Joseph Stalin's reputation as a ruthless despot rests on many factors, but particularly upon his persecution of political opponents.  Under Stalin, the gulags swelled in size and continued to do so until his death in 1953.  Lavrentiy Beria, Stalin's most notorious secret police commander of the People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs (NKVD), boasted about his weaponized law enforcement agency and his ability to "prove" guilt, even in the absence of a crime.  His words were, "Show me the man, and I'll show you the crime."  First, Beria would identify a target ("the man") before he concocted charges based upon falsified evidence — the victims were guilty until proven innocent.  Justice was jettisoned in favor of kangaroo courts.

In contrast, the American federal government, established with the ratification of the Constitution, rooted our justice system in Judeo-Christian ethics and morality.  In fact, five of the ten amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights explicitly address governmental limitations in an effort to secure justice.  But now we've moved into the wasteland of no return.

The rule of law is no more — the Department of Justice is now the NKVD, and Merrick Garland is Beria.  Yesterday, FBI stormtroopers kicked in the doors of President Donald J. Trump's private residence, executing a search warrant.  From a statement released by the president:

These are dark times for our Nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided and occupied by a large group of FBI agents. Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before. After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid [emphasis added] on my home was not necessary or appropriate. It is prosecutorial misconduct, the weaponization of the Justice System, and an attack by Radical Left Democrats. ...

Such an assault could only take place in broken, Third-World Countries. Sadly, America has now become one of those Countries, corrupt at a level not seen before.

Divine influence, together with the unbelievable minds of our Founders, created the greatest nation in the history of the world.  The institution of American justice is sacred — so much so that legions of men willingly laid down their lives in order to secure freedom from tyranny.  As Thomas Paine said:

Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: It is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to set a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed, if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.

Image: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons