When former President Trump was found guilty of 34 felonies, legal commentators were quick to point out irregularities:

• The judge was biased, his family were Biden donors.
• The jury was biased, Manhattan is over 90% anti-Trump.
• The judge’s decisions were consistently anti-Trump.
• The charges were questionable at best. Listing payoffs to a stripper as campaign expenses would be a crime, but not listing them as campaign expenses cannot be a crime.
• Even if book keeping entries are criminal, they are one crime, not 34 separate crimes with 34 penalties.

And so on. But the commentators miss the point. Trump was found guilty not despite all these irregularities and distortions of our legal system, but because of them.

The object was not only to tarnish Trump’s chances for re-election and perhaps lock him up. The object was also to serve as a warning to others: If we can do this to a billionaire, if we can act with such disregard of the law toward a former President, if we can treat the Leader of the Opposition with such blatant unfairness – what can we do to you? Best be careful, keep your head down, and do as you are told.

Would-be tyrants don’t want to be respected because of their actions. They want to be feared because of their actions. The Trump trial was a big step in that direction. There are only two appropriate reactions: (1) Fear. (2) Anger. Your choice.