J-6 Rioters Seek Restitution for LEGAL imprisonment

By Mildred Robertson

The release of January 6 insurrectionists appears to have flown mostly under America’s radar, until now. Myriad challenging events have flooded the news cycle since President Donald Trump pardoned January 6 insurrectionists, including those with felony charges. On the first day of his second term, he granted clemency to approximately 1500 people convicted of various charges related to the January 6 attack on the nation’s Capital. 

                                                               Photo by Newsweek

Now Enrique Tario, the leader of the Proud Boys at the time of the insurrection is seeking restitution for his trial and conviction which ended in a 22-year prison sentence for seditious conspiracy and obstruction of Congress. He and four other members of the Proud Boys allege the U.S. government violated their constitutional rights when it used illegal tactics to target and imprison J-6 participants. They accuse the government of evidence tampering, witness intimidation, violations of attorney-client privilege, and the use of spies to report on trial strategy.

Trump’s blanket pardon released violent offenders along with others convicted of lesser charges. It appears to be an attempt to rewrite history and lessen the historical significance of the most consequential insurrection in American history since the Civil War.

Trump’s pardon of the J-6 rioters came as no surprise. It was the fulfillment of a campaign promise. However, many, including those in his party, were surprised that Trump granted clemency to protestors who committed violent crimes, including violently assaulting police officers. Tarrio and other leaders found guilty of organizing the insurrection were convicted of sedition and sentenced to decades in prison.

A December 2024 survey conducted by YouGov found roughly two thirds of Americans disagreed with pardoning violent January 6 protesters.  About 44 percent supported the pardon of non-violent offenders but feared that pardoning violent offenders would encourage more of the same in the future.

While discussion of the pardon seems to have fallen from the media’s radar, this move by Tarrio will likely result in greater attention to the freed rioters. Americans now must consider the consequences of the president’s imprudent actions to free those willing to commit crimes to keep him in power following his 2020 loss to Joe Biden.

Not only is this group free to organize and prepare to support Trump in the event he attempts to run for a third term; but they are demanding that America pay them $1 million for their lawful imprisonment for crimes against the nation. Yes, citizens such as you and me will bear the cost if this band of treasonous misfits can successfully litigate against their prosecution and incarceration. Folk who caused the death and injury of law enforcement officers, who threatened Nancy Pelosi and sought to hang Mike Pence; rioters who defecated in the halls of Congress and ransacked our seat of government…those are the folks who are seeking and could possibly attain a judgement totaling in the millions.

The thought of this is outrageous. Or maybe not. Perhaps nothing is outrageous in America anymore. It seems that we have become desensitized to evil doing. Many are not surprised at the pardon, nor the lawsuit, however appalling it may be.

I ask those of you who voted for Trump, is this what you voted for? I pray not.

Wearying American Politics

 Bedazzled Airplanes, Golden Toilets, and International Isolation

By: Mildred Robertson

For those of us who religiously follow American politics, it is safe to say that we are tired, weary, and worn. I used to habitually watch MSNBC from morning to night, but I can't anymore. I have found that keeping up with current news colors my entire day. Trump's firehose of lies, distortions, and criminal acts dominates the news waves, and few remedies appear imminent. I pray daily for God's intervention. I look to the courts to rule against him and write my congressmen and women asking them to intervene on the people's behalf. I post on my blog and comment on internet articles about him and his outlandish administration. I send money to various progressive campaigns as finances allow.

But I am tired. 

I know that my forefathers who toiled in the fields of savage masters were able to persevere.  Native Americans endured the vicious slaughter of their people, and the Jews survived attempted genocide. This horrific chapter in America's history is not a novel story, but the rewrite of an age-old script that pits the weak and seemingly powerless against the monied titans whose only goal seems to be to get more stuff...more money, more oil, more bedazzled airplanes, more golden toilets, more authoritarian power, while denying the masses basic sustenance. 

So, as I tune out Trump's latest shenanigans, there is a certain shame attached to my detachment. Sitting on the sidelines is not an option in today's tumultuous political landscape. All of us must do something. We cannot just sit and watch while Trump and his minions destroy America. 

