Carl Graham

Attorney in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and former Army JAG officer.

Father of two kids, husband of a school social worker. Owner of two dogs & a cat (or is it the other way around?)

Longtime libertarian/conservative, but currently supporting the Dems until the GOP can purge itself of the nationalists, conspiracy theorists, anti-democratic forces, and their enablers.

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NIP-05 Address

CarlG_at_esq.social@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqst6704jwz8akkmm62ccfymtp0eqy6jqhk6v7wmqj9tezryyhy5egcprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wdmksetjv5hxxmmdsqvy2w

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relay.noswhere.com

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Last Notes

2024-09-24 22:00:27

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@npub1g97…y82s If abortion should only matter to women of childbearing age, how do Republican men have standing to try and outlaw it?

2024-09-14 16:17:02

Trump judges are weakening the institutions of government (jettisoning the Chevron doctrine, increasingly overruling regulations, laws against firearms, and more) while at the same time increasing the personal power of the president and ability to break the law with impunity (immunity decision).
Meanwhile, Project 2025 aims to infuse all levels of government with political flunkies.
A wanna-be dictator and government institutions too weak to resist him - what could possibly go wrong?

2024-09-13 20:10:51

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@npub19mj…ugjc Churches should have first amendment rights, no doubt about it. But not on the taxpayer dime. The simple solution is to remove all churches' tax-free status, and let them speak politics to their hearts' content.

2024-09-12 03:09:13

“When there is asymmetrical lying, there will be asymmetrical fact-checking.”
Maybe instead of criticizing ABC, Republicans should reflect upon why they are so scared of fact checking.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/sep/11/abc-moderators-fact-checking-trump-harris-debate

2024-09-05 22:10:23

On the unlikely off-chance that the US actually gets their hands on any of these Russian hackers, Putin would just grab a few Americans living in Russia and trump up charges against them.
There has been a lot of talk this week about Putin paying "useful idiots" to spread his propaganda. That term arguably applies to Americans who willingly stay in Russia where the regime can use them as pawns against us.
https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/09/us-charges-russian-military-officers-for-unleashing-wiper-malware-on-ukraine/

2024-09-05 14:48:37

Love this from Chutkan to Trump's lawyers:
Lauro: "We're talking about the Presidency of the United States.
Chutkan: "I'm not talking about the Presidency of the United States. I'm talking about a four-count criminal indictment."
(courtesy of Klasfeld).

2024-09-04 23:49:23

Is it really better for Tim Pool to claim he didn't know he was taking Russian money for his propaganda pieces?
Even if true, that means his views are just naturally so in lockstep with Putin that Pool was paid just for being his offensive MAGA self.

2024-09-03 21:57:33

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@npub1rn2…ggwn The judge didn't waste a lot of words shutting down Trump's last-ditch effort to remove the case from Merchan before an possible sentencing in a couple of weeks.

2024-08-29 21:46:31

Earlier this year, the GOP in both the House and Senate blocked a bill which would guarantee the right to IVF. Not pay for it, just protect a couple's right to it.
So now we're supposed to believe that the same MAGA republicans will actually go much further, and mandate that insurers pay for IVF? Yeah, right...
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-says-wants-make-ivf-treatments-paid-government-insurance-compani-rcna168804

2024-08-18 15:43:20

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@npub19mj…ugjc Why only protest the DNC and give a pass to Trump, whose policies would be exponentially worse for the causes they support?

2024-08-16 16:39:25

This is the funniest, and most poignant, 59 seconds of election video I've seen this week.
It debunks & mocks the absurd doom & gloom predictions Trump made in 2020 about how horrible the country would be if Biden won.
The Harris campaign should spread this far & wide, as the media seem to have forgotten that Trump is like a broken record. They report identical claims from Trump today without providing context or critical analysis.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1824199593787265176

2024-08-15 03:42:31

A Colorado newscaster who has recently made headlines for his awesome debate moderation is at it again, this time with the classic "land doesn't vote" line in response to someone saying Colorado would be red but for Denver.
It's brief and worth the watch.
Unfortunately, this is a link to Twitter, because I don't know how to download the video from there to repost it.
https://x.com/i/status/1823920474201710670

2024-08-11 20:38:05

The GOP presidential candidate won the popular vote just once in the past 32 years (only winning it in 2004).
With a track record of losing seven out of the last eight popular votes, does anyone think MAGA is planning on winning 2024 at the ballot box?
Or are they counting on subverting the voters' will in swing states by having a right-wing judiciary uphold election deniers in critical positions who suppress votes?

