. What a shock he'd pardon or commute corrupt assholes in a spree.

On the bright note, this is going to be cocaine for Sanders and Warren.

To be fair, the powers of clemency are unlimited and pardons are almost as powerful. However, this will surely get under Sanders and Warren's skin, especially for Blagojevich and Milken.

[Austria-Bohemia-Hungary]

The Republicans told him he can do whatever he likes. What a shock he'd pardon or commute corrupt assholes in a spree.

On the bright note, this is going to be cocaine for Sanders and Warren.

To be fair, the powers of clemency are unlimited and pardons are almost as powerful. However, this will surely get under Sanders and Warren's skin, especially for Blagojevich and Milken.

Tbh I've always found that giving a single person unlimited powers of clemency - a relic from the age of royal absolutism - very questionable in a democratic society.

[The East Marches II]

Remember when Trump first proposed pardoning Blagojevich and people booed? Or did I dream that.

After Bloomberg bought the DNC, the Donald had to keep up with the Joneses. He just made a bid for the Chicago machine. He can't let Bloomberg by a broken corrupt mess without him getting one too!

[Gormwood]

To be fair, the powers of clemency are unlimited and pardons are almost as powerful. However, this will surely get under Sanders and Warren's skin, especially for Blagojevich and Milken.

Tbh I've always found that giving a single person unlimited powers of clemency - a relic from the age of royal absolutism - very questionable in a democratic society.

And Donny is Exhibit A to Z on why it should be abolished. Ckemencies and pardons should be peer reviewed by all parties first.