As the law ponderously plods on
Why the law seems poised to ratify trump's reign of ribald lawlessness
By
David Gottfried
Preface: Ricardo, don't pose these questions now, while I am writing on a phone from a hospital bed __ unless you fly to NY now, give me a computer and transform my hospital bed into something shimmering with luxury, with Satin sheets and sugary syrups so endearing they will smite every ill chronociled in the Merck's Manual of human diseases
My friend, Ricardo. Wants to know if trump's battle with the judiciary constitutes a constitutional crisis.
This can be attacked From several vantage points:
What does the law exist for?
Some people have the innocent notion that it exists to do justice.
Other people know that it exists to rationalize the unjust, to perpetuate and heighten tyranny
For example consider this case from Boston in 1893.
1) an apt house burned down
2) the homeless tenants, naturally, stopped paying rent.
3) the landlord sued them for unpaid rent.
4) the landlord won
5) THE BS LEGAL JUSTIFICATION: since the middle ages it was understood that renting property almost always amounted to renting land for farming. So long as the land still exists one can still farm, and the obligation to pay rent remains.
The apartment house was located in urban Boston and the tenants worked in factories, not on farms. But the law must follow "stare decsis" and must Bow to the past, and we rule: the land still exists; the tenants must pay rent
6) THE RADICAL INTERPRETATION OF THE CASE:
The landlord was as protestant as queen Victoria's announcement that she was contributing 5 pounds to alleviate the agony of the Irish potato famine.
The tenants were Irish catholic
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DO YOU THINK that only existed in the past??
On July 1, 2024, in Trump v. The united states, the sup court ruled:
A sitting president can generally never be guilty of crimes committed as president. THE SICK RATIONALE:
1) to be effective, a president must be bold and even brash
2) when one is bold and brash, one might accidentally break the law
3) if we criminalize a president's bad
behavior, he may be afraid to be bold and brash.
The supreme court let evil off the hook. The supreme court essentially said rich men have an unconditional right to plunder this country.
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The convoluted law may soon rationalize trump's failure to abide by the courts former orders -- and spineless supine legal scholars from the heritage foundation will tell us there is no constitutional crisis.
For every miscarriage of justice the Law will offer the snidest lie dressed up as the noblest truth
"You have to learn how to smile as you kill if you want to live like the folks on the hill"
John Lennon
# Re: Response to David
Dear Ricardo,
I hope this message finds you as comfortable as one can be in a hospital bed lacking satin sheets and medicinal syrups. I promise not to burden you with complex questions until you're either fully recovered or I've transformed your hospital room into something that would make the Ritz Carlton look like a highway motel.
The dichotomy you've presented about the law's purpose is fascinating; justice versus rationalization of injustice. Your 1893 Boston example perfectly illustrates how legal precedent can be weaponized against common sense. "The land still exists, so pay rent for your non-existent apartment" has the same logical foundation as "This pile of ashes used to be your car, so continue making payments." If this is not a reason for revolution I don't know what is...
The Trump v. United States ruling does seem to follow this troubling pattern. The Supreme Court essentially created a "Get Out of Jail Free" card that only works if you've managed to become President first. It's like saying bank robbers should be immune from prosecution because the stress of potential jail time might prevent them from robbing banks with sufficient boldness and creativity.
As John Lennon wisely observed about learning to "smile as you kill," the law often dresses its most troubling decisions in noble language. It's rather like putting a bow tie on a piranha and calling it a distinguished dinner guest.
Rest up and heal quickly. The legal system may be broken, but you still need to be in fighting shape to point it out.
With best wishes for your recovery,