JMT 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (1575)

• On the post: California Sues Trump Over Unprecedented Federal Seizure Of State National Guard

  

  JMT ( profile ), 10 Jun, 2025 @ 03:40pm

  Because while theoretically they have a right (and a duty) to refuse illegal orders, they don’t have the authority to decide whether a given order is illegal.

  It's an admittedly terrible position to be put in, but if things go really bad it won't be a great defense. Ask the Nazis how "just following orders" worked out for them.

• On the post: California Sues Trump Over Unprecedented Federal Seizure Of State National Guard

  

  JMT ( profile ), 10 Jun, 2025 @ 03:37pm

  ...given a guard has already actively aimed for and shot an Aussie reporter in the leg at damn near point-blank...

  That was LAPD, and that dude should be charged with a crime. He watched her speaking to camera, had a word to the guy next to him, thought about it some more, aimed and fired. It was entirely intentional and unjustified.

• On the post: State Dept. Says Any Foreigner Seeking To Visit Harvard Must Be Vetted For ‘Hostile Attitudes Towards US Culture’

  

  JMT ( profile ), 03 Jun, 2025 @ 02:03pm

  To wit:

  "This may be evident in conduct that bears a hostile attitude toward U.S. citizens or U.S. culture (including government, institutions, or founding principles)."

  That's basically MAGA. They hate half the population, reject any form of governing that isn't Trumpian, are actively trying to get members of the judiciary harmed, and want to go back to being led by a king.

• On the post: CDC Decides America’s Children Could Do With More Lead In Their Blood

  

  JMT ( profile ), 02 Jun, 2025 @ 10:14pm

  That can't be a coincidence

  Researchers estimate that half of the U.S. population, more than 170 million people, were exposed to harmful lead levels in early childhood.

  I know correlation isn't causation but about half of voters voted for Trump 2.0 so...

• On the post: DHS Secretary Thinks Habeas Corpus Is The Power To Deport People With No Due Process

  

  JMT ( profile ), 21 May, 2025 @ 08:44pm

  I think she understands what habeas corpus is just fine. At this point in her life I find it impossible to believe she wouldn't have learned this even unintentionally. Her response was entirely deliberate and for an audience of one orange-shaded autocrat.

• On the post: ICE Boss Thinks Journalists Shouldn’t Be Asking About Masked Officers Disappearing People

  

  JMT ( profile ), 21 May, 2025 @ 08:35pm

  Is this simply a predictable result of ICE deciding to interact with the public 413% more frequently, or actually just a 413% increase in the number of encounters they've decided to describe as assault? Probably a mix of both.

• On the post: Texas Lawyer Harassed At Home By Federal Agents, Fired By His Employer After He Tells His Story

  

  JMT ( profile ), 01 May, 2025 @ 02:26pm

  The word you’re looking for is plain clothes officers.

  If they refuse to identify themselves or their employer why should they be described as any kind of officer?

• On the post: Judge To DOJ: No, ‘Facilitate’ Doesn’t Mean ‘Do Nothing’ In Abrego Garcia Case

  

  JMT ( profile ), 16 Apr, 2025 @ 02:58pm

  Ok, so I read further down, turns out you've learned nothing. Still dumb as a rock.

• On the post: Judge To DOJ: No, ‘Facilitate’ Doesn’t Mean ‘Do Nothing’ In Abrego Garcia Case

  

  JMT ( profile ), 16 Apr, 2025 @ 02:54pm

  Facilitate means that you make something easier, and not that you do it yourself. Facilitating the activity and doing something directly are two different things. Facilitating is passively supporting.

  The judge has totally rejected this semantic interpretation but now that you've explained it I'm sure she'll change her mind!

  Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador, who is now in El Salvador, the government of El Salvador does not want to release him, Garcia has no lawful basis for being in the United States, and Garcia has a deportation order.

  I'm genuinely surprised by this comment. You didn't once accuse him of being a gang member, terrorist or criminal. Have you actually learnt something Koby?!

• On the post: Judge To DOJ: No, ‘Facilitate’ Doesn’t Mean ‘Do Nothing’ In Abrego Garcia Case

  

  JMT ( profile ), 16 Apr, 2025 @ 02:48pm

  They did acknowledge that they wrongfully imprisoned and deported someone without due process.

  In reality though that was the statement in court of one DOJ lawyer, who was promptly fired for not toeing the party line. They're now claiming in the media that it wasn't a mistake, but I don't believe that 'correction' has been made in court yet.