But I am tired. 

And that's the point. Trump's strategy is to keep us focused on one crisis after another, one criminal or unconstitutional act after another, one outrageous lie after another, one inept policy after another. Before we can deal with his latest transgression, he has already committed three more. As the media run helter-skelter, attempting to simply keep up, we are left to sort through the foolishness for ourselves. 

And we are tired. 

What we face in America today is more than we can manage as simple humans. The evil forces we face surpass what an individual can handle standing alone. The current administration has turned against us, all those agencies, processes, and procedures designed to keep America safe, independent, and democratic. It is not a personal problem; it is a national one. 

As a Christian, I look to the Bible when weary, weak, and worn. I find not only comfort, but inspiration from Psalms 121:1-2 which says, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help., My help cometh from the Lord."  It is believed that this Psalm was written by King David, a mighty warrior king. It was David who slew the giant threatening Israel. While he knew where his strength came from, David did the work to overcome obstacles in his life. Throughout his trials, he trusted God and gathered his men to face his adversary. We must do likewise. 

We are tired...but the giant still stands. 

We cannot be done. Our eyes must be lifted up!

 

Real ID and Government Inefficiency

 By Mildred Robertson

While the Department of Government Efficiency is a joke, government inefficiency is a very real problem. Having recently renewed my driver's license at the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles I can attest that this agency lacks the effective, efficient protocols and procedures to provide well-organized services to the citizens they are hired to assist. A rush on this agency fueled by the May 7, 2025, deadline to acquire a "REAL ID" has resulted in lines of hundreds of people wrapped around the DMV offices across the state. 

In my case, my license was set to expire in August of 2025. That coupled with the Real ID deadline prompted me to search for an appointment back in April. The search, however, turned out to be futile. There were no appointments available anywhere near me. Even when I search surrounding towns in my county, I was still unable to schedule an appointment. So, I went to the DMV and stood in line for about 30 minutes, only to be told they were taking no more walk-ins. An office worker suggested that I try coming in between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. when walk-ins take priority. 

I heeded her suggestion and arrived a little before 8 a.m. on May 6. When I arrived, there were about 75-100 people in front of me. Some had apparently been there before because they came equipped with folding chairs and umbrellas, ready for the long haul. I was not ready for the upcoming ordeal, which lasted from 8 a.m. in the morning, until after 2:00 in the afternoon. I spent 4 hours standing in the hot sun and then another hour inside the building, which at least had air conditioning, chairs and a bathroom. There were numerous times I considered giving up and trying another time. But logic told me I would just be postponing the inevitable and so I decided to stay my course. 

While some of the workers were discourteous to the patrons, there were some patrons who were pretty rude as well. My personal experience was okay, since the person who finally helped me secure my license was polite and courteous. I left feeling both accomplished and frustrated. 

There is no reason for a required government service to be so difficult to attain. I am retired, so I had a half-day to contribute toward acquiring the mandatory document. But as I stood in the line, I saw elderly and infirmed people struggling to get through the process. There were mothers with young children in tow who had to suffer through the insufferable wait as their children fidgeted. Many folks who probably had to use personal time from work languished right alongside the rest of us.  

As DOGE decimates government agencies across the country, removing essential personnel and destroying agencies needed to provide services to the citizens, perhaps it will be more well perceived if it focused on these types of service areas that clearly need reform. 

We need doctors to continue to research cancer treatments and to try to prepare for the next pandemic. America needs for well-trained generals to continue to lead the armed forces. It is imperative folks involved in world outreach continue to make America a valued world citizen by providing service to those less fortunate than us. We need the FBI, the CIA and other law enforcement entities to have well-trained staff who protect and serve us. So, DOGE (if it exists at all) needs to focus less on partisan revenge tours and instead focus on correcting true government inefficiencies. 

The moral of the story is, I should be able to vote in the future without incident. I can now board a plane or gain access to a government building. I am glad about that, but it should not be this hard. I wonder how many will be left out of significant parts of our society because they cannot get access to needed documentation. 

