Thursday, November 2, 2017

A Color-Coded Approach To Justice?

The other day, two headlines caught my eye in rapid succession, which happens easily when you get most of your news digitally.  They are here and here.  Together, and in conjunction with other stories, they make the case for our color-coded system of justice.

White nationalists march in Charlottesville, and a young woman dies.  A white man who manages to arouse no suspicion when he checks into a Las Vegas hotel armed to the teeth kills dozens and wounds hundreds.  How do we react?  Our "President" says he needs more facts.  Our law makers posture in a public pretense of caring.  And otherwise, except for a handful of arrests by local authorities, nothing is being done.  Absolutely nothing.

Oh, there was a brief frisson of bipartisan excitement about the possibility of banning "bump stocks," one of which enabled the Las Vegas shooter to reach his high casualty count within minutes.  But it has quickly gone nowhere, as those of us who follow these atrocities, and the gun-worship that lies behind them, fully expected it to do.

But there is a different standard for people who are not white nationalists, or, for that matter, white.  And it was sadly on display yesterday as a consequence of a terrorist attack in Manhattan in which a Uzbekistani holder of a green card drove a truck onto a bike path, killing eight people in the process.  Is the memory of deceased honored by those in power?  Is restraint exercised for the sake of gathering facts and administering justice?

Hell, no.  Not if you're Donald Trump.  Not if the murderer is a brown-skinned man from a Muslim country.  You fire off "SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY" tweets, which will almost ensure that the perpetrator won't get the death penalty once his lawyers are finished with it.  And you suggest that he should be sent to Guantanamo, which also allows you to poke the legacy of your predecessor in the eye yet again.

Is it even remotely possible to look at these facts and conclude that Republican-style justice is blind?  When it comes to the question of race, never mind the scales and the blindfold for them.  They see skin color and, as Trevor Noah pointed out, that's the only fact that Trump and his GOP enablers need.

And here is perhaps the greatest irony of all:  According to the FBI, white nationalists are a far greater danger to the nation than ISIS.  Doubt it?  Take a look.

Don't tell me American justice isn't color-coded.  It's not a difficult code to crack.  All you have to do is pay attention.  Are you doing that?

No comments: