Novak Djokovic is now officially out of the Australian Open and has left the country.  There was incompetence and confusion on the part of the Australian government but ultimately it was the right final decision.  Nobody is above the law, no matter the wealth or celebrity status of the person.

Serbia and all the anti-vaxxers are of course dismayed at the ruling.  They said it was unfair because if the provincial government had not accept Djokovic's application for exemption, he would not have gone to Australia in the first place.  But to me, there was something fishy about what Djokovic did.  He knew he was not vaccinated and so needed an exemption.  His request for exemption was that he had COVID already.  But he got a positive test on Dec. 16 or 17.  How did he know that he would get infected then or any time after?  At that late date, he would not have enough time to get two shots before going to Australia.  So the only way was to get infected to get an exemption.  So if he did not get infected, he would not have gone to Australia to defend his title?

Djokovic then was seen in public without masks at least couple of times right after the positive test result.  He is either extremely irresponsible, which should give Australia pause of admitting him in any case, or the test result was faked!  He was not going to get vaccinated because he is anti-vax.  So did he planned to get infected or get a fake medical result to get an exemption?

So to me the whole thing smell fishy and so I think Australia ultimately did the right thing by banning him.  You cannot ask the whole population to sacrifice and then let somebody from another country flaunt the rules.  

I do think that Djokovic should not be banned for 3 years because he was deported as some in Australia have suggested.  That would be unfair because Australia shared some responsibility for giving him an exemption initially.  If it didn't, then Djokovic would not have flied to Australia and thus would not be subject to deportation.  So the 3 year ban rule should not be enforced here.

 Shortly after Jan.6 last year, I thought that the power Trump over the Republican party was over.  When Republican members of Congress were scared stiff from the riot and leaders such as Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell said that Trump was responsible, you would think that the Trump era was over.  Now a year later, claims of election fraud continues, Republicans are saying that it was not a riot at all.  Nobody from the Republican side, except for a few people like Liz Cheney, mention that Trump is at fault for the insurrection.  Nothing from McCarthy and McConnell.

Only Liz Cheney and her father Dick Cheney among Republicans showed up to honor the Capitol police and remember the day.  Nothing from Mitt Romney.  Nothing from Mike Pence whom the rioters want to hang.  The prospect of elections not certified or riots post election are as real today or even more so compared to last year.  Our democracy is in big danger.  If we don't have peaceful transfer of power, do we really have a democracy?