Delegitimizing the judicial system by pardoning convicted felons and ignoring court orders and due process are tried and true ways authoritarians gain power. It’s not as if a light switch goes on or off, the slow erosion of norms happens over time. Authoritarians who destroy judicial independence are able to because society fails to unite in time.
This is textbook. Political scientist Adam Bonica describes “the authoritarian script:”
- Court rules against leader
- Attack judges as biased/dangerous
- Delegitimize judicial system
- Create permission for threats
- IF NO MASS RESISTANCE → Purge the courts
- IF MASS RESISTANCE → Forced to retreat1
Freedom of speech is being chipped away by fear in a time mobilizing peaceful mass demonstrations is called for. No less than Cicero, whose life in ancient Greece was lived under similar conditions said “A nation can survive its fools… but cannot survive treason from within. For the traitor appears not a traitor- He speaks in the accent familiar to his and appeals to the baseness that lies deep within the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation- he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city- he infects the body politic so it can no longer survive.”
Pardoning 9 GOP congressmen convicted of campaign corruption, lying to the FBI, obstruction, bribery, tax evasion and insider trading- of which in the last months more than a dozen members of his cabinet are known to have purchased stocks in the days prior to the tariffs that sank the stock market. He’s manipulating the market and a select few are given the heads up and in turn profiting.
When a woman paid a million dollars for a “fundraising” dinner with the first felon at Mar a Taco, her son was pardoned a month later. One can only lament the erosion of what was once improper.
As for improper, here’s what we’re looking at if his “big beautiful budget bill” passes:
- Elections can be delayed or canceled
- Government workers can be fired for “political disloyalty”
- SCOTUS rulings can be ignored for a year and judges can’t
enforce their own orders - Protests, speech and secure, private internet connections can
be tracked and criminalized - The gutting of LGBTQ rights, education and health care
- Massive voter suppression
- AI regulation banned at the state level
- Triples the budget of ICE- the heavily armed, face hidden, tear
gas shooting new American Gestapo just “doing their job” - Funding diverted from public schools
- Gives the president the power to censor non-profits
- Blocks access to Planned Parenthood
- Increases federal deregulation
- Sell and/or open up public lands for development to big
agribusiness, logging, mining etc - Repeals clean energy programs
- Defunds the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
This says as much about the enablers as the enabled.In some twist of views, opposing the above in the current president’s mind means you’re “scum.” In this dystopian techno authoritative regime the Constitution seems optional.
Tolstoy said “The wicked become worse when tolerated.” Silence to a bully means acceptance. Bowing to a tyrant, in this case the best Russian president ever, means the end of our democracy.
Chef/percussionist/writer/reprobate and lover of all things beautiful & delicious, Chef Alan Lake’s culinary career includes East Bank Club in Chicago; Sunset Marquis in W. Hollywood; Izakaya Hiwatta in Ichinomia Japan and legendary nightclub Purpur in Zurich, Switzerland. Working all around the world for over four decades, he's won numerous awards, professional competitions and distinctions. He’s the author of Home Cookin'- The Stories Behind The Food and The Garlic Manifesto- the history of garlic going back to 10,000-year-old Neolithic caves and contains facts, fiction, folklore, myths and legends (besides 100 recipes).
A lifelong musician that plays 70+ percussion instruments, he coined the term “Jazzfood” to describe his cooking style i.e. “solid technique coupled with tasteful improvisation.” He views his food as he does his music and writing and has been known to bust a pout if subpar in any way.