Author: Michael Matheron

The Democratic Party Must Come Out Fighting

Michael Matheron1 Comment

Better still, Democrats could create a simple test for Trump’s nominees, and insist they all clear it: Who will you work for, Trump, or the citizens of the United States?

Brian Beutler, Off Message substack, December 9, 2024

Cowering is not a good look . . .

Brian Beutler, formerly Crooked Media editor in chief, and a New Republic senior editor, has a way of concisely stating his messages. Yes, it’s a simple ask of a potential Trump cabinet candidate, “Who will you work for, Trump, or the citizens of the United States.” Nonetheless, getting GOP senators to ask that soft ball question has been a panic-inducing vision of a four alarm fire among those who have the “advise and consent” duty. Beutler’s quote above, however, did not have as its target the GOP, he’s calling out his own, the Democratic party. Their lack of a sense of the moment is appalling, so relatively silent have they been about the level of spirited, angry resistance that is demanded of them as Trump trots out his “best people” to run our government . . . into the ground.

That’s not just my imagination working overtime, it’s what his nominees for top positions themselves say; Nearly everyone is a demolition expert, Kash Patel, Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, John Ratcliffe, Pam Bondi, Elise Stefanik, Robert Kennedy Jr., and “woman bites dog and goat” Kristi Noem. And that’s merely a partial list, pick your favorite from this group of mugshots at the New York Times. They are a chorus line of wrecking balls, not to mention the obnoxious Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

At any rate, Beutler provides a surgical scalpel to the primary problem, a problem I’ve written about since 2008, spinelessness. In a New Republic interview, published today, he laid it out:

“What I’m concerned they’re going to do is what you alluded to, which is that they’re going to, in some sense, hector the most activist elements of the big D and small d democratic base in the country and say, Elections have consequences, more people should have voted, and take the wind out of the sails of any new resistance to Trump. What I think they should say is: Elections do have consequences, but they don’t entitle anybody to break the law. They don’t entitle anybody to violate the Constitution, and they don’t entitle anybody to encourage political violence against the opposition.

If that’s the attitude that they take, then the public at large will see them as natural allies to a ground level resistance to Trump. But it’s not just as simple as saying that. It’s acting like it. It’s acting like, Yes, you won the election, but that doesn’t mean that you get to appoint a fascist to run the FBI. I find it a little bit mystifying and a little bit concerning that they’re trying to let news cycles essentially defeat these nominees instead of trying to defeat them themselves.

If they want to see an energized electorate rise up against the incoming Trump administration, they need to act like there’s something to get energized about. They’re currently not really doing that . . .”

Unfortunately, but given Democratic party uber reticence, realistically, Beutler expresses little confidence that anything is on the near horizon:

“[We’re] in this transition period after Trump won the election outright. There’s some reason to suspect that that more stiff-spined opposition politics is just going to wait until we’re closer to confirmation votes, to Trump issuing executive orders that are clearly illegal or corrupt or immoral. That’ll be the moment when we know which way things are going to go.”

He’s suggesting that the next seven weeks will yield little in the spirited opposition column until Trump is inaugurated. Yet, if this interregnum is void of Democratic outrage, the Trumpists will continue to heap it on, solidifying their base further and wearing out the rest of us.

Trump 2.0 – Survival Manual 01

Michael Matheron1 Comment

The New Republic today reports that in “an interview with MSNBC’s Ali Velshi, Yale history professor Timothy Snyder insisted that Trump’s nominees to lead the executive branch aren’t just ‘poor choices in the traditional sense,'” which we expected all along, but, furthermore, “Each of them individually is historically bad . . . But taken together, these are not people who are going to be bad at their jobs in some sort of normal sense. Taken together, these appointments suggest an attempt to actually make the American government dysfunctional, to make it fall apart, to pervert it, to have it do things that it’s not supposed to do until it’s not capable of doing anything at all.”

This is the beginning of the final act of achieving the desired end the right-wing has sought for decades: a country driven only by emotion, by belief in a craven ideal of “freedom” without boundaries, and a government only designed to protect those goals. A veritable police state unless we find ways to defend against it. And given the angry core of the country right now, that will be our main task, not so much rebuilding a moribund and gutless Democratic party, but a rebuilding of an American soul. What a task.

Tennessee Governor Advises Citizens to Be Humble During Hurricane Helene Flooding

Michael Matheron1 Comment

Yesterday, renowned historian Heather Cox Richardson reported:

“Late Friday night, Tennessee House Republican Caucus chair Jeremy Faison posted ‘President Biden has finally approved [Tennessee governor Bill Lee’s] state of emergency request,’ making it sound as if the delay in federal support for the state during the devastation of Hurricane Helene was Biden’s fault. In fact, while Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina all declared emergencies and requested and received federal approval of those declarations before the hurricane hit, Governor Lee did not.” [all emphasis added]

Here’s Governor Lee’s initial response to the emergency:

Despite Tennessee House Republican Caucus chair Jeremy Faison’s mendacity, strongly implying that the delayed federal emergency order was President Biden’s conscious choice, it was Governor Lee who delayed his request. However, as soon as the governor did so – after extensive to his state had already occurred – of course, President Biden acted immediately. It seems that, apparently, even after a day of Tennessean prayer, humility, and skipping meals, God takes her time…

Christian Theocracy Rules

Needless to say, the alleged “delay” in President Biden’s state of emergency order was entirely self-inflicted, courtesy of the condition of GOP governance in Tennessee which does not receive much national coverage of just how much a christian theocracy it has become.

For example, in July, the legislature declared the month as a time to “seek God’s hand of mercy and healing.” Below are two excerpts from the Joint Resolution, both of which facially violate the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution, and Section 3 of Article 1 of Tennessee’s Constitution; i.e., “no preference shall ever be given, by law, to any religious establishment or mode of worship.” Note the salutation in the document below, “Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,” and the throughout the text that accompanied the joint resolution.

And here is the text of the joint resolution:

Humbling oneself before God is always good advice since failing to do so may cause you some retributive actions, like a biblical bit of flooding. Just ask Noah. Perhaps, gently, ask Governor Lee.

Trump Plagiarized Adolf Hitler in Immigration Rant, Here’s the Proof!

Michael Matheron1 Comment
Uh Oh!! One thousand times. UH OH!

Trump has been ranting lately, most notably in his debate with Kamala Harris, that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Missouri are “eating the dogs, the people who came in, they’re eating the cats.” This most recent of Trump’s immigration fables turns out to be balderdash, of course. And, as usual, MAGA enthusiasts have fallen for it, disbelieving the reports exonerating Haitians, apparently dismissing JD Vance’s admission that he, who first reported this imaginary story, had made it all up, unapologetically.

In any event, an enterprising group of Tik Tok users employed AI to discover that Trump had plagiarized his comment about the Haitian-dog-cat controversy directly from one of Adolf Hitler’s speeches. He too was vexed by immigration, especially from Haiti whose citizens yearned for peaceful and bountiful lives in Nazi Germany, and of course, for the wiener schnitzel and beer. Below is the sordid proof of Trump’s plagiarism:

Trump plagiarism

Whether Trump will face disciplinary action, or criminal indictment for his flagrant infringement of Adolf Hitler’s copyright is the question of the day. He certainly has violated Hitler’s rights to ownership of his own words. Plagiarism, as defined, can be considered a violation of copyright law if it infringes on the original author’s copyright, patent, or trademark. In this case, the copyright owner can sue the plagiarist in federal court.

Adolf Hitler. age 135, with
his lawyers in Brasília.

Also, in some cases, plagiarism can be considered a felony under state or federal law. For example, if a plagiarist copies and earns more than $2,500 from copyrighted material, he/she may face up to $250,000 in fines and up to ten years in jail. The value of Trump’s use of Hitler’s words could be determined to be in excess of $2,500 as it has brought him value due to the absolute delight that MAGA supporters drew from attack on immigrants (the Springfield Haitians, by the way, are in the United States legally). Also, Trump continues to use the phrase at the drop of a hat.

Whether this event will draw Adolf Hitler out of retirement in Brazil to bring suit, or to make a criminal complaint remains to be seen. He has been understandably reclusive for the past 79 years. It will be interesting to see, because it isn’t wise to aggravate Adolf Hitler. My money’s on Hitler.

Trump Ups His Sick War on Abortion by Putting Women’s Minds at Rest…

Michael Matheron1 Comment

At a campaign rally yesterday in Pennsylvania, Trump tried to pander to women voters, disastrously, that he’s not a threat but will be their “protector” in abortion matters, and in general:

  • “I always thought women liked me. But the fake news keeps saying women don’t like me. [But] You will be protected, and I will be your protector. Women will be happy, healthy, confident and free. You will no longer be thinking about abortion.”

The president who ushered in the overturning of Roe v. Wade, bragged about sexually assaulting women, and was found liable for sexual abuse now realizes that the legacy of the Dobbs decision that his three Supreme Court nominees made possible isn’t polling well. So he’s on the reassurance grift. There is a mind-set demonstrated by his “soothing” words that shows a glaringly stupid lack of understanding of even the grade school basics of what women desire in all aspects of their lives, especially abortion.

For example, his “You will be protected, and I will be your protector”: women no longer accept (if they ever did) that their relationships with men be a “protector/protectee” paternalistic bargain, freighted with exceedingly onerous obligations. For example, Trump (of all men) telling them “Women will be happy, healthy, confident and free” indicates his belief that men (specifically himself) alone by their paternalistic largesse can make women happy, healthy, confident and free. This, from Trump, a serial sex assaulter, adulterer, adjudicated rapist, defamer, and “pussy grabber.” He and the MAGA crowd simply have no overall, historical, cultural, or conceptual understanding of feminist goals. And trying to fake it just digs them in deeper and rightly alienates millions of women, and men.

And there’s this:

More Reassurance from Ohio…

GOP Senate nominee Bernie Moreno (OH), at a town hall event last week but first reported yesterday by NBC4 in Columbus. As you’ll see, Moreno vocalizes the MAGA self-centered view that one’s vote ought to matter only when an issue DIRECTLY threatens one’s own life, not, for example, the lives of all women, including their daughters and granddaughters.

“You know, the left has a lot of single issue voters. Sadly, by the way, there’s a lot of suburban women, a lot of suburban women that are like, ‘Listen, abortion is it. If I can’t have an abortion in this country whenever I want, I will vote for anybody else.’ … OK. It’s a little crazy by the way, but — especially for women that are like past 50 — I’m thinking to myself, ‘I don’t think that’s an issue for you.'”

As for Trump’s conclusion, “[Women] will no longer be thinking about abortion,” the absurdity of that in every way spotlights his utter lack of understanding of women’s daily lives. Women walk through life with targets on their chests and backs, at all ages, placed there by men like Trump and Moreno.

Trump, Cannot Sell Shares in Trump Media (DJT) . . . Yet . . .

Michael Matheron1 Comment

“Market watchers have debated whether Trump would sell shares, with some suggesting an exit could indicate he is prioritizing personal profits and alienating loyal followers who have poured money into the stock.” Barron’s, Trump Media Shares Soar After Trump Says ‘I’m Not Selling’, September 13, 2024.

“No, I’m not selling… I don’t want to sell my shares. I don’t need money… I absolutely have no intention of selling.” Donald Trump, Twitter, September 13, 2024

Trump’s assurances have a poor track record, as we know. This particular assurance to not sell shares in his Trump Media stock will be severely tested as of next Thursday, September 19. Here’s why.

Firstly, his assertion that he won’t sell his shares because he “doesn’t need money” is untrue. Trump always needs money; he’s always been raising money to, for example, fend off bankruptcy of his casinos in the 1990s. And now? Civil judgments against him, and tthe legal bills accompanying them are in the neighborhood of $600 million. In addition, financing his appeals of various legal actions against him by Special Prosecutor Jack Smith and others cost tens of millions of dollars. Many of these bills are being paid for not ot of his own pocket but by the RNC which is run by his daughter-is-law Lara Trump which has led to a short fall of donated funds available to his presidential campaign. So, yes, he needs money.

Secondly, he doesn’t care who he fleeces to raise money. In fact, he’s been trying to fleece the MAGA herd since day one. And, conveniently, they keep coming back for more. This is a guy who has sold his supporters digital trading cards, gold colored sneakers, and commemorative coins. So, despite the fact that a goodly number of those supporters have invested in DJT, he’ll not hesitate to fleece them by, for instance, selling large lots of shares and thereby causing the price to fall, perhaps causing a large drop from its present anemic price. Recall, he needs money.

