Consequential? Not as much as one might expect

Donald Trump was indicted yesterday on thirty-one counts of Willful Retention of National Defense Information (in layman's terms, 'espionage'), and another six counts of obstruction of justice and conspiracy. For anyone not is a position of national power and influence, this would appear to be an open and shut case. Trump had no right to retain classified information, lied to the authorities investigating the case and tried to cover up his wrong-doing, allegedly.

But Trump is not an ordinary individual in two ways that matter in this case.  First he is a national figure, at present the front runner in the Republican presidential primary. While justice is supposed to be blind, the Justice Department cannot proceed without at least considering the political implications of bringing the case. While Trump's notoriety should not influence the pursuit of justice, it clearly influences the process by which justice might be arrived at. For example, Jack Smith, the Special Council tasked by Attorney General Merrick Garland with investing the case, is hoping to move the process forward quickly to avoid it dragging on into 2024 and the presidential primaries. It appears too, that he has been meticulous in his collection of evidence and the building of the case to ensure that any claims that this is a shoddy, politically motivated "witch hunt" might be easily laid to rest. 

The other way Trump differs from many other criminal defendants is in his brazen attacks on the legitimacy of the judicial system and the judicial process. Just as may autocrats, when deposed and  brought to trial, claim the the system under which they are being prosecuted has no legitimate right to hold or try them, so Trump is making the same argument. Of course the difference is that when a dictator is deposed, there is often a question about the legitimacy of the judicial system in which they are being tried; but that is certainly not the case in America.  Trump has and will continue to claim he is the victim, that the charges are trumped up and politically motivated, and are only being brought by the "elites" to bring him down. He will raise money for his presidential campaign on the back of the indictment. And he will try every trick in his extensive play-book to delay the proceedings so that he can leverage his court case into his victim-hood narrative as he campaigns for the nomination and likely the presidency. 

While much of the punditry has been focusing on the legal implications of the case, ultimately the outcome may be largely irrelevant. If Trump is not convicted, he will claim it as a victory that demonstrates not only his innocence, but a vindication of his claims to have been persecuted.  If he is convicted, he will claim that his is yet further evidence of his being victimized by his political opponents who have manipulated justice to their own political ends. Politically, Trump makes hay either way.  

Since the verdict may not matter much, his inability to find a legal team experiences in dealing with espionage cases may not matter much either. What he is probably looking for is a team that is prepared to risk everything (think Sydney Powell or Rudy Giuliani) while being adept at brazening things out in the face of overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing. Ultimately, while I'm sure he'd like to be acquitted, he is looking for a victory in the court of Republican public opinion, not the legal system, betting that the former matters more than the latter.   Yes, the indictment is consequential, but less in terms if its legal implications than its political ones.

Going on record

 

The Washington Post carried an article this morning about a small town in South Dakota that has now been confronted by the reality of covid with positivity rate of 49% and members of its community dying every day.   

The article also mentioned the vocal opposition from some in the community: "During the public comment section in Mitchell, a handful of anti-maskers spoke, alleging that masks don’t work and that the measure was an overreach that would violate their civil rights". And at a local school board meeting"...a vocal group of anti-maskers continued to protest... That led to a viral video in September showing a burly man refusing to leave the meeting after being asked to put on a mask"

I hope there is more video that will serve as a record of their actions and of those like them which has contributed to the dire situation their town now faces. 

And in a similar vein, those who make public statements that are demonstrably erroneous but have tragic consequences for society should also be  memorialized. That list includes anti-vaxxers, climate change deniers, and last but not least 2020-election fraud conspiracy theorists.  

All should be remembered as having contributed to the woes that could have been avoided had they deferred to those who know what they are talking about.      

The "cancel culture" lie

As catchy as "cancel culture" might sound to Trump's base; it is, unsurprisingly, in essence just  another lie, a catchy term concocted by Fox to stir up the base.

Those asking for monuments glorifying historical figures who were either directly involved in slavery or supporters of it to be taken down are not "cancelling" anything. The movement is advocating exactly the opposite; it is seeking the reinstatement of parts of America's history that the descendants of the perpetrators of slavery had previously expunged.

They are asking that the history, written by those who prefer that the sins of their ancestors be forgotten, either because they don't care or because it makes them uncomfortable, be corrected to reflect things that had been intentionally omitted. That has nothing to do with "cancelling culture"; it's called setting the record straight.

Russian Poker, American Roulette

Would you object if I held a revolver to your head with only one bullet in the cylinder, gave it a spin and pulled the trigger?

After all it's my 2nd amendment right to bear arms, and there is only a 1 in 6 chance that you will die, and with the required six foot separation for social distancing, I could easily miss, so even if the gun did go off there's a good chance you might live (results vary based on make and model).

If you are infected with covid-19 and you are not wearing a mask, those may be fairly similar odds as a person you are talking to has of living.

What non-mask-wearers are playing is a twisted version of Russian Roulette (sometimes called Russian Poker) in which they are taking reckless chances not with their own lives, but with other people's lives; that's American Roulette.

Thinking ahead

Trump may be an aberration or he may be a more permanent reflection of America's cultural divide and the rightward-shift of the more rural and isolated parts of the country. Only time will tell. But whether he and his brand of politics are temporary or long-lasting, the effect of his time in office will long out-last him. As a white man, that makes me worried. Those who justifiably feel resentment at being demonized by Trump and his supporters may not distinguish between those who look like him but don't share his views and those who wear MAGA hats. I foresee a time when I will have to spend energy apologizing for being white, and for the sins of Trump-ism, even though I stand in staunch opposition to all he represents. And kudos to Susan Rice for  refusing to engage with Wolf Blitzer yesterday, who was baiting her with a mention of Tucker Calrson; her simple and suitably curt reply was "He's a disgrace". Exactly!