Pink’s Politics Philosophizes: The Real Enquiry

This post does not address a particular issue but rather the bigger picture of what, philosophically, is going on in our world right now.  I do not have any extensive formal training in philosophy but do enjoy reading the philosophers, both ancient and modern, and considering their points of view and how they might be playing out in our world today.  This post expresses some of those thoughts and is not intended (nor is it) a thorough analysis of the philosophies and philosophers discussed. 

 

We may think that the division in this country is political, but that is only because we are looking at what is going on through the traditional political lens.  Similarly, this is not a moral war.  While that may be closer to the truth, it still does not hit the mark.

What we are in the middle of in this country and perhaps the whole world is a war about humanity itself and against the abolition of mankind.   What we are in the middle of involves the consequences that have resulted from denying value systems that have sustained us for centuries and a belief that mankind has the power to create itself into some more perfect entity.

The old solutions (compromise, reasoned thinking and rational argument, faith in facts rather than narrative) do not work because this conflict is about more than individual ideas and policies; it is truly about who and what mankind is and what it should be.  And ultimately it is about ultimate power.  Recognizing the truth of what is happening is the first and very necessary step in reaching any sort of solution.

What is a Man (mankind)

Mankind is defined as “the human race: the totality of human beings.”  Human beings are “a man, woman, or child of the species Homo sapiens, distinguished from other animals by superior mental development, power of articulate speech, and upright stance.”

Mankind is also traditionally believed to be graced with a soul.   Soul can be defined as “the immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life” as well as “the spiritual principle embodied in human beings, all rational and spiritual beings, or the universe.”  

It is the brain as well as the soul that has traditionally distinguished mankind from other organisms.  Mankind is made up of individuals who, because of their individual brains and their intangible “souls” are each unique.  Each has individual – and yes, unequal – strengths and weaknesses.  Those, combined with the varying and sometimes unfair circumstances of life, mean that individuals may experience feelings of jealousy and dissatisfaction about their life circumstances in relation to others.

The concept of moral values

Throughout history mankind has been guided by a set of moral principles.  These principles are often religion based; indeed, the moral values upon which this country is founded are based in the Judeo-Christian belief system. 

For a moral structure/code of ethics/set of rules to work, there must be a belief or understanding that there is something beyond or outside of mankind that guides and enforces these principles.  That belief system usually also includes some form of immortality or life beyond this one; that life beyond is the carrot/stick that encourages mankind to conform to the value system it has adopted. 

When Nietzsche declared that God is dead it provided a means to remove moral codes.  As Kant had already asserted, “morality cannot do without God, freedom, and immortality.”

Nihilism

Nietzsche saw nihilism as the end of Christianity.  Once mankind declared God to be dead, there would be no moral codes based on immortality or on something greater than mankind itself.  These higher values, said Nietzsche, devalue man.  In nihilism man reaches a truth that “nothing is true, all is permitted” and thus contemplates the abysmal emptiness at the core of that truth.

Nihilism is defined as “the rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless.”  Nietzsche, however, saw this as only one step on the path toward perfection of the Übermensch which in Thus Spoke Zarathustra he portrayed as the new race of super humans – a new aristocracy that would become the future rulers of earth.

Following the realizations of nihilism, Nietzsche saw man as moving to a new source of values, a new and truer life force: “a will to power in which life sacrifices itself for power.”   Nietzsche saw an admission that God has been murdered as a necessary prelude to the consummation of human power.

Dissatisfaction, alienation, hopelessness

Nietzsche lived and wrote in the latter half of the 1800s, concurrent with the industrial revolution and the overwhelming effect it had on the way of life throughout the world.

As industry, science, technology grew man became more and more able to control his world and his life.  While this had many positive consequences, it also helped to further if not full-blown nihilism, a sense of alienation and the meaninglessness of life.  Man was often seen as more of a cog in some vast industrial machine rather than an individual with unique talents, hopes, and dreams. 

