Should they be jailed?

When I started my wish list for the Trump presidency in November, the first item on it was:

Put Hillary in jail. Seriously. Jail the bitch, but properly. Full investigation with no direct presidential involvement of any kind. Just open the door. Let the FBI do the work. The Clintons are common criminals, treat them as such. Have their past crimes investigated as well. There must have been many people involved in covering them up, all you need is to make a few to turn to open the floodgates of information leading to the truth.

I could easily put a dozen other items on my wish list, but the focus should be on this one. Then I had to ask myself: does this wish make me bad person? Vindictive, spiteful? Do I hate Hillary Clinton? Wouldn’t compassion be more appropriate? More decent? She wanted this so badly, she fought for it so hard and it would have been a historic first. Shouldn’t we just let bygones be bygones and concentrate on rebuilding America?
In the end, this is the question: Can this rebuilding be done without exposing the filth to the disinfecting effect of sunlight?

When communism fell in 1989 in eastern Europe, different countries chose different paths, but NONE did any serious purge. Nobody went to jail for crimes committed using their political power. The only victims were the Ceausescus, but even they were not killed for their actual crimes but to prevent a civil war.

The archives were opened, and some secrets were revealed. In most countries, you were able to find out who were the informants reporting on you and what was reported. In some countries properties were given back to their former owners or their heirs, but in others such as Hungary, only token gestures were made to compensate the victims of the system.

Most communists managed to find cushy positions for themselves in the new regimes. The clever ones ended up with millions as they stole whatever they could put their hands on. The apparatchiks became the kleptocrats; the communists diversified into the freshly minted and often changing new political parties. The old ruling class became the new ruling class. Putin was a Lieutenant Colonel of the KGB. The ‘socialist’ prime minister of Hungary was a former communist.

Yes, life was better, the free market delivered the goods, there was freedom of movement and speech, but the messy transitions, the lack of accountability, NOT holding people responsible for their actions prevented social healing. Communism itself was not really held to account for its misdeeds.  The euphoria over the demise of communism turned into a long series of scandals, corruption and bitter disappointments.

It could be argued, and it was, that this was the best way to transition without bloodshed, without starting new chains of vendettas and causing a lot more pain. The problem with purges is that it is difficult to know how far to take them and when to stop. Still, doing nothing was the worst option.

I am afraid that something similar is about to happen in the US. Evil, corrupt sociopaths can get away with murder, just to maintain the illusion of the legitimacy of the system.

The Clintons are criminals. Barak Obama is an incompetent fraud. Sweeping their scandals and the misdeeds under the carpet will not make the problems go away. Not dealing with them will only keep alive the festering wound of confrontational political division.
The Clintons and Obama should be investigated and held responsible for their scandals. Obama’s college records should be unsealed. His birth certificate should be located. It would not disqualify him from anything at this point, his presidency cannot be nullified, but if anything is found, it should be part of his ‘legacy’.

George Soros, the supporter of the Clintons and the financier of violent riots across the USA must be investigated and held liable for the damages caused by the riots he financed. Every front organization he gave money to should be audited and investigated. Few of them will prove to be genuinely grass-root.

There were over a hundred highly suspicious deaths around the Clintons. They should all be investigated vigorously. Hillary’s role in Benghazi should be investigated. The Clintons’ use of their foundation is a most blatant form of corruption. It must be investigated.
Not so that they can be punished and humiliated, but to help social healing. The half of America that voted for Mrs. Clinton must understand that the other half had a very good reason to vote against her.
Some may even have second thoughts about their support of the democrats. Many would be embarrassed to voice their support as long as criminal responsibility can be established.

Asking for this is not vindictiveness or righteous indignation. The crimes, the frauds, the corruption of the Clintons and Obama must be exposed not so that they can be punished for it, but to give a chance to heal American democracy.