From our “Clippings From The Editing Room Floor” dept.”, comes this face-palming story that begins:
“The third trial of Cliven Bundy has ended in a mistrial. The prosecution failed to turn over documents that would have helped the defense.”
Put more bluntly:
The trial of Nevada rancher and leader of the Sagebrush Rebellion, Cliven Bundy, his two sons and a co-defendant ended yesterday in a mistrial. Why? Because the government had lied out of its ass to the judge and hidden evidence that would have significantly aided the defense. In other words, in a legal system that has reframed “adversarial” to mean “win at any cost”, the prosecutors decided to put Bundy away and they decided that a little perjury was no big deal. It was, as they say, a day ending in “y.”
Who wouldda/couldda thunk it!? America’s pristine, “Rule of Law-Justice for All” Judicial System, featuring officers, agents, prosecutors and institutionalized bureaucrats of the “Deep State” Bowling Team would play “Hide The Weeny” with exculpatory evidence? Say it isn’t so, AG Jeff! (Sarc: OFF) At least we can rejoice presiding robe, U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro, still maintained a firm grip on jurisprudence: “The failure to turn over such evidence violates due process.”
The story and accompanying travesty, studiously avoided by the Blow-Dried Set of the MSM, raised the quills of an astute LRC Reader and “Judging Freedom” listener. Rm writes:
“This Bundy stuff was way out of control from day one. It appears the only crimes committed were those perpetrated by the US Attorney and his sycophant thugs… What a travesty . . . Why do we have a Constitution if the very officials sworn to uphold it callously violate its most sacred provisions? Where are the indictments???? How many innocent citizens are rotting in Nevada jails because of this rogue US Attorney??? Where is the outrage? How low has America sunk to allow this and swamp-type activity to continue unabated without protest?
May Liberty prevail.”
In reply:
Rm, an old cliche used to be true: “A crime hasn’t been committed until somebody screams.” Recent events have proven “screaming” is no longer all that it was cracked up to be. Back in the day, a scream would call honorable people to immediately invoke the Rule of Law and the Bad Guy(s) would be dispatched forthwith. The ranks of those “honorable people” have dwindled to a point of Do-Do Bird extinction.
The Constitution states admirable old ideals, strictly for moral people from another age. While it endures historically as a quaint piece of preserved parchment for tourists to ogle when visiting the Logic Free Swamp, today’s operative “Constitution” is scribbled on a Magic Slate every day as circumstances warrant. “Security” has been relegated to mediocre “Scrabble” word. As a pragmatic reality, it exists only in direct proximity to your personal firearm. The Law and its loin-girded enforcers can no longer be counted on to be a shield for you or your inalienable rights; they are now mere bargaining chips in times of confrontation. “Innocence” is for old Perry Mason re-runs; your “case” is only as virtuous as the news cycle is long. We have devolved into a Society of “Got’cha Last”.
A great line from a mediocre movie is instructive: “The only winning move is not to play.” If you play, you will lose. Eventually. Demonstrably. Americans didn’t veer into this morass overnight and we won’t likely paddle out of it in our lifetime. Sad news, I know, but I cannot find a solution big enough, strong enough that can be effectuated quickly enough to restore our Republic to something approaching America we grew up loving before the sand in my Life’s Hourglass runs out. At some point, an Optimist must also be a Realist. Once accomplished, how long can one remain an Optimist without also becoming delusional?
Indeed Liberty may prevail — but it won’t be quick or pretty.
