The rule of law
The rule of law. What does that mean? Why does that matter? Let’s dissect it.
“Rule of.” These two words simply answer a question. Who will decide? In other words, who will rule? An emperor, a king, a colonel, a general, a priest, a collection of them?
The American system is built around revolutionary concepts. The American head of state is elected. Second, there are no hereditary titles. The people are sovereign. They are equal under the law. The rule of law is elemental to restraining capricious, unjust, unfair, predatory behavior that threatens the peace and prosperity of society. It is the bulwark against chaos and anarchy. The American system of government is an imperfect work of genius that:
Created three co-equal branches of government
Enumerated and limited the powers of government
Established a framework for the distribution of power on a temporary, lawful basis at the will of the people through an election process
Created an independent judiciary
Protected individual rights permanently, unalterably and forever.
The endurance of that system of government is evidence enough of its resiliency and design genius. That it became a global model that spread liberty around the world through inspiration and the power of an idea established it as one of the greatest moral projects in human history. The imperfections and manifest flaws of the country are a great canvas on which each generation has been given an opportunity to paint new horizons, futures and possibilities. Bobby Kennedy captured that spirit when he said, “Some men see things as they are, and say “why?” I dream things that never were, and say “why not?”
All of it is anchored by the tradition of the rule of law. Justice does not derive from whims and tantrums of the leader. That is where justice ends. That is where the mass death begins, historically at least. Justice cannot bend to threats of intimidation and threat. It cannot become unmoored from fact or truth. When it does, justice turns deadly because it becomes just another lie in the poisoned garden that blooms around the people who smother the rule of law and declare themselves its authors, judges and executioners.
CNN’s Pamela Brown deftly dismantled the posturing, hypocrisy, arrogance and political gamesmanship of Rep. Mike Turner (Ohio) of the House Intelligence Committee. [Watch the video below.] Like the great walls of steel that met the American army on Omaha Beach, the American people face a similar cascade of lies hurling towards them. There are millions of lies hurtling through the air.. They are jagged-edged and razor-sharp. They are political shrapnel. These are not the self-indulgent lies of resume puffery, or the ones meant to glide over the embarrassment of revealed indiscretions, or other low moments. These lies are meant to confuse and disorient. They are strategic and built to be overwhelming. Each, in a way, is a smart weapon with an individual target. All of it is a plot. There is a plan. The plan is simple; it is to win or seize power in an orchestrated campaign defined by feint, trickery, deception and aggression.
Slow the tsunami down. Imagine slowing the bullets to ultra-slow motion. Imagine the wall of fire and steel on Omaha Beach from the thousands of weapons reduced to just one hurling piece of shrapnel, isolating just one bullet out of the millions, and being able to follow its journey. That’s what the Mike Turner interview allows us to do. It allows us to see a lie fired from the barrel. We get to see it in real time, as a profoundly dishonest congressman tries to hustle Pamela Brown and the CNN audience. Where to start?