That is not democracy, and it is not effective governance. We need to figure out how to fix it. Our representatives in Washington D.C. need to turn away from partisan politics and focus on fixing inefficiencies which negatively affect their constituents. 

Dismantling Democracy: One Leg at a Time

By Mildred Robertson

While thousands take to the streets each week in opposition to the Trump administration and how it has run roughshod over the democratic process, there seems to be no singular entity prepared to take up the cause of democracy. Neither the Congress nor the courts appear able or willing to take up their role as the antithesis to a rogue president who freely issues executive orders instead of doing the hard work of seeking change through the Congress and courts. As the Founders designed the process, Congress makes the laws, and the courts interpret and apply them.  The executive branch is called upon to uphold laws, not enact them.

Donald J. Trump, who heads the Executive branch of government, has succeeded in undermining the power of Congress, one of the three branches designed to bring balance to our system of governance.  Congress, led by a Republican majority, has taken the knee to Trump, even when he appears to usurp their power. Trump pushed through clearly unqualified candidates to head vital government agencies.

As those agency heads stand by, Trump has allowed Elon Musk and a cadre of his assistants to run amok in those agencies, indiscriminately cutting programs and firing professionals integral to the continued efficient functions those agencies provided for the American public. Having successfully cuckolded Congress in the first 100 days of his second term, he has now turned his attention to the courts, the third leg of democratic governance upon which our freedom rests.

He has consistently defied court orders to halt deportations of immigrants and has upped the ante by deporting American citizens as well. Ignoring threats that he will be held in contempt of court, Trump and his administration continue to refuse to provide information in cases involving the deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who was admittedly deported by mistake. He has also ignored court orders to halt deportation flights, using the Alien Enemies Act as his excuse. The Act is a wartime immigration law that Trump used to deport certain individuals from the U.S. to El Salvador to be detained in the country’s maximum-security prison. He alleges the U.S. is at war with the detainees due to their alleged membership in the gangs MS-13 and Tren de Aragua.  As many as 260 migrants have been deported to El Salvador as alleged gang members, on such flimsy evidence as tattoos. Further, he has deported children who are American citizens without any due process.

As he continues his power grab, Trump has ramped up his attacks on judges, this week arresting Judge Hannah Dugan on charges that she allegedly frustrated efforts of immigration officials to arrest an immigrant in her Milwaukee courtroom.  Dugan questioned the warrant the ICE officials presented because it was an administrative warrant, not an arrest warrant. She allowed the defendant to exit her courtroom, after which he was arrested in the courthouse hallway.  The arrest of Dugan appears to be designed to make other judges fearful of opposing the actions of this administration. They handcuffed and arrested her when normally she would have been served and allowed to appear. Instead, they publicly humiliated and jailed her.  Attorney General Pam Bondi threatened sitting judges, stating that others could suffer the same fate as Judge Duggan if they rule against the Administration's wishes.

So, we are witnessing the collapse of the co-equal branches of government our forefathers designed. Americans must now decide how to maintain their freedom when all the guardrails have failed to hold.

April 19, 2025. (Karen Ducey / The Seattle Times)

If you ever wondered what you would have done in the infancy of Nazi Germany, you no longer must wonder. You are doing it now. There is nothing that stands between America and tyranny but the people. Will you take risks for democracy, or will you watch while our nation burns, and the ashes of destroyed humanity drop from the sky like snowfall? America has no legs to stand on, but ours.

America Spiraling Under Trump's Dictatorial Rule

We, the People Can Stop the Decline

By Mildred Robertson

America is at a crossroads that many societies have faced before us. We boast a glorious past that also features, if we are truthful, particularly inglorious chapters. That being said, America has created the premier society in the modern world. Our goal to become a true democracy has been marred by as many failures as victories. Nevertheless, we lead the world order in terms of freedom, democracy, and economic and social stability. Although many would point to our shortcomings, measuring society on a curve puts America at the top of the class.

