All of this (waves hands around), the justice system, the three branches, the checks and balances, the constitution, heck, even the United States itself is nothing more than a bunch of agreements. And, as soon as any of the sides decide to disagree — to no longer trust those they are in agreement with - and there is no real consequence to doing so, all of these things effectively cease to exist…
Had an interesting conversation with a lawyer last night who insisted that all of these things will be fixed by the legal system and process.
“They can’t just withhold social security checks or funding to colleges because they don’t like the classes!”
Well, that is, in fact, what they can do as it stands right now and are actively planning to do.
“But it’s illegal!”
Sigh
… I was reminded of the movie Heat where Robert DiNiro’s character says, “Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.”
She’s a lawyer, duh! Her entire identity is built on a belief in that system. She can’t allow herself to believe that the system effectively does not exist — especially now. That the moment the Supreme Court ruled that anything a President does under the auspices of “official duty” can not be illegal effectively made the agreement at the foundation of justice and therefore the justice system itself null and void. There are no checks and balances anymore. The congress is non-functional, as is the justice department, and the law has ruled that all of this is completely legal.
This is “the heat”. It’s not only around the corner it’s in the room. We can no longer be so attached to our identity — as a people, a nation, part of a system, any of it — that we are unwilling to walk away from, accept the reality of where things are, and act accordingly.