Scott Bradford: Off on a Tangent
Lady Justice and Trump's Mugshot
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In this series, I have provided a detailed written analysis of all the criminal charges currently faced by former President Donald Trump (R). These include thirty-four counts in the New York business records case, forty in the federal documents case, four in the federal election case, and thirteen in the Georgia election case—a grand total of ninety-one criminal charges.

As I explained in the brief overview at the beginning of the series, my goal was to “explain the facts as I understand them, then add some informed conjecture and my conclusions.” I have tried to be fair. I have my biases, but I strive to apply my principles, and the law, without favor. I will not hold politicians on “my side” to a lesser standard than those on the “other side.”

I (reluctantly) endorsed Trump in 2016 and again in 2020, and I generally tend more to the Republican side of the American political duopoly than the Democratic one. I am convinced that at least some of the legal mortars that have been fired at Trump during and after his presidency were launched by partisan figures for less-than-honorable reasons. “Russiagate” and the impeachments were mostly nonsense, and the overwhelming majority of charges in these four indictments are irreparably flawed—some are obviously unconstitutional, some are impermissibly vague, and some cannot be proved beyond a reasonable doubt without resorting to mind-reading.

And yet, buried in the fluff, there are accusations with merit . . . and it turns out that some of them warrant conviction. As is often the case, reality lies somewhere between the insistent pronouncements of the right-wing and the left. You cannot yell, “partisan hit job!” and throw everything out because you like Trump. Nor can you convict him on all counts, law and principles be damned, because you don’t like him. Justice, when practiced properly, is a search for the truth . . . and the truth is often complicated.

This post is a [relatively] brief summary of what I found when I did my “deep dive” analyses of every charge Trump is facing. If even this is too much, you can skip to the “Summary of Conclusions” near the end. And of course, for details about my reasoning you’ll have to follow the links to the more detailed article about each indictment.

Read more . . .

Trump and Co-Defendants
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The fourth (and, so far, final) of former President Donald Trump’s (R) indictments was issued by a Georgia grand jury on August 14, 2023. Trump appeared for booking in Fulton County, Georgia, on August 24 and filed a “not guilty” plea in writing on August 31.

The indictment lists forty-one charges against nineteen defendants—Trump and eighteen others connected with him or his 2020 presidential campaign. Thirteen charges are directed at Trump. Six charges alleging “solicitation of violation of oath by public officer,” three of which were directed at Trump, were dismissed on March 13, 2024, due to vagueness. Four defendants—Scott Hall, Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro, and Jenna Ellis—pleaded guilty under plea agreements that reduced the number or severity of charges and limited their sentences to probation and fines with no jail time. Three more charges relating to federal court filings, two of which were directed at Trump, were dismissed September 12, 2024, due to potential conflicts with federal law.

Prosecutors allege that the defendants conspired with one another and committed various other crimes to subvert the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election in Georgia. The charges against Trump include racketeering (i.e., RICO violations); conspiracies to impersonate, commit forgery, make false statements, and file false documents; filing a false document; and making false statements.

This article is based on the information that is publicly available at the time of its writing. It may need to be revised if new information becomes available. Any substantial changes will be described in the “Updates” section near the end of this post.

Read more . . .

Virginia Major Party Primaries, 2024

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Seal of Virginia
Seal of Virginia

Virginia’s major party primary elections will be held on Tuesday, June 18, 2024. Off on a Tangent makes recommendations to primary voters in state- and federal-level races in Virginia and local elections in Loudoun County whenever nominees will be chosen through a contested public primary.

Political parties are private organizations that should have no formal standing in our political system. As private organizations, they are free to choose their nominees through whichever process they wish—common methods include conventions, caucuses, private “firehouse primaries,” and direct nomination by party leaders. But in Virginia and many other states, the Democratic and Republican party duopoly has given itself permission to hold public primaries at the taxpayers’ expense.

Public primaries in Virginia are “open.” Any registered voter may vote in any single party primary held on a given day, regardless of whether they are an actual member of that party.

Read more . . .

South Riding Board of Directors, 2024

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South Riding Proprietary

The South Riding Proprietary is a homeowners’ association (HOA) that acts as a de facto local government for the South Riding community in Loudoun County, Virginia. At the proprietary’s annual meeting on May 21, 2024, two of the seven seats on the Board of Directors are up for election. Members of the board serve three year terms. South Riding property owners may cast their votes by attending the annual meeting in person, submitting a paper ballot by mail, or electronically with a PIN on Votegrity.net.

The two directors at the end of their terms are Francois Desamours and Kevin Ubelhart. Two candidates appear on the ballot—Ubelhart, who is seeking reelection, and Dheeraj “DJ” Nelli. Property owners may vote for up to two candidates, and may write-in other names if desired.

Under the Proprietary’s bylaws, at least ten percent of South Riding property owners must cast votes to achieve a quorum. If a quorum is not achieved, the Board of Directors cannot seat new members or perform official work, and the meeting will be recessed for up to a month. When the meeting resumes, the quorum requirement drops to only five percent. The meeting may then be repeatedly recessed and resumed until a quorum is achieved.

Compulsory HOAs are established by the developers of a planned communities. Those who wish to buy property in the neighborhood must accept the HOA “disclosure” or “covenant” as a condition of the purchase. The terms include a requirement that the same disclosures must be included if the property is later sold, effectively creating a permanent or semi-permanent de facto government. HOAs typically provide community services and amenities, but also impose significant restrictions on the use and maintenance of residents’ private property.

The right to property is one of the three fundamental human rights. It cannot be signed-away by contract. Additionally, de facto governments are bound by the same constitutional limits on government that “real” governments are. In Virginia, the right to property is explicitly acknowledged as “fundamental.” In Virginia and the rest of the United States, citizens may not be deprived of their property without due process of law (cf. Constitution of Virginia, Article 1, Section 11 and U.S. Constitution, Amendments, Article V).

The South Riding Proprietary’s board must repeal all unconstitutional restrictions on the use of private property in the community. Until it does, I recommend that South Riding property owners abstain from the Board of Directors election and deny the board a quorum.

Star Trek: Generations – Soran Wants to Go Back

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Doctor Tolian Soran had a very interesting experience in the Nexus.

Like Guinan said: “It was like being inside joy. As if joy was something tangible and you could wrap yourself up in it like a blanket. . . .”

Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.