Trump Has been suspiciously quiet of late. That’s a legal tactic to protect his Fifth Amendment coverage. Fifth Amendment rights are based on a belief that anyone, even a President, deserves to have a private life that he can’t be compelled to reveal. And, that no one can be forced to incriminate himself, which is to admit involvement in a specific criminal activity. But the thing about self-incrimination is that if you say one word on an issue in question voluntarily, the protection is lost entirely. If you are the President, and you make an issue under investigation public, for instance, by speaking about it before the press, and publishing a letter explaining it and justifying it; that’s obviously sufficient. And, having Administration legal staff work to create and edit the document is ironclad. And, that’s not to mention all the superhuman efforts to hide evidence (of crimes that never happened, according to Trump).
No legal proceedings were required to make this corruption a public issue and involve Donald Trump in it in the first place. None were necessary. Trump did it all by himself! Trump made the criminal acts of election interference and abuse of power national issues, and involved himself in them (the essence of the Fifth Amendment protection is that one cannot be forced to “involve” oneself in criminal activity by admission) when he published the “redacted letter.” It was “validated,” and given life, when it was very publicly published – by the President. He did so intentionally and personally. We all saw him.
President Trump has already given up his right to be free from self-incrimination! He has already “involved” himself. He has defended publicly his acts and motivations. He has acted repeatedly, and in a patterned way, to repress testimony – and by direct order! He opened the floodgates. Now, he thinks that if he takes the coward’s way out, and sits in a corner quietly and never defends himself except by proxy, he can stay: “above the fray.”
Not a chance. Trump’s integrity has been denied, and his honor insulted; but so has the honor of all Americans. This whole impeachment trial is taking on a foul smell because of Trump’s contempt for the process, the Constitution, and the Congress. And especially, his ongoing, constant interference in the process. He was supposed to be tough, could win any fight. Now, he can’t face a straight-up vote on impeachment; he has to rig that too. The tough guy turned out to be nothing but an orange haired, vulgar bore who faints at the sound of thunder and leads from the rear. What sort of fool calls himself a liar?
When you think about it, Trump has betrayed every person who ever followed his banner. The result is that Trump doesn’t even have a “team” now. None of them trusts the other. His crew have no sense of mission, and no comprehension of “service.” Soon, the instinct to survive will take over and he will be thrown to the wolves.
Trump can’t defend himself anyway! He is incapable of answering questions “in kind,” because he can’t follow reasoned discourse, he can’t understand questions that a child would understand. He’s profoundly ignorant, to the point that he can barely read and write because of a lack of context; which is to say, he is illiterate. No, he could not read a statement by a judge, or understand even the most simplistic legal argument, even to save his presidency. He can’t make decisions in a reasoned way – he can’t defend himself.
Even so, if President Trump had a shred of true honor or duty owed him, he would be unassailable. Terrifying, isn’t it? But Trump can’t conceive of duty, because that implies service; and he lives only for himself. He believes that he is God: perfect. That’s the kind of fool.
In a stunning irony, as of today, little is being done to fix the electoral systems in the United States and its constituents. They are basically rotten to the core. The 2016 elections should have been a giant wake-up call; but somehow, we didn’t learn anything at all. At present, elections reform is a non-issue in D.C. and most of the states. There are a few efforts to get new voting machines, fight voter purges, etc. And the perennial battle over gerrymandering rattles on without unity, or purpose. Do the people of the United States not really want Democracy – are we that bigoted? Or is this a indicator of how much our minds are controlled: we forget the real core issue. Electoral corruption is the problem. Ridding ourselves of it is the only valid, long-term solution. But those all-powerful “Invisible Actors,” the Electoral College, make Democracy nothing more than a hypothesis never tested, never tried. And Organized Corruption rules: in every state, every party, every branch of government.
And the Judiciary? They are beneath contempt: just a few years ago, we looked at the Courts as the last bastion – our savior. Now, we find it hard to believe that we were ever so immature. They, like all of our institutions that we put faith in, are mired in politics, and poisoned by it. There is no part in their deliberations for Justice now. And, their quasi-religious opinions and beliefs threaten us by enabling violent extremism, and keeping the prospect of poverty constantly before us. That makes them useless. They: “stood stone-faced as the building burned.” They are not friends. Friends listen. They don’t even listen to each other. They play a part in the cabal of power, and that is enough. They were first to contrive to eliminate the “Rule of Law. They have never heard of the Mafia. The courts are collectively deaf, dumb and blind.
We had better embrace the Constitution and Democracy, it seems like they are all that we have!
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