Of late, I’ve been listening to people claim individual 1 has exposed the “weakness” in our constitution, although, I would suggest what our TWICE IMPEACED so-called two time popular vote LOSING (ex) president has exposed is the “weakness” in those holding public office who are AFRAID to honor their OATH to the constitution. Our laws and our constitution clearly would be sufficient to hold individual 1 and MANY of his sycophants accountable if we had political leaders with the courage to actually defend that document they’ve made what should be a solemn OATH to defend.

Of course, I’m talking about all those republicans who have subjected themselves to the control of individual 1 and the cult following he has because of his willingness to come along side the white nationalist/supremacist segment of America. (Which, by the way, is very large – larger than most of us understand) However, I’m also talking about the democrats who continue to act like the timid “fraidy cats” which have defined the democratic party over the course of much of my lifetime. It’s the democrats who cause me the most frustration, I have to admit.

Now, I’ve been an “independent” voter my entire life, although it should be obvious I tend to vote for democrats. The reality is I vote AGAINST republicans, because I just can’t stomach “today’s” version of the republican party. There are “red line” issues for me and one of those is the issue of race. The FACT the republican party has decided to associate themselves with the RACIST elements of our society as their “base” is a decision I can NOT support under any circumstances. Another issue for me is “climate change” and a third is the national debt. I believe, for example, the evidence shows over the course of the past 40+ years when there’s a democrat in office, they fight to pay for the “stuff” they want passed. The evidence is obvious, the real “sticking point” between republicans and democrats on the “infrastructure” bill is Biden’s commitment to PAY for it by raising taxes on America’s wealthy elite and corporations which have been CHEATING on their taxes for years. (Plus by increasing the IRS funding so they can go after all the rich American CHEATING on their taxes.)

Another issue I’ve already written about is my disappointment in Merrick Garland, Biden’s appointee to be the Attorney General of the United States. It almost feels as if he’s taking the Obama approach to legal accountability which is “looking forward instead of back.” I pointed this out when Barack Obama made that statement – you CAN’T prosecute CRIMINAL activity without “looking back.” If our Justice Department just “looked forward” there wouldn’t be prosecutions in the future. How can you prosecute CRIMINAL activity WITHOUT looking back?

The Justice Department IS looking back EVERY day as they’re hunting down the INSURRECTIONISTS who stormed our nation’s Capitol Building on January 6th, 2021. So far, they’ve found around 500 of the INSURRECTIONISTS who’ve been identified and charged with their CRIMINAL activity. Of course, virtually ALL those who entered the Capitol on January 6th, 2021 did so thinking individual 1 had “ordered” them to do so “or you won’t have a country anymore!” Others, like Mo Brooks and Rudy Giuliani and individual 1 Jr. urged the crowed to take “action” to overturn the certification of the Electoral College votes. So, why are these people NOT being investigated and indicted for their part in INSTIGATING the INSURRECTION? It’s ALL right out in the open – well, ON the TV screen!

I’ve compared this possibility – that individual 1 will be allowed to go without accountability to the Bush/Cheney administration when numerous members of their administration – including Bush, Cheney, and Don Rumsfeld – openly authorized and encouraged TORTURE. Torturing “enemy combatants” (which, GW Bush claimed he had the right to arbitrarily do) was WAR CRIMES – clear and simple. Of course, this is what Barack Obama chose to “look forward” and, in essence, ignore once he was in office. He actually STOPPED several investigations which were already underway by the time he took the OATH of office – to “defend our constitution.” (Bill Clinton’s Justice Department “looked forward” after “Iran/Contra” letting Ronald Reagan AND George HW Bush “off the hook” – suggesting they weren’t involved is, well, NOT believable)

lf our constitution allows some people to be “above the law” then we should simply acknowledge that so people like me don’t have to do all this writing. However, I believe our constitution and our system of laws are fully sufficient to hold individual 1 to account for his legal transgressions while in office. This is the ONLY way to stop this from happening in the future. Robert Mueller made it clear the EVIDENCE of individual 1 committing OBSTRUCTION of Justice could be prosecuted once he was out of office. In his report he claimed the reason they were “memorializing” the evidence was for someone else, in the future, who could hold individual 1 to account. Merrick Garland is “on the spot” as far as holding individual 1 to account. If there’s FEAR about the consequences of indicting an ex president, well, it should happen sooner rather than later – let’s get it over with. (Garland’s decision to block the release of Bill Barr’s memo showing his LYING about Mueller’s report suggests to me Garland has no stomach for prosecuting ANY of the 10 ALLEGED instances of OBSTRUCTION by individual 1.)

