Will Trump truly cross the Rubicon?

May you live in interesting times. Ancient Chinese curse

I must say that in all my conversations with you during the last nine months I never uttered one word of untruth. This is borne out absolutely by the record. In all my fifty years of public service I have never seen a document that was more crowded with infamous falsehoods and distortions – on a scale so huge that I never imagined until today that any government on this planet was capable of uttering them. Cordell Hull, U.S. Secretary of State

I had intended to deliver a fatal blow to the American fleet by attacking Pearl Harbor immediately after Japan’s official declaration of war. But according to the American radio, Pearl Harbor was attacked fifty-five minutes before our ultimatum was delivered in Washington. I can’t imagine anything that would infuriate the Americans more. I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve. Vice-Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Imperial Japanese Navy

Let the dice fly high! Gaius Julius Caesar, Proconsul of Italian Gaul, Illyricum, and the Roman Gallic Province

From Julius Caesar to Donald Trump

As everyone knows by now, a Manhattan jury convicted Donald Trump on thirty-four counts involving falsifying business records. What made this felonious was that – allegedly – he did this in aid of another felony – we don’t exactly know which. So for the first time in American history, a court of law has convicted a former President of a felony. This has Democrats crowing, Republicans vowing revenge, and each side accusing the other of threatening “democracy,” however they define it.

This does not threaten democracy, because democracy was never at issue. Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what’s for dinner. Democracy allows for bills of attainder (witness the Ostracism of King, later General, Theseus from Athens). Every part of this Franz Kafka spectacle has occurred because the United States was never a democracy, hence never had Ostracism as a sanction. What we have witnessed is a threat to the Republic, a society built on law, not on popular whim. We also have witnessed a repeat of an attempt to arrest a ranking leader on spurious charges – in ancient Rome. But this time the resistance will come, not from the leader himself, but from the people.

Explaining the epigrams

First, the epigrams at the top of this essay beg explanation. “May you live in interesting times” is self-explanatory. The ancient Chinese valued order above entertainment. “Interesting times” were disordered times, times that could deprive a man of life, liberty or property in an unpredictable instant. Composer Carl Orff best captured the meaning of that curse:

Lucky lady? You’re no lady! Ever changing, like the moon!

You wax, you wane, now boon, now bane, oh how I really hate you,…

…

Now everyone cry with me! Partial lyrical translation of the original latin lyrics

To picture Cordell Hull’s remarks, imagine him, not haranguing or screaming, but fixing a cold hard death stare on his interlocutors and delivering those remarks with a deadly quiet. Not fifteen minutes before, his staff had just notified him of the attack on Pearl Harbor. They also informed him that the Japanese Ambassador to the U.S. and Japan’s Special Envoy were waiting to see him. Presumably he called President Roosevelt, who apprized him of the raid, but instructed him not to let those two diplomats know that he knew about it. Just receive them formally, then bow them out quickly, the President ordered. So Hull asked the two men in, and they handed him a fourteen-part ultimatum. Cold fury overrode whatever etiquette he might have intended to observe – hence the remarks. After he made them, the two envoys showed themselves out.

A modern admiral – and an ancient general

Vice-Admiral Yamamoto commanded the task force that had just launched the attack. He had wrecked the harbor installation, sunk at least four battleships (including USS Arizona), and heavily damaged the rest. But the aircraft carriers were not in harbor at the time. Having spent much of his fuel to close within striking range, Yamamoto withdrew. Later, when Japanese official radio trumpeted his triumph, Yamamoto remembered American radio intercepts saying his timing had been way off. Suddenly he didn’t feel so triumphant; hence his remarks.

Which brings us to Julius Caesar. Every other account of that crossing – except Colleen McCullough’s historical novel Caesar (Simon and Schuster) – has Caesar saying, Alea iacta est – literally, the die is cast. (Actually, the noun alea literally means “daisy” and likely is another idiomatic use.)That expression would have been idiomatic for “The decision is taken; there’s nothing more to be said.” Colleen McCullough vehemently disagreed; rather, she believed he said, “Let the dice fly high!” He was taking a gamble, but relying on his luck, which already was a legend.

And what a risk he was taking! The Senate of Rome had stripped him of his imperium over his provinces and intended to imprison him upon his return to Rome. Note how similar this is to what Donald Trump faces. Rebellion was his only way to survive, so rebellion it would be.

Which brings us now to the next question:

Will Donald Trump in fact rebel?

In fact, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has been saying that for days, and said it again over the weekend. Ben Kew and Christina Laila, both of The Gateway Pundit, have the details. Four calendar weeks ago she actually accused “right-wing organizations” of “training up in the hills somewhere.”

She even said those organizations were making target lists. But she never once adduced any evidence. Moreover she said this in an MSNBC interview, not in committee or from the Well of the House. Laura Loomer sent one of her associates to question Rep. Waters about her statements. For answer, Waters actually said she had received a threat from someone “who said he was part of it.” Again, she adduced no evidence.

When the verdict came down, Waters seemed to return to that theme, saying Trump “disrespect[ed] the Constitution and democracy.”

She also called Trump’s supporters “domestic terrorists,” and accused Trump of trying to foment civil war.

In both pronouncements, she said she would “spend time” talking to “the criminal justice system” about Trump’s supporters. In other words she flat-out accused Trump of having an army ready, perhaps, to cross the Potomac River.