2024-07-28 14:06:37

So the concern is that in a tinpot dictatorship like Venezuela, the candidate who won the most votes may nonetheless be declared the loser of the election.
"But experts warn that it is one thing for González to gain more votes, and another is for him to be announced as winner by the National Electoral Council, which is aligned with Maduro’s government."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/28/venezuela-election-sunday-maduro-urrutia

2024-07-10 20:46:12

The immunity and innocence that goes with youth have been lost.
Now that Barron Trump is participating in political events, he is "fair game" to be on the receiving end of scrutiny and political attacks himself.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4763811-barron-trump-campaign-debut/

2024-07-01 13:54:14

I'm not religious, but if I were to start praying, it would be that Sotomayor, Kagan, or Jackson walks out this morning holding Trump's immunity decision, and not Thomas or Alito.

2024-06-22 18:45:04

Watch out, good people of Colorado.
Our 16 y.o. son just got his driver's license! (In this photo he is with his sister, holding his digital license from the myColorado app, getting ready for his first solo drive).
https://sb-esq-social.b-cdn.net/media_attachments/files/112/661/748/097/579/050/original/a26eb45e6852a90d.jpg

2024-06-20 20:17:02

Remember the "salad days" of 2009-10, when the Dems had a 59-41 Senate majority (and briefly, a 60-40 filibuster-proof majority) and a 76-seat House majority?
If only they knew what was coming - they could have used their massive majorities to repeal the Comstock Act, maybe even guarantee abortion rights, enact SCOTUS reform, protect and expand voting rights, abolish the Senate filibuster, and more.

2024-06-15 17:19:15

The west needs to impose a travel ban on countries with authoritarian regimes that seize westerners whenever they need a hostage to trade for a criminal being held in the West.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/15/swedish-eu-diplomat-johan-floderus-freed-from-iran-jail-in-prisoner-swap

2024-06-12 03:00:00

Book bans were never about "protecting the kids," but censoring what the right disagrees with. And they've shown their true colors by banning, without apparent irony, a book about book bans.
No sex, no homosexuality, not even an attempt to sneak in a lesson about slavery, just censoring a book that illuminates their censorship efforts.
Christian nationalists are headed towards China-level oppression.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/article/2024/jun/11/florida-book-bans-book-banned

2024-06-09 13:13:10

Class action lawsuits suck!
I just got an email that I was part of a class suing Shutterfly, and the settlement was $5. Not even cash, but (as is typical) a voucher to use to buy further products from the same offender, Shutterfly.
And the heroic lawyers who corrected whatever injustice was inflicted on victims like me?
They got $2.4 million. It's the tail wagging the dog - attorney's fees should be capped at some multiplier of the median payment.
https://sfdiscountsettlement.com/important-case-documents/

2024-06-09 12:54:14

Texas and MAGA: screw EVs, we're going to ban them and promote gasoline.
Also TX: pollution is critically high, so please don't drive your internal combustion engine vehicle.
https://www.newsweek.com/texas-asks-people-avoid-using-their-cars-1909517

2024-06-07 20:25:19

Even by the standards of the corrupt Roberts Court, the extent of Thomas's corruption is jaw-dropping.
Current estimates are that Thomas received $6 million in "gifts" over the past 20 years, which averages a whopping $300,000 per year!
If the guy doesn't want the already-generous SCOTUS salary and cushy work schedule, he should step aside for someone who does rather than leading us to the reasonable conclusion that he's for sale with such graft.