But world domination is cyclical. And America like many empires before it has fallen prey to anti-intellectualism, the sowing of disinformation, and the pitting of the masses against itself rather than the rich and powerful who exploit them. Scientists, historians, politicians, and economists are all sounding the alarm as we watch America devolve from the leader of Western civilization to a two-bit third-world nation with a despot leader determined to bend the entire country to his will.

We have always prided ourselves on our three branches of government which are designed to ensure a free and stable society. Sometimes referred to as the “three-legged stool", our system of government is structured so the executive, legislative, and judicial branches provide the checks and balances necessary for good governance, safe from dictatorial rule. Unfortunately, America’s stability is hampered by an inept legislative branch and an ineffective judicial branch that recently has taken a knee before the executive branch. Donald Trump and his 2024 electoral victory have turned our nation upside-down.

There are many reasons why Trump was able to win the presidency for the second time. Let’s be honest, his victory was rooted in our national prejudices against women and people of color. A contributor to the national temperament were some bad decisions on the part of the Democratic leadership, and an economy perceived as faltering, although data showed the nation was in an economic upturn.

Trump took our economic fears, and the racist nature of many in America and created a narrative that made him look like a savior rather than the annihilator he is. Having learned from his first term, Trump removed everyone from the administration who would stand in the way of his implementation of plans to devastate this nation socially and economically. By purging all those who could possibly block his dictatorial whims, Trump has taken control of the military and all federal agencies. Those were our bulwarks against tyranny. All guardrails have been removed because those placed in leadership are corrupt, weak, or both. Now the struggle is between the might of the federal government and the will of the people. Unfortunately, in 2024 many people supported Trump, outright, buying into his lies, supporting him by sitting at home or throwing their votes away on third-party candidates with no chance of taking the seat.

While a functioning government is the best way to ensure that America does not fall into a dictatorship, there is an opportunity in the next election for us to make it better. But we cannot be splintered in our desire to reclaim our country. We must be of one mind, to wrest power from the hands of Republicans. Note, I am not saying ONLY republicans are corrupt and weak. But they have certainly taken the gold medal in this competition in recent years. 

America has two choices, freedom or tyranny.  It's either Democrat or Republican. If you don't support Democrats with your vote, then you are supporting Republicans. 

If you truly can't choose either of the dominant parties, then build a third party from the ground up. It would be a difficult task, but not impossible. It is unrealistic to think a third-party candidate can win a national election without any infrastructure to support it.

If you are serious about walking away from both the democrat and republican parties, then you need to do the hard work. Elect third-party candidates to your city council, school board, or other local governing body. Elect state and national reps and senators. That will give you a foundation for building a party that can successfully run a presidential candidate.  Otherwise, you are wasting your vote and dooming us to Republican rule. 

If you want to stop America's downfall, then you must be prepared to act and act responsibly. It is our only hope. You must choose your path. Make it a path toward freedom and democracy for all. Otherwise, America will join great nations such as Rome who once ruled the world. We will be doomed to the rule of a tyrant, and our freedoms will only reside in a history book. 

NC Supreme Court Halts Decision Favoring Republican Supreme Court Candidate

 By: Mildred Robertson

The battle for the seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court between Justice Allison Riggs, who currently holds the seat, and her challenger NC Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin takes another turn today as the NC Supreme Court issues a stay in the case.

Judge Jefferson Griffin (Rep) - Justice Allison Riggs (Dem)

On Friday, April 4, the North Carolina State Court of Appeals ruled in a 2-1 decision that as many as 65,000 North Carolinians who thought they were eligible to vote could have their ballots thrown out. The appeals court said that the contested ballots in the state Supreme Court race should be recounted and verified. The Court of Appeals gave the challenged voters 15 days to prove eligibility.

But today, the North Carolina Supreme Court, the body to which Griffin aspires, issued a temporary stay of Friday's Court of Appeals order which directed election workers to identify and contact those voters whose ballots were challenged by Griffin. Justice Allison Riggs, who currently holds the contested seat, sought the stay. Following two recounts of the over 5.5 million ballots cast in the November, election results indicate that Riggs beat Griffin by 734 votes.

