The GOP and Trump have perfected the art of Orwellian double-think, demanding strict adherence to "rules" they’ve gleefully torched. They insist on accountability for their enemies while excusing or outright celebrating their own rule-breaking. From undermining the justice system to defying constitutional norms, they weaponize laws as tools of convenience—enforcing them selectively to punish dissent while claiming victimhood when held to account. It’s not rule-following they champion; it’s the illusion of it, wielded to mask their own relentless pursuit of unchecked power.
Tired of the GOP's hypocrisy and nihilism? Subscribe here:
Trump turned pardons into tools of corruption, shielding loyal criminal allies, lawbreaking family members, and even himself—while stacking courts to "pre-pardon" his actions. In contrast, Biden’s pardon of Hunter represents a stand against the GOP’s weaponization of justice and their relentless proxy war on his presidency.
Good to find you here. I'm the Democrat who ran in NY21 against Stefanik. How scary is that -- Stefanik is headed to the UN?!?!? I'm hopeful to be the nominee on the ballot for the Special Election. Please find me on Substack.
It would be interesting for Biden to at least try to pardon and to pursue redress for people wrongly convicted or cheated by the corrupt so-called educational for profit institutions which sprang up like poisonous mushrooms to rip off tax payer money with extortionate student loans. How many of his lame duck actions would survive the change of regime remains to be seen - but an honest effort should be counted as part of Biden's legacy of decency.
Just as soon as I heard about the Hunter Biden pardon, my head started swirling with other things that President Biden could do before it’s too late. All of the executive orders you mentioned are among the ideas I had, and pardoning those on death row would be another important move. The fact that the media and some Democrats believe Biden made a mistake and that it will ruin his legacy are being incredibly foolish and naïve. Hunter Biden was prosecuted out of vengeance, and if this pardon didn’t happen, Kash Patel would spend the rest of his FBI career (God help us) going after various people, most notably the Bidens, because he is a vindictive lunatic.
AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: SUPPORTING YOUR DECISION TO PARDON HUNTER
Trump turned pardons into tools of corruption, shielding cronies and stacking courts to protect himself. Biden’s decision to pardon Hunter is a stand against the GOP's weaponization of justice.
If anything should be the priority, it should be the issue of women's rights to their own body. The government, not the people, has taken that away, and in the manner to appease a political candidate. SCOTUS is one third of the Federal Government, yet they spoke for the country as "Supreme" and we let them. We did not have to let them, but we did.
When a state can make laws that make being a vigilante against women legal, you should know in your heart and all fibers of common sense, something is seriously messed up and without question, all should rise to protest and fight such a grave injustice, without hesitation. Welcome to Texas.
Six SCOTUS assholes spoke for the voices of the entire nation, that their position as to the rights of women to their own body was “their” choice to make. Not a Constitutional choice, but their choice alone.
Wouldn't this be a form of slavery? Slavery is not about race, religion, creed or color. It is illegal, immoral and undignified.
What is slavery in words? Slavery is when one person is owned by another person and forced to work without pay. Slavery is also the brutal and immoral practice of forcing someone into servitude without paying them.
13th Amendment... Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.
I did not see any Texas law stating that women must be paid to be forced to have a baby. Without payment, this would constitute Servitude to the MEN who made the unconstitutional law. I also did not see any law that automatically charged women with the crime of "becoming pregnant" and are automatically found guilty and convicted without a trial.
14th Amendment... expanded the scope of the Constitution’s protection of Individual Liberty. The Constitution protected rights not only from infringement by the federal government but from infringement by State and Local Governments as well. A number of landmark Supreme Court cases have relied on Section 1’s provisions for due process, equal protection, and privileges and immunities for All U.S. citizens.
To me this is the most egregious error SCOTUS made. It is crystal clear: Individual Liberty and Equal protection... For All U.S. Citizens, Equally. This alone eliminates any Constitutional power they thought they had to apportion those rights to the state level. The only Constitutional power they had to make a decision about, based on the “laws of the Constitution”, is whether abortion is legal or not, for the whole county. Legal or Not Legal, that's it. There is absolutely no provision in the Constitution that makes abortion legal and illegal at the same time.
To hand the power to the States to decide, SCOTUS effectively said that, unless every State makes abortion legal, or every State makes abortion illegal, then by proxy of not making their decision in that manner, they effectively made abortion legal and illegal at the same time, for the whole of the United States. For example: SCOTUS does not have the authority to decide if free speech can be made legal or illegal at the State level.