Mankind became alienated from itself.  As dissatisfaction festered, secular ideologies stepped in to assuage the pain.  Communism, Socialism, Fascism, and other authoritarian and totalitarian systems presented their visions of a more perfect world. 

These visions, of course, were proven to not be the reality of what was offered.   Rather, what they did was to drive man to more despair and unhappiness.   Thus, we have reached a point where, as David Walsh has put it, “The age that began with the glory of the Renaissance, the bright expectations of the Enlightenment, and the energies of the scientific, industrial, and political revolutions has devolved into the horror, vacuity, and mediocrity of the [21^st] century.”

The false promise of science and technology

Yet, mankind continued to strive for that better world.  Technology could seemingly do anything as it continues to ease the hardships of living.  And scientific advancements seemed to make real the vision of better, if not super, humans.

Man could control life:  organisms were altered and created in labs; cures and treatments for previously deadly diseases prolonged life; clones of previously living entities were brought to life; infertile women were implanted with children to whom they could give birth; invitro surgeries could alter and preserve life.  It seemed that man did not need God.

Man believed he could and should have it all.  Every selfish desire could and should be satisfied.  Mankind began to believe it had a right to always be happy.  Indeed, man began to believe that he had a right to have and be whatever he desired.  If he was not happy it could and should be fixed.  A lack of happiness and satisfaction in one’s life became a source of anger at outside forces.  No longer did mankind see a need to search its own soul, no longer did man accept a reality that included despair.  Rules and moral codes that interfered with that belief were seen as old-fashioned and archaic. 

The problem is, that perfection is not a reality in this world.  It can be an aspirational goal, but one must realize it cannot be attained.  To believe otherwise is to deny the humanity of man.

The incredible nature of technological and scientific advances has given mankind a belief that it can indeed create its own reality.  With such a belief there is no need to look to some source outside of mankind for guidance and morality.  If one is unhappy they can just create a different self and a different narrative for that self.

And so, as we move forward with this approach, we begin to even throw out the truths of science.  If one is not happy with their sex, they can simply claim to be another one even though science contradicts this belief just as science denies the now common assertion that men can be pregnant and give birth.  Pre-born individuals whom science asserts are living humans can be disposed of at will.  We can create the reality we choose because without anything but ourselves we can create any world, any narrative, and any moral system that we choose.

Except that we can’t.

Of Science and the Soul

When mankind becomes nothing more than an object of experimentation, just another organism in the vast scientific universe, it loses its humanity.  Humanity is made up of unique individuals, individuals with unique souls as well as the biological organs and systems that keep them alive.  Humanity was not created by mankind and it is not a toy for mankind’s use and experimentation.

When man does not need God, man does not need God’s rules.  When man can create himself then he does not need a creator.  And when man can create, then man can create his own truth.  When man believes that this is true, then he does not need, or no longer has a soul because he no longer believes in something beyond the worldly manifestation of the mankind that he creates.

And without the soul that makes him man, mankind has effectively destroyed that which made mankind unique and human.  Mankind, in altering itself in pursuit of an idealized perfection, indeed destroys its own humanity.

The real problem

Our problem is two distinct philosophies that support two very different world existences, two different views of what mankind is or what it can and should be.  There are those who want to retain or return to “traditional values” and those who assert that humanity must move beyond those for the sake of things like equity (which is a code word for human beings with all individuality, freedom, and their very humanity removed). 

We treat these as a political divide.  But they are actually a philosophical chasm that reaches the existence or lack thereof of a human soul.  On one side of this gap are those who, for lack of a better word, believe in the soul.  That is, they believe that there is something outside of and beyond mankind and that gives mankind both a reason and a a basis for a code of morality

On the other side are those who believe that man is or can be fully in control of both what mankind is and of its own destiny.  To them the thoughts of man as a spiritual being, as beyond simply a living organism, is somehow archaic and a hurdle that must be removed from mankind’s progress toward some brave new world where mankind alone creates man.

