It's difficult for citizens of a nation to stick together when some of them are permitted to act as a law unto themselves while others know if they break the law they will be prosecuted to the full extent of that law. A rift between the treatment of lawless and lawful over time can only be expected to obtain increasingly greater animosities. Add to the rift non-citizens: dreamers, illegal border crossers, and those that overstay visas; the occasionally difficult will most certainly become perpetually complex. President Reagan in 1986 anticipated, based on professedly sincere promises of Democrats, the problem of what to do about immigrants in the country illegally had been settled, for good. He expected strong border security, fully funded, in exchange for his illegals' solution. But here we are today, faced with the same issues Reagan "resolved" decades ago. Except today new walls have been built, not across the southern border, but effectively around a sanctuary state and 675 jurisdictions: mostly referred to as sanctuary cities. The primary defense offered for the existence of sanctuary cities and a sanctuary state is fear illegal immigrants won't report crimes, because to do so they might expose themselves to deportation. But what would an illegal then expect if he reported a crime? He would anticipate the accused, if he was an illegal, should stand trial and remain in custody until his eventual deportation to the country of his origin. But. According to Governor Brown and numerous mayors and city councilmen across the country, victims in sanctuary cities do not want their alien attacker protected class to face prosecution and deportation. They want their neighborly alien attackers with numerous social security numbers, AKA's, and dubious ID's to remain in their communities so they can without federal or local interference repeat their cycles of criminal act, capture, release, criminal act, capture, and release. In other words, Brown's argument holds no water. According to Brown, his voters don't want authorities to prosecute offenders, even if victims have taken a risk to report a crime. Protected classes are not good for the country. Whether the protected class is of a prominent family, a political party, or a politically correctly identified minority group; it makes no difference. Justice for one should be the same justice for all. Equal justice for all was secured for us by the institution of our republican form of government. Those contrarily attempting to impose "This Is What Democracy Looks Like" are not friends of the republic, of Americans, nor of any other citizens desiring equal justice for all. The United States shall guarantee to every state in this Union a Republican form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence. -US Constitution Article IV, Section 4. It looks like our founders might have thought of just about everything when they wrote the Constitution. Not only were they concerned the federal level should govern as a republic. They were also concerned that citizens in the various states, locally, should experience a republican form of government. Note: It's, "shall guarantee." Meaning the federal government should, must impose it's will on the states, force the states to provide a republican government to its citizens when such has not been provided. Of course if our federal government fails in its obligation to govern as a republic, it will be difficult if not impossible for it to model a republican form of government to the states for their benefit. Opposition to the Electoral College in favor of "one man, one vote, majority rules" is just one example our nation is divided regarding this republican vs. democratic controversy; not to be confused with the ongoing war between Republican Party and Democratic Party faithfuls. One unique feature of a republican form of government, perhaps its chief feature, is citizens elect officials to represent their interests in government. The elected officials do not represent interest groups, per se. They represent citizens of a locality or district. Generally the localities are homogeneous, make sense of the terrain, communities, shared interests of the people represented. When such is not the case charges are often levied some gerrymandering has been going on. Representatives in a republic normally do not represent special interest groups: whites, Blacks, women, LGBTQ, the 99% or the 1%, illegal immigrants or bona fide American citizens. Representatives in a republic do not pay attention to polls, at least they have no reason to. Because if they have their ear to their own neighborhoods, or states in the case of senators, they aren't interested in what's popular or being pushed by any particular polling agency at any specific point in time. Conversely, when citizens know their representatives are keyed in on them, not on the whimsically pollish direction of the winds, they have greater reason to believe their voices and their votes really count. Representatives in a republic think of their voters as sovereigns, not as useful horizontal time machines. Fortunately, horizontal time machines are relatively rare phenomena, particularly on the battlefield. It's a rare warrior that burrows deep down into his sleeping bag during a firefight, as if a thin, reliably permeable cover of darkness in the full light of day will provide passage through time, protect him until the fight is over and the enemy is defeated. Sovereigns are respected, their interests are represented 365 days of the year. But. When thought of as horizontal time machines, voters are only expected, preferred to be awake and aware one specific day; the day the representative thinks, knows the common good requires him to be elected to office. By definition the common good requires no voters at all. Just a really wise, knowledgeable, efficient, competent czar to rule over all. Under such rule voters are tolerated, not heard. Under such rule sovereigns are an enemy not to be tolerated. In actual practice, under such Utopian rule, sovereigns do what comes naturally. They live as sovereigns. Black markets spring up out of nowhere. In actual practice czars are never all that wise, knowledgeable, efficient, or competent. Never up to the task czars all, to a tee, resort to propaganda. slogans, and highly invasive police forces to preserve their silly, persona-like Oz ambitions deftly hidden behind a flimsy old curtain. So. What to do about California's sanctuary state status. What to do about a republic devolving into a democracy. What to do about sovereign individuals becoming useful tools of power, cash, and sex addicted elected officials. The answers: Abandon the trend toward majority rule. Revalue the nation as a republic. Then reintroduce republican rule in the states. (Not necessarily Republican Party rule, though it might well help.)
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About The Pundit
This retired window washer now provides instruction on the benefits and perils of time travel through focusing an allegorical lens on the present. Archives
February 2018
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