This is pretty much the position of the far right of the Republican party on all issues: my rights to do what I want, believe what I want, think what I want, over yours. My freedom of religion to be a bigot against you. My rights don’t end where your rights begin, you don’t have rights.
Legal definitions may vary from state to state, but think of extortion as a circle on a Venn diagram, and blackmail as a smaller circle entirely within it. Blackmail is extortion by threat to reveal something the extortee [sic] wants to keep secret.
Maybe, just maybe, he isn’t a criminal. But he is certainly highly immoral and should not be serving in Congress. He is an embarrassment to Republicans who already worship our immoral former president.
I just learned this! (don’t know if it’s actually true…)
Cattle owners who paid “black rent” or “black meal” (the origin of the word blackmail) would have their cattle protected by Rob and his fellow MacGregors. Since they were often the cattle rustlers, paying to have them protect your cattle could be beneficial!
iirc, and I don’t have the book handy, when the lead orc is encouraging his troops, he promises ‘we’ll feast on horse flesh, or something better’. When the competing orcs are taunting each other one says ‘he feeds on orc-flesh, i’ll warrant’ . Even orcs, in the book, have an aversion to cannibalism.
Not deranged. He had a support group of other people in Congress he showed the pictures to. I’d love to know who they were. I’d love to see some lower level staffers rat out the boys club that gave points for seducing women.