Make America Guilty Again

The Former Guy is FINALLY indicted for being the match that lit the January 6th gasoline bomb

We cannot, of course, expect every leader to possess the wisdom of Lincoln or Mandela’s largeness of soul. But when we think about what questions might be most useful to ask, perhaps we should begin by discerning what our prospective leaders believe it worthwhile for us to hear.

Do they cater to our prejudices by suggesting that we treat people outside our ethnicity, race, creed or party as unworthy of dignity and respect?

Do they want us to nurture our anger toward those who we believe have done us wrong, rub raw our grievances and set our sights on revenge?

Do they encourage us to have contempt for our governing institutions and the electoral process?

Do they seek to destroy our faith in essential contributors to democracy, such as an independent press, and a professional judiciary?

Do they exploit the symbols of patriotism, the flag, the pledge in a conscious effort to turn us against one another?

If defeated at the polls, will they accept the verdict, or insist without evidence they have won?

Do they go beyond asking about our votes to brag about their ability to solve all problems put to rest all anxieties and satisfy every desire?

Do they solicit our cheers by speaking casually and with pumped up machismo about using violence to blow enemies away?

Do they echo the attitude of Musolini: “The crowd doesn’t have to know, all they have to do is believe and submit to being shaped.”?

Or do they invite us to join with them in building and maintaining a healthy center for our society, a place where rights and duties are apportioned fairly, the social contract is honored, and all have room to dream and grow.

The answers to these questions will not tell us whether a prospective leader is left or right-wing, conservative or liberal, or, in the American context, a Democrat or a Republican. However, they will us much that we need to know about those wanting to lead us, and much also about ourselves.

For those who cherish freedom, the answers will provide grounds for reassurance, or, a warning we dare not ignore.

• Madeleine K. Albright, Fascism: A Warning

The idea that The Former Guy was indicted on four felony counts this afternoon relating to the January 6 insurrection is hardly surprising; that’s been telegraphed for weeks. Today was merely the denouement of that process and the beginning of another, where the real work begins.

It’s also a somber day for several reasons, not least of which is that for the first time in American history, a former President has been indicted for trying to overturn the results of an election he lost.

Consider that for a moment. While still in office, The Former Guy attempted to stage a coup and, with it, disenfranchise more than 81 million Americans. It could’ve represented the end of American democracy and the onset of actual American fascism.

There’s no way to overstate the seriousness of what The Former Guy and his allies attempted to accomplish on January 6, 2020. It was nothing short of a revolution that would have fundamentally altered American governance. What would our federal government have looked like had the insurrection succeeded? We don’t know, and thankfully we didn’t find out. There is one thing we did- or at least should have- learned that day, and that’s the knowledge that there are those among us willing to attack the seat of our government for their own ends.

Whether that’s based on truth or lies hardly matters.

The full indictment is quite damning. I won’t go through it because you can read it as well as I can, but I’d strongly suggest reading it. We- ALL of us- need to understand what’s being alleged and what The Former Guy is being charged with. It’s every bit as cynical and self-serving as might be imagined.

Because, as usual, he’d have us believe that he’s being persecuted by the “Biden Crime Family” and their “weaponized” Department of Justice. What’s truly sad and depressing is that millions of Americans are still firmly behind him. Many believe his many indictments indicate that The Former Guy is on the right track.

MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Or something like that….

(Here’s a thought experiment: Imagine that a Democrat had done the same thing. What do you think the reaction would be?)

He’s charged with an attack upon the federal government fueled by lies. Of course, there’s much more to it, but that’s more or less the bottom line. The Former Guy’s lies fueled numerous schemes to overturn a legally certified democratic election. He was, in effect, attempting to disenfranchise more than 81 million Americans.

Like his usual modus operandi, The Former Guy lit the fire on January 6 that has continued to divide America. This has never been about competing visions of how to unite a country so thoroughly cleaved along ideological lines. It was not, as so many Republicans have insisted, “a normal tourist visit.” People died that day. The halls of Congress were defiled with human feces and garbage. For the first time in American history, the Confederate stars and bars were paraded through the US Capitol, which didn’t even happen during the Civil War.

More than 1000 people have been charged with crimes stemming from their actions on January 6; many have already been convicted and are serving time. Yet, until today, the person most responsible for the rioting and deaths that occurred on that awful day hasn’t been charged.

We still don’t know when The Former Guy will be arraigned or tried for the crimes he’s been charged with. As with every other indictment he’s faced, his legal strategy will undoubtedly be to delay, delay, and delay some more. Holding him accountable seems like a quixotic quest, but it’s something we can’t give up on. The man may be a slimy bastard with an army of almost equally dirty and ethics-free attorneys willing to do anything to keep their client on this side of a jailhouse door. Nonetheless, our judicial system must show it’s up to the challenge; it must stay the course and outlast the slimy, wannabe fascist.

Seeking justice from The Former Guy might seem not unlike trying to nail Jell-O to a wall, but he’s counting on Americans to cave to exasperation and grow tired of the chase. He’s hoping our attention span wanes, and we stop being fascinated by his legal travails.

I, for one, am sick to death of hearing The Former Guy’s name 24/7/365, so I no longer use it here. I long for the day when he becomes no longer a name but an inmate and a number…and his cell door slams shut behind him. I want nothing more than for him to die a lingering, painful death and to leave this world an embittered old man buried in a place where anyone who wishes to may piss on his grave.

I might even avail myself of the opportunity.