Doesn’t Matter Who Wins the K Race; We’re All the Same

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield

I’m fine with writing Manafort off on a caveat emptor basis. Man has terrible risk avoidance instinct. Foolish.

But that’s an analysis based on a notion that right and wrong are concepts for plebes, and the real rule of life is one must be shrewd with his cost/benefit analyses. You suggested earlier that Manafort did something bad and so deserved what gets. These aren’t mutually exclusive standards, but if he is where he is because he wasn’t shrewd enough to stay out of the spotlight, you’re kind of proving my point that we don’t have a “justice” system so much as a nihilistic property protection system, and Manafort walked afoul of some very powerful political forces who’d have never looked* at him but for his throwing himself into the spotlight and being aligned with a President who pissed off these powerful people. You’re acknowledging the prosecution of him is political.

No, that's shite. I do not believe that Mueller is political. I believe that Mueller is trying to run a non-partisan, non-political investigation into what he sees as genuine crimes and national security threats. I believe this in part because Mueller is a Republican, and also because he has never been much of a partisan. I believe that the targets of his investigation committed real crimes and know this, and are trying to escape justice by complaining that the investigation and prosecutions are political, partly because Trump supporters will believe it. What's a shame is that you believe it too.