Trump preparing appeals, not rebellion

Trump has not threatened or otherwise announced anything that could smack of rebellion. But he did say, according to Jim Hoft (TGP), that he wants the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene.

Nobody even knew what the crime was until the Judge gave his Unconstitutional Instructions. A total Hoax! A case like this has NEVER been brought before. A Country in peril. Election Interference!!!

The “Sentencing” for not having done anything wrong will be, conveniently for the Fascists, 4 days before the Republican National Convention. A Radical Left Soros backed D.A., who ran on a platform of “I will get Trump,” reporting to an “Acting” Local Judge, appointed by the Democrats, who is HIGHLY CONFLICTED, will make a decision which will determine the future of our Nation? The United States Supreme Court MUST DECIDE!

Trump was referring to the court having set a date of July 11, 2024, for his sentencing. Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg has “bragged” to The View that he will recommend that Trump serve a year in the New York State penitentiary on Riker’s Island.

In fact the U.S. Supreme Court could decide. In Richardson v. United States, 526 U.S. 813 (1999), the Court held that a jury in a racketeering case must unanimously agree not only on a defendant’s having committed a series of violations, but also on WHICH violations he committed. This is the closest to an on-point case addressing Judge Merchan’s jury instructions for a less-than-unanimous verdict.

Beyond that, Rep. Dean Philips (D-Minn.), who briefly ran against “Resident” Biden for the nomination, made an electrifying request. He called on Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) to pardon Trump!

Later he was good enough to say why:

Gov. Hochul is not likely to take Rep. Phillips’ advice. But Paul Ingrassia, who covered the trial for TGP, posted thirty-four reasons to declare a mistrial of the case.

But the former Chairman of the “January 6 Committee” introduced a bill to strip Trump of his Secret Service protection. Jonathan Turley predictably denounced the measure.

What Republican elected officials are doing – and what people are saying

Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) recommended moving up the Republican National Convention to Independence Week. In that way the Republicans could nominate Trump officially on July 4 – Independence Day itself – one week before sentencing.

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), Speaker of the House, announced investigations of Bragg and Special Counsel Jack Smith, for “targeting political opponents.”

But Margaret Flavin (TGP) remained skeptical.

Separately, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) estimated that half the country would worry about becoming targets of weaponized courts.

RealClearPolitics’ Philip Wegmann wrote of Republicans preparing a scorched earth campaign against the Democrats. For instance, Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) suggested prosecuting Hillary Clinton over the infamous Steele Dossier.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and seven of his colleagues signed a letter threatening to vote NO on any Democratic “initiative.” This would include judicial nominations and any “major” legislation “not directly relevant to the safety of theAmerican people.” Mr. Scott Parkinson, running in the Virginia Republican Senate Primary, boasted that, if elected to the Senate, he would sign.

Commentators Matt Walsh and Chaya “Libs of TikTok” Raichik indicated that words alone would not satisfy.

What will the people do?

Contrary to Rep. Maxine Waters’ fevered rants, CNAV has heard of no groups of people training at Monocacy or any such vantage point. CNAV cannot imagine any Patriotic Militiaman foolishly calling any Democrat to boast or threaten. That would violate any concept of military security, and expose any such group to discovery. Of course, maybe that’s what Maxine Waters wants: mass arrests of Trump supporters on suspicion of planning insurrection or rebellion.

Far more likely, if “Resident” Biden wins this election, is for several “red” States to secede from the Union. Texas would likely be first. Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) might feel he has no future as Governor of a State in a Union now effectively passing bills of attainder and ex post facto laws, or doing the equivalent in its courts. But as President of an independent Republic of Texas, he would have a future. All he has to do is summon the Texas Legislature into special session – to pass either a Texas Independence Referendum Act, or a flat-out, right-now resolution of secession. And perhaps Govs. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), Bill Lee (R-Tenn.), Brad Little (R-Idaho), and dozens of other Governors will do likewise.

This afternoon Trump returned to his Mar-A-Lago club and residence. A crowd of well-wishers, some flying American flags inverted, greeted him as he arrived.

Over the weekend his campaign raised $200 million

Official statement

CNAV states for the record, with apologies to the memories of U.S. Secretary of State Hull and Vice-Admiral Yamamoto:

In every article that has appeared under your editor’s by-line, in the thirteen-year history of Conservative News and Views, your editor has never written one word of untruth. Your editor will match that record against any person who dares suggest otherwise. Furthermore: in your editor’s forty-eight-plus-year adult life, he has never seen a jury so nullify the law to convict a man, in a manner more befitting a bill of attainder or ex post facto law, nor accept instructions so riddled with infamous falsehoods and distortions of law and fact, on a scale so huge that your editor never imagined until today that any court of law, in any State in this Union, was capable of issuing them.

CNAV has no doubt that more than half the American people held out hope that at least one juror would recognize the impropriety of the instructions – and indeed the impropriety of Judge Merchan even presiding over this case – and vote to acquit. Instead we see this jury, insane with Trump Derangement Syndrome, nullifying the very Constitution instead. Neither Judge Merchan, nor Alvin Bragg, nor any juror can possibly imagine anything that would infuriate patriotic Americans more.

Now therefore let everyone involved understand. What they have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.