~a column by Colleen O’Brien
It’s not difficult to dislike a bully.
The one we have in White Resort Mar A Lago has always been a mean, show-off guy, making fun of women who are “bleeding” (Megan Kelly); or imitating reporter Serge Kovaleski who has a neurological disease that causes erratic movements; or accusing MIAs of being suckers.
But he now defies description as a mere bully. He has surpassed all his former mockery. He rounds up individuals in America that might be terrorists; or ordinary criminals; or innocent citizens. He puts them in white shirts and pants, bends them over in what looks like hands tied to ankles or necks locked to knees; then he shackles up the leg irons and marches them – painfully, it looks like from their bent-over positions – onto airplanes whose destination is hell in the form of a prison of torture in El Salvador.
The whole idea is from a bad movie. The actual footage on the news is horrifying. It is, as we watch just the loading of the soon-to-be imprisoned, not a B-movie but a real-life situation engineered by a felon of a president bullying our entire Democratic Republic and everyone within its confines. And – have mercy on us – getting away with it.
I am ashamed that this is occurring in my country. I remain astonished that the President is not the one in irons. I am perpetually perplexed about my obligation in this. My whole body is confused reacting from a state of mind that goes round and round these questions: Where am I living? The United States of America? Is this not just a figment of my imagination? Is anybody doing anything about it?
The last question has an answer: Yes
Judge Boasberg, of past district courts as well as judge of the Alien Terrorist Removal Court, ordered the Administration to turn around their planes exporting Americans taken into custody without reason, without due process or any legality known to this country. The pilots ignored the order. The Supreme Court stepped in and said Trump must “facilitate” the return of one of them, a mistakenly deported legal named Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Trump refuses.
We no longer live in a country beholden to Rule of Law.
Rule of Law is what has kept us free of despots and bullies.
It no longer does.
We are ruled over by a felon who, for reasons unrevealed to us, is not in prison himself, a felon who releases other felons, a felon who flips the bird to anyone or thing that defies him.
He has finally flipped off our final recourse, the Supremes. As I write this, they have not put him in leg irons. What do we do about this?
