The Witness Chronicles, 4/1/25

A lawless society

Photo by Sebastian Pichler on Unsplash

Donald Trump’s Great Retribution Has One Goal: He is Dismantling the Entire Legal System

It’s systematic and across the board and it starts with his defiance

Let’s do a little Trump history lesson, recent history. Nothing infuriates him like being publicly labeled a loser and the recent criminal felony convictions and the more serious crimes he was accused of but dodged are at the core of his war on the rule of law.

That rule starts with the decision within the Republican Party, and the White House in particular, to simply ignore the orders of courts and judges across the country. This is the foundation of this war. Trump’s attorneys realized that it would be very difficult to restrain a President who simply ignores the law, in our current political environment.

One of the reasons they are moving so quickly and randomly, is that this political environment is extremely frail, a true house of cards. Trump’s advantage in the Congress and the Supreme Court could disintegrate any time and he knows it. And the angrier the people get on both sides, the more likely it is that elected officials may peel away from absolute loyalty to Trump.

House members are basically running for office constantly, with one election ending and planning for the next starting immediately. And the campaigning for the next election in 2026 is going on right now. And you better believe the Trump stalwarts are getting worried as prices go up and every day we hear more about the court cases his White House are losing.

This systematic refusal to obey court orders may very well change the balance of power in the Supreme Court, whose leader John Roberts, in a rare comment, rebuked the President’s notion that resistant judges be impeached, stating that impeachment was not an appropriate way of dealing with judges the President does not like.

If the highest court in the land sides with Trump they will have effectively destroyed their own essential role as a check and balance on the pursuit of absolute power we are seeing with Trump. The judges are all people who have dedicated themselves to the rule of law their entire lives. I may not agree with all of their decisions but I believe the rule of law is at the core of their legal belief systems. Right now there is speculation that as Trump cases flood the court there could be a shift away from the far right coalition Trump counts on.

Which brings up an interesting situation. What if Trump defies the highest court in the land, one that serves for life in a system designed to shield them from the ins and out of politics? How will the American public respond to that? How will politicians respond to that?

Today (Tuesday April 1st) there is a state Supreme Court election in Wisconsin that may very well affect the fairness of elections in that swing state. As a result, Elon Musk has taken it upon himself to try and buy that election for the Trump-endorsed candidate, pouring nearly eighty million dollars into it and trying to literally pay voters for their votes. And Democrat donors are also pouring money in.

This election is being watched very carefully, across the country. It is not only an early battle that could indicate how Trump’s actions are being received so far, but it is also a test of what the public thinks of Elon Musk meddling in state affairs. Musk’s polling shows he is widely unpopular and seen as arrogant and even cruel.

If the Democrat wins, and nothing is certain here, it will send a shock to the Trump people and may herald that sheer amounts of money being poured in are no longer a significant influence on voters. It may backfire as those voters are absolutely deluged with ads that get more and more nasty, ads not even created in the state or relevant to the issues involved.

The entry of Musk into election politics could very well be his downfall as a political influencer. A lot of people resent the notion that unimaginable wealth puts one above the law and Musk is not helping that by handing out million dollar checks that are pocket change to him.

This ransacking of the law may appeal to hardcore MAGA supporters who love Trump’s defiance of all rules that get in his way. But Trump and Musk’s actions are starting to trickle down to them and not in ways they anticipated. Many still cling to their loyalty but are starting to question why prices are going up and government services they rely on are being slashed.

These effects would usually be gradual but the rate that Trump is tearing apart the economy means those effects are hitting voters earlier and more randomly. Their loyalty may be less dependable than the right thinks.

Trump is already making noise about a third term, which is Constitutionally illegal, but if he continues to get away with ignoring the law, he may really believe he is destined to rule in perpetuity.

To be honest, it is hard to write about this stuff. It’s so demented and out of control in ways that are seriously disturbing. And equally disturbing is the apparent lack of outrage among my fellow citizens. This Saturday April 5, 2025, there is the first national protest, the Hands Off rally. I’ll be there in my town and I’m very curious to see what kind of turnout we get. I do not think the promoters have done a great job getting the word out, but it is a start.

My personal feeling about effective resistance is that a broad consumer boycott of any unnecessary spending will be the action that is most powerful in the longer run. But we may not have a longer run, so protesting now may be the best we can do.

I realize that is a very negative note to end on, but finally seeing a large scale protest movement emerge is a good sign. A shocking number of Americans have chosen to check out and let these criminals run amuck in our government. And many still support them, which is shameful, lazy, and irresponsible.

I know my readers are not those people, though I do wish some of what I write about could reach them. Trump is a professional grifter and they are being conned in broad daylight. Maybe large scale protests will get their attention and a few will wake up. And maybe car prices going up by thousands, along with their damn eggs, will make them realize they’ve been had.

We can always hope.

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Martin Edic