There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane, he had to fly them. If he flew them, he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to, he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.

“That’s some catch, that Catch-22,” he observed.

“It’s the best there is,” Doc Daneeka agreed.      – Joseph Heller 1961

It seems like we are living in a political spinoff of Joseph Heller’s classic novel, Catch-22.  Democrat pundits are touting their fight to save democracy itself from the fascist, insurrectionist, racist, elitist, warmonger, white-nationalist, antisemitic, egomaniacal, narcissistic, traitorous, Russian puppet, madman, and all-around-mean-guy, Donald Trump.  As if the election of Donald Trump would erase the concept of democracy from the collective mind of mankind. 

There are certainly things not to like about Donald Trump.  He has an ego that takes up half the oxygen on Earth.  His handling of the office of President was certainly outside the norms. 

But it seems like there are some who are willing to destroy democracy in order to save it.  First Colorado Judges removed Trump from the primary ballot in that state; then this week, Trump was removed from the primary ballot in Maine.  This time by the duly elected Maine Secretary of State (and ironically former head of the ACLU Maine), Shenna Bellows.

Bellows could barely conceal her delight in an interview on CNN as she explained that she was just doing her duty and “had no choice.”  She determined on her own that Trump is an insurrectionist despite no legal decision or evidentiary due process.  Of course, she didn’t answer the softball questions from the equally delighted CNN interviewer, particularly when asked about the right of voters to have their voices heard. 

When Trump goes on one of his rants about the election being stolen, his point becomes a little more believable with every similar news story.  Partisans like Bellows seem to be able to justify destroying democracy in order to “save” it. 

This is just one more obstacle confronting Trump in his bid for another term.  His multiple civil suits (including the economically devastating case from New York’s AG Leticia James), his 91 individual charges from 4 different prosecutors (that all seemed to materialize one after the other), the unprecedented prosecutions of several of his personal attorneys – all seem to scream that you, as an American, will not be given the right to vote for Donald Trump in November of 2024. 

Trump is no angel — but beat him at the ballot box (fairly).  This is the behavior of a banana republic dictatorship, not a democracy.  When we see this type of behavior in other countries we shake our heads, but here it is in the birthplace of modern democracy.

 It seems like all the attempts to end Trump will not work, but progressives only need one to come through.  The biggest question, however, is what will happen when Trump is gone.  Will they put the pieces of our democracy back together like none of this ever happened?  Was Trump just an aberration that needed extreme measures?  Or is this the end of our democracy as we know it? 

Is the endpoint of a modern constitutional republic that you can vote for anyone the party approves of, but anyone else will be destroyed by the bureaucracy?

“You haven’t got a chance, kid,” he told him glumly. “They hate Jews.”

“But I’m not Jewish,” answered Clevinger.

“It will make no difference,” Yossarian promised, and Yossarian was right. “They’re after everybody.” – Joseph Heller 1961

Thanks for reading The Ops Desk. Stay Safe!