Big Crisis, Little Crisis, So Much Crisis

You know that thing Oprah used to do, which became a recurring bit: "You get a car, and you get a car, and you get a car"?

We're at the point where we're each getting a Constitutional crisis per day, if not more than one. 

I just saw mention of the White House threatening in-coming House Oversight Committee Chair Robert Garcia with criminal charges for literally doing his job of oversight. That seems like a really big Constitutional crisis. Then there was today's New York Times story on how the Trump staff coerced a former bodyguard of Ilhan Omar's to give them evidence of her nonexistent immigration fraud (gift link).

I started to write about this because of a less "high crimes"-level of illegality from a story in today's Star Tribune (no link available yet because they haven't posted it): what has become a run-of-the-mill outrage about unequal justice in this country. The Department of JustUs is pursuing charges against some hapless Minnesota noncitizens who tried to register to vote (because of miscommunication) but never actually cast a vote, while not going after citizens who did vote illegally, such as voting for their deceased mother or filling out a second ballot for someone who had already voted. 

The other example in the Strib story is the recent James O'Keefe/Cam Higby sortie during our August primaries, when the two men dressed up in pseudo-Muslim disguises and tried to pass themselves off as real Minnesota people to see if they could do same-day voter registration. The feds are not pursuing charges against these men either, but thank goodness, Hennepin County prosecutors are (gift link). 

Rachel Maddow has a new book called Department of Fate (which I may or may not read, given my To Be Read pile), but she discussed it with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show the other night. They also talked about the blue wave midterms.

The book is about the U.S. Justice Department through history: the ways that it has been corrupt at other times (like Teapot Dome), the ways it has been used for ill intent, and how it can be changed at this point within the powers of Congress without a Constitutional amendment. 

She makes the point that the Department of Justice is the key tool used by a White House like Trump's to carry out its malevolence. If more safeguards were in place, we would all be better off and there would be fewer Constitutional crises if there is ever another Trump-like figure elected President. 

I recommend the video, even if you're a bit sick of Jon Stewart, as I am.