Further, to even attempt either case, the court would have to finitely decide when life begins in the womb, which is not in there judicial duties to do so. Roe V. Wade was a band aid to bridge that gap and the people, the majority of Americans accepted that as a morale compromise, for every State. God is not mentioned anywhere in the Constitution, for a reason.
Imagine this scenario. SCOTUS decides that the States can decide who can have a baby and who can't. When a woman can have a baby and when she can't. They allow the State to decide the size of the population of their State and can make it illegal to have a baby if the population exceeds a certain amount.
The Constitution is the law of the land for any citizen to abide by for the privilege of it's protections. It is applied equally to every single citizen and in no way did it give the right for any branch of government the legal authority to mandate the rights of reproductive freedoms of any "one".
Correct me if I am wrong, but I do not see any amendment to the Constitution that gives SCOTUS the authority to make a law for the whole of the United States as it pertains to personal liberty for “just one sex”. That would take 38 of 50 States to ratify that amendment, and that has not happened. SCOTUS was out of bounds in their ruling as it violated the 13th and 14th Amendments for the protections of all US citizens to not be held in bondage, equal protection “for all” and to not be convicted without a trial. I could also add, against cruel and inhuman treatment. I would also add, they did not have any Constitutional authority to even make the decision in the first place.
Any State that violates the 13th and 14th Amendments for the protections for any US citizen should be sued, to include any elected official that has participated in perpetuating these egregious acts against any human being. Sue them to hell.
Say it 100 times out loud EQUAL, EQUAL, EQUAL PROTECTIONS FOR ALL... You SCOTUS fucks. Texas too.
I happen to agree with you and given the nature of the crime, I think Biden should have done it long ago. There is no comparison to the Trump pardons and threats of vindication for all number of political enemies.
Biden should keep going and issue the executive orders while he is able, and fulfill his campaign promises!
This is an amazing list! I am just hoping he will. I am PLEASED with Hunter's pardon. Come on Joe, finish this last leg of your service with a propper BANG!
To the extent that I am partisan, I'm fairly far left. And I'm outraged at Biden's pardoning of his son, even though you point out it was expected. Hunter Biden's crime was, excuse the pun, trumped up, or not very serious, but Joe said he would not pardon Hunter. The right's response is performative? Sure it is. But if we on the left are no more honest, honorable, and reliable than those on the right, what good are we?
harry chancey is certainly right.
As for student loan debt, our graduates are in this position for two reasons. One is our fault, in that we do not offer free or cheap education, as do real countries. The other is the fault of the graduates, who requested loans, received them, and promised to repay them, with interest. Making requests and promises like those, then wanting to be excused from them, is like Joe's promising not to pardon Hunter, then pardoning him. There are graduates who made good uses of their educations, and can well afford to repay the loans they requested, received, and promised to repay. And they should. Excuse the rest? Sure.
You're very right about the other things Biden should do in his waning days. Instead, he uses his time and energy to make a farewell world tour. I have always said Biden is and always was a stuffed shirt who keeps happening to be in the right place at the right time, and nothing has changed my mind.
I am thrilled that Biden pardoned Hunter. It was a necessity. Epstein did not commit suicide, and I have it from someone experienced in the prison system. Biden had to do it for Hunter's safety, as top priority. If Harris had won, Biden would not have interfered because he would not have worried about retaliation from that POS, convicted felon. trump is trying to load up his administration with criminals and evil people and talked about pardoning all those insurrectionists and more, prior to Hunter's pardon. He also is now getting away with further crimes himself. What happened to Merchan sentencing him in November? I knew if trump won the election that would never happen. Biden needs to make sure he does a lot more before he leaves office, to help protect the population. trump is the lead clown in the RetrumpliKKKan circus and I hope that the elephants crush him before the inauguration.
Qasim, Thank you for your post. It helps me focus on the important issues. Yes, I strongly agree Biden should address abortion rights, the death penalty and student debt before leaving office. On the Hunter pardon: the pardon was for falsely checking the statement on the gun application and not paying his taxes. Of these crimes, it is noted that Hunter’s past taxes have been paid. The pardon will erase the fines which is over $1 million!
Agree! Biden/Harris should be using all of their powers NOW. Contact WH re women's rights or student debt relief...:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Other than contacting the WH, any proactive thoughts to get Biden/Harris to take strong & immediate action??
The GOP and Trump have perfected the art of Orwellian double-think, demanding strict adherence to "rules" they’ve gleefully torched. They insist on accountability for their enemies while excusing or outright celebrating their own rule-breaking. From undermining the justice system to defying constitutional norms, they weaponize laws as tools of convenience—enforcing them selectively to punish dissent while claiming victimhood when held to account. It’s not rule-following they champion; it’s the illusion of it, wielded to mask their own relentless pursuit of unchecked power.
