On Jan. 23, 2016, President-elect Trump claimed he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue in New York City and he would not lose votes. He was absolutely right. Today, nine years later, sentenced on 34 felony counts in the same city, the judge ordered a ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œconditional dischargeÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥: no prison time; no financial penalties. Nevertheless, Trump will be the first felon residing in the White House. A great resume when dealing with foreign leaders.
Trump has also evaded charges of conspiring in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, on withholding and sharing very sensitive government documents in his Florida palace, and interfering in our general elections in 2020 in Georgia. It really helps if you are very rich, able to afford a bevy of overpaid lawyers and have a corrupted U.S. Supreme Court on your side. Sorry, fellow Americans, if you are poor ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” white, black or brown ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” you may get jail time for shoplifting or car theft.
We are witnessing a mockery of our justice system. The U.S. Supreme Court is the third branch of our federal government, separate from the legislative and executive branches. Civics 101. Democracies rely on their judiciary, an independent body, to guarantee our rights. To emaciate the courts is often the first step toward autocracy. Poland, Venezuela, Cameroon, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Hungary and many other countries. In Israel, the process is now stalled thanks to massive protests. In our USA, we are witnessing the same scenario by the GOP and Trump attacking our judges and jurors.
In one reputable survey of 113 countries, the USA ranks 26th in judicial independence. Money and politics --, power ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” make legal decisions here. Had Mr. Trump been in a court in Copenhagen (Denmark), No. 1 in the survey, prison time and a hefty fine. Forget holding any public office. With the Greenland fiasco now, an extra five years in confinement?