It is this abyss between two very different views of mankind that is the underlying cause of our discord.  These views are not really reconcilable, but recognition of their existence may help us to find a way forward. 

It’s about power

We like to think that everyone is trying to better humanity.  But the truth is that those who turn away from mankind as it really is and instead embrace a concept of its hypothetical perfection are not seeking to better humanity’s actual existence in the real world.  Rather, they are seeking to enhance their own power.

When there is nothing outside of or beyond to exercise a moral authority over the desires of mankind, then there is no moral code beyond an unlimited belief in and desire for one’s own power.  That very belief is itself anti-human as it leaves to those with the most power the ability to determine what kind of humanity to create, what is to be considered good or true.  It leaves those with most power the ability to destroy the actual humanity, individuality, and uniqueness of mankind.

The questions that need to be resolved

The questions that must be answered are not about the immediate policies of Left and Right.  The questions that must be addressed and discussed are about the soul:  What is the soul?;  does man have a soul or is he just an organism more complex than but not really different from an amoeba?; and, most importantly, if mankind is its own creator, then who shall make decisions about what we will create and what, if any, moral code will be followed, and why?

If the power is to be fully granted to man rather than something beyond, then we must recognize that power is often selfish and includes the power to do evil.  We may be able to alter biological and superficial aspects of man, but we cannot alter the often selfish desires that drive any biological organism, including man.

This is neither a moral nor a political war.  It is a war about the very nature of mankind and whether we will acknowledge our limitations or, in refusing to do so abolish mankind itself.  This is the question that must be addressed if we are to resolve the current dystopia that envelops the world.

 

Here yesterday. Fading today. Gone tomorrow?

With a good third of this country still blind to the Left and current Administration’s effective fostering of its demise, there is little hope but in miracles for its continuance in anything but name only. 

America, once the shining star of democracy and freedom, a place where individuals could flourish as themselves, is fast becoming an authoritarian land of mediocrity.  This essay considers the past, present, and likely future of America.  Americans can sit by and watch this happen, or they can speak up and attempt to change the course of our future.

Here was America

This country was founded by people tired of government telling them what they could and could not think, say, believe.  It was founded by people who believe in individual responsibility and rights to make such decisions for themselves, based on an underpinning of Judeo-Christian values. 

These founders created two essential keys to America’s brilliant form of democracy.  The first is our Constitution.  The second, found within that Constitution, is a government divided into three coequal branches. 

The 3 branches of government

The three branches of the federal government provide checks and balances on one another.  They provide a voice to the people while ensuring that our Constitution and rule of law are not violated.

The Legislative branch is a political branch.  It consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate.  Both representatives and senators are the elected representatives of the people.  The number of members of the House of Representatives is based upon population – states with larger population will have more representatives.  Because having only the House would be unfair to citizens in smaller states whose voice could be overridden by larger states, we also have the Senate.  There are two senators for every state regardless of size or population.

The legislative branch’s primary duty is to make law.  These elected representatives are intended to be the voice of their constituents in what they will focus on and what laws they will create.  Because there are differing political views and because these representatives are elected, this is a political body.  If the people are dissatisfied with their representation, they can elect different representatives.

The second branch is also a political branch.  The Executive branch includes the President as well as most federal agencies, departments, and directorates.  The primary duties of the Executive branch are to enforce federal law, and to provide for the protection of the American people. 

The third branch is not political.  It is the Judicial branch and it’s function is to hear and decide controversies involving federal law, treaties, and the Constitution and to decide such cases in a way consistent with the Constitution and our rule of law.  The Judicial branch is led by the Supreme Court which consists of nine justices appointed for life.  Unlike the political branches which are intended to be guided by and responsive to the voices of their constituents, the Judicial branch is responsive not to popular opinion but to the Constitution and laws of the United States.  As a non-elected body, they can and should ignore political arguments as they interpret our Constitution and laws consistent with our Constitution and founding principles.

