In the wake of what seems like ever increasing politically motivated violence in our country, the Trump administration is pushing hard to weaponize the Department of Justice. Trump himself spews out hateful rhetoric every day, most of it directed at what he calls “the radical left,” whom he proudly says he hates. But is he talking about a handful of dangerous extremists with far left ideology, or is he aiming his hate speech at anyone who opposes his policies? I had always believed that a healthy and loyal opposition was good for democracy, but Donald Trump seems to feel, and often state, that people who disagree with him ought to be investigated, tried, and imprisoned. That he has managed to appoint an attorney to the DOJ who will do his bidding makes the future look ever more precarious. Indicting James Comey and threatening Leticia James and Adam Schiff, all on evidence that is flimsy at best, is not justice. It's revenge.
We should not be surprised. Trump has long taken personal grievance from anyone who points out a flaw in his thinking. His vitriol against Joe Biden, who beat him in 2020, shows his hatred for any opponent. He also has a long relationship of betrayal of the truth. I long ago realized that this man easily will accuse others of doing exactly what he is doing or plans to do himself. Just today, Trump again spewed out the Great Lie that he won the 2020 election, but that the results were rigged. He then referred to himself as having spent four years in exile. Exile? Really? Was he sent off to a deserted island and told never to return? Was he banned from political action within the borders of America? Does the man own a dictionary? Or a smart phone?
By all accounts, voter fraud in the United States is astonishingly rare. But maybe Trump knows something we don't. Maybe he knows how to rig an election. Given his track record of accusing others of doing exactly what he is doing, I have to wonder out loud if the Trump team rigged 2024. Yet I did not hear Kamala Harris accuse Trump, or call on her supporters to do what they could to block the certification of that election. In fact, as Vice-President, Harris presided over that certification. Smoothly.
In 1937, the top military officer in the Soviet Union, Mikhail Tukhachevsky, was tried and convicted of treason against the Stalin regime, and shot. His only true crimes were two. First, he was more popular among the Russian people than Stalin at the time. Second, he told Stalin that the military was severely out of date and needed revamping, especially with the growing threat from Germany. Stalin decided the military was fine. He also thought he could make arrangements with Hitler to be left alone. It was easier to decapitate the military and take control of future development. Stalin knew best. It was also expedient to take out a key potential rival to his power.
Reportedly, once he realized how precarious his position was, Tukhachevsky stated that his biggest crime was that he never wanted to oust Stalin. It was a campaign of lies and unbridled power that led to his death. Within two years, Stalin and Hitler signed a non-aggression pact, and two years after that, Hitler invaded Russia.
What am I telling you? Beware. We don't know how far current policies will go, but if we don't push back, if we let our freedoms and safeguards slip away, our country will disappear. There is still time, but the clock is ticking.
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