Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln Part 3

Mayhem rampages the streets of Los Angeles, looters run amok on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, mobs roam the boroughs and districts of American cities while all semblance of authority stands down and watches the destruction play out. Local leaders, rather than mobilizing law enforcement to crush this onslaught of lawlessness, instead, implicitly or explicitly, champion the mob and its nihilistic impulses. This is not the plot of a futuristic film based in the year of 2200. Such a scene could be witnessed in the streets of American cities in the summer of 2020. Mobs destroying, rioting and looting in the name of social justice were supported by opportunistic politicians of every ilk. The defense and promotion of liberty was cast aside in the face of raw unabated power of violence and intimidation. An odd alliance of elites and the mob was formed at the expense of the common folk, who were too weak, or shocked to speak or act publicly. Civic virtue and the rule of law were being called into question by certain segments of the population while the public at large wondered aloud who would protect them in the face of this onslaught of intimidation and revenge. Such a fear manifesting itself throughout the American populace was not new, but its intensity was truly extraordinary. But how does a society deal with this unfolding phenomenon? Fortunately, in the long and grand history of the Republic, none other than Abraham Lincoln broached this important query in 1838 in his now famous Lyceum Speech. In one portion of the address, Lincoln talks about mob violence and the ramifications of lawless groups meting out their own form of justice which was neither just or impartial. Lincoln elucidates such action only serves to undermine the rule of law and the people’s faith in due process and in free institutions. If such actions persist, the people will turn away from civil society as a means to solve internal threats to their well-being and instead take matters into their own hands. Lincoln further asserts such actions only serve to contribute to the deterioration of the legitimacy of political institutions and eventually undermine the existence of the entire body politic. Lincoln argued the means for escaping this vigilante like environment was a return to the rule of law and due process. Today, problematically, in traditional blue areas, city council after city council voted to defund the police, as well as taking other anti-law enforcement actions. In New York City, police officials initiated a policy to dismantle the plainclothes anti-crime units which further limited the effects of local policing. The actions of the NYPD exemplified the policies taken by urban politicians across the country. The result was a predictable increase in violent crime throughout the nation, as criminal recidivism spiked as punishment dissipated for the wrongdoers. Police jails would serve as temporary holding cells as criminals would soon be released and returned to the streets leading to an increase in mayhem. The public responded by purchasing firearms, and gun sales went off the charts, as the population took a cue from Lincoln's greatest fear. Civil society was not providing the necessary protection, so individuals were left with no choice but to provide for their own security. Rising crime would leave the public to doubt the efficacy of public officials, leaving onlookers to wonder what the future had in store for the rule of law and due process. Fortunately, a glimmer of sanity prevailed in local elections in 2021 which would seem to give pro-law enforcement candidates a marked edge in overturning the lunacy of anti-crime measures. But as we move into 2022 what the future holds is not clear. What damage to the American psyche did the riots inflict? And how will Americans respond? Will they affirm the rule of law as Lincoln argued or will there be a continuation of the mayhem in the streets leading to an erosion of the body politic?