So, the Idiot-in-Chief has commuted the sentence of His friend, Roger Stone. The only justification given officially is that the US Justice system had produced the wrong result because it was, and is, biased against Him. The dangers for the rule of law are clear and the abuse of power is blatant. The message given by the presidency is: “you can lock up who you want but don’t touch anyone who remains loyal, useful or even a threat to Me”. Of course, you can’t get away with criminal activity simply by saying you are a Trump supporter; you have to be of value to Him…or a threat in the sense that you have knowledge that might do Him harm.
This is even more catastrophic when one considers the Black Lives Matter campaign. We have a huge minority of the US population questioning whether the justice system provides equitable treatment and yet the Idiot-in-Chief insists on proving that he can act in an arbitrary manner – exactly the accusation raised against local law enforcement services.
For those who have served time in prison for what can only be seen as petty misdemeanours compared to what this convicted felon has done, this is proof that not all citizens are treated equally, and indeed, that politics plays a part in sentencing. It would be surprising if some white-collar criminals do not become embittered and totally justified in breaking the law.
Had Stone gone to prison for a few months and was then released on compassionate grounds because of his age and because he no longer represented a threat to society, I would, have understood and welcomed that outcome. But, of course, the Idiot-in Chief wishes to show how tough he is. He doesn’t want to be seen as a compassionate person because his supporters might consider compassion as a sign of weakness. So, he decided to use a nuclear weapon instead of a handgun to preserve his image. That is frightening behaviour when that logic is applied to global affairs.