Tired of the GOP's hypocrisy and nihilism? Subscribe here:
https://substack.com/@patricemersault
AN OPEN LETTER TO JOE BIDEN
Trump turned pardons into tools of corruption, shielding loyal criminal allies, lawbreaking family members, and even himself—while stacking courts to "pre-pardon" his actions. In contrast, Biden’s pardon of Hunter represents a stand against the GOP’s weaponization of justice and their relentless proxy war on his presidency.
https://open.substack.com/pub/patricemersault/p/an-open-letter-to-president-biden?r=4d7sow&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Good to find you here. I'm the Democrat who ran in NY21 against Stefanik. How scary is that -- Stefanik is headed to the UN?!?!? I'm hopeful to be the nominee on the ballot for the Special Election. Please find me on Substack.
It would be interesting for Biden to at least try to pardon and to pursue redress for people wrongly convicted or cheated by the corrupt so-called educational for profit institutions which sprang up like poisonous mushrooms to rip off tax payer money with extortionate student loans. How many of his lame duck actions would survive the change of regime remains to be seen - but an honest effort should be counted as part of Biden's legacy of decency.
you need to be Biden's personal advisor. I always like your ideas for what he should or could do. Maybe you should become a politician too?
Just as soon as I heard about the Hunter Biden pardon, my head started swirling with other things that President Biden could do before it’s too late. All of the executive orders you mentioned are among the ideas I had, and pardoning those on death row would be another important move. The fact that the media and some Democrats believe Biden made a mistake and that it will ruin his legacy are being incredibly foolish and naïve. Hunter Biden was prosecuted out of vengeance, and if this pardon didn’t happen, Kash Patel would spend the rest of his FBI career (God help us) going after various people, most notably the Bidens, because he is a vindictive lunatic.
https://substack.com/home/post/p-152457565
AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: SUPPORTING YOUR DECISION TO PARDON HUNTER
Trump turned pardons into tools of corruption, shielding cronies and stacking courts to protect himself. Biden’s decision to pardon Hunter is a stand against the GOP's weaponization of justice.
Biden needs to show that his mercy extends beyond his own son!
Agreed. Far beyond.
If anything should be the priority, it should be the issue of women's rights to their own body. The government, not the people, has taken that away, and in the manner to appease a political candidate. SCOTUS is one third of the Federal Government, yet they spoke for the country as "Supreme" and we let them. We did not have to let them, but we did.
When a state can make laws that make being a vigilante against women legal, you should know in your heart and all fibers of common sense, something is seriously messed up and without question, all should rise to protest and fight such a grave injustice, without hesitation. Welcome to Texas.
Six SCOTUS assholes spoke for the voices of the entire nation, that their position as to the rights of women to their own body was “their” choice to make. Not a Constitutional choice, but their choice alone.
Wouldn't this be a form of slavery? Slavery is not about race, religion, creed or color. It is illegal, immoral and undignified.
What is slavery in words? Slavery is when one person is owned by another person and forced to work without pay. Slavery is also the brutal and immoral practice of forcing someone into servitude without paying them.
13th Amendment... Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.
I did not see any Texas law stating that women must be paid to be forced to have a baby. Without payment, this would constitute Servitude to the MEN who made the unconstitutional law. I also did not see any law that automatically charged women with the crime of "becoming pregnant" and are automatically found guilty and convicted without a trial.
14th Amendment... expanded the scope of the Constitution’s protection of Individual Liberty. The Constitution protected rights not only from infringement by the federal government but from infringement by State and Local Governments as well. A number of landmark Supreme Court cases have relied on Section 1’s provisions for due process, equal protection, and privileges and immunities for All U.S. citizens.
To me this is the most egregious error SCOTUS made. It is crystal clear: Individual Liberty and Equal protection... For All U.S. Citizens, Equally. This alone eliminates any Constitutional power they thought they had to apportion those rights to the state level. The only Constitutional power they had to make a decision about, based on the “laws of the Constitution”, is whether abortion is legal or not, for the whole county. Legal or Not Legal, that's it. There is absolutely no provision in the Constitution that makes abortion legal and illegal at the same time.
To hand the power to the States to decide, SCOTUS effectively said that, unless every State makes abortion legal, or every State makes abortion illegal, then by proxy of not making their decision in that manner, they effectively made abortion legal and illegal at the same time, for the whole of the United States. For example: SCOTUS does not have the authority to decide if free speech can be made legal or illegal at the State level.
Further, to even attempt either case, the court would have to finitely decide when life begins in the womb, which is not in there judicial duties to do so. Roe V. Wade was a band aid to bridge that gap and the people, the majority of Americans accepted that as a morale compromise, for every State. God is not mentioned anywhere in the Constitution, for a reason.
Imagine this scenario. SCOTUS decides that the States can decide who can have a baby and who can't. When a woman can have a baby and when she can't. They allow the State to decide the size of the population of their State and can make it illegal to have a baby if the population exceeds a certain amount.
The Constitution is the law of the land for any citizen to abide by for the privilege of it's protections. It is applied equally to every single citizen and in no way did it give the right for any branch of government the legal authority to mandate the rights of reproductive freedoms of any "one".
Correct me if I am wrong, but I do not see any amendment to the Constitution that gives SCOTUS the authority to make a law for the whole of the United States as it pertains to personal liberty for “just one sex”. That would take 38 of 50 States to ratify that amendment, and that has not happened. SCOTUS was out of bounds in their ruling as it violated the 13th and 14th Amendments for the protections of all US citizens to not be held in bondage, equal protection “for all” and to not be convicted without a trial. I could also add, against cruel and inhuman treatment. I would also add, they did not have any Constitutional authority to even make the decision in the first place.
Any State that violates the 13th and 14th Amendments for the protections for any US citizen should be sued, to include any elected official that has participated in perpetuating these egregious acts against any human being. Sue them to hell.
Say it 100 times out loud EQUAL, EQUAL, EQUAL PROTECTIONS FOR ALL... You SCOTUS fucks. Texas too.
As always, you bring the receipts. Much of this I wasn’t aware of.
Thanks, Linda. I do what I can.
I happen to agree with you and given the nature of the crime, I think Biden should have done it long ago. There is no comparison to the Trump pardons and threats of vindication for all number of political enemies.
Biden should keep going and issue the executive orders while he is able, and fulfill his campaign promises!
Yep, which is why I never understood why he said he wouldn't pardon Hunter.
This is an amazing list! I am just hoping he will. I am PLEASED with Hunter's pardon. Come on Joe, finish this last leg of your service with a propper BANG!
I hope he does but right now I'm not entirely confident he will.
To the extent that I am partisan, I'm fairly far left. And I'm outraged at Biden's pardoning of his son, even though you point out it was expected. Hunter Biden's crime was, excuse the pun, trumped up, or not very serious, but Joe said he would not pardon Hunter. The right's response is performative? Sure it is. But if we on the left are no more honest, honorable, and reliable than those on the right, what good are we?
harry chancey is certainly right.
As for student loan debt, our graduates are in this position for two reasons. One is our fault, in that we do not offer free or cheap education, as do real countries. The other is the fault of the graduates, who requested loans, received them, and promised to repay them, with interest. Making requests and promises like those, then wanting to be excused from them, is like Joe's promising not to pardon Hunter, then pardoning him. There are graduates who made good uses of their educations, and can well afford to repay the loans they requested, received, and promised to repay. And they should. Excuse the rest? Sure.
You're very right about the other things Biden should do in his waning days. Instead, he uses his time and energy to make a farewell world tour. I have always said Biden is and always was a stuffed shirt who keeps happening to be in the right place at the right time, and nothing has changed my mind.
I am thrilled that Biden pardoned Hunter. It was a necessity. Epstein did not commit suicide, and I have it from someone experienced in the prison system. Biden had to do it for Hunter's safety, as top priority. If Harris had won, Biden would not have interfered because he would not have worried about retaliation from that POS, convicted felon. trump is trying to load up his administration with criminals and evil people and talked about pardoning all those insurrectionists and more, prior to Hunter's pardon. He also is now getting away with further crimes himself. What happened to Merchan sentencing him in November? I knew if trump won the election that would never happen. Biden needs to make sure he does a lot more before he leaves office, to help protect the population. trump is the lead clown in the RetrumpliKKKan circus and I hope that the elephants crush him before the inauguration.
Qasim, Thank you for your post. It helps me focus on the important issues. Yes, I strongly agree Biden should address abortion rights, the death penalty and student debt before leaving office. On the Hunter pardon: the pardon was for falsely checking the statement on the gun application and not paying his taxes. Of these crimes, it is noted that Hunter’s past taxes have been paid. The pardon will erase the fines which is over $1 million!
Hence the point that so many people commit the same crime and are not faced with years in prison.