• On the post: Marco Rubio Claims He Can Kick Lawful Permanent Residents Out Of The US On The Basis Of Their “Expected Beliefs;” Immigration Judge Says “Sounds Good”

  

  JMT ( profile ), 15 Apr, 2025 @ 04:26pm

  What should the military do...

  Absolutely fucking nothing. That is not a road you want to go down.

• On the post: Lawyers Last Chance To Pick Which Side Of History They Want To Be On

  

  JMT ( profile ), 31 Mar, 2025 @ 03:40pm

  Yes, it is hyperbole regarding the autocracy claims about Trump.

  I think I'll trust the warnings from scholars and historians over the deflection and hand-waving of an internet rando like you.

  The Russia hoax and the lawfare strategies were known to be perpetrating a fraud upon the courts.

  No, they aren't "known", they are claimed by idiotic crackpots.

  Sometimes, there’s a price to pay if you’re wrong.

  Even if we conceded that these law firms actually did something wrong (and we most definitely don't), it is still egregiously wrong for the president or executive branch to be attacking them the way they are. Illegal actions can be charged as crimes, unethical lawyering can be dealt with by bar associations, bad lawyering can be dealt with by the competitive market. Absolutely none of those things appear to be happening to the targeted law firms; instead it is only Trump and his sycophants throwing around wild and unsubstantiated accusations.

• On the post: Trump’s Secret Police Are Now Disappearing Students For Their Op-Eds

  

  JMT ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2025 @ 07:02pm

  I guess that one was too subtle? https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/09/marjorie-taylor-greene-gazpacho-police

• On the post: Even If Those Weren’t War Plans In Hegseth’s Signal Chat, They Were War Crimes

  

  JMT ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2025 @ 04:02pm

  The funny thing is how Waltz can’t put forth a meaningful defense here.

  Don't worry, they've put Elon on the job. He and his crack team of cyber geeks will soon have a completely plausible reason why it was definitely a Soros/Clinton-funded intrusion by lefty hackers!

• On the post: Even If Those Weren’t War Plans In Hegseth’s Signal Chat, They Were War Crimes

  

  JMT ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2025 @ 03:49pm

  That claim clearly highlights Hegseth's toxic mix of arrogance and ignorance.

• On the post: Even If Those Weren’t War Plans In Hegseth’s Signal Chat, They Were War Crimes

  

  JMT ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2025 @ 03:45pm

  Publishing detailed attack plans that clearly constitute classified material is a crime falling under the Espionage Act.

  New York Times Co. v. United States does not agree with this assertion.

• On the post: Trump Continues Tanking Civil Rights In Hopes Of Scoring A First-Round Autocracy In The Next Election

  

  JMT ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2025 @ 03:20pm

  So far there haven’t been any civil rights violations.

  Anyone smell gas coming from those lights?

• On the post: Trump’s Secret Police Are Now Disappearing Students For Their Op-Eds

  

  JMT ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2025 @ 01:08pm

  ...this looks a whole hell of a lot like something the SS would’ve done (and probably did do).

  They absolutely did, but it was more the area of the Gazpacho (did I spell that right?).

• On the post: Contempt Of Court

  

  JMT ( profile ), 24 Mar, 2025 @ 03:50pm

  He has a mandate. He has the Congress, and a large majority of the American people on his side (80+% on deporting criminal gangsters according to polls).

  So what's the polling on first determining if they're actually criminal gangsters before shipping them to a third-party torture prison?

  This is how government is supposed to work. Separation of powers means that the judges don’t get to control the executive branch.

  The courts preventing the executive branch from acting illegally is exactly how the government is supposed to work.

• On the post: It Is Long Past Time For Democrats To Start Pounding The Impeachment Drum

  

  JMT ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2025 @ 03:12pm

  We did this last Trump term and what happened? Absolutely nothing; he was elected again.

  Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Everything this time is much worse, so there's always a chance that enough senators see what a terrible mistake they made last time. It's not that this is likely, but it's defeatist to say nothing's different this time.

  Plus, it won’t change what’s happening. JD Vance is just as bad and will continue on the war path Trump started.

  If the votes were there for Trump then it's likely the votes would be there for Vance too. He would've been sent a very strong message and doesn't strike me as having the stones to step up and carry on the way Trump does.

  I suspect he’d continue to tow the line.

  Toe the line... ;)

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