letter to the editor

Only felons need apply

Posted 6/18/24

In the interminable discussion of the age of the two “old guy” U.S. presidential candidates, there is little mention of the fact that rather than a single “guy,” we ultimately …

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letter to the editor

Only felons need apply

Posted

In the interminable discussion of the age of the two “old guy” U.S. presidential candidates, there is little mention of the fact that rather than a single “guy,” we ultimately elect an executive and their personally chosen massive team who together lead the country. 

Biden’s leadership team is largely predictable and with a few adjustments would likely include most of his current cabinet, including attorney general Garland and vice-president Harris. 

What about the other guy, the convicted felon, the wannabe Don? For example, in seeking his “retribution,” he could choose to field a full team of his associates—who have also become convicted felons. Consider some of the convicts he could tap: Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Peter Navarro, Kenneth Cheseboro, Dinesh D’Souza, Steve Bannon, Rudi Giuliani (too old?), Sydney Powell, Jenna Ellis, Allen Weisselberg, George Papadopoulos, Michael Flynn and so many more. 

Also, for backup, as of this writing, there are currently 718 convictions relating to January 6 that include 213 people charged with felonies. Clearly, for the former president, the felon cup runneth over. 

The MAGA narrative would have you believe that all these convicted criminals are heroic political prisoners resisting an evil government. MAGA repeatedly makes that evidence-free claim, but apparently no proof exists for this extraordinary assertion. And it seems that seeing what we all witnessed at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 is rarely given any serious consideration.

Occam’s razor (the principle of parsimony) is that the simplest explanation of a phenomenon is the one most likely to be true. The razor is routinely used in science, mathematics, philosophy and religion to get at the heart of a matter. In this case, it seems clear to me that there is no massive government coverup or “deep state” conspiracy. The simplest and most coherent explanation is that a lot of ambitious, headstrong, entitled and angry people, led by a delusional con man, have broken many laws of all kinds at both the state and national levels. 

In our country, the rule of law promises that if you do the crime, you must do the time. Like Democracy itself, equal justice for all seems yet another of our continuing good ideas. 

John Pace
Honesdale, PA

donald trump, conviction, felony, election

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