When a bipartisan Congressional committee that included Republicans Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger laid out their investigation into what occurred that caused the January 6th Trump insurrection against Congress and the Capitol building, I honestly thought that the mountain of evidence they had, which concluded that Trump incited the insurrection and was guilty of multiple "high crimes and misdemeanors" that qualified him not only for impeachment, but for disqualification from public office and for a prison sentence. As a former high school history and government teacher, I really thought this investigation would have led to the Justice Department taking action, firming up the details, adding anything they discovered in their own investigation, and bringing charges immediately.
The delay that occurred was explained away by various information sources as typical of such kinds of cases that come to the Justice Department.
"Be patient." they said. "Things like this take time." Well, of course they do, though the investigation laid out evidence, categorized, filed, cross referenced and made public in televised hearings. What more needed to be done?
Well, apparently convincing the Attorney General to move forward with this was one of those things that "took time." I was not expecting that, and I would guess that also came as a huge surprise, and a big disappointment, to many others who were expecting something quite different than dithering from an attorney general appointed by this President. And I was even more surprised that the dithering, about 12 months worth of it, if news reports are accurate, included whether or not to appoint a special counsel and bring the case to trial.
Without a Trial in a Court of Law, Voters Must Now Take Responsibility For Administering Justice
I cannot understand a system of justice that seems to be so out of balance when it comes to arrest, trial, conviction and sentencing of defendants. More than 1,400 people were eventually arrested and charged for the assault on the Capitol, and about 900 have been sentenced and are serving their sentence. I can certainly understand the sheer volume of defendants clogging up the courts and having the trials and sentencing hearings take time. What I cannot understand is why it took almost three years from the time of the incident to the time of the indictment of the instigator, and why that trial has been delayed for so long. That's an inexplicable inequality in our justice system, it's a bad look, it makes it appear that not all Americans are equal when it comes to the application of justice, that some, those wealthy and influential individuals who can afford legal help to avert justice, are not held accountable to the same laws the rest of us must follow.
So, while the justice system has prosecuted more than 900 Americans for committing the crimes that occurred on January 6th, it has failed to prosecute the one American who committed the crime of inciting those other Americans to commit those crimes, and who instigated the effort to overturn a legitimate, fair, accurate election and subvert the Constitution's peaceful transfer of power. I'm not the only American who is genuinely disappointed in the Justice Department for its failure to bring Donald Trump to justice.
Jack Smith's filing won't get immediate justice in the form of a trial, but it will get a hearing in the court of public opinion, and Americans who have been disappointed in the lack of action taken by the justice department against the former President who tried to overthrow the government, will have the opportunity to make their voices heard. This is coming at exactly the right time.
Those of Us Who Want to See Justice Must Work to Make It Happen
There are a lot of Americans who simply think this is just politics as usual, or they just haven't been paying attention. The news media has not been a friend to the people, hiding information, refusing to broadcast it, and Trump supporters aren't tuned in anyway. This information is damning. Unless someone has a cult blockade in their conscience, what Trump did to attempt to steal the 2020 election should horrify any sincere American voter, regardless of their partisan preference. And that's a clear majority of the American people.
Lack of information causes people to be apathetic. They don't see anything within the limited scope of their own vision, so they don't think it really exists. I used to tell the high school students in my class who sometimes would express a disinterest in the political side of civics, that I would appreciate it if their apathy carried over to their participating in elections, because I am a baby boomer, and if their generation is going to get apathetic about government, and about voting, then mine is going to elect politicians who will steal them blind and give it all to us. That, at least, got their attention.
I don't believe a majority of Americans want to see another Trump term, especially after what happened on January 6th. And if we can't make the news media replay scenes from the Capitol on that day as part of their election coverage now, then we need to do it everywhere we can, including our own social media, and by knocking on doors in our own neighborhood. I live in a condo complex with over 104 units and I plan to visit with every single neighbor I have before the weekend is over. I've volunteered for two weekends in October to canvass and help any way I can with the get out the vote effort in Southeastern Wisconsin, in counties where Democrats can once again get a majority if enough voters turn out.
For many Americans, this is the thing that will determine how they will vote. It ought to be disqualifying and it should be decisive. We need to do everything we can to make that happen and get Kamala Harris in the White House.
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