These three branches serve as checks and balances on one another.  For example, if the Legislative branch creates a law that is not Constitutional, the Judicial Branch can declare it to be such and render it ineffective.  If the Legislature is dissatisfied with a Judicial opinion, they can perhaps write a law that essentially creates a statutory remedy to what the court denied.  The legislature can designate agencies within the Executive branch to create regulations that enforce statutes. 

            Other key constitutional provisions

The U.S. Constitution limits the authority of the federal government.  Within the Constitution, the specific powers of each branch are enumerated.  The Bill of Rights makes clear that these outline the limits of the federal government’s power  with all else reserved to the States or to the people.

The Bill of Rights consists of the first 10 amendments to the constitution and were created by our founders to make absolutely clear that ours is a government of the people.  It asserts that the Constitution protects citizen rights from the government.  These rights belong to the people and the federal government may not remove or limit them except in the most exceptional circumstances.  That is, the government does not create and cannot give and take away the rights of the people.  These rights include freedom of speech, religion, peaceable assembly, the right to bear arms, the right to be secure in ones house and personal belongings from unreasonable search and seizure, the right to due process of law, the right to a speedy and fair trial, the right to trial by jury, freedom from excessive bail and from cruel and unusual punishment, and other, non-enumerated rights.

As a result of the wisdom of our Founders, we the people are able to govern ourselves in a civil and orderly fashion.  We, not the government, decide who we will be, what we will believe, and are free to share our opinions no matter how many or few may find them reasonable or even accurate.  The federal government is limited; because the states are closer to the actual citizenry those citizens are closer to their government.  States’ laws, while they must comply with the U.S. Constitution, can and will vary depending on the will, politics, and policies of the people living in each state.

Here is America today

The Left, with the blessing of the Biden Administration, is dismantling the core institutions of our democracy without which this democracy will die.  This attack on our democracy is multifaceted.  I will suggest just some of the ways in which it is being attacked.

Let’s begin with the rule of law.  Rather than enforce (or not enforce) laws equally, laws are enforced dependent upon the political views of those breaking the laws.  Consider the current example of the protests at homes of selected Supreme Court justices.  These attempts at intimidation and to cause the Justices to change their opinion are in violation of federal law, yet the Biden administration not only allows, but encourages them to continue.   

At the same time, Biden unleashes his law enforcement agencies – FBI, DOJ – on American citizens exercising their free speech rights.  For example, despite asserting that counterterrorism laws were not being used against Americans speaking their political opinions, recent emails and other documents have revealed that lie perpetrated by this country’s Attorney General (see THIS LINK  )

The Biden administration has created a Department of Disinformation led by someone who herself is no stranger to disinformation.  But that disinformation was directed at Biden’s political opponents, so it is allowed.  The disinformation that is not permitted is anything that counters the preferred Leftist narrative, even if that “disinformation” is in fact true and conforms to science as well as evidence.

The core right to speak one’s mind is being cancelled and where not cancelled an environment is created which intimidates one into not speaking.

Speaking of misinformation, facts, and science, consider what the Left, including Biden, his administration, and Democrat legislators, is perpetuating in their many falsehoods about Roe v. Wade and its possible overturn.  First, overturning Roe v. Wade would not outlaw abortion but would return decisions about its regulation to the states where it rightfully belongs under our constitution (see part one above).  There is nothing to support the assertions that women nationwide would be denied abortions, nor that they would die.  Similar lies spread by the Left about Roe v. Wade can be found HERE.  

The abortion arguments also do not accept science which acknowledges that human life begins at conception.  The forthright arguments for abortion would begin by acknowledging that abortion kills a unique human; then the pro-abortionists could make their arguments in favor of justifying that homicide and explain how a “woman’s right to choose” includes and extends to the right to choose death for another human being.