Obstruction is a basic CRIME upending our system of Justice. Mueller listed TEN instances of OBSTRUCTION committed by individual 1 as his (Mueller’s) team attempted to “get to the bottom” of the “Russia thing.” I realize election officials all across America are getting “death threats” for actually FAIRLY counting the ballots. So, I’m sure Mr. Garland understands what the result of indicting our TWICE IMPEACHED so-called two time popular vote LOSING (ex) president will be. Many of these right wing RACIST groups will, potentially, react with violence. If this OBSTRUCTION is NOT going to be prosecuted then the “Special Counsel” law should be “shelved.” It has no “teeth” if the person being investigated can get away with OBSTRUCTING the investigation – IN PLAIN SIGHT – as in the case of individual 1.

And, here, I have to add I predicted the violence coming from individual 1’s supporters over one year prior to January 6th, 2021 in response to an acquaintance who predicted individual 1 would “win in a landslide” and “liberal mobs” will respond with violence. I told him he had it backwards, and – not wanting to pat my own back – time proved me correct! Sadly! Of course, I had no idea this VIOLENCE would include an INSURRECTION at the Capitol – or that the so-called “Big lie” would continue well into the next year and that republicans all across America would continue to push that “LIE” and use it to justify “Jim Crow 2.0.” The RACISM of the republican party is now on full display – it’s as if George Wallace is back and had taken over the republican party. Yikes!

This country is teeming with CRIMINALS willing to do whatever it takes to turn our democratic republic into an autocracy – something resembling Putin’s Russia. Honestly, that SHOULD give even individual 1’s supporters pause. Why would they want a country with a constitution which has been shredded, and, by the way, for some of them, the ONLY part of the constitution which registers in their minds is the “Second Amendment” – which, of course, they’ve abused over the course of time. Here’s what the Second Amendment actually says: “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Now, those words definitely are vague, but suggesting they mean there can be no restrictions on the “arms” “we the people” have a right to “keep” is, to me, absurd. (A topic for another day)

Individual 1 was committing SCANDALS on such a regular basis that “we the people” became somewhat numb to all of his CRIMINAL activity. He was IMPEACHED twice and easily could have been IMPEACHED on other occasions as well. He’s left the impression he’s impervious to any legal accountability and, now, there seems to be MILLIONS of his supporters who believe they can also threaten people with impunity. Individual 1 continues to act like a mob boss and his supporters believe they can send threats to election officials with no blowback. I hate to bring this up again, Merrick Garland, but it’s on you watch these egregious attacks on our constitutional republic will either be held to account OR they’ll be fuel for future lawless behavior. It’s pretty much as simple as that.

Final Thought: The optimist in me wants to believe the democrats can figure out a way to pass the legislation which would “head off at the pass” all the racist voter suppression bills I referenced above as “Jim Crow 2.0.” As I’ve said, I’ve been watching democrats act as if they’re afraid of their own “shadow” for most of my lifetime and, it appears, we could be in for, at least, a couple more years of this. And, of course, republicans will be busy gerrymandering even more districts making keeping the democrats in control of the House near impossible. And, the VOTER SUPPRESSION bills are clearly aimed at all the African American votes which republicans believe got Joe Biden into the “White House.” With the “conservative” democrats in the Senate, it may not be necessary for republicans to control Congress to be able to OBSTRUCT Biden’s agenda.

There are too many photos, for example, to my liking of both Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema hanging out with republicans who clearly are attempting to keep them from supporting the democratic agenda. To me, Sinema is more difficult to understand, because her state is “turning blue” – well, at least prior to their VOTER SUPPRESSION bill which is aimed directly at “Maricopa County” which is the population center of the state – ie where the “people of color” reside. Should be interesting, stay tuned…………….

Oh yes, I still remember Chief Justice Roberts obfuscating as to why his court GUTTED the 1965 Voting Rights Act – sections 4 and 5 of it, which required “preclearance before states with a history of voter SUPPRESSION.” Well, now the Court has three more right wing judges, but the bottom line is it will have to be the COURTS which BLOCK “Jim Crow” 2.0 if the democrats are unable to get S-1 and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act bill passed “sooner rather than later.” To Garland’s credit, he’s suggested the Justice Department will begin that process and there are other “entities” who may be challenging these laws in Court. Will they be able to block this GIANT step backward in America – by the racists in the republican party – which, sadly, appears to be MOST of them – only time will tell!? It’s clear, there’s a large block of American “white people” who fear the loss of their “white privilege.” They would also tell you they believe in “free markets.” I’ve always said, there are NO “free markets” – only markets which are “free” by those who control them. The hypocrisy is palpable! OK, progressives – do whatever you have to do in order to cast your ballot in 2022!