In the bad old days there used to be laws that were racially neutral -- that is, no one could call them systemically racist -- yet which were applied racially unequally. Example: a town would reduce the speed limit on Main St from 30 m.p.h. to 20 m.p.h. Then when white folks exceeded the new limit they were not bothered by the police, while the Black drivers were pulled up and booked. All neutral, all fine and all above the law. But still racist, right?
That’s where we get the term “driving while Black”.
The same with littering laws in the Jim Crow days of the South. A white person stubbing out a cigarette on the sidewalk would not be bothered. The same from a Black guy and bang! in jail for littering and “damaging federal property”. All done to hassle Blacks. Racist.
Still, all according to “no one is above the law”.
As they’re saying that about Trump now. “He is not above the law”. Yet he is being indicted on a charge that no one has been charged with before. An alleged State misdemeanour which is now tied to an alleged Federal felony. One which the previous DA declined to prosecute and one which the Feds declined to prosecute. Yet now there’s a prosecution. Funny that.
It’s like it’s the new version of “driving while Black”. This one is “campaigning while Trump”.
Also, and By the way, I find it amazing that Democrats are happy with this niggly charge. After all, the first thing they were going after was that he’d colluded with an enemy, Russia. Pretty serious. When that collapsed (Mueller Investigation), it was on to major corporate chicanery. Also pretty serious. “Walls closing in!”, “tax evasion!”.When that too collapsed we were then assured Trump would go to jail for.... well... something. After all, “the walls are closing in”. And now we have it, thanks to NYC DA Alvin Bragg -- who I learn today had himself not been keen to prosecute this case at the outset until outraged NYC Dems put pressure on him. And what is it? This new charge? In fact, not even “new”, exactly the same charge that he’d declined to prosecute earlier. The equivalent of jaywalking. Pretty thin gruel. And the Dems are happy? Weird.
ADDED: there are plenty of Democrats who are upset by this indictment [eg]. Who see the danger to the Republic. Who understand that a mature democracy should not weaponise the legal system against the opposition. This is a very serious concern. And something concerning for the US is concerning for us all in the rest of the world. I do not like it. Not one little bit.
ADDED: A good explanation of the charges, broken down here
