I expect the new court will become even more radical. Hard to believe that Thomas is the intellectual keystone in this court, but that's what seems to be true.
These new rulings -- and the more that will come -- recalls the Fugitive Slave Act that required Northern states to return fugitive slaves. That led to real conflict between state …
I expect the new court will become even more radical. Hard to believe that Thomas is the intellectual keystone in this court, but that's what seems to be true.
These new rulings -- and the more that will come -- recalls the Fugitive Slave Act that required Northern states to return fugitive slaves. That led to real conflict between state authorities and local populations vs. Federal authorities (notably here in Boston). I saw that coming here when the US Attorney Lelling was trying to arrest peaceable 'illegal immigrants', to the point where a local judge is under investigation for helping to spirit a fellow away when 'la migra' was waiting outside the courtroom. This is not an issue now that US Attorneys are Democrats, but I can imagine a new crop of Republican USAs trying to enforce other state abortion laws, for example. This would not be civil war, but simply government breakdown, which is where I sense we are heading.
Government breakdown--or "shutdown"--has been an explicit goal of a certain segment of the right for decades. At one time, they were seen as fringe kooks, and largely ignored by the GOP members who actually held power. But Trump's campaign and cabinet gave many of these people, such as Steve Bannon, positions of real power or influence. And the current world of social media and news reporting has allowed a few others, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, to become legislators and celebrities in their own right. So the pro-breakdown voices are gaining influence at the moment.
Of course, the breakdown of government is the stated goal of many racial terrorists who take violent action to oppose what they believe is the "great replacement" of white people. This is shown not only in the published statements of many recent shooters, but also in the novel that inspires many of them, the "Turner Diaries." In the novel, there is a scene where a mob attacks the US Capitol and brings out officials to hang on a gallows much like the one erected there on January 6th. So these once-fringe views have become much closer to reality in recent years.
I expect the new court will become even more radical. Hard to believe that Thomas is the intellectual keystone in this court, but that's what seems to be true.
These new rulings -- and the more that will come -- recalls the Fugitive Slave Act that required Northern states to return fugitive slaves. That led to real conflict between state authorities and local populations vs. Federal authorities (notably here in Boston). I saw that coming here when the US Attorney Lelling was trying to arrest peaceable 'illegal immigrants', to the point where a local judge is under investigation for helping to spirit a fellow away when 'la migra' was waiting outside the courtroom. This is not an issue now that US Attorneys are Democrats, but I can imagine a new crop of Republican USAs trying to enforce other state abortion laws, for example. This would not be civil war, but simply government breakdown, which is where I sense we are heading.
Government breakdown--or "shutdown"--has been an explicit goal of a certain segment of the right for decades. At one time, they were seen as fringe kooks, and largely ignored by the GOP members who actually held power. But Trump's campaign and cabinet gave many of these people, such as Steve Bannon, positions of real power or influence. And the current world of social media and news reporting has allowed a few others, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, to become legislators and celebrities in their own right. So the pro-breakdown voices are gaining influence at the moment.
Of course, the breakdown of government is the stated goal of many racial terrorists who take violent action to oppose what they believe is the "great replacement" of white people. This is shown not only in the published statements of many recent shooters, but also in the novel that inspires many of them, the "Turner Diaries." In the novel, there is a scene where a mob attacks the US Capitol and brings out officials to hang on a gallows much like the one erected there on January 6th. So these once-fringe views have become much closer to reality in recent years.