The Free Press Wins (For Now)

 

The Justice Department pulled their subpoenas against New York Times reporters.

This after a Judge chastised DOJ lawyers (Trump's legal team?) over their sloppy work. I guess, in certain cases, standards still matter.

This was in my morning newsletter from The Times.

"Under pressure from a federal judge, the Justice Department withdrew subpoenas that had sought phone records and grand jury testimony from Times journalists who reported on security issues related to Air Force One. Judge Arun Subramanian gave the government’s lawyers a stark choice — “Either we can quash the subpoenas, or you could withdraw the subpoenas” — and then proceeded to grill them for more than an hour about their zealousness, sloppiness and the request for records from one reporter’s mother and another’s spouse."

"The judge’s demeanor at times resembled that of a teacher scolding his pupils. He asked few questions of The Times’s lawyers; at one point, he even apologized to one of them."

Of course Trump isn't going to let this slide by, but we can still score one for the first amendment. The people have the right to know what it's government is doing right or wrong. 

Hurling Invectives

To Be Clear

The put down is meant to end all discussion.

I was listening to Trump's presser after the NATO summit. And even though he claimed the meetings were unifying, his words did not match his message of unity. He could hardly make it through a sentence without hurling invectives at his enemies, foreign and domestic. 

 Invective is harsh, abusive, or highly insulting language used to express vehement blame, censure, or deep-seated ill will. It goes beyond simple name-calling, often combining anger with rhetorical skill or bitter sarcasm to publicly denounce, shame, or tear down a target. -webster

According to an article in Physiology Today from 2016 by Nigel Barber, "IThe purpose of a put-down is to reduce someone else in the imaginary status hierarchy. So it is hardly surprising that insults will often refer to a person's social status in terms of ancestry, lack of prestige, or membership in a despised out-group; for example, Nazis or vagrants. Otherwise, the content of insults across the ages is monotonously predictable: Many insults feature a sexual component, refer to sexual organs, or bring up shameful or ineffectual sexual behavior. In addition to status and sexuality, insults inflict shame by mentioning unappealing traits—fatness, shortness, baldness, spottiness, and contagious diseases."

For Trump, it's not just verbal. He's using his power to make his perceived opponent suffer. From weaponizing the DOJ, to wielding economic sanctions, to demanding payment for favors, to blatant racism, misogyny, and sexism, to brute force against against citizens and foreigners alike. The government says they're going after the worst of the worst, and deporting them. And yet, 70 percent of those being detained and deported have no criminal record at all. The two most recent extrajudicial killings by ICE involved individuals who where just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Perhaps unity, and understanding and respecting differences would produce a better outcome? 

Then, a little later in the day, some answers came from some inspirational words that appeared in my daily readings. 

The simple believe everything, but the clever consider their steps.
- Proverbs 14:15

If we don't wake up / And shake up the nation / We'll eat the dust / Of the world wondering why...
- Jonathan Larson, “Louder Than Words”

And then, this prayer
God of the land, impress on us a lucidity about our times that pierces through smoke-filled grandeur.

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

Proverbs 18:2

I will listen. I will politely offer my view, but I cannot stand by, mute, while you deal with your insecurities with anger, hatred, and violence. The good news is, I am not alone in this endeavor. I take comfort in the meditation.