Many of us have been wondering for years what life in the United States would be like if Donald Trump, with all his authoritarian leanings, had won a second term. It is no secret that he admires regimes in which presidential power is unchecked by an effective legislature or an independent judiciary and in which the right to vote is a sham. Think Russia, China and Turkey, to name a few.
Well, after the last two days, it seems safe to say that we are living in a country governed by an absolute authority that can dictate what the rights and prerogatives of American citizens are. That authoritarian agent is not Trump – but he created it. It is, of course, the current Supreme Court, whose justices serve for life, answer to no one and can simply ignore the will of the American electorate if it is at odds with their own views of the Constitution. It is an aptly named branch of government – for that is where supreme power lies. And, when it is packed with like-minded justices who simply dismiss as unimportant and tiresome the majority opinion of the electorate when it comes to issues such as gun safety and abortion, then it begins to resemble a threat to democracy.
Charles Brown
Owls Head
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