Hawthorn Hill Journal by Richard deRosa

On Governance, Majoritarian Rule and Numeric Supremacy

In “Gulliver’s Travels,” Jonathan Swift somewhat cynically opined that a basic principle of lawyering is the ability to call black white and white black. I had considered a career in international law at one point and, while I think that might have led to a fascinating life, I can’t imagine not having been a teacher, a choice replete with immediate and enduring rewards. I wonder now what I would think, had I taken that path. Violations of international law have been on a troublesome upswing worldwide. And here at home we experience unlawful behavior by our government daily. Unfortunately, lawless behavior, whether international or domestic, benefits no one. We put ourselves at great peril so long as this assault on lawlessness persists.

Most disheartening is what appears to be willful malpractice on the part of the one institution whose primary obligation to the commonweal is to uphold the law without prejudice and to give no sway to those who would pervert its primary function: to work on behalf of ALL the people. However, when toadies and sycophants occupy the upper echelons of the Department of Justice, we all have an obligation to be ever more vigilant. All the more reason for passionate yet lawful resistance. No matter what stage in our development as a nation we find ourselves in, and there will always roadblocks, it is an effort worth the work.