Last week, I complimented the foresight of the original Framers of our Constitution because they were so astute in designing all three branches of our American government as independent and “balanced,” as in the “Balance of Power.” I guess that is something the insurrectionists three weeks ago didn’t then, and do not now, really understand. The Judicial Branch of our government foiled the lead up to the insurrection again and again in the courts (lawsuits by Giuliani, et.al.) during the past several months, and, finally at the end, in the refusal by the Supreme Court to consider the case for election fraud.
It is interesting to me that the insurrectionists on January 6th seemed to think that they were not going to suffer repercussions from their rampaging throughout the Capitol. One such seditionist, Richard Barnett, was photographed in Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s office with a stun “zapper” hiking rod weapon, boots on her desk, and going through her mail. Wouldn’t you just want to call in the local gendarmes if someone broke into your house and rummaged through your things? Well, duh?!?
After the storming of the Capitol was over, Barnett returned to his home in Bentonville, Arkansas, and “turned” himself in, leisurely assuming that he would be released. The Arkansas federal judge released him on his own recognizance and he thought himself “home free!” Good ole boys will be good ole boys! Uh-uh, he, like many other insurrectionists in the riots, has been charged with a felony and misdemeanors by the Federal Court of Washington D.C., where the insurrection occurred ( Rule of Law).
The beauty of our U.S. Constitution, whereby we are a country that believes in the Rule of Law, means even with an attempted coup d’etat, the overthrow of the government and breaking of established law, there is still constitutional recourse in the form of at least one of the three branches, in this case, the Federal Judiciary and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Interestingly today, how do we differentiate ourselves from what is occurring in Russia and in China? Alexei Navalny, the opposition leader who has just returned to Russia after spending months recuperating from being poisoned by a military grade biological weapon (thereby incriminating the Russian government under strongman Vladimir Putin), is attempting to position himself to run against Putin in the next election.
Current Russian strongman, Vladimir Putin was elected in 2000. A former KGB agent, Putin has solidified his dictatorship in Russia since then and moved into Eastern Ukraine and the Crimea, sovereign areas, but former members of the USSR, which he has basically retaken in a hostile manner.
Mobilizing Putin’s opposition in Russia through popular demonstrations by Navalny and his supporters is an attempt to democratically defeat the Putin regime. Even so, Navalny is again imprisoned, as is much of his family and many in the opposition. NOTED – Difference to our own Constitutional Democracy: opposition in Russia is not allowed! Coercion must be the Russian Rule of Law. Totalitarianism at its worst! Remember Putin’s “Democracy: RIP”?
Today, both Russia and China have leadership, which is at best, questionable in terms of democracy. Chinese President Xi Jinping has had himself designated as Chinese Leader for Life. Who knows how long Putin will be in power? Luckily, we missed that bullet! No to strongmen!!! Yes to freely elected majority rule!!!
I have several friends who live in rural Mills County. Several years ago, I, unintentionally, thought I had offended one of them by being typically political. Since then, I have not seen him until just this past weekend. He lives in Mills County, as I said, and we have had no opportunities to see one another except to exchange Christmas greeting cards every December. This past Saturday, I was able to see him again and apologized to him about our previous encounter. He just laughed and said he had not even been aware that I had offended him. I still feel like I did because, again, I am so political.
This friend also said he, too, was tired of all the flags and hype and that the election was over! I just wish more people said that out loud! Folks, it is time to furl the blue flags and move on!