Here’s his estimated DJT position:

Total Shares = 194,000,000; Trump owns 60%. = 116,400,000 shares; = 7,708,008,000 billion at its 2024 high $66.72/share, BUT that’s shrunk by more than 70% to 1,978,800,000 billion at today’s share price of $17/share. An on paper loss of some 5,730,000,000 billion. Trump is not pleased, we might suppose.

The Crucial “Lockup Period”

The trading debut of DJT initiated what’s known as a lock-up period, a standard procedure for newly public companies in which certain shareholders, like those who own 5% or more of shares or who serve in a high-level management role, mandating that they cannot sell shares until a predetermined date. At DJT these insiders include Trump himself; DJT board members (i.e., Donald Trump, Jr., David Nunes, and other Trump confidants);  co-founders, Andy Litinsky and Wes Moss*, both former contestants on The Apprentice; and others.

The company’s latest prospectus filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission outlines three factors that would trigger the lock-up period to conclude:

  • The end of the first six months of DJT stock trading as its own entity on September 29, or
  • Trump Media shares trading above $12 for any 20 of 30 trading sessions on September 19, or
  • a transaction, like a merger, in which all shareholders have the opportunity to trade in their Trump Media holdings at the same price, or
  • an affirmative vote by DJT’s Board of Directors

That means the earliest possible date Trump can sell is Sept. 19 if Trump Media shares remain above the $12 threshold, otherwise his selling date will open is on Sept. 25. Note, however, that “”Insiders might still be prevented from selling their shares after the lock-up period expires. That can happen when an insider has access to material, nonpublic information, where the sale of shares would legally constitute insider trading.”

I expect that he will sell whenever he can do so legally, although should he sell large blocks of DJT over few days the stock price would likely fall precipitously. He might still make hundreds of millions at lower shre prices, as would other insiders, yet Trump would take a public relations hit, especially if his MAGA supporters took a beating on their own desperate sell orders. A better strategy would be to sell more slowly, or not sell at all and, instead, seek a loan or loans against his holdings, yet, who is eager to loan him money on any collateral. Poor Trump, he needs an intelligent strategy and tactics. And he’s remarkably stupid. We’ll see what happens after September 19th.

Food for Thought – Continuing Angst Over Food Prices . . . as Food Inflation Falls

Michael Matheron1 Comment

“Hardworking Americans are suffering because of the Harris-Biden administration’s dangerously liberal policies . . . Prices are excruciatingly high, and the cost of living has soared – leaving those on a fixed income unsure of how they are going to afford a basic standard of living in the future.”
Trump campaign statement prior to tonight’s MAGA rally in Asheville, NC

Continuing his trailblazing record of lying per minute (L/M), Donald Trump will tonight convince his MAGA acolytes that inflation is running at high speed. This in the face of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report today that inflation is moderating as it has done for the past year. BLS sums it up:

“In July, the Consumer Price Index [CPI] rose 0.2 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 2.9 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted.” 

Given the inflation panic afoot in the country, particularly among the always misinformed and generally undereducated MAGA crowd, the truth is clear: after peaking in 2022 and 2023 CPI has dropped over the past year to approximately 2.9%. Frankly, the inflation scare during the Biden administration was the result of unrelenting lying by the MAGA/GOP, and, of course, COVID’s negative economic impact, an extraneous and extraordinary event that has by and large worked its way through the economy as, for example, supply gluts diminish.

The COVID inflation 2-year “blip”


And below is CPI by sector, through July 2024 (note the overall trajectory and, apropos of this posting, the food sector, which, according to USDA’s Economic Research Service, peaked at 11.4% two years ago (year-over-year)(YOY), now sits at 2.2% YOY.

In fact, the overall CPI is nearing the Federal Reserve Board’s so-called “target rate” of 2%, and stock market mavens are so very pleased because inflation’s decreasing trend of late signals to them that the Fed next move may be to reduce interest rates, which – WHOOPEE! – will help reverse the equity markets’ recent swoon. Nonetheless, inflation hysteria haunts many American families, often at mealtime.

