“If you think this has a happy ending, you haven’t been paying attention.” – Game of Thrones
I’ll admit I’m enjoying this season of Game of Thrones. Intrigue. Betrayal. Lust for revenge. Oh, wait, that’s just the political news since August started.
As I’ve noted before, none of these political posts about civil unrest are my wish – they’re more what I see coming (or maybe coming) as history rhymes with the past in the United States. It’s not the same, really, since we’re very different as a people in many significant ways than 1860, but the passions of the people and the divide that we see doesn’t appear to be closing and in a way that is reminiscent of the 1850’s. Here are a few of the previous posts in this loose series:
- The Fall of Texas and the Coming One Party State
- Civil War, Cool Maps, Censorship, and is Fort Sumter . . . Happening Now?
- Immigration, Freedom, Wealth, Corruption, and More Cool Maps
- The Coming Civil War Part II, and a (Possible) American Caesar
- The Coming Civil War (United States), Cool Maps, and Uncomfortable Truths
Harvey Silverglate wrote the book Three Felonies a Day – I bought my copy back in 2010, Amazon reminds me. Silverglate’s theme in this book is that there are literally so many regulations and laws that you’re breaking multiple laws daily. And you don’t know that you’re breaking a law because many of them aren’t horribly logical or even obvious. Silverglate gave the spoiler in his title – he thought the average American committed three felonies a day regardless of evil intent. At that rate, the government holds all of the cards. Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria was head of Stalin’s secret police. Beria’s second most famous quote, “Show me the man and I’ll show you the crime.” His most famous quote? “Whazzzzuuuuuupp?”
The idea is that you find the unpopular person, and then, because everyone has committed a crime (many, if not most victimless) you find the crime. And let’s be honest. Trump has committed felonies. So has Hillary. And, so have you. I, on the other hand, have led a spotless and exemplary life, so no reason to go sniffing about here.
Like Beria, Robert Mueller has the man, so he will show us the crime. We’ve seen this before – Ken Starr and his relentless and unceasing review of Bill Clinton gave us perjury charges when Clinton lied about (probably) the most pathetic sex ever to occur in the White House since Woodrow Wilson’s encounter with the first electric . . . well some things are best left unsaid.
And how do we know that Mueller is our Beria? It’s simple. He gave immunity to Rick Gates for crimes that were arguably worse than Paul Manafort’s. He charged Manafort with things that the (according to many observers) are commonplace in Washington, and that no one has ever been prosecuted for. And as far as income taxes, Representative Charlie Rangel failed to pay . . . a LOT of taxes. And failed to disclose $600,000 in assets on a federal form. And, yet? No harm, no foul. I could raise many examples of similar crimes by Congresscritters and government employees that only are prosecuted if they don’t play the bacon-wrapped-shrimp party game, where you go along with what’s going on.
Hmmm.
The main concept of this special prosecutor is that, regardless of what crime it is, a crime will be found that Trump will be prosecuted for. This is a consequence of the idea that Trump is illegitimate, and must be cast out. In conversations I’ve had with some on the left, the very idea that Trump could serve out his term is considered hateful. The idea that 90% of Republicans love him is unfathomable. I’ll explain below why this sort of thought is more dangerous than a Spice Girls reunion.
Belief in rule of law keeps society together: it is the hallmark of Western civilization. To the extent that society at large believes that guilty people are punished and the innocent set free, the rule of law is deemed to have worked. There can’t be favoritism. Not for cops. Not for elected officials. Not for appointed officials. Not for Hillary Clinton.
When people believe that the system is rigged (rightly or wrongly) you get the Los Angeles riots, the Ferguson riots, and the Bundy Ranch standoff. Remember the Bundy Ranch?
The Bundy Ranch standoff occurred in Nevada back in April of 2014. I won’t recap it in detail, but it occurred because a group on the right felt that the rights of the Bundy’s were being violated. Largely peaceful, the standoff resulted in the Bundy family keeping their cattle, but at least two people were convicted of felonies related to the standoff, although the Bundy’s themselves were acquitted of all charges based on gross prosecutorial misconduct. I’m not saying I agree with the merits of the Bundy case, but dozens of people with guns showed up to back them.
But the rule of law is important because without it, we become stuck in never-ending vengeance cycles, like the people in New Guinea – here’s an excellent New Yorker article (LINK) about a society where warfare and revenge replace justice. From the New Yorker:
The war between the Handa clan and the Ombal clan began many years ago; how many, Daniel didn’t say, and perhaps didn’t know. It could easily have been several decades ago, or even in an earlier generation. Among Highland clans, each killing demands a revenge killing, so that a war goes on and on, unless political considerations cause it to be settled, or unless one clan is wiped out or flees. When I asked Daniel how the war that claimed his uncle’s life began, he answered, “The original cause of the wars between the Handa and Ombal clans was a pig that ruined a garden.” Surprisingly to outsiders, most Highland wars start ostensibly as a dispute over either pigs or women.
And like Ken Starr animated the right in the 1990’s, Robert Mueller has animated the left. The left is ready to declare victory, spike the ball, and prepare to fight President Pence in 2020. As has been pointed out by astute commenters to this blog, there really aren’t two parties (normally) in Washington, merely one party with two faces. Each one has the same goals, just different timing. As far as I can see, the only principle each side sticks to religiously is their position on abortion, which is safe to fight about because the Supreme Court has taken that decision away from them. No other principle is sacred to either side.
Thankfully, I still read it as unlikely that Trump will be impeached in this term. Although the agencies in Washington are loyal to the agencies themselves and not the American people, it’s still my bet we end up with a Republican house until 2020. But if the House turns? The Senate will still not vote to convict on a campaign finance violation, especially when it’s possible the payments are completely legal, Trump having done so in the past to protect himself prior to becoming President.
But . . . what if?
Washington is firmly held by the statists. For Trump, Washington is enemy territory – an enemy that he taunts almost daily. In Washington itself, Donald Trump got 4% (that’s not a misprint) of the vote. That explains why the left is incredulous that he won, they don’t know anyone who ever voted for Trump. It’s clear that the careerists at the agencies don’t like Trump. So who does have faith in Trump?
The same people that engaged in the standoff at the Bundy Ranch.
But I don’t think it will get there, and I hope it doesn’t get there. But if it does? I hope it’s peaceful. I sense we’re heading to a very difficult place, and I hope it doesn’t lead to Civil War II too soon. I haven’t seen the end of Game of Thrones yet. On the bright side? Happy Monday!
