This from Jennifer Rubin

From Jennifer Rubin

The Washington Post

May 17, 2024 

What caught my eye Pay-to-play in Mar-a-Lago: “House Democrats are launching an investigation into Donald Trump’s meeting with oil executives last month at his Mar-a-Lago Club, where the former president asked the executives to steer $1 billion to his 2024 campaign and promised to reverse dozens of President Biden’s environmental policies,” The Post reported. This news followed an earlier report that Trump said a $1 billion donation to his campaign would be a great “deal” because he could save the oil companies far more. The Post’s original report, according to people with knowledge of the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a private conversation, stated, “Trump vowed at dinner to immediately end the Biden administration’s freeze on permits for new liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports” and to “start auctioning off more leases for oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico” and to “reverse restrictions on drilling in the Alaskan Arctic.” If you’re thinking, Shouldn’t this be illegal? — you’re not alone. Once upon a time, a story like this would have caused an uproar and sparked criminal investigations. However, the Supreme Court has made it very tough to prosecute corruption cases. An April report from Just Security explained: In a series of cases decided over the past 37 years, the Supreme Court has systematically gutted the country’s public corruption laws, including by undermining the long-standing “honest services” doctrine. At its core, the honest services doctrine is an anti-corruption principle protecting the people’s right to an honest and impartial government and a fair provision of government services. Officials, in government or in other positions of authority, who misuse their positions to enrich themselves deprive the people of that right and are subject to federal wire and mail fraud charges. Taken together, these rulings formalized the idea that money moving from private hands to official pockets is not illegal in itself. According to the Supreme Court, the conduct is unlawful only when there is some tangible clear official action to which an exchange of money or property can be obviously tied. Most recently, the court overturned the conviction of former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell for accepting lavish loans and gifts from a businessman in exchange for arranging important connections with state and industry leaders. The Trump incident might be even more problematic than McDonnell’s case because Trump allegedly promised concrete action on specific items, although nailing down precisely what was said and proving a quid pro quo that meets exacting legal standards could be tricky. Meanwhile, the muted reaction from the political class and public speaks to how far we have defined political deviance downward. The incident serves to underscore the casual sleaziness that is routine in Trump’s inner circle (consider the New York trial involving the payment of hush money and business falsification) — and how low many in the press have set the bar for Trump. “Drain the swamp”? You must be joking! Perhaps the Justice Department will act swiftly. Maybe the rest of the media will give the attention this deserves and register appropriate condemnation of paying to bury off Earth-saving climate change measures. But don’t bet on either. Debates are on (perhaps): Biden surprised the chattering class and the Trump campaign by publicly proposing two debates and then promptly announcing he had accepted a CNN debate for June 27 and an ABC debate for Sept. 10. What we don’t know is whether Trump will show up. By June, of course, he might already have been convicted in the New York criminal case. The Supreme Court might have already shot down his immunity claim. Moreover, after years of hiding in right-wing media, he will have to face some of the best interviewers around. Jake Tapper and Dana Bash for CNN might start off asking why he promised to release violent criminals who attacked cops on Jan. 6, 2021. They might ask why he admires Russian President Vladimir Putin, if denying women urgent health care was part of his vision for overturning Roe v. Wade and if he regrets suggesting that disinfectants such as bleach could somehow be used to kill the coronavirus inside people. Provided they have an “off” switch to keep him from interrupting, it might be a very informative event, especially without an audience present to hoot and holler. If Biden is clever, he might want to ask for a very long time for the candidates to answer questions. Does anyone think Trump can avoid going off the rails for a full two or three minutes? Biden, it seems, got exactly what he wanted — a forum to expose Trump’s unfitness.

My Gardens

Took a walk around the yard to capture what's in bloom and what's growing well.  

Here in reverse order (thanks to Blogger) are my photos.

Along the driveway this wildflower/weed is now in bloom with it's yellow flowers. I pull this out in most of the beds but let it grow along here. The standing stone is a remnant from the past of a fence line. 

Last year a neighbor gifted me with forget me nots which are now blooming along the driveway.  There are also some dark purple pansies there that seeded themselves from last year's transplants. Sorry that the photo doesn't do justice to the colors.

And finally farther up the driveway are these blooming narcissus.

On the front porch are the pots I filled on Sunday.  I thought this geranium was very striking.

This bleeding heart was a transplant from another neighbor last year. 

In the garden bed under the hemlock trees some of the monster hosta are shooting up. I have six, each a different variety, that I planted three years ago.  I'm hoping that this year they show off their size better. Not sure which one this is but it should get at least  30" high and can grow to a width of 40"-60".

Here is my Mother's Day gift from Emily, a primula that loves shade and will spread.  It's needed in this bed.

This Lenten Rose was an earlier Mother's Day gift.

The flowers tend to face the ground.

In the Hosta Garden there are a wide variety of hosta of all sizes.  Most of these came to me free from a local gardener.  They were tiny when I got them and some of them will remain tiny,

These blue flowers whose name escapes me right now are enjoying the Hosta Garden location.

I repainted my shutter angel this year.

My bird bath has a different location this year.  Another rhododendren died this winter so now we have only the one you see on the left. I moved a volunteer vinca vine here and the pansies.

Hoping to have lupine blooms this year.

This is a daffodil without the trumpet center.

The bleeding heart here in the Deck Garden is huge. Blooms just now showing.

More pots planted on Sunday afternoon.

On Saturday I figured it was time to hang the hummingbird feeder though none had been spotted. At least two hours after hanging this, the hummingbird came by.  As we ate lunch on Monday on the deck there were two vying for dominance of the feeder.

Finally here is our view. The green colors are returning. Temperature today is to be in the 80ºs!

Ready to Laugh?

 

Above is so true for me.

Thankto Marilyn for sharing these with me.

Peony Question

I have two peony plants that look nothing alike.

These were both rescues.  One was growing along the edge of the field behind us 

and the other was struggling under the maple trees in what is now the Maple Garden bed but was on the street side of the fence.

Old photo showing the fence.

This week I took these photos of the peonies wondering if anyone recognizes what kind they are. Last year only one had a bloom but the late frost got the other possible buds.

Sorry.  Not the best photos for identifying them.  I hope they both bloom this year.

Post script: A woman stopped by our house on Tuesday evening accompanied by a nearby neighbor.  She had lived in our house for 6 years moving out in 2009.  We gave her a tour and she liked what we'd done to it, and she answered some questions Dan had. Before she left she asked about the peony she planted.  Turns out it was the one above that had been planted on the street side of the fence. I told her I'd moved it but it hadn't bloomed for me yet.  I asked her what kind it was and she said a maximus something. White blooms with pink inside.  I hope I get to see it bloom.

She also wondered hat happened to the lovely yellow rose that everyone in the Flat loved to see.  I've heard mention of this rose from another local person but have never seen it unless it was the rose growing by our side door that was struggling and we dug out.

 Postscript 2; Cold Update - I'm in Stage 5.  I've given the cold to Dan who has given me a touch of another bug (queasy stomach and vertigo).  So Stage 5 continues with coughing, runny nose and overall malaise.  When will it end?