You know how they say absolute power corrupts absolutely? The fallout is on full display here in the U.S. After approximately 250 years of the grand experiment we call democracy, the wheels are about to fall off the bus. The basic tenet of our democratic nation — that no man is above the law — has come to a calamitous and chilling end with the court’s recent decision on presidential immunity.
It begs the question: What was SCOTUS thinking? (Only about themselves, obvi.) And, how will the rest of us get by if one of us — I’m looking at you, man with the orange hair — think they can “shoot someone and not lose voters,” and actually be right? Congratulations, man with the orange hair; you’re a winner! Take a bow because SCOTUS just made your Make-a-Wish dream come true. Looks like one man’s win is a loss for the remaining 333 million of us, a bleak day for America.
For his unceasing attack on precedent, Chief Justice Roberts wins the This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things award. Roberts has done more damage during his tenure — always with a smile, or maybe that’s why he’s smiling — than any other justice in recent history, because he not only steers the court, he’s often the swing vote. Under his tenure, only the richest among us are safe. Women, gays, trans, minorities, the homeless, the poor, and future generations themselves if you factor in the imminent and radical decline of the environment, can no longer rely on the rule of law to save them. That’s because Roberts and the other conservatives on the bench don’t care about precedent. They care only about who’s lining their pockets; who’s giving them the best vacation experiences; whose spouses got good jobs because their husbands are sitting on the bench; and what who has done for them lately.
It’s been a disatrous 24 years since Gore v. Bush was decided; Citzens United v. FEC put the power squarely in the hands of those with the moola; and the environment has taken hit after hit at the court’s hand until finally, the defining moment, the thing ultra-conservatives everywhere –the ones who put making money above all else, even dogs — have lusted after for an eternity, the death of the Chevron defense. Goodbye, administrative law! Hello, regulation-free business!
No one is above the law! That is unless you’re a Supreme Court Justice or are the man with the orange hair.
By injecting doubt into the administrative process itself, the court has assured that business interests will prevail, not because they are right, but because it will take the government eons longer to bring a judicial case instead of an administrative one, if ever. The government simply does not have the resources to try every case. Nor can it regulate every chemical.
Take PFAS regulation/litigation, currently in its infancy. The government has zero chance of regulating the 6,000 to 8,000 PFAS on the market today. It’s just not possible for an Agency to do risk assessments on that many chemicals, and without a blanket regulation to cover the entire class of chemicals, the government will never catch up because new PFAS are being created all the time.
Typically, the government doesn’t lead, excepting initiatives like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, the New Deal, the Declaration of Independence — okay, it does lead — but more often, it funds research and development and lets the market lead while holding the door open for everyone else, thereby assuring a level playing field for things like civil rights, human rights, women’s rights, education, and the like, so everyone gets a shot at the promise of the American Dream: equality, a living wage, a nice life — you know, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Thanks to SCOTUS, the American dream has become a nightmare.
Imagine if Al Gore had won — BTdubs, Justice Roberts was the deciding vote. We probably wouldn’t have entered Iraq and spent kajillions of dollars, most of which went to Halliburton, mucking around in a mindset we didn’t understand. We probably wouldn’t have stayed there for 20 years, and we may have maintained the global prominence we had then instead of the global enmity we now enjoy. And maybe, just maybe the inhabitants of Planet Earth would have stood a fighting chance against climate change — because make no mistake, Mama’s gonna save herself, whether we go along for the ride or not.
But all that goodwill is gone now, and with it, much of our hope. Except — that’s what they want, right? For us to give up hope? Because if we do, they win.
“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” Matthew 16:26. All this chaos from those who call themselves devout Christians. Maybe they didn’t read that one.
You know what you have to do, right? Start with voting people who have no respect for the rule of law (or anything other than money) out of office. Follow your heart. Google the rest.
Survival of the fittest was never going to work, not without leaving a bunch of folks crushed and bleeding underfoot. Collaboration and cooperation are the only paths forward. Nothing less than survival or our way of life is at stake.
The Independence Day we get is the one we deserve.
pam lazos 7.4.24
Green Life Blue Water 
Brilliant post, Pam, explaining this journey into dark times. I never thought any of this would actually happen, but here we are. I think history shows us that this country will have to hit the bottom before we can all breathe again. It will be a rough ride and we must find the strength.
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The bad news just keeps coming and coming, Michele. I think I need to go live on top of a mountain or something. 😂
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I’ll meet you there.
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Deal! ;0)
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I hear you say the truth, my dear Pam. There was the high court that might have looked into the election those days and seen that Al Gore had won! But suddenly, aeroplanes crash into the Twin Towers and George W. Bush is the world’s saviour!! The dear American dream is dying, the freedom is dying…😕😪
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It definitely feels like this, Aladin. So what are peace-loving people to do?
