Skip to main content

Move over, Hester: Speaker Mikey's in town...

Remember Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Puritan society in his novel, The Scarlet Letter?  Poor Hester Prynne violated the laws of the church, which meant that she broke society’s laws, too.  At the beginning of the novel, the reader joins Hester as she leaves the safety of the town prison and makes her way back into the society that jailed her.  Reading the book for the first time in the 11th grade, I had a hard time understanding how, in a free society, the religion of one group could also form its judicial system.  That makes the laws of God the same thing as the laws of man.   Separation of church and state was also an 11th grade U.S. history lesson, so we students figured no more Hesters could be jailed for breaking the laws of her religion .  Or so we thought.  We fought a war 250 years ago to separate the colonies from a king who was not only ruler of the government but leader of the church.  A quick walk through British history shows what a me...
Post a Comment

Baseballs, Eight-Year-Olds, And Retribution

 “Starting today, I will hold all Department of Justice nominations. If [Attorney General] Merrick Garland wants to use these officials to harass Joe Biden’s political opponents, we will grind his department to a halt,” J.D Vance declared. 

And, in the typical posture of a disgruntled eight-year-old who declares, “I’m going to take my baseball and go home” to stop the game, Senator Vance decided to shut down judicial appointments from this point on. 

He’s not the only eight-year-old in the party.

"It is unconscionable for a President to indict the leading candidate opposing him," House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said.  Really, Kevin, even if he’s guilty of jeopardizing American security, something you used to take an interest in?

Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona tweeted: "We have now reached a war phase. Eye for an eye.” Working at optimum strength, justice is blind so your “eye for an eye” is a little too late.

“If he wants to store material in a box in a bathroom, he can do that,” exclaimed Jim Jordan, because this is probably where he keeps his valuables, too, including his sense of fairness, justice, reason, and toilet paper. 

And my personal favorite quote is by Senator Marco Rubio: “You think this ends here? The next Republican president is going to be under tremendous pressure to bring charges and indict Joe Biden, his family, his crackhead son, whoever…”  So according  to the Florida senator, no one should ever be indicted - no matter what they do  - because there could always be retribution.  

That’s scary:  justice by retribution.  Wonder how we got to this point.  Hmm…

“I will be your retribution,” quoth the carrot-topped one. 

Trouble is, any reading of the Florida indictment against the ex-president is proof enough that this isn’t the witch hunt that Republicans want it to be.  Trump jeopardized lives, relationships with allies, and national security; and all that is laid out nicely by the DOJ. 

If one wants to read it. 

But if you read it, you might start to believe there is some credibility to the indictment.  And if there is credibility, how do you continue to support the current leader of the Republican party?

It’s a Republican conundrum, all right. 

Instead, the Senator from Ohio would rather hold up DOJ appointments, making sure that justice isn’t just blind but nonexistent in some states, including his own. Holding up DOJ appointments could jam up the judicial process and violate a citizens’ 9th amendment right to a speedy trial.

But then, most of these Republicans never get past the 2nd amendment in their reading of the constitution, do they?

Justice by retribution and an eye-for-an-eye justice system:  this is the MAGA formula supported by Trump and his minions. And we must stop it. 

Protecting blind justice starts in November 2023 by electing Virginia candidates that ensure justice for all, based on laws and the constitution - not loyalty and power.  Even if Washington politicians go awry, we can keep sanity in the Virginia General Assembly by voting for candidates that protect our rights and uphold the constitution - and all 27 of its amendments. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jane’s Dilemma - Part 1

Our girl Jane just finished a four-year degree program, graduating with honors in front of beaming parents who proudly watched their only daughter receive her diploma.  Unfortunately, the day after graduation, Jane discovered that all of her fears were right and she was, indeed, pregnant. Her boyfriend of the past several months had accepted a job on the other side of the country. He shouted promises that they’d stay in touch over his shoulder as he ran to catch his flight. Jane was pretty sure they wouldn’t, just like she was pretty sure her parents wouldn’t continue beaming if she told them the news. Jane looked at the three letters of interest from companies she longed to work for, lined in a row on her desk. They had made her jubilant about her future just a week ago, before she began to suspect the truth. She wondered how much interest any of these potential employers would garner if she arrived, breathless with enthusiasm and obviously pregnant. Jane twirled a wrinkled, white...
1 comment
Read more

Way To Go, Joe !

 You know those drug ads with the snazzy slogans and ear-catching jingles that interrupt your favorite TV shows?  I’ll bet  you’ve found yourself singing one or two while you head to the kitchen for a snack or take a much-needed bathroom break.  Well, those advertisements are the brainstorms of the pharmaceutical companies, developed to make you head straight to your family doctor and demand the latest boutique drug designed just for you and your specific illness.  Trouble is, the industry spent over 8 billion dollars on these adds last year, and of course they passed the costs on to those looking for an easy cure and a catchy tune to whatever ails them.   Which means, unlike other developed countries around the world, we Americans pay a bundle for our drugs- sometimes a bundle so high that people simply can’t afford the medicine they need.  And that’s why President Biden’s announcement that ten drugs would be the first to have to negotiate prices...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jane’s Obstacles - Part 2

Please read Jane's Dilemma - Part 1 first  If you’re old enough to remember the early 70’s, you probably remember bell bottoms, the Bee Gees, and someone who had to get married because she was pregnant. One of my best friends was the smartest person in my class. At the end of our senior year, she was a wife, a mother, and a high school graduate. What she wasn’t was heading to college, like the rest of our group, to pursue a degree, a career, and a world that was beginning to open up with choices for women. Roe happened a little too late for her and countless others who found themselves in the same position, with a choice between a hurried marriage (which didn’t work out in this case) or a back alley abortion. After 1973, the decision brought choice to those who might have made a mistake in the back of their boyfriend’s chevy and relegated themselves to a youth filled with diapers, Gerber, and dwindling chances for a career. The Roe decision not only gave women autonomy over choice...
Post a Comment
Read more