|
King George III: Would he have applauded
our current injustice system?
"We owe neither a
king, nor a mob, our obedience and allegiance. For our
rights do not emanate from individuals, groups,
statutes, or parchments. They are entwined with the
Universe itself and stand fixed and immutable; requiring
no one's approval or permission to exist, or to be
exercised." |
Summary:
It is easy to grant due process and humane treatment to people
we like. The real test of a civil society, however, is
to grant due process to people we don't like — the unpopular
people who promise little or nothing in return.
Topics:
Cause for Celebration?
One Court Dictator Equals
Justice
The Government Knows Best
If You're Different, You
Deserve Whatever We Do to You
Conclusion: Time to Put
Justice First
Cause for Celebration?
According to many public figures, Americans
have reason to celebrate. On April 18, 2008, Texas judge,
Barbara Walther, single-handedly decreed that 416 children of
the
Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
(FLDS) community would forcibly remain in state custody.
This followed the recent, high profile raid of an FLDS
religious center, involving numerous gun-toting, black-garbed
government agents.
For an education into the prevalent mindset,
pay attention to the debate surrounding this story. You will
encounter those who believe that the FLDS community is a
Mormon-ish, polygamist sect of freaks and weirdoes who must
have been sexually abusing young girls. You will hear applause
for the actions of the government. And you will read the
opinion, perhaps in a roundabout way, that these parents had
it coming for choosing to live in that kind of an environment.
Top
One
Court Dictator Equals Justice
As you observe, note how many people pause to
wonder why a single judge holds so much power over the lives
of these people. Is anyone aware that, in nearly every state,
accused parents of child abuse or neglect are never permitted
a trial by jury? Do debaters even know what a jury trial is,
or why it might be useful?
Sadly, many people, particularly those addicted
to the world of "reality-television," think it's entertaining to
watch a single, all-powerful, cranky judge lord over the
miserable characters in his/her courtroom. For instance, the
other day a co-worker of mine wondered aloud why we have nine
U.S. Supreme Court Justices? In all seriousness, he declared
that one person would be so much more efficient.
He is not alone in his ignorance. Most would be
hard-pressed to define "due process," let alone explain how a
jury trial of one's peers might be superior to a kangaroo
court.
Not surprisingly, our judicial system reflects
our collective views. In America today, a released violent felon
can receive a new trial by a jury of his
peers for stealing a television set. But innocent parents can
have their children forever removed from them by the
dictatorial decree of one person.
The FLDS community in Texas learned this the
hard way, as the future of each family member lay in the hands
of judge Barbara Walther. No defense, plea for sympathy,
or mediator could compete with her absolute authority.
We have lethargically abandoned our own
Declaration of Independence, which outlined the reasons why
the American colonies were justified in breaking away from
England. In it, we accused King George III of "…depriving us
in many cases of the benefits of Trial by Jury."
Our forefathers literally went to war against
the courts of injustice established by a noxious king. Yet we
have willingly established courts that might have given King
George pause.
Note: For more information on the
importance of empowered juries, see "Issue
in Focus: Why Are Jury Trials Crucial to Your Freedom?" by
Accountability Utah.
While we progress technologically, our
understanding of due process has de-evolved to the Dark Ages.
Even the English Magna Carta, enacted in 1215, was a step
above the nonsense we inanely applaud:
"...No freeman shall be taken or disseised of
his freehold, or liberties, or free customs, or be outlawed,
or exiled, or any otherwise destroyed; and we will not pass
sentence upon him, nor condemn him, but by lawful judgment
of his peers; or by the laws of the land."
Source: "Issue
in Focus: Why Are Jury Trials Crucial to Your Freedom?"
by Accountability Utah.
In contrast, due process has come to mean whatever
procedures the government thinks you deserve. The quicker and
harsher, the better.
Top
The
Government Knows Best
To comprehend how we came to this sorry
condition, we must first realize that this mass ignorance of
due process is symptomatic of an underlying disease: Too many
people blindly worship the government, and those who proclaim
themselves our "authorities." Whereas government was once
viewed as an agreement between sovereign individuals, it has
now metamorphosed into a living, breathing, holy entity that
takes precedence over justice and over human beings.
This idolatry has rendered the masses too giddy
and foolish to think critically. Were they conscious, they
might ask a few questions, including:
-
Did government agents have the right, or the
necessary evidence, to invade the FLDS facility in the
manner that they did?
-
Were they just to forcibly remove and
displace all these people?
-
Who will hold these government agents
accountable if they used excessive force?
Such details hardly concern most citizens,
because they adore their overlords, and trust them to be fair
and just — despite the ample evidence that power corrupts.
And what else can we expect from the millions
of people currently receiving government handouts, the
millions more who have surrendered the education of their
children to government schools, or the vast majority who
support this enormous welfare state? From cradle to grave,
they mindlessly suckle at the teat of dependency; waiting with
baited breath for others to tell them what they can think,
read, and say, and for the very bread on their tables.
Top
If
You're Different, You Deserve Whatever We Do to You
Groveling has become part of our genetic and
social make-up, which we mask under the pretense of
"politeness" and "civility" — sophisticated terms for neutered
cowardice. There is nothing polite or civil about the
amount of force this government frequently employs against
individuals. These indiscretions are easily overlooked.
But heaven help those who resist or protest too loudly!
We narrowly look down our noses at anyone and
anything that counters our dependent village mentality.
If it attempts to be independent, it must be squashed.
And if we can get someone in a black uniform to do the dirty
work, so much the better.
Fairness, justice, and due process have become
fussy, archaic, and inefficient. We are now blissfully content
to judge human beings by whether they are sufficiently sexy in
front of cameras, how fully they conform to our norms, and if
they can make us feel cozy in our comfort zones. What a
tragic end to a justice system that once revolved around the
idea that people must be presumed innocent until they are
proven guilty (again through substantive, meaningful due
process)!
It is easy to grant due process and humane
treatment to people we like. The real test of a civil
society, however, is to grant due process to people we don't
like — the unpopular people who promise little or nothing in
return.
Top
Conclusion: Time to Put Justice First
Perhaps some, or all, adults in this FLDS
community were sexually abusing young children and should lose
their parental rights. We'll never know much for certain,
however, because too many of us are content to deny justice to
both the accused and the alleged victims.
As a result of our treatment of the FLDS
people, none of us is free. We can have no confidence that
this government or society will render justice to us in our
own time of need. At the mere whim of some career bureaucrat,
our loved ones and liberties can likewise be violently torn
from us. We can have no realistic expectation that we will be
treated justly, fairly, or objectively, or that we will
receive anything but callous contempt from a complicit media
and general public.
Without such basic assurances of receiving
justice, we are no better off than our forefathers were under
the British Crown. We have merely traded one tyrant in England
for many tyrants who masquerade as our neighbors.
Fortunately, we owe neither a king, nor a mob,
our obedience and allegiance. For our rights do not emanate
from individuals, groups, statutes, or parchments.
They are entwined with the Universe itself and stand fixed
and immutable; requiring no one's approval or permission to
exist, or to be exercised.
It is time to appreciate these gifts. We can
express our appreciation by reserving our loyalty for the
unyielding principles of justice and accountability, by
demanding justice for those around us, and by working — openly
and privately — against those who are unjust.
Top
