CNN wants to know why, in spite of all the indictments levied against Donald Trump, Republicans continue to support him, creating absolute deadlock between our two political parties.
The answer relates to the definition of one little word with big implications: JUSTICE.
In America and England, systems of justice include a presumption of innocence, where the accused needs to be proven guilty of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt. France, on the other hand, has a presumption of guilt. In America and England, the burden of proof rests on the prosecution. In France, it rests on the defense.
Many Americans today call the American system of justice racist, claiming that it was created and is maintained to keep white people in positions of power and to oppress racial minorities, women, the LGBTQ++ community, and other groups, but if we go back just twenty or thirty years virtually, all Americans agreed that the American system of justice was the single best system of justice in human history. Twenty or thirty years ago, we all agreed that the accused should be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and we all agreed that the process of ‘justice’ started with a crime and an investigation to see who committed that crime.
Imagine a system of justice that starts with a person and then uses the full weight of the Department of Justice at both the Federal and state levels, not to investigate a crime, but starting with a person, looking to see if there is any statute that can be stretched or twisted in such a way as to justify indicting that person. All Americans would have called such a thing ‘unjust’ until recently, and now it seems half the public wants such a system with former President Donald J. Trump, and it is this complete disconnect on what constitutes ‘justice’ that keeps the left and right deadlocked in spite of all of the indictments against Trump.
R&I – TP
