Word of the Year: Unprecedented

Wow, ending 2022 with a referral to indict a former president of the United States is, indeed, unprecedented. Completely. Never in the history of the US has this happened before. And, in my opinion, never before has someone so totally deserved the charges the congressional committee has set forth in it’s final hearing.

The question now is, what will the DOJ do? Will the ex-prez ever see the inside of a jail cell? What will his supporters do? More riots? More insurrections? More civil unrest? I have never been happier to be living outside the US, although I rue the days ahead where I will have to be an apologist for the land of the free and home of the brave.

Watching what has happened to the country brings both pride and shame; Pride that the small but powerful committee to investigate the January 6 2021 insurrection has stepped up and done something heretofore unimaginable, and shame that the country has fallen so low as to be seen by other countries as a blight on the very concept of democracy.

DJT represents all that is wrong with the US — greedy, self-serving, arrogant and totally devoid of a conscience when it comes to getting what he wants. His hubris knows no bounds, so they say. In fact, you will recall that during his first campaign that he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and get away with it.

Long has our country been loathe to prosecute the rich and powerful. Our prisons are full of poor, mostly black men and people of color. Why? Because they do not have the resources afforded by unlimited resources. They cannot “delay, delay, delay.” Nor can they influence the opinions of others with their money and their power. They lack equity in the legal justice system, which holds them accountable for less egregious crimes while those who seek to overthrow the government (!!!) get away with it.

It isn’t just the ex-prez: Those other congressional representatives that have lied, deflected, and obscured the truth are, perhaps, an even worse cancer on our democratic republic and need to be held accountable. In my mind, they are just as guilty of an attempted coup as the ex-man himself. And why? For what? They gambled big on a losing horse.

I salute the brave people on the committee who stood up to the bully. I am hoping that they eventually win the battle to see justice done. I am especially proud of Liz Chaney and, despite my mostly democratic leanings, would be proud to vote for her for president if she ran. She is a role model of decency and principal. Someone who will represent the values that America has stood for for over 200 years. Clearly, she has proven her worth over the past nearly two years, standing up for the rule of law and the peaceful transfer of power.

May god bless the US. It really needs it right now.