Shakespeare Was Right, Kill All The Lawyers

Shakespeare in his play Henry VI has a character suggest, "the first thing we do is kill all the lawyers." While researching this little quote I came across an interesting article about just that. Only the premise of the statement is not what so many of us seem to think, it's putting lawyers in a hero's role as defenders of law and civility. That may have been true then, but today, after seven and a half years of the Bush Mafia Administration, lawyers are bane of both law and order, and society. I base my argument on the following points. Oh, as in everything concerning humanity, not all lawyers are bad. I for one truly admire and respect Jonathan Turley.

The latest in a long list of issues occurred this week when Attorney General Alberto Gon
Michael Mukasey wrote Henry Waxman, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee refusing to comply with a Congressional subpoena for FBI transcripts of an interview with Vice President Cheney on the leaking of Valerie Plame's name while she was a covert operative with the CIA. The reason for his refusal, that same tired excuse of "executive privilege". In this case it took the claim of executive privilege to an all new height, in fact it sent it out of orbit of this solar system. Mukasey seems to think he works as Dictator Bush's personal attorney. Mr. Mukasey, I hate to break this to you but you are not Bush's attorney or legal advisor. You do however work for me, since I pay your salary. You were hired to be the nation's chief law enforcement officer and not some sleazy shyster lawyer defending the lowest of the low life criminals, which Bush and Company are. Back to this article's main point.

The Bush Administration has consistently sought to defray responsibility and blame through the use of lawyers. This most notable example of this is John Yoo, author of the infamous torture memo offering up a legal opinion for the justification of torture of "enemy combatants". This amongst many other legal opinions has been designed to provide this Administration with basically the legal equivalent of excuses for their violation of the Constitution, international law, treaties, hell just about everything. When questioned on things, the Bush Administration has reverted to the executive privilege claim on the advise of this attorney or some other attorney. Never since the game of Monopoly has anyone been given such a complete "get out of jail free card", and it's all based upon a legal opinion of some lawyer, or group of lawyers. Even though Bush and his conservative cronies hate lawyers.

The crux of this issue lies in a messy legal system that George Bush's cadre of lawyers know is stacked on their side. Namely the length of time it would take for legal action to work it's way up the courts. After all the continuances, discovery motions, delays in document sharing, etc. our grandchildren would be senior citizens before these cases made it before the Supreme Court. Hence Bush and his lawyers refuse to appear before Congress, ignore subpoenas and do whatever the hell they please. Lawyers, they provide the cover (I did it because John Yoo said I could). The House of Representatives a weighty body supposedly there to represent the citizens, is also chock full of lawyers, and it does nothing despite having the power to do so. That power is to impeach. That power they judiciously hold in reserve for such horrendous crimes of morality like cheating on one's wife.

Historically however, the blanket this Administration is using to justify it's illegal behavior was address after WWII at Nuremburg, when the United States along with it's allies threw out that defense used by Nazi war criminals, stating:

Thus, under the Nuremberg Principles, "defense of superior orders" is not a defense for war crimes, although it might influence a sentencing authority to lessen the penalty.
"The fact that a person acted pursuant to order of his Government or of a superior does not relieve him from responsibility under international law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him."

Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Military Code of Uniform Justice made it possible for soldiers to refuse unlawful orders because of the Nuremberg ruling. So what then is the Commander in Chief going to say when hopefully one day he has to appear before the Hague and defend his inhumane actions? "My lawyer made me do it"? Since when, did an attorney supersede the authority of POTUS? Have we abdicated our control over this country to the whims of lawyers who aren't elected, but chosen because of their political views?

If this is the case then ok boys, take your AK-47's that you are allowed to have under the second amendment and fire away. The precedent being set here means no one at all needs to be held responsible. This is better then an insanity plea. I killed my wife because my attorney said if she was alive she'd get the house, car and my puppy! Lawyers, like philosophers can be found to argue for/against any point. The profession that is supposedly there to represent the law is basically nullifying the law by justifying ways around the law. I don't need a lawyer to read the Constitution. It's plain and clear except for that confounded Second Amendment, which is the most poorly written part of the Constitution there is, and hence open to interpretation. Only attorney's who sit on the Supreme Court can make an excuse for such strict interpretation of the Second Amendment, yet argue the meaning and reasons to ignore the rest of the document. I wonder if I can get exempted from the Brady bill and get my gun today since Hell has decided to sue Heaven for discrimination, and has all the lawyers. Somewhere out there there has to be a good lawyer right? Sorry Jonathan but............