By Philip Drucker
For a people and nation born out of a revolution, we sure seem to be having an amazingly difficult time with the concepts of patriotism, loyalty and accountability and the possible repercussions for those among us who would reject the results of what was by any reasonable standards, a constitutional, honest, free and fair presidential election.
Now, I admit, this is only a true statement if you believe in an American elective process where at some point, there is going to be a winner and a loser and whether your candidate of choice won or not is not in any realistic shape or way the guiding principle, or any principle for that matter, behind what constitutes a just, upright and trustworthy conclusion to a referendum ending with the peaceful transfer of power and inauguration of the candidate chosen by the People.
But this year, we are not so blessed with a nation that is at least unified in its shared, revolutionary belief that all persons are created equally and this equality includes the right to vote for the candidate of one’s choice.
For this time around, we have a sizeable segment of the American population that has decided “disenfranchisement” and “losing” are synonymous as the only way “they” could “lose” is by unfounded allegations of “voter fraud” in the service of any number of conspiracy theories each one more ridiculous than the one before it.
Don’t get me wrong, there will always be any number of “dissenters” who believe we as a nation are going the wrong way every time a Democratic candidate gets into office. But this time, something is different and it is disturbing to see how quickly the greatest democracy the world has ever known teeters on the brink of installing a criminally insane mad man and his deranged, damaged and dysfunctional family to what would amount to a monarchical dynasty.
Until now, I would argue our best example of America as a house divided ended with the secession of the Southern, now Confederate States of America, followed shortly thereafter in 1860 with the commencement of and brutal hostilities associated with the American Civil War.
In 2021, will Americans take up arms against one another? I do not believe so. We live in a world where the idea of two versions of America are better than one is a fantasy, unsupportable by all but the most far-fetched of economic and social scenarios where North Korea looks like a good role model, so long as you are “free” to pursue your individual sickness, loss of economic security and probable death due to starvation in peace. Sort of.
Until you realize you still pay taxes and then the whole shebang will start over, again.
Yet, this is the end of the Trump era and with it has come an unusually distasteful, destructive and unsettling cowardice on the part of our elected officials in office who are more than willing to discard their Oath of Office, and trade in their republican roots for the chance of serving in service of a would-be dictator who is now a wanted war criminal in the civilized and socially aware, but still democratic western world.
Jerk-offs like Ted Cruz are dedicated to one thing and that is self-interest. They know the GOP is over, at least for them, their views of a racist America fueled by gun rights and conspiracy theories about the deep state colliding head on with the reality of no work, no pay and the mortgage coming due, with no Trump initiated healthcare plan on the horizon.
With their fast approaching incompetence and irrelevance, fear of a tweet any day now when the emperor spouts displeasure and knowing they are a primary away from disappearing, these sycophant ass-clowns have chosen to swallow whatever is left of their dignity and credibility by of all things that should be unthinkable, participating in a coup to overturn the 2020 election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
How bad is it that members of the Congress in both the house and the Senate are planning on “challenging” if that is the word for this farce, the legitimate outcome of a free and fair election thereby denying the rights of the majority to the president of their choice? It’s bad. Disqualification from holding office bad? Criminal bad? Oh yeah, and so much more.
There is no question the House and Senate can make rules regarding expulsion of its members. Under Article I Section 5 of the United States Constitution for what is deemed “disorderly behavior”. But for the even more sickening, slimy, and seditious members of government who betray us for the promise of reward by a usurper face even more consequences and reproach for their actions under what is known as the Disqualification clause under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment:
“No Person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.”
The Oath? Congress took that today. On January 6th, 2021 is when the State certified votes are scheduled to be for all intents and purposes, and mostly ceremonial at that, “counted” in Congress. And then, the threatened frivolous challenge to the legitimacy of our election process and peaceful transfer of power, via a bunch of ignorant, self-serving and unworthy of our consideration radical fringe group made up of idiots and imbeciles who are only too happy to find themselves dwelling in the deepest and darkest reaches of what they will find to be illegal and morally indefensible acts of disloyalty, treachery and betrayal of the American people.
In addition to facing political exile, there are also several criminal statutes with harsh penalties attached that could easily come into play. Moving on from “disorderly behavior” there are any number of federal codes dealing with far greater acts of dissent against our sovereignty. The following three come to mind:
18 U.S. Code § 2383 - Rebellion or insurrection
“Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.”
Is stating false claims on the floor of Congress “engaging” in an act of rebellion or insurrection? If it is done to overturn a properly validated election result from an individual state with the aim of installing a dictator, I’d say yes, wouldn’t you? No stretch here.
18 U.S. Code § 2384 - Seditious conspiracy
“If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.”
While I admit voting to overturn an election is not precisely the same as attacking Fort Sumter, I’m liking the words “overthrow”, “prevent” “hinder”, “delay” and “contrary to the authority of” (meaning the USA) and taken in whole, I think we are good to go.
18 U.S. Code § 2385 - Advocating overthrow of Government
“Whoever knowingly or willfully advocates, abets, advises, or teaches the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying the government of the United States or the government of any State, Territory, District or Possession thereof, or the government of any political subdivision therein, by force or violence, or by the assassination of any officer of any such government; or
Whoever, with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of any such government, prints, publishes, edits, issues, circulates, sells, distributes, or publicly displays any written or printed matter advocating, advising, or teaching the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying any government in the United States by force or violence, or attempts to do so; or
Whoever organizes or helps or attempts to organize any society, group, or assembly of persons who teach, advocate, or encourage the overthrow or destruction of any such government by force or violence; or becomes or is a member of, or affiliates with, any such society, group, or assembly of persons, knowing the purposes thereof—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.
If two or more persons conspire to commit any offense named in this section, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.
As used in this section, the terms “organizes” and “organize”, with respect to any society, group, or assembly of persons, include the recruiting of new members, the forming of new units, and the regrouping or expansion of existing clubs, classes, and other units of such society, group, or assembly of persons.”
Yes, indeed the soon-to-be labeled Gang of Twelve, perhaps more, it’s just a question of how many morons you can fit in a clown car, are going to go down as advocating for the end of the rule of law, the end of our democratic election process, and fomenting an insurrection, plus conspiring to “overthrow” the duly elected president of the United States of America. I believe the catch-all for this ilk is “enemies of the (sane) people”?
I could go on about issues such as re-instating responsibility and accountability as the basics of good governance, but let’s be blunt. They no longer care. I don’t know about you, but sometimes someone must pay for their ignorance and arrogance. If they want to get a deal, they need to head to the AG's office first. I’m betting on Ron Johnson once he realizes the FBI and the CIA have all his conversations with Moscow on tape.
As for We, the People, we just need to see those who claim to love America do what we sent them to the Capitol to do. In this instance, nothing short of cutting a fool or two for liberty, justice and the American way will do. You in?
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