2024-06-06 15:33:29

The enshitiffication of customer service...
We sold our RV, so I went to the GEICO website to cancel the insurance policy. There was no option to do that, so I selected chat. You can't cancel through chat, so I had to call to talk to a rep for something simple that should have been done with a couple of buttons on a website.
Presumably their rationale is probably to try and keep you as a customer, but making everyone jump through hoops to protect their client base is a poor policy.

2024-06-06 12:35:27

More GOP hypocrisy. Potential candidates must provide their tax records before Trump picks his running mate.
But voters don't get to see Trump's tax returns before electing the president.
https://www.axios.com/2024/06/06/trump-vp-short-list-top-contenders

2024-06-03 19:39:08

Trump isn't predicting public unrest - he's advocating for it with a barely-disguised dog whistle.
Just like he unsuccessfully called for mass protests (and falsely claimed there were!) for his initial arrest/bookings, arraignments, and the start of the trial, this time around, any protest would also very likely be tepid.
Regardless, I'm confident Merchan will impose a sentence based on what Trump deserves, not how loud any mob of supporters may be.
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4699868-trump-warns-public-breaking-point-if-jailed/

2024-06-01 01:20:00

Do Trump's cronies on the House weaponization of the federal government subcommittee realize the irony, and hypocrisy, of using their federal power to harass a state official who exposed their guy's crimes?
Why not haul in the jurors for questioning while they're at it?
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4696278-jim-jordan-bragg-testimony-trump-verdict/

2024-06-01 00:33:00

Some of the consequences convicted felon Donald Trump now faces are rather amusing.
Certain British newspapers which had referred to him as "Mr. Trump" will be reverting to plain "Trump", as is their practice for convicted criminals.
Oh, the indignity!
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/may/31/travel-trouble-gun-restrictions-and-no-more-mr-trump-the-trials-of-life-as-a-convicted-felon

2024-05-30 22:54:42

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@npub1rkt…sqek Another way of putting it is that elderly Florida man who is running for office was convicted all 34 felony counts, still faces 54 counts in other cases.

2024-05-30 22:49:52

Convicted felon (34 times over).
Adjudged rapist.
Trump Org. convicted of tax fraud.
Found liable for civil fraud in multiple cases.
Twice impeached.
And still facing 54 more felony counts in three different jurisdictions.
The party of law and order really knows how to pick 'em.

2024-05-30 21:33:46

Convicted felon Donald Trump (I may never get tired of those words) is prohibited from voting for President in his home state of Florida.
But in an indication that our law is an ass, being a convicted felon is not a barrier to running for president. Presumably the founders never envisaged that their beloved Republic would sink so low that anyone could possibly vote for an unrepentant criminal.

2024-05-30 21:29:37

Now that Trump is a convicted felon, will be go to jail?
Most lawyers believe he will not be sentenced to jail, as jail is rare for first offenses under the false business records statute.
I'm not so sure. Trump's attacks on the judge and system, and utter lack of remorse, shows no acceptance of responsibility, and zero potential for rehabilitation (Justice Engoron highlighted this very issue in Trump's civil fraud trial).
I'm not writing off incarceration. But what do I know?

2024-05-30 00:45:48

Alito is an ethical hot mess, part 16.
In addition to saying "Not True" during Obama's 2010 State of the Union, flying pro-insurrectionist flags at two different residences, consider that after attending Trump's inauguration in 2017, Alito joined Trump in skipping Biden's inauguration in 2021.
Impartial, my ass. But Alito claims (and has) the sole power to decide whether he has a conflict of interest, without anyone being allowed to second-guess him.
#SCOTUS

2024-05-25 22:26:12

Alito flying pro-insurrectionist flags should come as no surprise.
The guy has long been a political hack instead of a neutral judge who rises above the fray - remember this gem from 2010 when he mouthed "Not True" during Obama's State of the Union Address?
And if that's what he says in public with cameras trained on him, how do you think he is behind the scenes?
https://youtu.be/4pB5uR3zgsA?si=XLGMLpJRTETTY83h

