Mob Rule and the Supreme Court
Long ago, our forerunners relied on a council of elders to decide matters of the group. Over the millennia, as we passed from groups to nations and laws began to replace customs as the glue of social order, those elders became judges. Nevertheless, the elders of long ago would recognize our Supreme Court and smile at the continuity of time.
Of course, those elders reached their status with the passage of time and the gathering of wisdom – not the immediacy of the internet.
Today, there are polls out about everything, including Brett Kavanaugh. In the rush of our times, are we really prepared to subject our Supreme Court to what Plato believed to be the worst aspect of democracy – selecting our leaders by beauty contests not training or wisdom?
It is the human nature of the group that the higher the stakes the greater division. Wisdom pauses during such times to reflect. Judges trained to analyze fact from fiction – to weigh the circumstances not be swayed by immediacy.
Four people were said to be at the location by Ms. Ford. All have denied it. I have not met her so I cannot say why she has reached this point in her life. No one really can. But if the facts are weighed not sensationalized, the outcome should seem certain. We owe that to our elders.
Tom Del Beccaro
Author of The Divided Er