How did the now dissipated surge in overall food prices occur over the last few years (falling from August 2022’s 11.4% to today’s 2.1%)? The reasons, as with all food sector inflations, are familiar, although the COVID pandemic was an unusual event, and the principal driver of inflation throughout the economy. Food inflation factors, 2020-2024, include:

  • Supply chain issues due to COVID disruptions throughout the world
  • Economy-wide inflationary pressures, particularly in housing and services, and for a time, food 
  • Wholesale food prices, as suppliers raised prices, controversially, many label this price gouging 
  • Weather conditions, droughts reduce crop yields by causing crops to fail, and forced cow-calf producers to sell cows, which cause to tighter beef supplies and higher price; and extreme summer heat that damages crops, such as olive trees, soybeans, rice, potatoes and cocoa.
  • Supply disruptions in major food producing countries, particularly in war torn Ukraine, a European breadbasket
  • Rapid recovery of consumer demand, particularly in restaurant food
  • Animal disease outbreaks, avian flu substantially affected egg prices (and still does)

Eat, Drink, Be Merry, Inflation Be Damned

As we see, despite perceived food inflation causing gnashing of Americans’ teeth, their food costs have gone downhill, and the decline has occurred for long enough to have been noticeable to consumers. This is especially true for food at home, nonetheless, inflation remains troublesome at the businesses where food price inflation is the highest, restaurants of all kinds.

Let’s unpack this: where Americans eat is an personal and economic choice, and their choices are, according to especially right-wing economists, supposedly determined by price. Therefore, the “rational” economic choice would be to eat where one can eat most inexpensively, i.e., at home. And food at home prices have moderated since January 2023, with today’s BLS report revealing that food CPI is at 2.2% (YOY), with food at home inflation falling to 1.1% for July (YOY). Food away from home – a segment of the inflation-hot service economy – sits at 4.1%(YOY). The economically rational choice would be to eat at home, would it not? Indeed.

According to the USDA’s Economic Research Service July 2024 forecast, Food Price Outlook, 2024 and 2025:

“The level of food price inflation varies depending on whether the food was purchased for consumption at home or away from home.

  • The food-at-home (grocery store or supermarket food purchases) CPI was unchanged from May 2024 to June 2024 and was 1.1 percent higher than June 2023; and
  • The food-away-from-home (restaurant purchases) CPI increased 0.4 percent in June 2024 and was 4.1 percent higher than June 2023.”
Note the significantly higher rate of inflation growth for food away from home.

The CPI discrepancy between the choice of home prepared meals and restaurant meals is large, and this was not always true. As the chart indicates, beginning in 2011, restaurants, including fast food entities, claimed a large and growing share of consumer spending, except for the period when COVID adversely affected restaurants and families ate at home. A USDA report also observed, “Food-away-from-home expenditures accounted for 58.5 percent of total food expenditures in 2023—their highest share of total food spending observed in the series.”

So, the right-wing economists argument that consumers will make rational choices when prices are high seems to come up short when applied to food choices. We have inclinations to rational thought, nonetheless, we have impulses as well, and we simply enjoy going out to eat, especially when we perceive economic hard times. This despite the fact that we are manifestly not in a swooning economy. Perceptions, though are important. Thus we do the non rational things as a way to soothe those perceptions, and, ironically, we feed the very price inflation we perceive. It doesn’t help that media and the MAGA crowd push false messages, particularly Trump and company. As for me, I’ve convinced myself that what I need is an inflatedly large rib eye steak, at an inflatedly expensive restaurant. Tonight.

A New Poll Indicates that Someone May Be Gaining on Trump in Areas Where He Pummeled Biden

Michael Matheron1 Comment

“Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.” Satchel Paige

With Kamala Harris now the presumptive Democratic party presidential candidate, Trump has been loudly flailing attacking her in his old familiar ways: her biracial ethnicity, her laugh, her husband. All these dreadful assaults have fallen on mostly deaf ears, except from among the MAGA/GOP elites and his campaign staff. Of course, his rabid MAGA voting bloc loves it, and view his racist, bigoted, and nonsensical outbursts as grist for the mill. They love their right-wing magician-in-chief, the one who replaces complexity with ground level simplicity.

