Based on the reckless, feckless, indefensible behavior of the former president of this United States, the answer initially is of course.
Thirty-seven charges contained in a 49-page indictment document that I have read, and you should too, makes it clear that Donald J. Trump was and remains corrupt, callous and coldly calculating as he transitioned from being the most powerful person in the world to a mere mortal man residing in Mara-a-Lago Club.
As this fraud of a fool departed the White House on Jan. 20, 2021, he, of course, was accompanied by his wife Melania, Secret Service agents and boxes of memorabilia – pictures, letters, mementoes mostly – but also over 300 classifieddocuments he illegally and with malice moved from DC to the confines of his private property in Palm Beach, FL.
Thus began his law breaking where he and at least one other person allegedly treated the prized papers as their own, left them lying about unsecured in bathrooms, a shower, on a stage in a theater, in his office and bedroom.
The parcels ranged up to Top Secret, with special designations making them the most important possessed by anyone in the defense of our nation. They included material about our nuclear capabilities, defensive and offensive operational options, weaknesses and strengths of both friends and foes, and other action plans that could, if implemented, end the existence of most human life as we know it on this planet.
To Trump, they were mere pieces of paper that could be used potentially for personal profit, leverage or influence as he plotted his return to the pinnacle of power he once enjoyed and abused as commander-in-chief and leader of the free world.
Regardless, Donald John Trump will be arrested, fingerprinted, mug shot taken, handcuffs applied and perk walked before a Florida federal judge at 3 p.m. Tuesday. He will endure listening to the charges against him, asked how he pleads and then embark on an unprecedented path to a trial of his peers never before taken by a United States president.
This malevolent and maliciously marred man will maneuver and manipulate the American justice system for as long as his wealth and constitutional protections allow but rest assured – or be angered – he will eventually be judged by a jury of his peers either before or after the 2024 election. I am confident of that due to the extent and gravity of the charges now known and filed against him, so let me return in my final paragraphs to the title of this article.
Lock him up?
Here is what I believe. What Trump did corruptly and illegally against the citizens of this nation is obvious for all to see who have even the slightest open mind about the evidence arrayed against him. It is way beyond any reasonable doubt and, yes, I am knowingly violating that other important pillar of protection for all of us when facing a felony or multiple felonies – the presumption of innocence. I can’t come to such a conclusion concerning DJT.
But importantly, I am not a juror nor will be. I am just a citizen who has written extensively about the dangers and duplicity Trump has dumped on our country; about his disregard for your futures and those of your children and mine; how he has selfishly put his own self-interests and needs above every word of his oath of office; and how he has eroded, through his daily, nee hourly, massive manipulation and near destruction of our democracy.
Therefore, he should and will be convicted but due to his age, the length of time sentenced ought not be the maximum he so richly deserves but, conversely, be long enough to let his fellow citizens know that for those who have been given so much, much is expected – especially from those who take the oath of public office.
And, in closing, I also know that, without a doubt, perhaps 30% of the population of this country will never accept, and fervently reject, my conclusions vis-a-vis the 45th president of our nation. Some of them may threaten violence, perhaps even the overthrow of these United States and, sadly, a number of powerful lawmakers will pander to those so inclined.
Regardless of that, either all of us, some 330 million Americans strong, are viewed by the scales of justice as equal, under the law, or we are not.
So, get ready. We’re about to find out.
