Seeing the Light 

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The leaning tower of Trump is crumbling.

It's been a long time coming, but it's easy to see why the structure is failing. Simply put: that's what happens when you try to join bricks together with Elmer's glue, hamburger fat and bullshit.

The voters' voices at the polls have shown us all a glimmer of hope—that our democracy will likely endure, at least for a while longer. Many of the candidates endorsed by the ex-president failed to garner the public trust and, of course, he's been blaming everyone but himself for his failures.

He's learning that sometimes money is not the key. And considering how much was spent on Trump-favored candidates, the far-short-of-stellar Republican showing at the polls has constituted a clear rejection of both Trump's personal flaws and his total absence of love for his country.

For the first time in years, we are seeing Trump's popularity plummeting, even among his most rabid supporters. Those who were previously frothing at the mouth—yuk!—as they repetitively gushed Trump's treasonous lies are reconsidering their loyalties and making appointments with their personal veterinarians or ENTs.

People are realizing that there's no place in a democracy for a disgusting, uncouth, bigoted, unethical, immoral, two-faced traitor, and that his bad politics and criminal activities made him totally unfit for the job of chief executive.

While the orange clown show is not totally over, we can all take heart—the misdeeds of one of America's worst traitors are not going to just go away. Of course, everyone's entitled to their day in court, and there's little question, with mounting evidence of his crimes, that Trump's final stamp of disapproval will be rendered by a jury of his peers.

Of course, they won't really be "peers." It would be virtually impossible to find twelve people as objectionable as him.

Considering the writing on the wall, Trump's personal tailors are working away, night and day, to create a stylish, custom-fit, supersize-me jumpsuit of the finest Egyptian cotton. And of course, it will be in Donald's favorite color. No doubt, it will create a fashion rage for his followers; the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers may well make it their official uniform, understanding that orange is beautiful but camouflage is never very stylish.

Even as Trump continues to find ways to abuse the court system with unnecessary delays and costly litigation, there is still hope for Americans to see justice dispensed, as it should be, against the president who tried his best to destroy the most fundamental foundations of our democracy. For a man who believes that his inherited wealth should give him unquestioned privilege, the reality will be a shock.

All along, Trump's been visualizing ways of ducking the system, even if it means putting the lives of others on the chopping block. But the House of Trump is falling, and his illusion of being totally above the law is looking very shaky. He's no longer bragging about how he could murder someone on 5th Avenue and get away with it.

Americans are taking inventory of just who DJT is, and there are a bunch of thumbs pointed downward. Even some of the most pathetic, political suck-ups are wiping the brown from their noses. And there are plenty of those—i.e. Utah Sen. Mike Lee.

What we're seeing is the ultimate test of whether we are a nation of law and order or whether we've really been reclassified as a Central American Banana Republic. In lots of countries, the Trump playbook is the way they've been doing it for years—the autocratic practice of leaders manipulating both the legislative and the criminal justice systems of their countries for their own personal gain.

It's time to demonstrate the principles of our nation—not only by maintaining the inalienable right of free elections, but also in reaffirming to all Americans the simple premise: No one is above the law.

Americans have been forced to recognize that scoundrelism is alive and well in our country and that it has somehow evaded the strong arm of the law. We see Trump, after encouraging insurrection, doing what he always does: taking credit for fortuitous accidental successes; reveling in the illegal acts of his followers; and ducking responsibility for the disasters he so recklessly created.

This is not about partisan politics. What it's about—and what it will prove in the end—is that either a former president must account for his crimes or America's rich and powerful have succeeded in the argument that some people are, indeed, above the law. We can only hope that our Department of Justice understands, and acts upon, the premise that the guilty will be held accountable and that social privilege, power, connections and money will not be allowed to stand in the way of justice.

I can't help but reminisce on the classic Western movies wherein—long before the legal system had become so complicated—there was a simpler route to apprehending, charging and convicting the bad guys. Whatever happened to the "hanging judges," the ones who supported the premise that crime must not go unpunished.

Actually, Sheriff Merrick Garland—wearing his 10-gallon Stetson, spurs, Colt and silver badge—could pull the right words out of most traditional westerns. "Mr. Trump, we don't wanna see your face in these-here parts ever again. You have 24 hours to get out of Dodge."

The author is a retired novelist, columnist and former Vietnam-era Army assistant public information officer. He resides in Riverton with his wife, Carol, and the beloved ashes of their mongrel dog.