2024-05-25 22:05:11

On what planet are families shopping legitimate military targets?
Russia bombing this Ukrainian supermarket is far from their first war crime, but serves as another reminder why it is imperative that Ukraine wins. And imperative we provide Ukraine with all military and economic support necessary to defeat what can only be described as an evil and aggressive regime.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/25/people-killed-in-russian-missile-attacks-on-kharkiv

2024-05-25 12:55:53

In his prior term, Trump surrounded himself with horrible appointees who had not yet been convicted of crimes.
What's different this time is that if elected, he would willingly fill his administration with those same people, knowing they are now unrepentant convicted criminals.
Disrespect for the law is unsurprising with an adjudged rapist whose company was convicted of tax fraud, and who has been indicted with 88 felony counts.

2024-05-22 22:23:50

It is sad to see India, a country once known as "the world's largest democracy," sliding so brazenly into despotism. I wonder if they will start hacking their expats to pieces at their embassies next?
https://www.vox.com/world-politics/24160779/inside-indias-secret-campaign-to-threaten-and-harass-americans

2024-05-21 14:28:47

There must be some kind of mistake. The evidence phase cannot be over, because Trump promised us he would testify. And he is a man of his word, not a coward who chickens out. Right?

2024-05-14 20:10:50

Q - Which liar do we trust more, Cohen or Trump?
A - Cohen, for several reasons:
1. No president was more mendacious than Trump, with over 30K verifiable lies during his term. Cohen is a piker by comparison.
2. Cohen's conviction was largely for lying on Trump's behalf (making Trump's attacks on it ironic).
3. Cohen's testimony is corroborated by other witnesses and extensive documents, while Trump is contradicted by them, and probably won't even testify anyway.
https://thehill.com/opinion/criminal-justice/4663341-in-cohen-vs-trump-which-liar-will-the-jury-believe/

2024-05-12 20:39:14

Read what Trone is really saying. He will only spend his wealth to beat the Republican if he is the Democratic nominee. So his support for the Democrats is pretty shallow: "if I ain't the guy, screw you all."
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4656934-david-trone-angela-alsobrooks-larry-hogan-maryland-senate-primary/

2024-05-09 19:39:58

Orban must be proud! He has alienated his western allies by embracing Putin and other dictators.
But at least his warm welcome to China's dictator has caused China to elevate Hungary's status to that of their other close allies, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan & Venezuela.
Once again the maxim "you're known by the company you keep" is proven correct. I'm shocked the Hungarian people are willing to go along with this.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/may/09/hungary-rolls-out-red-carpet-for-xi-in-final-leg-of-european-tour

2024-05-06 23:36:37

Listening to Gov. Kristi Noem alternating between trying to dodge the questions and trying to explain away her lie that she met Kim Jong Un (for which she can't blame the ghostwriter because she narrated the audiobook) reminds me of this classic line from My Cousin Vinny.
At this stage, Noem should just shut up - even traditionally-friendly right-wing media has abandoned her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDmGhethEoQ

2024-05-06 22:45:00

Good for him. This quote from the Republican former GA lieutenant governor sums up my own position as well, except I abandoned the GOP in 2016 when Trump got the nomination, without needing to wait for multiple indictments.
"Unlike Trump, I've belonged to the GOP my entire life. This November, I am voting for a decent person I disagree with on policy over a criminal defendant without a moral compass."
https://www.ajc.com/opinion/geoff-duncan-why-im-voting-for-biden-and-other-republicans-should-too/LFLE5YWCBBA6VDGJAJKMNPCDKQ/

2023-09-07 13:50:28

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@npub1ulm…hweg These flags look pretty similar to my (admittedly untrained) eye.
I saw reference to copyright in there - for the benefit of us non-IP types, I have perhaps a dumb question - does the absence of counterfeiting mean no cause of action at all, or just no trademark claim, but there is still the possibility of a copyright action (which my instinct tells me would be tougher)?