This piece may be somewhat rambling and lacking in coherence, as I wrote it over the course of the last week, attempting to consolidate the many thoughts that I have in my mind at present. I will attempt to codify some of these points later, but for now I think it is most important that I put out my thoughts as they are.
Presently it seems that we are at a crossroads of chaos, a point where each foreseeable path leads into devastation. I personally, for all that I try to take a balanced view of things, cannot see a plausible future that does not involve massive hardships at the very best, and massive death at the worst. At this point, we are all familiar with these realities, and I think it may help to internalize them, to forget any vain hopes that things may suddenly turn for the better without exacting a great cost.
It is certainly possible, speaking abstractly, for things to get better. It may seem to need a miracle currently, but it is possible. The question that wracks my mind every day is: how to convince people that improvement is worth their effort? How to motivate those who have lost so much, as we all have, to give up a little more, but in the right way, so that the loss creates a boon and not further pain?
Whatever the reality, one thing is certain: panicking will not help.
The amount of trust given to the government has waned sharply, and this is unfortunately entirely warranted. However, where I think we need to place more emphasis and consideration is the lack of legitimacy. The government has long been in the practice of ignoring the details of the law for its own sake, and has long since gotten away with it. However, in recent years and months, the severity of these violations have become more extreme. Given the intensity of the current problem, I have no choice but to conclude that the government in its current formulation is fundamentally unable to fulfill its constitutional mandate.
In short, we are in a constitutional crisis.
It is with considerable trepidation that I pronounce the fundamental failure of government, as it can lead to even greater spikes in chaos and destruction. However, I believe that we are capable of shoring up the failures through our own collective action. Most people, even of differing political views, have an intrinsic view of what is appropriate for the government to do, and I think that they can be spurred to curtail inappropriate actions through careful vocalization.
There’s an unspoken idea within our culture that the government defines the law. This needs to be reversed. The law is whatever the public, in unified purpose, says it is, and it is the job of the government to codify it. If the government does something else, it is a failure and should be corrected by appropriate means. We need to get used to the idea of telling the government what the law is and how it should be applied, instead of accepting decisions handed down by corrupt officials. This will, of course, result in strife and discord, but I think it will cause less overall harm than accepting judgments from an organization of unified malice. The key is to undermine the legitimacy of the government, with an aim to building that legitimacy, so that there’s a clear and relatively safe path forward.
I’m thinking of what I call “hammer points”, ideas that need to be drummed up and down, brought up whenever appropriate, and most importantly, insisted upon to government officials without accepting any difference in opinion.
Currently, there are two hammer points foremost on my mind:
- According to the 14th amendment, no person can be president or otherwise hold office if they took part in an insurrection while previously holding office. This does not require the conclusion of any kind of trial. This means that in particular, Donald Trump cannot legally become president by any means. Even if elected, he cannot take office, and if sworn into office, that office shall become invalid and any decisions he makes void.
- Section III.1 of the constitution states that judges, including those of the supreme court, “shall hold their Offices during good Behavior”. Codifying what that means and how it relates to the current situation is a legal minefield, but forcing it onto the stage can potentially keep the criminal element within the courts on the back foot. It should go without saying that several of our highest judges, if not most of them, are sneakily protecting the criminal enterprizes of their fellows, and even if they do so according to the strict letter of the law, their conduct is inexcusable and requires due punishment, taking the form of dismissal from their posts at the very least.
It is and has always been my view that the needs of the people are best served if we err toward making all public servants expendable, as it encourages them to think of themselves as cogs in a greater machine rather than individuals with power. If we accidentally overreach and hand out a removal that is not warranted, it is still a measure of progress. Thus, I think in this scenario we should push as hard as possible to gut the higher positions of government of any persons who have commited even the slightest malfeasance.
How to Save the World 