Could Donald Trump demolish Lady Liberty if he wanted to? First the East Wing, then her?
News and commentary for all Americans, including those living in the 'Free' State of Florida
By J.C. Bruce
Could Donald Trump really tear down the Statue of Liberty?
His lawyers at the Department of Justice think he could get away with it, and they argued just that in federal court the other day.
The very idea is, of course, beyond belief. Such an act would be madness, inconceivable. Has any president ever had the temerity, been crazy enough, to think that he could treat American landmarks and institutions, things that belong to all of us, as his own personal property and subject to his fleeting whims?
Oh, right. We’re talking about Trump.
The question was raised during a federal appeals court hearing in which the judges expressed skepticism about the Trump Administration’s argument that courts have no jurisdiction to block the president’s ballroom project now that he’s already demolished the East Wing.
Even if the courts found the ballroom boondoggle illegal, there’s nothing they could do. That was the argument Justice Department lawyers made.
“When did it become a fait accompli?” Judge Patricia Millett asked. “If this were complete lawlessness by the government … it couldn’t be stopped?”
“On these theories, I think that’s right,” replied Yaakov Roth, a Justice Department attorney.
Millett, an Obama appointee, peppered Roth with questions about the extent of the Trump administration’s view of its power to “move fast and break things” without being subject to legal challenge.
“If the government decides, very quickly, to bulldoze the Statue of Liberty — the people whose ancestors that was the first thing they saw coming to this country, but the government moved too fast — nothing can be done?” the judge asked.
“I think that’s right, yes,” Roth responded.
So, there you have it.
If Donald Trump breaks the law fast enough, the courts don’t have anything to say about it. That’s the argument.
No consequences. At least not from the so-called justice system.
In the specific case of the ballroom, only Congress can call a halt to Trump’s madness, his lawyers argue. Because, you know, ordinary citizens have no legal standing to sue.
To which I would ask: Why not?
Federal property does not belong to the president. He may be the caretaker, but he is not the owner.
Federal property belongs to each and every American citizen. Therefore, each and every American citizen—and organizations they chose to create, a First Amendment right—absolutely has a stake.
It takes a real criminal mind to make the case that if your getaway car is fast enough, the courts don’t have jurisdiction to put you in jail.
I have to believe the appeals court will reject this argument. Then it will be appealed again.
And, surely, even the Supreme Court can see through this. Right?
Oh, yeah, that’s the same court that said corporations are people.
We are in so much trouble.
J.C. Bruce is the founder of Tropic Press, a newsletter and website reaching more than 700,000 Floridians daily. He is an award-winning journalist and author, a native Miamian, and an alum of the University of South Florida among other institutions of higher learning where he served time.
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J.C. Bruce
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Remember Julia "Butterfly" Hill? She and many less famous others sat high up in redwood trees to keep them from being cut down. We may need a human shield for the Statue of Liberty. Wouldn't that be great press? Include a voter registration drive at the base of the statue. I wanna see those approval ratings in the twenties or teens!
We need to dump Trump. Plain & simple.