Giuliani's Warning

Well, as of this morning, the news was still awash with post-game discussions and observations about last night’s debate. No matter who you think “won,” I think that we can all come together on the point that at the next debate, it would be nice if we had some real moderators. Raise your hand if you agree. Oh, wait, we’re not schoolchildren.

Lost in all of the pre-hype was a fact that is causing most conservatives to work up a good head of steam or that they are trying to ignore for their own peace of mind, namely, that people who have been caught up in the Trump drama have been turning themselves in at Fulton County, Ga., and the fact that Trump is scheduled to surrender today.

CNN was even referring to Trump as a “kingpin” this morning. Then again, CNN has never been guilty of objective or levelheaded journalism, or even journalism, for that matter. And while conservatives seethe, liberals, progressives, and others of their ilk will be popping champagne corks and rolling out the Carr’s Water Biscuits and brie or updating their social media posts and firing up a bong — maybe even all at the same time.

One of those people who was slated to turn themselves in was Rudy Giuliani, who had words of warning not just for his supporters but for his detractors as well. Via American Wire News:

Now, whether you dislike or like Donald Trump, let me give you a warning. They’re gonna come for you. When the political winds shift, as they always do, let us pray that Republicans are more honest, more trustworthy, and more American than these people in charge of this government. Because if our government is conducted this way and the system of justice is politicized and criminalized for politics, your rights are in jeopardy, and your children’s. Donald Trump told you this. They weren’t just coming for him or me.

Giuliani was partly expressing his hope that when and if conservatives regain power, they will not engage in the tactics of their predecessors in the name of justice. But moreover, he was issuing a warning to you and me. One way or another, they will come for you.

Related: Trump Attorney Surrenders to Georgia DA, But Not Before a Scathing Lecture on the Constitution

If you have read much of my stuff before, you may know that years ago, my wife and I were part of a human trafficking awareness mission to Cambodia. We traveled around the country and visited some historical sites. We saw the infamous prison Tuol Sleng, where people were routinely tortured, often to the point of death.

We saw the killing fields with stacks of skulls and bones of victims and their pictures in which they gazed ahead with anger or resignation during their final moments. We saw a tree on a place called “Women’s Island.” Khmer Rouge soldiers would take babies by the feet and slam them against the tree until the infants were beaten to death in front of their grieving mothers. Across the country, we saw the legacy of Pol Pot’s rule.

People may be tempted to think that Pol Pot’s forces only targeted known political enemies. As illustrated above, that was not the case. I met some of the people who came through that horrific time. One man told me that as a young person, he was forced to take the buckets from the latrines, and with no shoes or gloves, hand-fertilize the rice fields. Rice was a year-round crop. People were arrested for having too much fabric in their possession. They were arrested for owning radios. They became suspects for wearing glasses since glasses were seen as a sign of education, and an educated person was a potential threat.

Under the Khmer Rouge, anyone could be arrested for anything, even those who thought they were loyal and obedient party members. Many soldiers who had enjoyed herding people into crowded cells and then hauling them away for torture began to find themselves under arrest and sitting in the very cells that they used to guard. Because that is what happens when a government is run by amoral, power-hungry people.

The people who hate Trump will find a way to get to you. Even if you are a solid Trump-hater yourself, they will get to you for something. They may freeze your social media or your money. They may refuse to let you fly. They may shut down your business or establish laws that might get you fired. They may even knock down your door in the early hours of the morning and take you to jail because of your views on abortion. This current episode in American history is nothing more than an appetizer. These people are just getting stretched out and warmed up.