Speaking of science, the Left completely ignored science as it used Covid to further its political agenda.  And of course the Left apparently finds the scientific fact that there are two sexes – male and female – to be some form of disinformation.  Rather, they would have us believe that someone who pretends to be the opposite sex from that which they biologically are is indeed that opposite sex and they demand that we accept that as a fact.  They are now instilling this false narrative in the minds of our children.

The Left instills in public schools not only the above unscientific and false information, but rearranges history with distortion, omission, and replacement of fact with narrative.  Children are denied the ability to become the best they can be because, in the name of equity, things like advanced placement classes are removed. Teaching sexuality and Leftist policy has become at least equally important as math, science, and history and more important than teaching critical thinking.

The Left creates identity politics, dividing the citizens, yet its policies are most detrimental to those it claims to champion – transgender policy hurts women; economy and entitlement programs hurt blacks and people of color.  Making race and gender primary job qualifications demeans those races/genders that qualify, and “equity” pushes the entire country down from a standard of excellence to one of mediocrity.

There is no tolerance of views that oppose the official government narrative.  Our President calls all members of the opposing Republican party terrorists.  He and his administration encourage social media to silence all who disagree. 

The President neglects his sworn duties.  He does not protect American citizens here or abroad.  He has wrecked the economy, and instead of taking responsibility for his actions blames any and everyone else in sight.  He laughs about inflation.  As gas prices rise, in good Marie Antoinette form, he cuts off American oil production and tells the people to buy electric cars.  As the administration sends loads of baby formula to illegal immigrants at our border, it seems unconcerned about the citizens in this country who cannot obtain formula, blaming the shortage on a variety of Republicans.

In the first year of Biden’s presidency, migrants were encountered over 1 million times, the highest number of illegal crossings since at least 1960 (source NY Times).  Over 2 million are expected in 2022.  Single adult males continue to make up the largest percentage of illegal border crossers.  Biden now works to end the Title 42 border polices, effectively opening our borders and inviting anyone to enter with no regard for our immigration laws and policies, for the effect that the millions illegally in this country will have upon the current citizenry – their job prospects, their life style, their tax burdens. Great as America is, it cannot take in the entire world; what the Biden administration is doing is a threat to the way of life of American citizens whom he swore to protect.

The Left, with the support and assistance of the Biden administration and the Democrat party, are destroying our basic constitutional freedoms.  They are making a joke out of our laws.  They distort the roles of our three branches of government as they attempt to turn the Supreme Court into another political body, as the Executive branch flaunts its disregard of our laws and our Constitution, and, as they encourage the legislature to support their own power rather than the will of the people.

The Legislative Branch has been dysfunctional for some time; the Executive branch has been both dysfunctional and autocratic since Jan 20 2021.  And now the Judiciary has been dealt a near or perhaps actual fatal blow.  The Constitution and the roles of the various branches of government are severely misunderstood and we are well on our way to mob rule rather than the reasoned rule of law.  This administration, rather than slow down, is ramping up its apparent desire to punish Americans and destroy their country.   

We are in deep trouble.  

And the Future is….

Without her institutions, America cannot survive.  While under attack and seriously wounded and weakened, these core institutions are not yet dead and so, perhaps, neither is America.  But time is short in which to reverse the trend to total destruction. 

We the people seem to have lost both our minds and our voices.  We must regain them soon or they, along with our right to be the individual each of us is meant to be, will be gone forever.

18 U.S.C. §1507

 18 U.S.C 1507.  Just another law that the Biden administration doesn’t enforce.  Why would they when they don’t believe in the rule of law?

As this statute, which Biden ignores, makes clear, there is a difference between free speech to express opposition and trying to intimidate a judge to change his or her decision out of fear for his/her or his/her family’s safety. President Biden and his White House fail to condemn the crossing of that important line by the pro-abortion demonstrators at SCOTUS and at the Justices’ homes even though they are in violation of this law and pursuant to it should be facing fines and imprisonment.

