Robert Gamer: Author & Activist

Imagine a hypothetical situation: On January 6th, the president of an island republic is the featured speaker at a demonstration to overturn the election, which she lost. Addressing the demonstrators, the president urges those gathered to invade the congress and depose the government, knowing that some in the audience are armed with automatic assault rifles. With the president’s blessing, the crowd charges into the capitol, battling the police and inflicting injuries on many officers. A cry rings out, “Hang the vice president!” A mock noose is strung up.

As the riot unfolds, the president sits in her office for 2 1/2 hours, listening to the news but not appealing to the protesters to end their invasion or calling for reinforcements to aid the police. Although the lead counsel of the Justice Department later indicts the president for insurrection, the King’s Counsel, the island’s Supreme Court, issues a decree of immunity, stating the president will suffer no legal consequences for anything done in office — effectively giving her carte blanche.

Under normal circumstances, while such a sequence of events may be understandable in a banana republic, it would never be palatable in a democracy. In a democracy, no person is considered above the law. The president would and should receive justice like everyone else. The offense of trying to overthrow one’s government is treason. The overwhelming majority of citizens would condemn this criminal breach by their leader.

Continuing with this hypothetical narrative, let’s now have the majority of voters re-elect this president despite her actions. On the surface, such a development makes no sense, but this is where chaos theory comes into play. In simplest terms, chaos theory explains that within the randomness of complex systems, there is inherent repetition, self-similarity, and interconnectedness. Chaos theory proposes a paradox, connecting two seemingly incompatible notions. On the one hand, voters in this imaginary island republic believe in democracy and the rule of law; on the other hand, they are willing to elect a traitor who willingly violates the Constitution and is now above the law.

As Americans, we often look down on countries where stories of corruption and political chaos regularly make the news. We shake our heads in disbelief, wondering how the citizens of these nations can tolerate such blatant disregard for democratic principles. Yet, this hypothetical tale serves as a mirror, reflecting our own biases and blind spots. The events described in this imaginary country bear an uncanny resemblance to the January 6th insurrection in the United States, where a sitting president incited a violent mob to storm the Capitol in an attempt to overturn a free and fair election.

The irony is painful. As we pass judgment on others, we fail to recognize the same patterns of chaos and corruption in our own backyard. We cling to the belief that our democracy is infallible, that our institutions are unassailable, and that our leaders are accountable to the rule of law. But the January 6th insurrection and its aftermath have exposed the cracks in our system and the depths of our own political dysfunction.

This thought experiment challenges us to confront our biases and acknowledge that the chaos and corruption we so readily condemn in other countries can just as easily take root in our own. It is a reminder that democracy is fragile and that the preservation of our ideals requires constant vigilance and unwavering commitment to the principles of justice, accountability, and the rule of law.

Based on the King’s Court decision granting immunity to the president, the lead counsel of the Justice Department finally issues a decree dropping the indictment for provoking and participating in an insurrection.

The only way to close is to thank the stars that this account has been purely hypothetical, not based on any actual happenings — or is it?