US US politics 2025

[Andy_T]

Something I only heard today, which already happened on day 2 of the administration:

Trump pardons Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht

Trump said he had called Ulbricht's mother to let her know he had granted her son a full pardon.

www.bbc.com

Why is this a big thing?

Ubricht was convicted in 2015 for founding the "Dark Web", where 200 million $ of drugs, illegal guns, traficked humans and illicit services (e.g. murders for hire) were traded anonymously, with Bitcoin as payment medium. He was sentenced to two lifetimes and 40 years.

So if somebody claims to be "against Fentanyl", why do they pardon the person who is responsible for the biggest fentanyl deals in history?

What reasons did Dump give?

He said "it had been his pleasure" to issue an unconditional pardon for Ulbricht, because the Libertarian movement had helped him so much to become president, and that the people who had convicted Ulbricht had also been mean to him.

That is definitely one of the most scandalous pardons in the history of the United States.

 

[PTree15]

Something I only heard today, which already happened on day 2 of the administration:

Trump pardons Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht

Trump said he had called Ulbricht's mother to let her know he had granted her son a full pardon.

www.bbc.com

Why is this a big thing?

Ubricht was convicted in 2015 for founding the "Dark Web", where 200 million $ of drugs, illegal guns, traficked humans and illicit services (e.g. murders for hire) were traded anonymously, with Bitcoin as payment medium. He was sentenced to two lifetimes and 40 years.

So if somebody claims to be "against Fentanyl", why do they pardon the person who is responsible for the biggest fentanyl deals in history?

What reasons did Dump give?

He said "it had been his pleasure" to issue an unconditional pardon for Ulbricht, because the Libertarian movement had helped him so much to become president, and that the people who had convicted Ulbricht had also been mean to him.

That is definitely one of the most scandalous pardons in the history of the United States.

It is scandalous. He talks out of two sides of his mouth. It's so infuriating.

 

[Tom L.]

Oh, I think they will do that simply by attacking some other small, defenseless country.

Since Sean Spicer falsely accuesd Iran of attacking American ships in 2017, I had been waiting for this.

Press Secretary Sean Spicer Falsely Accuses Iran of Attacking U.S. Navy Vessel, an Act of War

It was Houthi rebels who attacked a Saudi frigate. This is how wars start.

theintercept.com

I REALLY need to start paying more attention. I had forgotten about this.

I don't know... there's so much going on, maybe that's why it's hard to keep up. But it's important.

 

[Second Summer]

Something I only heard today, which already happened on day 2 of the administration:

Trump pardons Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht

Trump said he had called Ulbricht's mother to let her know he had granted her son a full pardon.

www.bbc.com

Why is this a big thing?

Ubricht was convicted in 2015 for founding the "Dark Web", where 200 million $ of drugs, illegal guns, traficked humans and illicit services (e.g. murders for hire) were traded anonymously, with Bitcoin as payment medium. He was sentenced to two lifetimes and 40 years.

So if somebody claims to be "against Fentanyl", why do they pardon the person who is responsible for the biggest fentanyl deals in history?

What reasons did Dump give?

He said "it had been his pleasure" to issue an unconditional pardon for Ulbricht, because the Libertarian movement had helped him so much to become president, and that the people who had convicted Ulbricht had also been mean to him.

That is definitely one of the most scandalous pardons in the history of the United States.

Ulbricht did not found the Dark Web, and that's not what he was convicted for. He was also not convicted for trafficking or murders for hire. I believe his site, Silk Road, forbid items/services that would be specifically harmful to children. However, according to the US attorney's office, southern district of NY, this is what he actually was convicted of:

ULBRICHT, 31, of San Francisco, California, was convicted of seven offenses after a four-week jury trial: distributing narcotics, distributing narcotics by means of the Internet, conspiring to distribute narcotics, engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, conspiring to commit computer hacking, conspiring to traffic in false identity documents, and conspiring to commit money laundering.

Ross Ulbricht, A/K/A “Dread Pirate Roberts,” Sentenced In Manhattan Federal Court To Life In Prison

www.justice.gov

These are very serious crimes for which he was rightfully sentenced to a long prison sentence. That said, it sounds as if the judge wanted to make an example out of him to deter copy cats. Two life sentences and an additional 40 years sounds like overkill to me. In Europe you generally do not get sentenced to anything beyond 21 years, unless you're deemed to pose a threat to society, e.g. people who are violent due to mental illness.

 

[Andy_T]

I agree with you that the punishment was especially und disproportionately harsh, but for a « Party of Law and Order » standing up against « the horrible Fentanyl epidemic » and using it as a pretext to deport millions of people, the argument « his party helped so well in getting me elected » should not really fly.

 

[Second Summer]

Another major step towards full on fascism happened just this weekend when Mahmoud Khalil, who has a green card, was detained by Immigration agents and sent to a detention facility, now awaiting deportation proceedings. He's not charged with a crime. He was detained for peacefully and non-violently expressing political opinions that the Trump regime doesn't like - pro-Palestinian views - as one of the leaders of the protests at Columbia University last year.

Here's a news article with more details:

Donald Trump calls detained Palestinian student activist Mahmoud Khalil 'anti-American' - and warns of further arrests

Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student at Columbia University, has been a prominent figure in the university's pro-Palestinian protest movement. He was detained at his Columbia apartment building in Manhattan on Saturday evening.

news.sky.com

 

[Andy_T]

Horrible!
Since when can a president write an Executive Order making certain types of free speech an offence worthy of deportation ?

 

[silva]

Horrible!
Since when can a president write an Executive Order making certain types of free speech an offence worthy of deportation ?

Since the Democrats running their party continued to move right along with the magats, preferring to promote the republicans and condem their leftist base. Since the neo-libs have lost their spine and civil duty in favor of appeasing the Republican party
Just because their are a handful of republicans who oppose this administration doesn't mean they're on the Democrats side.
We need more AOC, Bernie, Warren, Omar, Jaypal.........and probably Luigi too

 

[Emma JC]

thought you might all appreciate the origin story of the Trump family fortune....

Trump family fortune began in a Canadian brothel-hotel

In one of history’s little-known ironies, the Maple Leaf country pushing back against Donald Trump’s annexation bid is also host to a tiny, remote restaurant and brothel that helped launch the U.S. president’s family fortune more than 100 years ago.

www.ctvnews.ca

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[PTree15]

He is STILL going on about Canada becoming a state. What does he not get? It's so frustrating when he doubles down on things that don't go his way -- and thus continues messing with people's lives, all over the world and not just in the U.S.