In between college football game telecasts this past Saturday, I mindlessly surfed through the web and cable news networks. There on several of these feeds overtalked by outraged news readers and writers at opposite ends of the political spectrum was a woman sitting in the lap of the Lady Justice statue in front of the Supreme Court building.
With her fist raised in defiance, she put up a live FaceBook video at the time and one of her statements was “there is no Justice!” I reflexively let out a soft, squeaky laugh and moved on. How could anyone make such a protest seriously I thought.
The US has arguably the most advanced and transparent legal and justice system in the world. It’s not perfect, but over time it has gotten better and corrected its grievous errors. Wasn’t the recent confirmation process living proof of that? An elected President nominates an appointee to be severely reviewed, vetted and voted on by an elected national body (the greatest deliberative body in the world). And if upon confirmation a citizen disagrees with the end result (aside from voting for her chosen candidates in her next elections) she is free and empowered to appear at the very institution in question, climb into Lady Justice’s lap, raise her arm in defiance, express her personal views as loudly and emphatically as she wishes (being quoted and internationally publicized in the process), and freely leave without any sort of governmental interference thereafter. That sounds like an incredible form of “justice” to me.
The more impassioned left and right now seemingly operate on platforms of broad discontent and seemingly are prepared to transform what should be a specific discussion (the intellectual and moral suitability of a nominee) into a much broader one. I am neutral on whether this may be fair or healthy, but it evokes concerns over a “mob mentality” taking hold.
Sexual assault or temperament were no longer a key issue. Signs carried by the protestors included Black Lives Matter outside the SC building Saturday. Eh?
Was this more manufactured outrage? Perhaps, but as one political operative remarked in the 1990s: “Never let a crisis go to waste.” Especially so when there are TV cameras and HD capable smartphones present 24/7. Only 24 years ago, we saw this predicted in a hilarious scene in the movie PCU – – “We’re not gonna protest!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3FQ4bK080o
A case can be made that what we are now beset with is a free flowing anger about the lack of “Equal Justice Under Law.” There are plenty of assorted wing nuts at any political rally; but, there generally is a unifying theme — anger over disparate treatment. A lot of today’s protesters on the left and right are upset over what they view as a separate set of rules applied to the rich or well-connected from those applied to minorities, the poor, globalism’s dispossessed or those without political capital.
It is therefore sad to me that none of those videographers outside the Supreme Court building thought to film the “Equal Justice Under Law” engraving over the entrance to the Supreme Court in lieu of the statue sitter.
There really is nothing new under the sun that rises, warms and then sets over America each day. There is a great exhibit at the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois. They have a hallway where one walks through after the exhibit describing Lincoln’s first days as President, walled floor-to-ceiling with vile reviews of Lincoln’s work, demeanor, and policies. They are easily recognizable to any news watcher today. They were scathing, at a level even today’s press would recoil from. And yet he is now regarded as America’s greatest President. This in no way should be seen as drawing an equivalency between old Abe and 45.
When compared to those newspaper clippings, I think today’s amplification mechanisms are better, and the populace is much less critical of them. But I don’t see them as ultimately being the root problem, or even anything all that new. This too shall hopefully pass, since no one really wants what followed Lincoln’s inauguration — four years of total war, half the country destroyed and 620,000 casualties.
Copyright © 2018 From My Isle Seat
www.vicsocotra.com