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According to existing law, Draco II is a criminal.  Juries have held that to be true.  The J6 crowd that used violence or broke existing laws are criminals, some self-confessed, some tried and convicted; some were incarcerated, but now all have been set free by our newly minted criminal-in-chief.  Yeah, some immigrants are criminals, though, as a percentage, more American citizens are criminals than immigrants.

Draco II, the prosecuted and convicted felon, has been given a “get out of jail free card”, mostly through rulings by SCOTUS.  The J6 crowd is now pardoned by a criminal.  Fostering hate and division by blaming “others” (exactly what the Nazi’s did leading to the genocide of the Jews), Draco II is now targeting immigrants for deportation because he likes to appease some people who voted for him and who are also racial bigots, people who love to hate and promote division while at the same time touting their own racial purity.  (For decades now, both parties have been guilty of not developing a comprehensive immigration system).  And, to add another lie to his pile of lies, Draco II wants to create fear by saying that other countries are opening up their prisons and sending those criminals to the U.S.

Mark Jacob of Stop the Presses calls “Republicans – the Jailbreak Party”.  And as legal analyst Joyce White Vance stated, Draco II should have considered “prior criminal history, behavior in prison, [and] risk of dangerousness to the community [of those pardoned] following release.  Now, we all have to pay the price for him using the pardon power as a political reward”.  And Heather Thomas wrote on social media “So when all is said and done, the only country that opened [its} prisons and sent crazy murderous criminals to prey upon innocent Americans citizens, was us”.

Is it criminal to halt the Justice Department, originally established in 1870 to protect civil rights, from further pursuing any civil rights cases currently in process?  Is it criminal to order no other civil rights cases be filed?  Is it criminal to reverse a 1965 executive order by President Johnson (EO 11246) that stopped discriminatory practices vis-a-vis hiring in the federal government and in those businesses who receive federal contracts?  Is it criminal to threaten federal employees with “adverse consequences” if they refuse to turn in colleagues who “defy orders to purge diversity, equity and inclusion efforts from their agencies”?  Is it criminal to tell the CDC, the FDA, and NIH to stop issuing health advisories, scientific reports, and updates to their websites, i.e., stopping the pending advisory to be released on bird flu, something that has shut down the Georgia poultry industry (no data – no problem)?  Is it criminal to fire all the members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee established by Congress to review safety in airports and airlines?  Is it criminal to order children be taught that the real name of the Gulf of Mexico is the Gulf of America?  Is it criminal to try and reverse provisions of the 14^th Amendment to the Constitution that guarantees citizenship to anyone born in this country (although most Constitutional scholars say attempt is un-Constitutional)?  Is it criminal to withdraw from the World Health Organization that helps coordinate relief to future global pandemics?  Is it criminal to say that FEMA should not exist (like it says on page 135 of Project the 2025 document), essentially saying that the federal government should have no role in emergencies within states and that that function – and cost – should be left up to each state?  Is it criminal to fire the Attorneys General of federal agencies so that there is no independent oversite and watchdog capabilities within those departments to keep check on and report abuses?  I could go on and on, but space is limited, and hey its only day seven of Draco II 2.0, and more disruption is yet to come.  And until now, I haven’t even mentioned the most egregious Draco II actions of ignoring ecological Overshoot, pulling the United States out of the 2015 Paris Climate Accord again (for the 2^nd time), and condemning our children and grandchildren to much harsher lives than necessary just because he is beholding to fossil fuel interests!  Nevertheless, the answer is no, it is not criminal.  Immoral, yes.  Stupid, yes.  Anti-democratic, definitely.  Authoritarian, absolutely.  Bordering on evil, you betcha.  But, this is what Draco II and his cabal wants:  the destruction of American democracy that gives power to the few and the rich (just look at who was on the front row at his inauguration:  Musk, Bezos, Zuckerburg).  Is that what most conservatives really want?  Is that what you ordered?  Aristocracy?  Oligarchy?  Totalitarianism?  Theocracy?  Rot-at-the-top?

So, if you want to be a loyal and true conservative, and think like I do that conservative issues should have an equal seat at any negotiating table with the other loyal oppositions, working together in a representative democracy to get things done (something both parties in Congress have seemingly lost the ability to do due to the influence of money), you will have to join other Republicans of similar consciousness and purge your party of these Draco II radicals (at all levels of government), otherwise, you will be clumped in as part of them for the rest of history (unless Draco II can get that re-written, too).  You might even find yourself on the wrong side of MAGA retribution if Draco II and his minions are allowed to have their way.  One is either for democracy, with all its imperfections, or you are against it.  I hope Conservatives can still choose democracy:  allowing a dictator to choose for them is bowing down to fascism.

The views expressed in the guest editorial are those of Bob Bates and do not reflect the opinions of the staff or management of the Tullahoma News.