18 U.S.C. §1507 states in full:

Whoever, with the intent of interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice, or with the intent of influencing any judge, juror, witness, or court officer, in the discharge of his duty, pickets or parades in or near a building housing a court of the United States, or in or near a building or residence occupied or used by such judge, juror, witness, or court officer, or with such intent uses any sound-truck or similar device or resorts to any other demonstration in or near any such building or residence, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

Nothing in this section shall interfere with or prevent the exercise by any court of the United States of its power to punish for contempt.

Anyone who thinks these (many of them paid) protestors are not trying to influence the Justices is either incredibly stupid or incredibly naïve.  Similarly is anyone who thinks that Biden is not 100% behind them, hoping they do indeed not only influence the Justices (even while violating federal law), but also spur Congress and every state to enact laws allowing the murder of unborn children with no restrictions whatsoever.   

The protestors are hysterically asserting a wealth of lies and misinformation with the help and approval of Leftist politicians and the media.  It seems that facts, truth, and most importantly the rule of law are of no concern to the Left, to the Democrats, and to our President who, as the head of the executive branch and of our country should be demanding adherence to the law.

He does not, they do not, and hence this country is quickly sliding into a dystopian world of anarchy and mob rule.  Without the rule of law and a respect for it and our democratic institutions, this country is doomed.  Anyone who thinks that is a good thing, anyone who simply stands by ignoring what is going on, is beyond naïve.  They are in essence co-conspirators with the hateful, malicious, and indeed demonic Left. 

Protest outside home of Justice Kavanaugh

SCOTUS Leak - Part 2

 There are two distinct issues involved in the SCOTUS leak.  The first is the act of the leak itself.  I addressed that yesterday.   The act of leaking this document, regardless of what was leaked, is a direct attack on the Court itself, a core institution and bastion of our democracy.  The gravity of this act in and of itself should not be diminished.

The second issue relates to the actual leaked document and its substance.  That I will address today.

What was leaked

First, let’s be clear on what the leaked document is.  It is a draft opinion, written by Justice Alito, in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Org.  The draft is not the final opinion but one intended for the Justices to review as they each decide how they will vote to decide this case.  The opinion indicates that the court may be on the verge of overturning Roe v. Wade.

What does it mean

The actual meaning of this draft opinion, if it were to become the final decision of the Court, is far different from much of the rhetoric being bandied about by the Left and the pro-abortion lobby. 

You may read the draft opinion for yourself here:  LINK TO OPINION 

Essentially this draft opinion explains the shaky base upon which Roe v. Wade has always stood.  Justice Ginsburg, a strong abortion advocate, warned about this when she said that Roe should not have gone beyond striking down the particular statute involved in that case.  She stated, “Suppose the court had stopped there, rightly declaring unconstitutional the most extreme brand of law in the nation, and had not gone on, as the court did in Roe, to fashion a regime blanketing the subject, a set of rules that displaced virtually every state law then in force." 

It was this abuse of judicial authority, the unconstitutional removal of states’ rights, that has made Roe both controversial and unconstitutional from the start.  The draft opinion clearly explains the Constitutional basis and the logic behind the necessity of overturning Roe v. Wade.

The draft opinion does not outlaw abortion.  Rather, it returns the decisions about whether and to what extent to restrict or not restrict abortion to the states where these decisions and regulations properly and constitutionally lie.

The draft opinion specifically states that it does not apply to other rights that have been held to exist:  this opinion, if it becomes law, will not end the right to gay marriage, it will not end interracial marriage (yes, that is being asserted by the Left), nor will it affect any other aspects of the culture wars.

What this draft opinion will do, if adopted by the Court as the final opinion, will return abortion regulation to the states.  Some states will likely have very restrictive laws.  Others will have no restrictions whatsoever.  Most will be somewhere in between.  What that means is the less restrictive states will actually allow abortion well beyond that which Roe allowed.

