Is we is or is we ain’t?

Former president and now proclaimed 2024 presidential candidate Donald J. Trump continues to proclaim his strong advocacy for the rule of law, a stance long a cornerstone of the GOP ethos. But as only only Trump can, his advocacy is so twisted in application that his supposed support; believed, lauded and mimicked by far too many of his followers, is actually an attack deliberately launched so as to erode confidence in yet another of the the bulwarks of fortress America. To make these walls easier to breach.

Just as his false promises of transparency, openness and truth in his first campaign resulted early on in the erosion of trust in honest journalism, now deemed “fake news” by far too many, his warped conception of support for law and order is bent on eroding trust in the honest enforcement of our nation’s laws, the honest practice of law and the honest adjudication of matters of law so arising.

But …

Donald claims the law enforcement has wrongfully abused him, that prosecutors and the U.S. Department of Justice have been weaponized against him and that the courts are part and parcel of a witch hunt, pawns of his many enemies. That he is likely the most wrongfully persecuted individual, let alone president, to have ever been, and that his supporters suffer for him.

“Many of them are being treated unbelievably unfairly,” Trump said in an interview on OAN, speaking of the 700 or so who answered his call and were charged for their roles in the January 6 insurrection. “Compare that to what happened in the riots where Black Lives Matter and Antifa killed people!”

“HOW CAN THE JANUARY 6TH UNSELECT COMMITTEE MAKE CRIMINAL REFERRALS WHEN THEY HAVEN’T SPOKEN ABOUT, OR STUDIED, THOSE THAT RIGGED THE 2020 ELECTION, THE TROOPS NOT BEING BROUGHT IN BY PELOSI, OR NOW, THE ELECTION FRAUD DETERMINATIVELY REVEALED BY TWITTER?” he posted to his Truth Social Monday. “THESE ARE THE REAL CRIMINALS!!!”

This from a president who claimed to have been exonerated by the Mueller report but wasn’t, protected by his sycophant attorney general, who was twice impeached by the House of Representatives but unconvicted by a Senate whose members were convinced of his guilt but far more concerned about invoking Trump’s wrath and throwing away their power and positions.

He promises to pardon, if reelected, most all so far who have pled guilty or been convicted of answering his call to uphold the lie that his election was stolen. Though some of them suffered (gasp!) pre-trial confinement, not one was oppressed because of their beliefs or political persuasion, only because they broke a particular statute of law.

“So why hasn’t Pelosi been held to account for not calling out the military January 6?” Possibly because, Mr. Former President, she was not commander in chief.

Our legal system is imperfect and very often unjust. Innocent people are sometimes punished, guilty people sometimes go free. None of us are perfect, yet we strive. Some to serve, others to be served.

Our constitution was not written “to establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,” but to “form a more perfect union,” to set goals toward which to aspire.

While our application of it often falls far short, the concepts of law are sound, even if perfection is unattainable.

All are equal in the eyes of the law.

Sound the cry for the right of free speech, the right to keep and bear arms and all the others conveyed by the Bill of Rights, but be wrong if you keep silent on the 14th Amendment; “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

Candidate Trump is wrong in his assumptions, as are many who follow his vision of a greater America here in Boundary County, “Trump Country.”

Ours is a nation of laws, written and codified by duly elected public servants in every municipal, county, state and federal jurisdiction in every inch of land within our nation’s borders. Per the Declaration of Independence that freed this nation from England; “All men are created equal.”

It seems a simple concept. It says nothing about race, creed, color, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, political party or any other affiliation; all are equal.

So how can it be that driving while black, Hispanic or indigenous results in the certainty of a 20-percent greater rate of being pulled over than whites? How is it that once pulled over, “colored” drivers are detained and searched twice as often as Caucasian drivers? How can it be that a minority of our people are in the majority of the incarcerated? That those with the courage to call out such obvious disparity are called enemies of state?

Worse yet, how can anyone forfeit common sense and logic so as to believe and buy into such overt and obvious inequity?

You would think that anyone with a measure of common sense and decency would stand up for the neighbor who is wrongfully charged, rudely used, accused without right or reason, no matter their skin color, sexual orientation, political views, religion.

Instead, it’s far more common these days for those willing to raise honest questions to be treated to such inane gems as this:

“Wow Mike. The left has drifted to supporting taking guns from law abiding citizens, unchecked immigration, riots and looting in the name of so called “social justice”, and appointing people in the current administration with severe mental problems like the ‘woman of the year’ and the sexual deviant accused of stealing luggage from at least two airports now. They were appointed for their deviance, not their knowledge or skill. Really, you call yourself a Blue Dog democrat that has remained constant, and the Conservatives arena just white supremacy fans? You have lost it. As demential Joe, aka The Big Guy in Hunters Emails detailing corruption would say, C’mon Man!”

Those are not the mores of the Republican Party to which I once belonged, and I am offended. I know not all Republicans buy into the Trump doctrine of lies. But I cannot abide being part of a once proud party so fearful today of a charlatan that its members support his lies rather than stand up for truth and principals. I won’t stand with a party of cowards.