The slogan was “drain the swamp.” The movement was to remove career politicians and change the face of politics forever. Washington D.C. is a place where politicians go to be exempt from legal and social standards that most regular citizens have to deal with. These people are celebrities who rarely lose elections and almost never face consequences.
When candidate Donald Trump became President-Elect Donald Trump, a new day was coming. When President-Elect Donald Trump officially became President of the United States, a new day was supposed to have arrived. At least, that is what the hype machine told us would occur.
On the campaign trail, Trump preferred to say he’d lock up Hillary Clinton for her various scandals. Depicting her as a criminal escaping justice and abusing her political positions, supporters chanted “lock her up.” Mishandling classified information and potentially endangering national security was a big deal.
On the campaign trail, President Trump spoke out against the IRS weaponizing the tax code to target political opponents of the Obama Administration. Lois Lerner was front and center of the scandal. Many had spoken up against the disturbing trends involving the case the President denounced.
When the new day arrived, Clinton and Lerner would be prosecuted. Right?
As it turns out, neither occurred. The President said Clinton had been through enough and the Justice Department stated he decided against pursuing Lerner. For all their crimes and abuses of power, they would not face justice.
The Justice Department on the other hand has been busy chasing pot smokers. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a well-known opponent of smoking the plant, has given teeth to the federal government’s overreach again. Despite the questionable constitutionality of the Controlled Substances Act, the issue of freedom involving one’s own body and various state laws on the books, Sessions has prioritized targeting people who smoke weed.
What if Hillary Clinton smoked pot? What if Lois Lerner smoked pot?
Would things be any different?
The Trump Administration has taken numerous stands against liberty. From the President himself labeling whistleblower Edward Snowden as a traitor to the battle to control people’s bodies, Trump has made it clear he’s just another swamp creature. Not only is Trump taking policy stands in favor of the establishment, but he is also letting establishment politicians get off the hook for their misdeeds.
It’s fortunate for Clinton and Lerner that they didn’t smoke weed. It’s unfortunate that pot smokers didn’t choose to do something like mishandle classified information or abuse major federal agency positions instead of getting high.
Whether one agrees or disagrees with smoking a plant, it is an issue of personal freedom. The enormous tax code being weaponized against people supportive of the Constitution, on the other hand, is a threat to personal freedom. But one issue gets attention and the other one doesn’t. And the mishandling of classified information is a threat to the safety of all freedom-loving Americans.
It is most fortunate for Hillary Clinton and Lois Lerner that they aren’t prominent pot smokers. Their lesser crimes are of no concern to Sessions, his holy war against a plant, and the oblivious egomaniac in the White House who clearly doesn’t care about fulfilling his electoral mandate.
Goddamn, you want that bowl blowing up in your face? Take those seeds out!