Six of the last eight men who tried to sabotage American infrastructure died in the electric chair. So what should be the fate of Louis DeJoy?

Saboteur DeJoy

In June of 1942, eight German saboteurs entered the United States, four on Long Island, New York, the other four in Florida.

Their mission was sabotage. Their targets were some of the crown jewels of America’s industrial might: major hydroelectric plants, important aluminum factories, critical railroad tracks, bridges and canals–and the water supply system of New York City.

 Fortunately, their scheme was uncovered in time. None of the planned acts of sabotage were ever committed. Two of the saboteurs who cooperated with the United States got prison sentences. The other six were executed.

As I write this, we have Louis DeJoy, Donald Trump’s new Postmaster General, testifying before a U.S. Senate Panel, about his deliberate sabotage of the U.S. Postal System. 

He claims that destroying sorting machines is a “cost cutting measure.” He has yet to satisfactorily explain how destroying sorting machines cuts costs.

He is, of course, lying through his teeth. 

He has in effect said that he has carted away mailboxes, and destroyed sorting machines to make the USPS “more efficient.”

More efficient at what? If the USPS can’t efficiently sort and distribute the mail, if the machines that do that work are carried out of postal facilities and junked, if it becomes difficult even to find a mail box conveniently, there will be only one efficiency. That will be DeJoy's efficiency at clogging the mail, and in so doing, sabotaging both the American economy and election results come November.

We have a 68-year-old precedent for dealing with saboteurs like DeJoy. We ought to be talking more about it.