“A republic, if you can keep it.”

As attributed to Benjamin Franklin when asked in Philadelphia if we have a republic or a monarchy.

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A few days ago, when the Russian bounties on our military members came to light, I posted a short screed on my Facebook calling out the President of the United States as having committed treason; as a traitor, but more importantly I called out his followers who in the coming days will be posting all kinds of red, white, and blue colored decorations, flags, buntings, shooting off fireworks and celebrating our independence from Great Britain, while at the same time we are in a relationship, a detrimental relationship, an anti-American relationship, with Russia and Vladimir Putin pulling the strings on our government including Congressional Republicans and the President.

These acts are despicable.

They are the furtherest thing from patriotic, from loyal to our country, our flag, and our citizens.

I have never liked Donald Trump. Actually that’s not true. I enjoyed his over the top, confidence bordering on arrogance from his Apprentice days and right up until he accused President Obama of not being an American born citizen. At that point, the racism was obvious as well as his ineptitude for how government works. I think he’d spent too much time being the head of his own organization, being a de facto king among plebeians including his own family members.

I voted for Hillary Clinton in both the primary and the general election. It was an easy vote. I liked Hillary. She was smart, experienced, diplomatic, and whatever faults she had, as we all have some, she would make an exceptional president. I couldn’t believe when the returns started coming in. I stayed up until 2am praying that things turned around.

They didn’t.

We were shocked. Stunned. Numb. We alternated between silent disbelief and mourning with bouts of weeping. For those of us who remember 9/11, it was very much like that morning; no exaggeration.

Eventually we came to accept that Donald Trump would be President in 2017. I still didn’t like him, but I hoped that the enormity of the moment, of the office of President would give him the gravitas he lacked in much the rest of his life. I thought he would step up. I wasn’t sure about many of his Cabinet members, but people I trusted, people in government and the military assured me of a few of them; Mattis for example. I even thought Rick Perry would take on his responsibility seriously, and for the most part he did. I gave Donald Trump that chance. I gave him the chance that’s been expected of the peaceful turnover of power since George Washington stepped away after his second term.

It soon became clear that this President would be different. From the moment he entered the Oval Office, we saw that he would be vindictive, racist, unkind. Corrupt from his office down through the Cabinet. I won’t list all of his comments, directives, executive orders. There are other places to find all of that; that’s not why I’m writing this. By now, we all know the kind of person Donald Trump is.

While he and his Administration didn’t reach the level of criminal conspiracy, we all, and I do mean ALL, know that he and his campaign colluded, both publicly and in private with Russian nationals to win the 2016 election. On the day that the Obama Administration told us about Russian involvement in the Democratic National Committee email hacks, the Access Hollywood tape came out, and that gave us the clue of what was to come in a Trump Administration; that began what was to become Trump and his Admin stepping on important headlines with nonsense, with a spilling out of a clown car, losing important information in the noise, and sadly most of the press went along with the distraction. That evening emails from John Podesta were released, drowing out the Access Hollywood tape almost entirely, and ignoring the malfeasance of the Russians and the Trump campaign.

The obstruction of justice detailed in the Mueller Report made it clear that the Administration’s actions were impeachable. For two years, Republicans did nothing. Let me clarify. Republicans have continued to do nothing to hold Trump and his Administration accountable; for two years, the Republicans held the majority of the House of Representatives. Eight of those GOP Senators spent July 4, 2018 in Moscow. They still haven’t revealed why they went. They’ve continually obstructed the House’s oversight authority, ignoring subpoenas and willfully lying to Congress and the press.

I won’t include his mental fitness, but I feel it’s negligent of me to ignore it completely. There is obviously something wrong, however I am in no position to judge or diagnose that. There are other resources available online for your edification.

Some of his Adminstration’s other actions include:

Pulling out of the Paris Climate Accords.

Threatening to pull out of NATO.

Insulting and abusing our allies.

Tariffs on imported goods from China that China DOESN’T PAY; AMERICAN CONSUMERS PAY THESE TARIFFS!

Bailing out the wealthy and corporations while everyday Americans struggle to pay their bills.

Then Ukraine. Extortion. Quid pro quo. Impeachment. Read all about it.

Nepotism. Unqualified family members running things into the ground.

Changing NAFTA to USMCA, the only substantial changes in its naming.

Trump’s only goals to take away everything President Obama did. What a small, petty man.

His fatal execution of the COVID-19 pandemic response. Millions infected, a quarter of a million dead, many needlessly. It has reached the point where American citizens are being banned from entering the European Union and Canada. Ignoring states with Democratic governors, and now stepping up for Republican governors, but really it’s too late. Those death panels Republicans lied about during Obama’s term? Republican governors are installing them as directives to decide who gets intensive care treatment as Arizona and Texas reach 100% of ICU occupancy.

He and Bill Barr allowing, ordering law enforcement to clear peaceful protesters in the park with tear gas and violence so he could walk to a church that he never attends to hold up a Bible, he never reads, reportedly upside down. His words did not convey the meaning of Jesus’ words in that very book.

And now we learn that Russia put bounties on American military in Afghanistan. That some of those military service members who serve selflessly were killed, murdered because of a price on their heads paid for by the Russian government.

President Trump says he wasn’t told.

That’s a lie. We all know that’s a lie.

He was told in February; February 27th to be exact. Oh, Trump supporters cry out, oh, but impeachment, covid, economy, he was distracted. Did I say February 27th? He was briefed in 2019. 2019! So go away with your nothing argument, your sycophancy.

He cares more about dead traitors commemorated by statues put up by racists to intimidate than he cares about living, breathing, men and women of the military, OUR military, who risk their lives every day to protect the rest of us, and he does nothing for them except cloak himself in red, white, and blue.

This isn’t an issue of Democrats or Republicans; this is an American issue. This is the survival of our republic.

From Merriam-Webster:

Definition of treason 1: the offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance or to kill or personally injure the sovereign or the sovereign’s family 2: the betrayal of a trust : TREACHERY

From Article 3, Section 3 of the US Constitution: Section. 3.

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.

The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.

From US Code Title 18, Chapter 15: §2381. 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.