America's Two-Tiered Justice System

From the time I was a young boy, I can remember placing my right hand over my heart and pledging allegiance to the American flag “and to the republic for which it stands.” That sacred oath ends with the following words, “with liberty and justice for all.”

I believed those words then, but I no longer do now… and that makes me both sad and angry.

If there truly was liberty for all, why would some January 6th defendants still be languishing in jail, yet to be charged let alone tried three years later, while BLM rioters who looted businesses and burned police cars during 2020’s “Summer of Love” roam our streets free? More than 1,200 American citizens were arrested that day with 889 of them being convicted and 460 being incarcerated… and yet, millions of immigrants cross our southern border illegally each year and many of them are not apprehended. If captured and detained, they are usually rewarded with free food, free housing, and even a free cell phone.

Likewise, if justice was truly blind and administered even-handedly, why would illegal immigrants who assaulted uniformed police officers in New York City be released without bail while Daniel Penny, a decorated former Marine, awaits trial on charges of second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide? His purported crime? Protecting the lives of his fellow passengers aboard a subway train by subduing a clearly deranged man making violent threats.

And then there is the most flagrant violation of the Pledge’s promise of equal justice under the law: the case of Donald J. Trump. Before addressing his situation, let me set the record straight. I have consistently supported President Trump’s policies while openly criticizing his personal behavior. And so, I am not a Trump apologist nor am I a never-Trumper. I merely seek to “call them as I see them,” and what I see is a series of gross injustices being perpetrated against the 45th President of the United States.

Exhibit A – Mr. Trump is currently standing trial in New York City for allegedly paying hush money to a porn star who claims that they had a sexual encounter almost 20 years ago. He is also being charged with election interference for paying Ms. Daniels $130,000 as part of an NDA shortly before the 2016 election… and then falsifying business records to hide the payment.

Talk about overkill… the indictment includes 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Falsifying business records is a misdemeanor, but if it is done in furtherance of another crime, it becomes a felony. However, in bringing the indictment, District Attorney Alvin Bragg failed to specify what the other crime was, but later mentioned several laws that were potentially applicable.

Sounds to me like throwing a bunch of stuff against the wall and hoping something sticks… or more specifically, charging a defendant and then looking for a crime to fit the charges.

And talk about hypocrisy – and breaking precedent – former senator and presidential candidate John Edwards was found innocent in 2012 of having broken the law when he solicited almost $1 million from wealthy donors to hide his affair with campaign videographer Rielle Hunter and fathering her child in 2011. Edwards claimed that he wasn’t trying to influence the election, but was merely trying to protect his cancer-stricken wife from finding out about his indiscretions… a defense eerily similar to Mr. Trump’s.

In case you’re wondering, Edwards was a Democrat and Trump is a Republican. Make sense now?

And whereas former President Bill Clinton’s $850,000 out-of-court settlement with Paula Jones in 1998 isn’t a direct comparison because her allegations weren’t made until after the 1992 election… where there’s smoke, there’s almost always fire.

One other difference: Daniels alleges a consensual sexual encounter with Trump whereas Jones claimed that then-Gov. Clinton propositioned her and exposed himself to her in a hotel room.

Exhibit B – Speaking of the morally-bankrupt Clinton clan, Hillary Clinton destroyed 33,000 emails – many of them containing classified information kept on a private server in direct violation of federal law – and faced no prosecution. Despite the fact, may I add, that the emails had already been subpoenaed by Congress. If that’s not tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice, and election interference, I don’t know what is.

And yet, Ms. Clinton escaped unscathed and uncharged while President Trump was impeached for a single phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Sounds about right.

Exhibit C – While we are on the subject of Mrs. Clinton, she has consistently claimed that the 2016 election was stolen from her despite the fact that her campaign was responsible for the discredited Russian dossier that was falsely reported throughout the campaign… and which crippled President Trump throughout his first term. Just like Stacey Abrams, who has yet to concede the 2018 gubernational election in Georgia, Hillary has taken election denying to a whole new level. But let Donald Trump make similar allegations with much more proof and he is indicted for election interference.

Exhibit D – I’ll keep this one short and not so sweet. Former President Trump is being prosecuted in federal court in Florida for mishandling classified documents while a special counsel chose not to charge current President Biden with a similar crime despite finding that he “willfully retained” classified materials after leaving office because he felt a jury would perceive the 46th President of the United States as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

It's enough to make Lady Liberty want to lay down her torch and Lady Justice to relinquish her blindfold and scales.