Unheralded

TOM DAVIES: The Verdict — Defying The Rule Of Law

Our current Liar in Chief, aka 45, has clearly demonstrated by word and deed what he thinks of the law. The law, in his opinion, does not apply to him or his friends. The time is coming when the Crown Prince of Clowns will pay the price for his racism, bigotry and his lawful but unwise use of the power of the pardon.

The third co-equal branch of government, the judiciary, has certainly been doing its job. The second co-equal branch, the legislature, seems to have forgotten that it is co-equal. Its members have allowed King 45 to stomp all over them.

Its members are being lumped into the “bad guy” category — the Democrats, of course, but also McConnell and Ryan, the Republican leaders of the Senate and the House, respectively — have all because they dare to question 45.

This man who claims he is the world’s best dealmaker hasn’t managed to make a deal since his election. The business community has learned the hard way that he cannot be trusted; corporate leaders have resigned in droves from his many commissions.

Once again, he who campaigned against the war in Afghanistan has switched his vote in favor of the war. However, at least he has listened to his generals, whom he fawns over.

King 45, who as a candidate once accepted another man’s Purple Heart with thanks, saying he’d always wanted one, flies in the face of his own multiple deferments from military service. But like other politicians before him, he has no qualms about sending other people’s sons and daughters to war.

Mr. Smart Businessman, who built his empire on using other people’s money and then either filing bankruptcy or just refusing to pay his creditors, hasn’t figured out the obvious. If the U.S. reined in the mad desire to win wars in countries where they cannot be won … if we quietly withdrew from some of these conflicts … they would continue (without any help from us) for decades to come, if not forever.

The United States, like Russia and Britain before it, will never be able to put a stop to violence that comes from tribal, political and religious factions that want nothing more than to kill each other.

Pull out of the Mideast wars, and, in a short period of time, watch our deficit shrink or even disappear. But God forbid if anyone talks about withdrawing!

We do not squander our future and our children fighting pointless foreign wars!

Note the only people who Trump has not dumped are his generals. He adores them. (They are, in fact, awesome.) It’s my belief he loves them is because they have done what he can never do: Command and lead men and women and earn their respect.

Consider the conflicting tones of all his recent speeches. He is for unity and peace; he is for racism and bigotry. He can’t stand anything about Clinton or Obama; he takes credit for everything they accomplished and gives credit to no one. And he says he wants the country to be unified!

Once again, 45’s true colors shine through. Does the name Joe Arpaio ring a bell? He’s the former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona. He not only lost his re-election bid; he was convicted of criminal contempt in federal court for violating a federal court order to halt conducting the discriminatory and violent policing uncovered through numerous civil rights investigations.

And this same man was pardoned by 45 last week. The president pardoned the most racist, divisive lawman in this country. He is proud of him, calling Arpaio “a true patriot.”

Here are a few highlights of the life of this so-called “patriot,” compiled by The Atlantic magazine:

“The pardon that Donald Trump granted Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, sends this message to American law enforcement: If you violate the civil rights of Latinos while enforcing immigration law, the president of the United States approves — and even if you’re one of the vanishingly few sheriffs or police chiefs that the Department of Justice has ever charged with a crime, he’ll intervene to spare you.

“The pardon is thus a slap in the face to Latinos, and ought to be an affront to all fair-minded Americans who value the constitution, the rule of law, and the legitimacy of the system.

“For American citizens who look Mexican, or Guatemalan, or El Salvadoran, or Colombian, the pardon creates new vulnerability to racial profiling and other violations of the 14th Amendment right to equal protection of the law. Should outrage over the matter fade, Republicans will keep pandering to anti-immigrant voters by abetting rights violations against Latinos, knowing they won’t pay an electoral price.”

Again from The Atlantic:

“Trump’s decision is unforgivable. The president is a corrupt person with a perverted sense of justice, and he pardoned a corrupt sheriff who backed his political rise, beginning with a racist campaign to insinuate that Obama was a foreigner. They deserve one another, but Americans deserve better than either of them.

“If the Latinos who are threatened by this action and the decent people of all races and ethnic groups who are offended by it hold it against Republicans who support the Arpaio pardon or stay silent, the GOP will deserve every last election and vote that they lose, having flagrantly failed to stand up for the creed of liberty and justice for all.”

U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton convicted former Sheriff Arpaio of criminal contempt of court, finding he willfully ignored another federal judge’s 2011 order halting a traffic stop program that targeted illegal immigrants.

This was intentional defiance of a federal court order by a man sworn to uphold the law. Now the scofflaw sheriff is demanding that his original conviction be erased from his record. His lawyers argue that, since Trump’s pardon came before Arpaio’s sentencing, Arpaio lost a chance to get a retrial or to appeal his conviction to the U.S. Supreme Court, where he has had a petition pending to hear his case.

What 45 did for Arpaio was a slap in the face to the judiciary. In my world, I think this slap will come back to haunt 45 in the long run.

Space does not permit me to list all of Old Joe’s misdeeds here. Google them yourself … and be sure to set aside a good deal of time to list them. Why it took so long for Arizona to wise up to this miscreant is beyond me.

One thing is for sure: With men like the former sheriff and the current president in power, if you are a person of color, you have something to worry about. If you are white, you do not. It all reminds me of Russia — nyet, that’s 45’s line. Amen.




One thought on “TOM DAVIES: The Verdict — Defying The Rule Of Law”

  • Diana Esta Green August 31, 2017 at 1:51 am

    Once again, words spoken well, put the spotlight where it needs to shine. But, who is watching??
    According to 45, the rules don’t apply to HIM, do they?? He’s special, because he’s rich, and can buy his way into anything, can’t he??
    There is so much more to say, but it would take longer than I chose to give it. I’m raising the little finger to this person because I don’t care to give the very best.

    Reply

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