50 seconds:

The short clip above is our extreme right highly partisan governor weighing in on the arraignment of a former president. The Governor makes a claim a couple of times that America has a two-tiered justice system. I, for one, couldn’t agree with her more.

One tier is getting screwed royally and the other tier is getting treated with kid gloves. Where the Governor and I disagree is on which tier is which. I happen to think that those who are rich and hold positions of power are being treated as if the justice system should apologize for for ever bothering them. The Governor thinks that ever bringing the rich and powerful to justice is an affront to their very being.

On the other hand I happen to believe that anyone in the justice system should be treated the same no matter the background. As noted the Governor think the rich and powerful should have a justice system that is deferential to their station in life.

The concept of equal justice is one of the very basic tenets of our system of government. Over the years it has also been one of the most violated. Our system of justice has always been at least two tiered, sometimes more. The wealthy and powerful have always been able to use their standing and their wealth to avoid justice. As an old trite saying on the right goes “if you do the crime, you do the time.” Yet that trite saying disappears when a rich or powerful person is the person doing the crime.

Many followers of the extreme right have been finding out just how differently justice is doled out in this country depending on your status. Let’s take those insurrectionists who did what they were told to do by the leader of the rebellion to try to overthrow the government of the United States on January 6, 2021.

Many of the insurrectionists went to Washington they believed to support the leader of the rebellion, Donald Trump. I am sure many believed that whatever they did would not be punished because Trump, then president, told them to attack congress. 

Now many of them who were poor or middle class have had charges brought against them or have been tried and are serving sentences. Trump, the ringleader, has as yet to be charged or tried. Definitely a difference in how justice is doled out based on status in this society.

What is really sad is to see those in power like Kim Reynolds condoning such a system. She is ready to throw doctors in prison for helping a woman who needs reproductive services, but stands up for the leader of a rebellion against our central government. She is all in on throwing school librarians in jail based on her (Reynolds) interpretation of a book, but because the leader of a rebellion is popular she is afraid to stand up for true justice.

It goes without saying that all she can do is parrot the extreme right wing talking points. I am sure if she was asked to go deeper into the issues she would look like a deer in the headlights. At least back when Richard Nixon was about to be impeached there were some fair minded Republicans who were independent thinkers who could cut through the party line of the day and realize that Dick Nixon was the mastermind behind Watergate and deserved to be brought to justice.

However, the final act of that play where Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon rather than have him actually face justice set the tone for the Trump years where Trump and his followers thought they were above the law. Thus, today, we have a really egregious two tiered justice system with people like Trump and Reynolds thinking that those with power and wealth should not have to answer for their crimes.

Pretty hard to sell America as the epitome of equality when they can all see our justice system hammers the poor and middle class while seldom touching the oligarchs. 

Kim Reynolds really should apologize for her remarks. Iowa will have ocean frontage before that happens.