Trump's conviction isn't going to be the big turning point of this election. What happens after his conviction will. If he continues to spew vitriol about the judge, prosecution, and jury, eventually one of his followers will commit an act of retribution. That puts Trump in a difficult spot, because his core likes this kind of stuff. He will want to show his support, but if he does, it will again show he encourages domestic terrorism. If he does anything other than condemn the attack, his support among moderates will fall away, just like it did after Jan. 6th. If he does condemn the attack, his core may protest, like they did when he changed his opinion on the COVID vaccines.

I know the talking heads are saying that because DJT is a first time offender, he will likely not be incarcerated. But then the sentencing judge is Merchan, the same one who handed Trump $10,000 in fines for violating his gag order. And what he said when doing so is the interesting part:

"Because this is now the 10th time that this Court has found Defendant in criminal contempt, spanning three separate motions, it is apparent that monetary fines have not and will not, suffice to deter Defendant from violating this Court's lawful orders."

Given that the judge is cognizant that fines mean nothing to DJT, perhaps he will wish to sanction him by other means. That could mean imprisonment. But not before the election. Trump will surely appeal the verdict, avoiding any immediate consequences until well after November 5th. If there's one thing Trump is good at, it's delaying tactics. Thankfully, he will not be able to pardon himself if elected. Only the Governor of NY can do that.

Give it to a retirement home. Seriously. Us old farts still like playing those old games. I was not happy when my granddaughter used my Mario Cart disk for a teething ring.

Why is it always a Republican?

He's doing to Tesla what he did to Twitter.

Put up a sign that says, "Pursuant to ordinance 347-1236, a sexual predator resides here"

This video makes me not want to buy anything from Nichia. Nakamura invented a commercially successful product they made billions from, and Nichia rewarded him with nothing.

The 14th Amendment, Section 3, was written to prohibit anyone who participated on the losing side of the Civil War from holding office. None of those prohibited were convicted of insurrection. This is very much like the age requirement for the President. It's a qualification - must not have committed insurrection or given comfort to those who did. You might argue that Trump himself did not directly participate, but he's certainly given plenty of comfort to those who did, with promises of a Presidential pardon.

As a qualification, it requires no judicial intervention unless challenged. Trump is free to challenge the grounds on which he is disqualified from the ballot, but being convicted for insurrection is not a requirement. These were things discussed during the ratification of the 14th, as was whether the amendment applied to the President (it does). I guess we'll see just how principled the "originalist" conservative judges are.

I've been to a funeral where the guests wrote their farewells on slips of paper, which were then anonymously read by an officiant before being placed in a large ceramic pot with a small fire. It was much better than the traditional "Would anyone like to say something" followed by uncomfortable silence. People were much more willing to write down their thoughts for someone else to read.

Lose? Nah. If he doesn't win the election, we'll get Insurrection 2.0. Then he's either imprisoned, dead, or we get to live in a dictatorship.

My wife's family made fun of me the first couple times we met because I never go anywhere without my Leatherman and a pouch with my daily survival gear on my belt. I told them I like to be prepared. I took a few months of ribbing about my "murse". But then we went her niece's kid's birthday party at a park. Kid got a remote control car, but the battery compartment was screwed shut. Guess who has a screwdriver? 20 minutes later her niece got stung by a wasp. I provide a little dauber of Sting-eze and some antihistamine. Now anytime someone needs a tool, first aid, or whatever, they come looking for me. I've removed splinters, opened cans and bottles, pulled out staples, sewed a broken bra strap - and nobody pokes fun about the stuff on my belt.

The most prevalent has got to be, "We prayed and -insert name- recovered - it's a miracle!

And if the person dies: "It's the will of God."