Mueller, Epstein, and the rule of law

After this weekend, I have little faith in the U.S.'s go-forward ability to blindly administer the Rule of Law. I'll spare the details of the Epstein story, as they've been trickling out over the weekend, but based on those details, it's clear the fix is blatantly in, with astonishing hubris. Common sense would signal that powerful people assessed the risk of Epstein dumping the goods on them versus the risk of taking him out — in blatant public view — and opted for the latter. It's as if the Corleone family and the Matrix calling the shots in the Bourne Trilogy have come to life.

Malfeasance within our justice system kicked into a new gear, commencing with the two-year Mueller investigation. It's irrelevant whether or not you're a Trump-supporter; that "windmill chase" shone the spotlight on a U.S. legal system that pivoted to the premise of an individual having a position of guilt — in initiating and carrying out an investigation, without a proper legal process or gathering of evidence to properly justify the criminal accusation(s) from the onset. Reminder: a backfill and temporary head of the DoJ, Rod Rosenstein, was able to solely trigger that action. After two years, with nothing of substance to report on, that investigation has largely disappeared from press coverage and is no longer discussed among Trump's (serious and reasoned) foes. Is this the America we want going forward: allowing a politically driven process like this, against any American, let alone a sitting president, regardless where that individual sits on the left-to-right spectrum? As I review Monday morning's press headlines (such as the N.Y. Times' and L.A. Times' headlines), one would expect a headline to the effect of "How could Epstein have committed suicide?" It's clear the media will lose its curiosity in digging into the cause of death of "America's highest-profile inmate" and accept the findings from law enforcement, attorneys, and expert witnesses at face value. Heck, the only coverage in the L.A. Times is an op-ed, and it's arguing the case that he committed suicide! It would appear that both outlets received the talking points to focus elsewhere... We should all be disturbed that our federal and local law enforcement agencies, coupled with the power players impacted, can coordinate and execute (pun intended) an event like this — and get away with it. This clear corruption is Exhibit A why the Founders created the 2nd Amendment — so the citizens could defend themselves from tyranny within, as well as outside this country. That amendment is not about hunting rights, and the Founders surely felt that the citizenry should be armed equally with the threatening tyranny. They believed that human nature, especially of those in control, was prone to corruption — even with the checks and balances they created in the Constitution and the governing model of federalism. After observing the events of the Epstein episode these past several weeks, the threat to the Rule of Law is reaching new heights. As such, we should never agree to allow our law enforcement agencies to define, monitor and enforce these proposed Red Flag laws that are currently in vogue. This country is sailing into uncharted and rough waters. When the populace loses its faith in the rule of law, tyranny always backfills the void.