courts have to pretend
anything normal about
these criminal charges
When asked about things that surprise me here in the 21st Century, I hold out my iPhone.
I make the point that in the Science Fiction writing about the future worlds either as projections of our future or dystopian what-might-have beens, no one, not HP Lovecraft, Issac Asimov or even Stephen King predicted a world where almost everyone carried some kind of computer with more computing power of all of NASA when the USA went to the moon in their hands and that almost everyone would be able to be contacted anywhere in the world.
No one saw the iPhone or handheld device.
It was “inconceivable!” (To quote Vizzini from the movie Princess Bride (who was played by Wallace Shawn, SON OF William Shawn, longtime editor of the New Yorker Magazine).
I mention all that to set the mood for my next point.
Remember that word, inconceivable.
There is this line in an opinion piece in the New York Times I read on Sunday, October 12, 2025.
The line reads:
In other words, do courts have to pretend that there’s anything normal about these criminal charges?
The piece is titled, How a Trump Judge Exposed the Trump Con By David French.
I am not here today to debate the points made by the Mr. French.
I am not here today to debate the actions of anyone on either side in the piece written by Mr. French.
All I want to say is that on this day, someone writing in the New York Times about Criminal Charges brought by the current administration against Americans asked the question, “, … do courts have to pretend that there’s anything normal about these criminal charges?“
I am not sure that such a question, in history or in fiction, has ever been asked in such a way about the United States Judicial system.
In fact, I would use the word, inconceivable!
Maybe during the McCarthy era?
Not in any way do I want to be boxed into the corner of DEFENDING the McCarthy Era but at least he made charges that Americans were turning to side with our biggest enemy.
False as it might have been, it was a charge you could understand.
MY GOSH I AM DEFENDING JOE MCCARTHY!
OH my offense is rank.
BOOOY Howdy!
Lets say that one more time.
In other words, do courts have to pretend that there’s anything normal about these criminal charges?
Where does that put us?
In the movie Casablanca, Victor and Ilsa want to meet with Señor Ugarte but Ugarte was arrested the night before.
Meeting in the police station, they are told by Major Strasser that if they met with Ugarte, they “… would find the conversation a trifle one-sided. Señor Ugarte is dead.
“Oh?” says Ilsa.
Captain Renault looks up form his report and says, “I am making out the report now. We haven’t quite decided yet whether he committed suicide or died trying to escape.”
In the Casablanca of that day, the courts had to pretend that there WAS everything normal about those criminal charges.
Inconceivable!
But here we are.
No Haiku For You 