Why Are Seditionists Receiving a Slap on the Wrist?

There is no rule of law in the United States unless you are poor, a minority, or both. On Jan. 6, 2021, at least one person committed treason and hundreds of acts of sedition. The obese old man who committed treason remains free, spreading lies and conspiracy theories across the nation. After committing the second most serious crime against our federal government, sedition, those who had their day in court have been sentenced to minimum punishment.

Treason: “Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.”

Sedition: “If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.”

As of today, July 26, 2022, the most serious punishment handed down happened on Tuesday. One man who attacked the Capitol Police with poles was sentenced to 63 months. This is ridiculous; if you read the statute above, this is nothing more than a slap on the wrist. These are the most serious crimes possible according to federal law. Why should they receive less punishment than the most grievous allowed by federal law?

Anyone who watched the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, must have shared emotions of shock, anger, fear for our country, disgust, and horror. This was the darkest day in America’s history. If the law matters, each of the insurrectionists should have received the maximum penalty allowed by law. These men and women are fascists, and many are members of Neo-Nazi organizations. I have zero faith in our government, judicial system, law enforcement, and the rule of law.

At 76 years of age, I am appalled. Nothing I believed as a young man in America is real. Our entire system of governance is a failure. Everything I watch today tells me it’s time to tear it all down and start over. For me, this was confirmed on January 24, 2022, when the last hope for democracy, the Supreme Court of the United States, proved that it is corrupted and biased. It is now a branch dominated by the ugly world of politics, the issue about which our Founding Fathers displayed concern, and the reason for lifetime appointments.

Not one person in a position of power or anyone who has more money than God is ever punished in America. It is a fact that there have always been ‘two Americas,’ but it has become far worse since the beginning of the 21st century. The United States is similar to third-world nations with one major difference.

We all share a class struggle. However, in the third world, class is defined by wealth and power. In America, wealth and power are combined with race. Our country is a plutocracy ruled by affluent white men and women, and over the last ten years, this situation has escalated beyond the belief of good and caring men and women across the nation.

Finally, one last fact and something for serious thought.

Joe Biden is our 46th president. Although the majority of our nation’s leaders were a mistake, proving themselves arrogant and incompetent, the worst presidents arrived during the last two decades.

George W. Bush, number 43, lied to congress and the American people after he ignored warnings about the possibility of a 9/11 attack and placed our country in two unwinnable wars while nearly causing a second depression.

Although I believed that “W” was the worst president in history, along came Donald John Trump. Trump continues to divide our nation, and there is no hope for unity in the near future. He committed dozens of Constitutional violations without repercussion. He is responsible for tens of thousands of lives lost during the Covid-19 pandemic. Trump failed to act in a timely fashion, claiming it would just go away. Then he became the first sitting president to attempt an overthrow of our government in an attempt to remain in power. It is impossible to believe that if our nation survives, there will ever be a worse illegitimate president than Donald Trump.

And they were both Republicans. Think about that fact. If there is a third right-wing president, how bad will he or she be?

Op-ed by James Turnage, Novelist

Sources:

Daily KOS: Insurrectionists Cry At Sentencing After Crowd Surfing At The Capitol Riot Then Pepper Spraying Cops
AP: Man’s 63-month prison term matches longest for Capitol riot; by Michael Kunzelman
U.S. Code: CHAPTER 115—TREASON, SEDITION, AND SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Brett Davis’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Victoria Pickering’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License