It occurred to me that the current political climate reminded me of the movie, A Man For All Seasons, which considered the refusal of St. Thomas More to accede to the King's edict invalidating his marriage so that he might remarry. Political expediency should never take precedence over conscience and priniciple, should it? Any lawyer will tell you that the recent spate of "lawfare" that seems to take process and elevate it over principle has created courtroom results that are pretty much insane. The contortions required to turn a legal system on its head in order to defeat a political opponent are ludicrous in the eyes of any sane, independent legal observer. But, hey, we need to rid ourselves of this "tyrant", don't we?
There is
too much disrespect for the law and personal freedoms these days. Some argue that it is okay to ignore laws that we feel are unjust or not in keeping with our personal code or political bent, whatever that may be. In fact, laws need to be respected and honored, in an apolitical way, and need to apply to everyone. We seem to think that, if a person is of our political persuasion, they should be cancelled, and censored, regardless of the law.
We all need to read some Thomas More.
"William Roper: “So now you give the Devil the benefit of the law?”
Sir Thomas More: “Yes! What would you do? Cut a great swath through the law to get after the Devil?”
William Roper: “Yes, I’d cut down every Law in England to do that!”
Sir Thomas More: “Oh? And when the last law was down and the Devil turned ‘round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man’s laws, not God’s! And if you cut them down, and you’re just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I’d give the Devil benefit of Law for my own safety’s sake!”