"Anarchy: absence of any cohesive principle, such as a common standard or purpose. A state of lawlessness and disorder (usually resulting from a failure of government)" [syn: lawlessness, nihilism]
Just two generations ago, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed John Adams' historic phrase found in the Massachusetts Constitution of 1789, "a government of laws and not of men," saying that it "epitomizes the distinguishing character of our political society ... law alone saves a society from being ... ruled by mere brute power however disguised."
Well, we've come a long way in just two short generations. Today our society exhibits lawlessness at all levels. Indeed many today celebrate lawlessness, and I'm not talking about career criminals with time on their hands.
No, lawlessness starts at the top. The United States Supreme Court's recent decision to allow racial preferences to continue in college admissions is a direct assault on the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution. "Diversity," Justice O'Connor wrote in breaking this new ground, is more important than equal protection under the law. Astonishingly, a majority of her fellow justices agreed.
The same court found shortly thereafter a constitutional protection for homosexual sodomy. Justice Ginsburg proudly told a group of liberal lawyers that the justices looked beyond the Constitution to international law to find that right – and that indeed they were doing so with increasing frequency.
Illegal immigrants have flooded western and southwestern states. They are bankrupting hospitals and social services. Are state governors, legislators, Congress and our president upset by this development? Hardly. States have rushed to provide instate college tuition to illegals, unconcerned about denying an education to their own citizens. California's governor, facing the political equivalent of a death sentence in a voter-sponsored recall election has pledged to allow illegals to obtain California drivers licenses.
A Homeland Security honcho recently sent out a memo to border patrol agents forbidding them from arresting illegals in cities. The Clinton-era policy was rescinded following a public outcry. President Bush has repeatedly proposed amnesty. Now the Washington Post reports illegals are buying property in this country with increasing frequency ("Illegal Immigrants Buy Into Homeowning Dream," by Nurith C. Aizenman, Aug. 18, 2003, p. A1). And you're telling me these people are not voting?
Sen. Norm Coleman, head of a powerful Senate investigations subcommittee, has chastised the Recording Industry of America for filing copyright infringement lawsuits against individuals distributing pirated music over the Internet. The last time I checked, the Senate had helped to write the copyright law. Sen. Coleman seems to feel that theft by students utilizing college Internet services is OK.
The Catholic Church, which for at least two generations has ignored God's will and ordained sexually active homosexual priests, responded to the abuse of thousands of brutalized children by ordering its bishops to cover up the crimes and threatening excommunication for any – victims included – who disobeyed.
Financial officers and chief executives at Enron, Worldcom, Arthur Andersen and a host of other large, public companies lied to investors, regulators and employees as a matter of course to sustain their salaries and bonuses. Their lies stole the retirement savings of thousands of people, threw thousands more out of work and crippled the economy. During the run-up to this thievery, the entire Democratic Senate stood shoulder-to-shoulder and voted to acquit William Jefferson Clinton, president of the United States, for lying under oath in a court of law, stating that perjury "did not rise to an impeachable offense."
You might think that large numbers of people would be upset at these trends. You would be wrong. In fact, the trend in media, the universities, among our self-styled elites and our elected officials is to excuse lawlessness while they chastise the victim. They meet at their exclusive Georgetown parties, sip their cocktails and pat one another on the back for their compassion for all those less fortunate than themselves – which, given their salaries and perks, is just about everyone else in the country.
When our leaders are not busy congratulating themselves – and the media reporting it – they lament the number of people who have served time in prison in the United States, which according to a recent story in the Christian Science Monitor is one in 37 adults. The article then goes on to bemoan the unfairness of it all: "If current trends continue, it means that a black male in the United States would have about a 1 in 3 chance of going to prison during his lifetime. For a Hispanic male, it's one in 6; for a white male, one in 17 ... But to some observers, they point to broader failures in U.S. society, particularly in regard to racial minorities and others who are economically disadvantaged" ("U.S. notches world's highest incarceration rate," by Gail Chaddock, Aug. 18, 2003).
Why are Justice Ginsburg and her lawless colleagues still on the Supreme Court? Why are illegal immigrants being welcomed with open arms by those responsible for border security, instead of being deported? Why is thievery by college students viewed as an emerging "right" in the Senate, while artists are expected to create for free? Why is the church, our major financial institutions and our political leadership so enamored with lawlessness?