Why now

So the pro-abortion activists are clearly upset that Roe may be overturned.  But why was this draft leaked now?

The draft was written in February.  Why not then? 

If this is to be the final opinion, or whatever the final decision of the Court is, it will be released by the end of the Court’s term in June.  Those unhappy with the decision could just as easily protest then. 

If the intent is to rile up the base before the midterms, that could just as easily be done once the opinion is released – June is still well before the midterms.

Clearly the opinion will serve as a distraction from Biden’s many other crises.  But his crises existed in February and there is no reason to believe they will disappear by June. Indeed,  Biden has needed distractions almost from day one of his presidency, so why now?

As I see it there are really only two clear possible answers, and actually they easily coalesce into one:  an attack on the Court and its rule of law.

First, this may be an attempt to influence the Justices’ final votes in this case.  The thought behind this would be that if the protesting voices are loud enough, perhaps they will sway the Justices away from their duty to decide based upon the law and instead decide upon popular opinion.  Essentially this is an effort to replace the rule of law with rule of the mob.

And this leads right into the second possible reason:  to inflict a hopefully fatal wound upon the Court and with it the rule of law, a basic necessity of our democratic and free society. 

The Court is the protector of our Constitution, our system of Justice, and the rule of law.  While various groups and individuals may be unhappy with aspects of these institutions, while we must all admit that none is perfect and that mistakes are made, they are the core of this country.  Anyone who would attack them either has no understanding of them or of the institution of the Court, or so hates this country that they would destroy its very core. 

So perhaps the individual or individuals or group that attacked the court simply would rather see an America of mob rule than one of law and justice.  Or perhaps they simply had no idea of what they were doing – perhaps their understanding of our democracy is so lacking that they allowed some need for a moment of personal gratification to overcome their rationality or sense of ethics.  I don’t know.  What I do know is that this act has created a breach of trust so deep that the Court may never recover.

Now what

There is a lot of rhetoric, much of it false and misleading, that is circulating as a result of the leak and that is being used by various entities for various purposes.

The pro abortionist lobby will do its best to stir up protests.  They hope these protests will not only change the minds of the Justices, but also encourage states to enact liberal abortion laws that allow abortion up to and even beyond birth.

The Democrats will use the rhetoric to campaign in a year in which their polls show they are losing badly.   They will use it to push for an end to the filibuster as a way to enact broad abortion statutes that deny the states their rights to enact their own laws. 

The Democrats will also use this as a reason to stack the court with enough justices so that the court becomes a political arm and rubber stamp for their policies rather than a protector of the Constitution and of the people whom that Constitution is designed to protect. (Note:  Stacking is not the same as appointing Judicial replacements who hold a particular judicial philosophy.  Stacking is increasing the number justices and then appointing a sufficient percentage of that new number with individuals/activist judges with a particular political point of view so that the Left’s policies will always be affirmed.)

The Republicans may use the Democrats’ reactions to point out what hypocrites the Democrats are.  The Democrats like to tell us how they are fighting to preserve our democracy and its institutions, yet they are calling the leaker a hero and do not seem to understand why anyone would be upset about the leak.  Rather, as they repeatedly tell us, not only does the end justify the means, but one should never let a crisis go to waste.  Hence, their ethics see the leak as perfectly OK and a way for them to fundraise based upon the leaked document.

 We the people should:

1.      Make sure we understand the role of the Court within our government and its 3-branch system;

2.      Understand the Roe v. Wade opinion, the flawed logic on which it is based and what it does and does not allow;

3.      Understand what overturning Roe v. Wade would and would not mean;

4.      Understand that, while uncommon, the Supreme Court properly overturns bad law (for example, the Court overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, the case allowing segregation and establishing the concept of “separate but equal” when it decided Brown v. Board of Education);

5.      Hear the current rhetoric with a critical ear and a critical mind, understanding what is fact and what is false.

Overturning Roe v. Wade, if that is the ultimate decision of the Court, is not the end of the world.  It is not even the end of abortion.  If you have a stand on abortion, be it pro or con, you can work within your state as it crafts its abortion laws. 

