I’ve probably got it in me to write a 10,000 word essay all about how this term’s Supreme Court rulings, in particular, Trump v. United States, a.k.a. The Immunity Thing™, though between all that, the polls, the hair-pulling and infighting related to Biden’s lackluster debate performance last week, as well as some more personal developments I’m dealing with, I simply don’t have the spoons.

But, I’ve got to say something, because we should be better than this. I don’t want to have to say that 248 years was a good run for American Democracy, but I’d be lying if I didn’t feel like that wasn’t how I was feeling about the whole business, and I’m far from the only one, be it innumerable pundits writing their essays this week or my grocery store drinking buddy Margie as we drowned our collective sorrows in a couple of pints of decent craft IPA the other afternoon.

All other difficulties in practical applications aside, this country was based on the concept of everyone being equal under the law, up to and including the chief executive. And, again a few exceptions aside, things mostly worked up until a few years ago, because we all operated under acceptance of that premise.

Sure, we had Nixon’s assertion to David Frost that “Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal,” but up until this past Monday, things at least seemed to operate as if that statement was incorrect. Now, thanks to Chief Justice Roberts and the other five right-wing justices, that statement’s basically established law as long as the “it” the President does is determined to be an “official act” by the courts.

It was a garbage decision that goes against both the spirit and letter of the Constitution and the ideals upon which this country was built. The above is the best I’ve got right now, but I’ll close this with a hearty endorsement of Rep. Jamie Raskin of MD-8’s statement on the matter:

“Today, the Supreme Court took a bulldozer to the democratic credo that no one—including presidents and former presidents—is above the law. Three years ago, after Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial, Mitch McConnell explained, ‘We have a criminal justice system in this country… And former Presidents are not immune from being held accountable.’ But today, far-right justices embedded with the ‘Stop the Steal’ movement conferred broad immunity on Donald Trump, even going so far as to help him keep evidence of his criminal actions from coming to light in a court of law. Today’s ruling, postponing any prosecution of Trump until after the election and holding that Presidents are presumptively immune from criminal prosecution for using their office to assassinate political rivals, organize a military coup, or take bribes, is a radical break from the rule of law which underscores how much our democratic values have been eroded and are on the line in November. Donald Trump has made it clear that, if he wins election, he will use his presidential powers to pardon all his co-conspirators and weaponize the Justice Department by firing career employees and replacing them with an army of sycophants willing to engage in retributive harassment against his political opponents. All of this would be presumably allowable under today’s horrific decision.”

No More Kings. We’re better than this…aren’t we?