He’s rarely tried to engage her on substantive issues, lying about what she has done (for example, she did not lead a coup d’etat against President Biden), and for what she has not done (Harris was not the “immigration czar” of the Biden administration). Most importantly, he’s lost his “go to” attack tools he used so effectively against Biden, his age, his mental acuity, and his “sleepy Joe Biden” schtick. That has stripped him nearly naked before the force that is Kamala Harris.

A new poll by Morning Consult (pay wall) suggests that Trump’s ratings have significantly fallen since Harris entered the race. When asked a battery of questions respondents shone a spotlight on Trump’s favorite line of attack on Biden:

  • Health:  “in good health,” Harris 71% – Trump 52%; importantly, Trump’s rating is 6 percent less than when Biden withdrew;
  • Mental Acuity:   “mentally fit,”  Harris 64% – Trump 48%; a 5 percent drop from before Biden withdrew;
  • Candidate’s Age: “too old,” Harris (59) 12% – Trump (78) 51%; 7 percent more from before Biden withdrew.

The New Republic reported:

“Voters also said they were more concerned about Trump’s erratic behavior worsening with age should he retake the White House in November. Roughly 82 percent of polled voters said that Trump’s “poor decision making” and “erratic behavior” was a major concern, while roughly three-quarters of polled respondents listed his inability to communicate effectively with the American public, U.S. officials, and foreign officials, as well as a weakened perception of strength on the international stage, as other points of “major concern.” Another 49 percent and 44 percent of polled Americans described the potential onset of illness and death as major concerns, respectively.”

Markedly, Trump’s in trouble. Those single percentage point differences in a close race could flip the election to Harris. With Biden on the ticket, Trump polled across the board as the favorite, although by a few toss up percentages in the battleground states. With Harris, Trump, in a those states is now in a real horse race. And Harris has the momentum.

And note the irony here: the very same tactics Trump used against Biden may now be used by Harris against him, Trump’s age, his health, his mental acuity. Trump is arguably in a position where he may need to reach out to undecided and independent voters who have abandoned him since Harris entered the fray to bring them back into the MAGA fold. And that’s not to mention Nikki Haley’s coterie who can Harris can attract. And Trump’s bad news is America’s good news.

What Would An Attempt on His Own Life Be Without Donald Trump’s Contemplative Musings?

Michael Matheron1 Comment

Trump’s Truth Social post following his very bad day started out well enough. If one was hoping for some jib to humanization, his first phrases hinted at something we’ve never witnessed before from his postings, a sense of the moment and a call for sincere unification: “As we move forward in Uniting our Nation after the horrific events on Saturday, this dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida should be just the first step, followed quickly by . . .” He apparently exhausted himself with the effort:

As we move forward in Uniting our Nation after the horrific events on Saturday, this dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida should be just the first step, followed quickly by the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts — The January 6th Hoax in Washington, D.C., the Manhattan D.A.’s Zombie Case, the New York A.G. Scam, Fake Claims about a woman I never met (a decades old photo in a line with her then husband does not count), and the Georgia “Perfect” Phone Call charges. The Democrat Justice Department coordinated ALL of these Political Attacks, which are an Election Interference conspiracy against Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, ME. Let us come together to END all Weaponization of our Justice System, and Make America Great Again!

@realDonaldTrump Donald Trump Truth Social 10:41 AM EST 07/15/24

We should not be surprised. He’s a singularity, an irresistible force, immune from everyday – decent – emotions. It would’ve been an apt time to follow up on his opening unification theme, but we learned that he’s immovable as he jumped immediately and immodestly from “move forward in Uniting our Nation” to his idea of unification. His sense of national unification is self-referential only. His list of unifying prerequisites is entirely so, for example, his usual list, “dismissal of the Lawless Indictment in Florida should be just the first step, followed quickly by the dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts — The January 6th Hoax in Washington, D.C.” and on and on. Being shot apparently doesn’t move him to self-examination, no sitting humbly before death. How empty must he be?

In a stunning irony, at the end of his cris de coeur he wrote, “Let us come together to END all Weaponization of our Justice System.” Yet, there is no mention of the weaponization of our society, and at a moment when he must still have felt the sting of the gunshot and the sensed the whizz of the bullet from one of those very real weapons. The only weaponization he cares about, deeply, is the judicial weapon aimed at himself in a land where accountability is still – if only barely – holding on.