"Justice must not only be done, but it must also be seen to be done." Lord Hewart, Lord Chief Justice of England said that almost 100 years ago. The people of the United States need to see that justice is being pursued, in a legal, serious, timely way.
Will soon know whether Justices Aliso, Thomas, Gorsuch, Kavanagh and Barrett support the Seditionists. Whereas they can make an overnight decision not to enjoin a law preventing the constitutional right to abortion, it will be telling if the Court refuses to act in an equally expeditious manner when it comes to Congress’ right to investigate sedition by their sponsors.
In the 2016 Presidential campaign, a theme of the Hillary Clinton campaign was that much of Donald Trump’s media support came from “Fake News” - Breitbart et al., outlets outside mainstream media. This was a moderately effective theme for the Clinton campaign although, of course, insufficient in the end.
Donald Trump knew an effective meme when he saw one. As soon as he was inaugurated, he rebranded “Fake News” to refer to the mainstream media and made it his own, pushing it relentlessly, to the point where few even remember the slogan was introduced as an anti-Trump meme.
In 2021 the GOP messaging gurus have had a fair bit of success decrying “cancel culture” by “the woke”, Dr. Seuss’ heirs and others on the left.
Now we have this story about banning and even burning books. We have attempted firings of teachers for teaching civil war history at odds with “Lost Cause” mythology.
My question to you and the rest of Democratic-leaning media is this:
Why does it NEVER occur to us to brand this type of activity as “Republican Cancel Culture”??? And keep repeating it until it sticks?
There is nothing more effective in politics than ripping an effective slogan out of your opponent’s hands and making it your own.
We have reached the point of school boards burning books. I feel like we're inside the movie Cabaret.
Our esteemed writer asks "What is it about the legal system that allows somebody to keep appealing repeatedly to avoid ever being accountable?" The answer is this: The greed and power of those who control the legal profession have led to this. The Federalist Society has done its job through the power and strategies acquired by the forces inside our biggest law firms, which control the judiciary and the lawyers who run those firms. Even decent men and women toe the line, unaware they are pawns of those within the legal profession who run our government. Just try getting an audience on a matter of public good that requires even a tiny bit of magnanimity on the part of a big, wealthy law firm. Even small efforts are overpowered by indifference. They behave as though common courtesy belongs to others, so they become immune to the bigger picture of what is created by their power. Book burning! As I watched that local board talking about burning books, chills ran down my spine.
I have been called upon to need just simple help from those powerful firms, and they are untouchable. Unreachable. Unaccountable. It is those traits that led to the control of our judiciary, our legislators - and now our school boards.
Even good people follow suit and don't see ther complicity in furthering the control that has made its way from the top down.
"What is it about the legal system that allows somebody to keep appealing repeatedly to avoid ever being accountable?" The answer to that important question is more than you think.
It’s a time to keep on keepin’ on. To move ahead, stubbornly. Even if we may have only a dim view of our objective, keep telling ourselves that right (but not the Right) will prevail.
As for more mundane matters, I still harbor some hope that the Supreme Court will give Trump the short shrift he deserves. The right-wing of the court may be political hacks, but i hope not just hacks.
Thank you for hope, Robert, even amidst calls to (OMG) burn books, an outdated trope in a digital age. My Far Right next door neighbor asked me yesterday to explain what ‘the Jews’ believe, so I guess Fox News has had something to say about that this week. “She means well,” the ultimate southern put-down, could apply, except this 85 year old from the country, has apparently never known a single Jewish person. Cabaret, indeed!
Robert: I thought of you when I saw today's cartoon by Mike Luckovich in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Since this is the only way I know how to contact you, here's a link to Mike's blog:
"Justice must not only be done, but it must also be seen to be done." Lord Hewart, Lord Chief Justice of England said that almost 100 years ago. The people of the United States need to see that justice is being pursued, in a legal, serious, timely way.
Will soon know whether Justices Aliso, Thomas, Gorsuch, Kavanagh and Barrett support the Seditionists. Whereas they can make an overnight decision not to enjoin a law preventing the constitutional right to abortion, it will be telling if the Court refuses to act in an equally expeditious manner when it comes to Congress’ right to investigate sedition by their sponsors.
Re: book burning:
In the 2016 Presidential campaign, a theme of the Hillary Clinton campaign was that much of Donald Trump’s media support came from “Fake News” - Breitbart et al., outlets outside mainstream media. This was a moderately effective theme for the Clinton campaign although, of course, insufficient in the end.
Donald Trump knew an effective meme when he saw one. As soon as he was inaugurated, he rebranded “Fake News” to refer to the mainstream media and made it his own, pushing it relentlessly, to the point where few even remember the slogan was introduced as an anti-Trump meme.
In 2021 the GOP messaging gurus have had a fair bit of success decrying “cancel culture” by “the woke”, Dr. Seuss’ heirs and others on the left.
Now we have this story about banning and even burning books. We have attempted firings of teachers for teaching civil war history at odds with “Lost Cause” mythology.
My question to you and the rest of Democratic-leaning media is this:
Why does it NEVER occur to us to brand this type of activity as “Republican Cancel Culture”??? And keep repeating it until it sticks?
There is nothing more effective in politics than ripping an effective slogan out of your opponent’s hands and making it your own.
We have reached the point of school boards burning books. I feel like we're inside the movie Cabaret.
Our esteemed writer asks "What is it about the legal system that allows somebody to keep appealing repeatedly to avoid ever being accountable?" The answer is this: The greed and power of those who control the legal profession have led to this. The Federalist Society has done its job through the power and strategies acquired by the forces inside our biggest law firms, which control the judiciary and the lawyers who run those firms. Even decent men and women toe the line, unaware they are pawns of those within the legal profession who run our government. Just try getting an audience on a matter of public good that requires even a tiny bit of magnanimity on the part of a big, wealthy law firm. Even small efforts are overpowered by indifference. They behave as though common courtesy belongs to others, so they become immune to the bigger picture of what is created by their power. Book burning! As I watched that local board talking about burning books, chills ran down my spine.
I have been called upon to need just simple help from those powerful firms, and they are untouchable. Unreachable. Unaccountable. It is those traits that led to the control of our judiciary, our legislators - and now our school boards.
Even good people follow suit and don't see ther complicity in furthering the control that has made its way from the top down.
"What is it about the legal system that allows somebody to keep appealing repeatedly to avoid ever being accountable?" The answer to that important question is more than you think.
Merrick Garland needs to grow some cajones
"Justice is what love looks like in public." Cornel West
It’s a time to keep on keepin’ on. To move ahead, stubbornly. Even if we may have only a dim view of our objective, keep telling ourselves that right (but not the Right) will prevail.
As for more mundane matters, I still harbor some hope that the Supreme Court will give Trump the short shrift he deserves. The right-wing of the court may be political hacks, but i hope not just hacks.
Thank you for hope, Robert, even amidst calls to (OMG) burn books, an outdated trope in a digital age. My Far Right next door neighbor asked me yesterday to explain what ‘the Jews’ believe, so I guess Fox News has had something to say about that this week. “She means well,” the ultimate southern put-down, could apply, except this 85 year old from the country, has apparently never known a single Jewish person. Cabaret, indeed!
Oh! Someone must’ve thought Texas didn’t have our own Pythonesc clowns: 'Vax the Jews' banner hung over bridge near Austin JCC
Robert: I thought of you when I saw today's cartoon by Mike Luckovich in the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Since this is the only way I know how to contact you, here's a link to Mike's blog:
https://www.ajc.com/opinion/mike-luckovich-blog/