If the Appeals Court decision on Friday, April 4 is ultimately upheld, the elimination of hundreds of thousands of North Carolina voters' ballots could flip the election outcome, giving victory to Griffin. Democrat Toby Hampson, the only appeals court judge to dissent the ruling to eliminate votes, criticized Griffin's "indiscriminate efforts" to disqualify voters otherwise eligible to cast a ballot under existing state law. With the current ruling of the NC Supreme Court, the outcome of this case is unclear. The Court's findings will have a huge impact on the makeup of the North Carolina Supreme Court. 

Only absentee and early votes are among those challenged.  If you fall into those categories there are several databases, you can use to determine whether your vote was challenged.  You can go to the State Board of Elections’ website which is organized by county and the reason for the challenge. You can search https://tinyurl.com/3b826h3v, then locate the links to your home county. There you will find a list of names. You can search to see whether your vote is listed by hitting ctrl+f and then typing in your name.

Other alternatives include a searchable spreadsheet by government watchdog Bob Hall. Type https://tinyurl.com/bdf37zuy. Or you may access the Triangle Blog website at The Griffin List.

Court Rule May Jeopardize Your Vote In N.C.

 Early and Absentee Voters Should Check Status

BY Mildred Robertson

The North Carolina State Court of Appeals ruled in a 2-1 decision on Friday, April 4, 2025, that as many as 65,000 North Carolinians who thought they were eligible to vote could have their ballots thrown out. The court says that the contested ballots in the state Supreme Court race should be recounted and verified. The Court of Appeals gave the challenged voters 15 days to prove eligibility.

In this hotly contested race held in November 2024, Republican State Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin trailed incumbent Democrat Justice Allison Riggs by fewer than 1,000 votes.  Riggs and the Democratic Party declared victory months ago after all the votes had been counted. Griffin, however, challenged the validity of certain ballots for numerous reasons.

The lawsuit prevents the state elections board from certifying Riggs as the winner five months after the election. The 2-1 ruling from the North Carolina Court of Appeals came in response to Republicans’ months-long effort to overturn the results of the state Supreme Court election in November. Democrat Allison Riggs, who currently sits on the NC State Court of Appeals, defeated Appellate Judge Jefferson Griffin, a Republican, by 734 votes.

Justice Allison Riggs

After the election, Griffin filed a protest seeking to disqualify around 65,000 votes. Among those challenged are voters who did not present a photo ID and American citizens living abroad who voted but never resided in the U.S. The latter are individuals who are citizens because one or both parents are U.S. citizens.

Griffin currently sits on the North Carolina Court of Appeals – the body that issued Friday’s ruling. A panel of three of his colleagues heard the case. Court of Appeals Judge Toby, the lone registered Democrat, dissented from the decision, stating that Griffin had not identified one voter who was ineligible to vote in the November elections under the laws and rules governing elections.

Justice Riggs stated, “We will be promptly appealing this deeply misinformed decision that threatens to disenfranchise more than 65,000 lawful voters and sets a dangerous precedent, allowing disappointed politicians to thwart the will of the people.”

The state board of elections previously rejected Griffin’s request, and a superior court judge upheld their decision. Friday’s ruling from the court of appeals overturned that ruling. The Appeals Court ruling also reverses the decision of a trial judge who upheld the State Board of Elections' action in February.  

If you think you may be among those citizens whose vote has been challenged, you should have received a notice in the mail from the North Carolina Republican Party, which includes a link to protest. You can also go to the State Board of Elections’ website. It is organized by county and the reason for the challenge. You can search https://tinyurl.com/3b826h3v, then locate the links to your home county. There you will find a list of names. If your name is listed, you can find it by pressing Ctrl+F and then typing in your name.

Other alternatives include a searchable spreadsheet by government watchdog Bob Hall. Type https://tinyurl.com/bdf37zuy. Or you may access the Triangle Blog website at The Griffin List.