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Good question! I did not dare to answer “nothing”, but that looks not very hopeful!! 🙄💖
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🤷♀️❤️🙏
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Pam – it is all very sad; sickening also comes to mind. I can’t vote as I am not a U.S. citizen. I saw a cartoon on Twitter where the SCOTUS Justices were wearing their robes, plastered with decals and patches of various endorsements they had.
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Linda, I had no idea. Are you Canadian?!
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Yes, I am Pam. My father, a tool-and-diemaker at Ford Motor Company, asked to be transferred from Ford of Oakville (Ontario) to the Ford of Woodhaven (Michigan) plant. In July 1966 we moved here. I am still here on a green card as a permanent resident alien.
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That is fascinating, Linda. I had no idea one could do that!
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It moved pretty quickly once he was hired Pam. The Woodhaven Stamping Plant opened a few years before and needed tool-and-diemakers, so they tried to recruit from other Ford plants in North America. They posted the advertisement – my father applied. Then there was a process after he interviewed over here and was hired. Since he had a job waiting for him, we proceeded to get our paperwork in order to move. There used to be a quota system in place as to immigrants. We came over on behalf of my mother – she was Canadian, not my father, as the German quota was filled. So we had to get our paperwork for each of us (my parents and me), expedited and we moved over here, crossing at the Canadian/American entry point (Detroit River Bridge).
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That’s so cool! So you have dual citizenship (with restrictions here as to voting)?
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Well, actually no dual citizenship … which, in my opinion I should have by virtue of the fact I have lived here for so long. I have so much hassle renewing my green card and will be renewing it next year. My hassle is because I have been typing for so long that I have no fingerprints, so this is problematic. I am hoping that since I was vetted once I applied for Medicare, then again when I applied for Social Security (I applied in September 2023 to begin in January), the green card renewal will go more smoothly. I guess I should have just gotten dual citizenship a long time ago.
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Oh my gosh the fingerprint thing is real. That happened to me to when I had to get clearance to teach Sunday school. They couldn’t read my prints. Women work too hard, Linda!😘
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Yes, always ask for ink prints Pam. I didn’t realize they would vet you using fingerprints to teach Sunday School. Amazing! Yes, we do work too hard!
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❤️🙏😘
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Pam, thanks very much for articulating this disastrous state of affairs we must now overcome. SCOTUS know not what they do 😦
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Oh how I wish it were true, Rose. I think they know exactly what they do.😵💫🤨😞
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You’re probably right, Pam. They do have plans in motion to colonize Mars after they scorch Earth.
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So frustrating!!
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I guess those rich guys think they and their descendants are immune to PFAS and other pollutants, plus the myriad of social and economic ills they’ve unleashed. I hate to tell them (no, I don’t) that there is no Planet B waiting for them, nor will their money save them in the long run.
Despite the gloom and doom, my incurable optimism looks for a turn-around, the sooner the better.
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I hope you are right, Marie!❤️
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Thank you for articulating my inner 😱
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😂😂😂 and you are welcome.🙏
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You are so knowledgeable, so articulate. Unfortunately, it is not hyperbole. Who knew we would even be thinking these things 20 years ago. I fear to even think where these peop
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Hi 👋🏻 Pat! Scary times indeed.😱
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My darling Lady P. the world has gone to hell in a hand cart but we must not lose hope xxxxxxxx
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I’m trying but it’s terribly difficult, Lady Shey! 🙏😘
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Yep. Election day and for the first time I am policitally homeless but taking comfott from the fact I am not alone in that. xxxxx
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We may be in the silent majority at this point!
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Now there’s a thought. The Politically Homeless Party. I mean I know you get randoms here who stand as indepemndents but I think a statement name now might bring folks in…..
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OMG, it’s perfect! Fits right alongside the half a million actual homeless people in the U.S. which will definitely grow under a second Trump term. Oh, and SCOTUS just said homeless encampments were illegal. Guess they have to walk the streets until they die from exhaustion. 😳😱 The world as I see it does not look like this one, sadly. The greedy bastards have spiked the punch and paid off the DJ!😬
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YOu can say again xxxxx
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😂😂😂
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Because, SCOTUS had, already been, POCKETED by the, Republican Party, this is, within, the expectations, that they will NOT, prosecute their own, party members, no matter how corrupt they are, and, since they’re, made up of, primarily, conservatives, and the U.S. citizens can, kiss those, “more radical” views such as, same-sex marriages, abortion rights, goodbye. And, the judiciary department, is now, an, enabler of the ABUSE of the, people of the, United States, and, “we the people”, are, NO, more.
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A sad sad day in America. 🇺🇸
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A sad sad state of affairs.
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Excellent article. Roberts and his cronies are a disgrace. They are right up there with Trump. And they aren’t going away anytime soon.
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That’s the scariest part of all, Neil. 🥲
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Pathetic.
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😵💫🤣
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