What would be the end of our rights and freedoms would be to turn the main protector of those freedoms into just another political body.  Outrage should be directed towards those who are trying to do so.

The Leak That Reveals More Than the Opinion That Was Leaked

 I am appalled by the leak of the SCOTUS draft opinion; this is truly an attack on our democracy, far worse than the demonstration/protest that the Democrats like to call the insurrection.

I am perhaps even more horrified at the Left’s reaction.  They do not condemn the leak but rather applaud it.  They are using it to fund raise as they call for Congress to institutionalize that which the draft opinion clearly explains is unconstitutional.  They are using the leak to further their political dreams:  court packing and with it an end to our rule of law.

This leak was an obvious attempt to stir things up and raise the voices of the mob in an effort to intimidate the Justices of the Supreme Court and persuade them to change their minds along with their apparent decision in this case.

The Leak of a Supreme Court Document

The Supreme Court is the last bastion of our democracy.  It consists of 9 Justices, all of whom are scholars of Constitutional law, and all of whom work together to do their best to interpret and protect our Constitution.  They trust one another and we the people trust (or should trust) them.  This institution, one of three branches of our government that place checks and balances on one another, is the only one of the three branches that is not political.  It is the branch that truly protects our democracy.

This leak destroys the necessary trust that must exist within the Court and among the Justices.  It appears to be an attempt to turn the Court into another political body, one that will be ruled not by justice but by the mob – by the loudest shouting voices responding to the leak.   The current demonstrations about the leaked opinion’s contents not only include people exercising their First Amendment right to free speech, but also include an element of attempted intimidation of the justice system.  There is an effort to intimidate the Justices to the extent that they will render a final opinion to keep the peace rather than an opinion based upon law and the Constitution.

This is a frightening situation for our democracy; this leak is an act of terrorism, an insurrection, a direct attack upon our democracy and as such an attempt to destroy America as we know it.

What the leak reveals about the Left

Assuming the Left is responsible for the leak (an assumption that I believe is fairly reasonable), it tells us what has been becoming more and more apparent:  that the Left is willing to destroy every aspect of our democracy in its attempt to turn it into their socialist power dream. 

Anyone with any respect for our judicial system and for the rule of law would not and could not commit this act of treason.  Only one who wishes to destroy America and all She stands for could be capable of committing this act against the very core of our democracy. 

For many of us who have been paying attention to the facts and not the narratives, this does not surprise us.  If you love America, the Left is not your friend.

What the Democrats’ reaction reveals about their guiding principle that the ends justify the means

Leading Democrats including Pelosi and Schumer used the word “atrocity” in response to news of the leak.  But they were not referring to the act of leaking a draft SCOTUS opinion.  Rather, they were referring to the substance of the draft opinion.  This is telling.

Democrats, who claim that they are the defenders of our democracy, should be concerned about the attack on that democracy evidenced by the leak itself.  But instead, the Democrats join the Left in applauding the leaker as some sort of hero.

The Democrats have already begun sending fundraising requests based upon the content of the opinion.  They are using the opinion as campaign material:  you must elect us so we can pass a law mandating what the opinion declares as unconstitutional.  You must elect us so that we can pack the court and create not an objective and just institution, not a co-equal but nonpolitical branch of our government, but rather a political body packed with activists who will do our bidding. 

The Democrats are using the content of the leaked document to further their continuing quest for ever more power.  And they are completely unconcerned with the damage and destruction that will cause not only to SCOTUS but to our democracy and our country.

If there is any good to come of this terrorist attack on our very core, I hope that it is to wake up the many sleeping Americans to what is really going on in this country.  Wake up to the facts, and see the Left’s ongoing narrative for what it is – the ruin of a once great country.

"Independence means you decide according to the law and the facts." - Stephen Breyer