The US Constitution is our pact of civilized behavior. From it we've derived a system of institutionalized justice, which we call our criminal justice system. It's intended to include checks and balances to protect defendants from biases and ensure fair adjudication of their charges. Those safeguards include the following:
a presumption of innocence
a right to due process
a right to legal defense
a right to a trial by one's peers
a right to trial before an impartial judge
Under Eric Holder, Loretta Lynch, and now Merrick Garland as the country's top law enforcement officials, that has all been flushed out. Under them, the application of justice has become decidedly unequal. Perfection was never possible, but now the claim of equal treatment has become laughable. The foundation of our legal system is being eaten away by government termites and swamp dwellers — those whose lust for power far exceeds their wisdom to wield it.
The core principles of our criminal justice system are no longer honored. The citizens of our self-governed country may have to judge whether the pact of civilized behavior has been breached; when we no longer believe that we'll be fairly treated according to those principles. We may then decide that the pact no longer applies to us. Will citizens embrace a system in which guilt or innocence is a function of law enforcement's beliefs instead of their actions or will Americans avoid the system entirely?
How much interaction will Americans seek with a system they no longer trust? Will they report crimes to a justice system that could arbitrarily attack them at any time — regardless of whether they have broken any laws? Will they voluntarily provide testimony or evidence? Or will they avoid all contact with law enforcement officials?
Our criminal justice system cannot function without the support of the governed. It is already failing. We're seeing an alarming rise in crime across the country. It is beginning to look like we are destined to a future of "survival of the fittest," where ruthless criminals consolidate power to prey on the weak — like some semi-civilized banana republic like Honduras? Not necessarily.
At this point, I do not support Vigilante justice. But looking at the American Old West, Vigilantism was a natural consequence of human nature. If our current leadership destroys the last vestiges of the "equal justice under the law" that we were promised by he Constitution and the system no longer protects citizens, they will find ways to protect themselves. The rapid increase in gun ownership may indicate that citizens are preparing for this eventuality. Americans bought 20 million firearms last year — the second highest year in history. That is not an endorsement of our criminal justice system.
(Paraphrase)
First they came for the Rino Republicans, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Rino Republican.
Then they came for the Hard Right Conservatives, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Hard Right Conservative.
Then they came for the Moderate Democrats and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Moderate Democrat.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Have a nice lunch now. Ya Hear?
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