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Pearl River     In a Netflix “Narcos Mexico” rip-off, a paralegal is now facing charges for having tipped off a Mexican drug cartel about investigations and raids while working as a paralegal for the US Attorney for the Western District of Texas in San Antonio.  That’s a made for TV, truth is stranger than fiction kind of crime.  Moving north, the crimes become more garden variety and the lawyers and schemers more high-priced.

President Trump for example can’t seem to shake the fact that hiding his personal finances and taxes and refusing to either divest from his holdings, whatever and wherever they might be, or be transparent about his business dealings and income stream, is still sticking to his shoes even now, three years and counting into his term.   The Supreme Court is reportedly divided over whether or not he has to respond to subpoenas from Congress and New York prosecutors on his personal finances.  Even divided, means that he could end up having to finally show some of the facts on how he has made his money or whether or not it’s all a house of cards.  Add to that, an en banc or full-court hearing by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rendered a 9-5 decision that emolument lawsuits have sufficient merit and standing to move forward to trial.  Emoluments, as you likely know by now, is a fancy old-school term that constitutionally forbids self-dealing.  The case Trump is running from argues that he made millions from his decisions around his hotel in Washington, D.C.  His only defense now is running out the clock.

That’s making it.  Taking it seems to showcase son-in-law Jarett Kushner and billionaire Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.  Once Kushner was able to add dealing with supply and distribution on the pandemic to his portfolio, he and his amateur, volunteer crew tried to make sure that they steered contracts to a VIP list whenever possible.  DeVos, even more despicably, is in the process of diverting stimulus money designed to support financially strapped public schools and low-income children to seed state-based mini-voucher programs for private and religious schools and fund a weird mix of pet colleges, including one that has been accused of being a cult in Wisconsin and another that specializes in dogs.  In Louisiana, private schools would receive at least 267 percent more funding, and at least 77 percent of the relief allocation for Orleans Parish would be redirected.

What’s worse?  Hiding how you are making it or brazenly just plain taking it?  We all know President Trump is a grifter and a con man, so none of his attempts to line his pockets while president is surprising to me.  DeVos stealing money on her personal discretion from poor children, legal or not, is even more disgusting to me.  Kushner trying to line donors’ pockets is same-same.

Rule of law?  Who is kidding whom anymore?  The claim that we are a nation that follows the “rule of law” is the last redoubt of the liberals.  Conservatives know the reality.  It’s the law of the jungle now.  Roar loudly during the day.  Travel in packs. Kill at night.

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Please enjoy On The Rooftop by Chapell.

Thanks to WAMF.