… just the facts, ma'am . . .
In Freya's mailbox on this the last day of 2023 March . . .
Yesterday, the former and twice impeached President Donald Trump was formally indicted by a NY grand jury. Under seal, the indictment's particular charges are likely to be revealed later this week. Trump is reported to be turning himself in for arrest and processing in the coming days.
This is a very dangerous moment in Donald Trump's abusive relationship with the American people. When abusers are held accountable for their wrongdoing they often react with great violence. It is not uncommon for the victim to be killed when they tell finally tell their abusers "no!" and then try to leave the relationship. Donald Trump is no different. – Chauncey Devega
All matters of fact are NOT already settled. A “fact” is a human utterance, said or written, claiming to be what we call “reality” expressed such that it can be tested and affirmed or refuted. That “God exists” cannot be tested and thus cannot be a “fact,” but rather is an opinion. Facts can be tested with physical evidence and other facts, particularly those that have been previously tested. That Donald Trump is guilty of crimes is a statement of fact that can be determined by a jury examining the history of his behavior within the rules of law established by our Constitution and legal precedent.
An example of how we deal with facts was demonstrated yesterday when a jury ruled in Gwyneth Paltrow’s favor in a 2016 skiing accident, finding that the man who sued her was at fault.
And, yesterday Finland won final approval to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization . . .The Turkish Parliament cast the last vote needed, marking a major shift in the balance of power between the West and Russia that was set off by the invasion of Ukraine . . . NATO now gains access to a strong military, as well as Finnish airspace, ports and sea lanes.
Today is the 87th anniversary of Marge Piercy's birth. The poet and novelist was born on this day in 1936 Detroit.
It hurts to love wide open . . .
to have and not to hold, to love
with minimized malice, hunger
and anger moment by moment balanced. – Marge Piercy, from “To have without holding,” in her collection The Moon is Always Female (Alfred A. Knopf, 1980).