Here’s what I think happened. I think Trump took things that he thought he had a right to keep. The document he allegedly showed to a reporter shows why he did so: he wanted to refute claims by his political enemies.
The problem for him is that he seems to say on the transcript that he didn’t actually declassify the document before leaving the White House (though he could have). So he could be convicted.
My feeling is that this case never should have been brought and the investigation should have been handled with greater fairness and transparency. Raiding and then prosecuting a former president and opposition leader is so Third World that it really would only be justified in extreme circumstances. Selective prosecution is a reality.
I think DOJ can’t see how bad they look — “one law for all”? really? — because they hate Trump, because there was no accountability for past abuses, and because they see everything through the lens of January 6.
Here’s where we are. Trump could be acquitted and he will still face state charges in NY and soon GA that are purely political. He could face the rest of his life in prison or in court, largely for bullshit. He may have no choice but to leave the country, which is what happens in the Third World. In fact, if I were him that is what I would do, given that he has a plane and has places to go and live comfortably.
We have been brought to this point because people who hated Trump could not be satisfied by following the law and the constitution but sought every possible means to destroy him and humiliate his supporters. And for what? On the whole, he was a very successful president who gave up his private fortune and fame for public service. He is a casualty of our failed elite’s determination to hold onto power. Their policies have failed and and now they have doomed public faith in democracy.
This week’s portion launches the great story of Abraham, who is told to leave everything of his life behind — except his immediate family — and to leave for “the Land that I shall show you.”
There’s something interesting in the fact that Abraham is told to leave his father’s house, as if breaking away from his father’s life — but his father, in fact, began the journey, moving from Ur to Haran (in last week’s portion). His father set a positive example — why should Abraham leave him?
Some obvious answers suggest themselves — adulthood, needing to make one’s own choices, his father not going far enough, etc.
But I think there is another answer. Abraham (known for the moment as Abram) needs to establish his own household. This is not just about making one’s own choice, but really about choosing one’s own starting point. It’s starting over.
Sometimes we start over in fundamental ways even if much that surrounds us remains the same. Sometimes the journey we have to ...
The story of Noah is familiar; the details, less so.
Noah is often seen as an ambivalent figure. He was righteous -- but only for his generation. What was his deficiency?
One answer suggests itself: knowing that the world was about to be flooded, he built an Ark for the animals and for his own family -- but did not try to save anyone else or to convince them to repent and change their ways (the prophet Jonah, later, would share that reluctance).
Abraham, later, would set himself apart by arguing with God -- with the Lord Himself! -- against the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that they should be saved if there were enough righteous people to be found (there were not).
Still, Noah was good enough -- and sometimes, that really is sufficient to save the world. We don't need heroes every time -- just ordinary decency.
Hi all -- as I noted last month, I'm going to be closing down my Locals page, at least for tips and subscriptions -- I may keep the page up and the posts as well, but I'm no longer going to be accepting any kind of payment.
Look for cancelation in the very near future. Thank you for your support!
