Jury selection is finished and the presenting of evidence by the state, the testimony of witnesses and experts, the examination and cross examination all began today with opening arguments by defense and prosecution in a courtroom in lower Manhattan. The gist of the the charges is that "The defendant DONALD J. TRUMP repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election." This is an exact quote from the document filed by the State of New York against Donald J. Trump. It goes on for quite a few pages describing the various laws he is alleged to have violated, how he planned and had it executed.
On this I want to say these things:
1. I don't know if the state will be able to present a case that will convince me beyond a reasonable doubt that he is guilty. I am not on the jury so my opinion of the case doesn't matter in the court but it matters to me. The reason it matters to me is I don't like Trump. I don't like how he lies, how it seems the only person he truly cares about is Donald J. Trump, I don't like how he always presents himself as the victim despite being a major league victimizer. That said, if I was on the jury I would put my dislike aside and judge the case on its merits.
2. If the state's case on all 34 felony charges does not achieve the beyond a reasonable doubt requirement to find the defendent guilty and I was on the jury, despite how much I dislike everything Trump is and much of what he represents, I'd vote to find him not guilty. On the other hand, if the state's case is strong enough to show his guilt, that he committed some or all of these felonies, I'd vote to convict.
3. What I hope for is beside the point. What happens if he is convicted is going to be interesting, as in the supposedly ancient Chinese curse, may you live in interesting times.
It won't be fun but it will be interesting to watch what happens over the next few weeks in that courtroom downtown. Justice Merchan seems to be a match for Trump, possibly Trump is overmatched by Merchan. I am glad the trial is on now because justice delayed doesn't serve the American electorate.
I am running late so tomorrow I'll post the pictures from my visit to Urban Space this past Friday.
And here are the photos I said I'd post.
Ron Kolm and I spent a very pleasant couple of hours at Urban Space on Vanderbilt Ave, chatting about politics, the state of the world and literature. His book, The Plastic Factory has been published in a German translation by a small, German press in Germany. That is simply great!
I took a few photos. The first two are of a family from central France, then Ron, then two women from Murcia in Spain. I couldn't get them both in focus when they were sitting so I put one of each up.
The people who work at Urban Space are friendly and efficient. I want to thank them by posting photos of them. The first of these I had trouble with but what the hell, it is ok. The other, I think her name is Tanya, does a great job at the bar.
On my way to Grand Central Terminal I saw these two women asking someone to take a photo of them with their phone. I took one, too.
And then in Grand Central I saw this mother and daughter from Amsterdam.
All in all it was fun.
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