The term “chimera” has come to describe . . . anything composed of disparate parts or perceived as wildly imaginative, implausible, or dazzling. Wikipedia
We are hearing about the Rule of Law quite a lot these days in the nation’s political dialogue. I am wondering how the phrase is hitting the American ear. Is it properly understood? Is it considered important? Why are we hearing it now only from one side of the political aisle? Does it matter? Does it exist?
The basic premise of the Rule of Law is easy to understand. No one is above the law. Everyone is equal under the law. The law plays no favorites. More dramatically, the Rule of Law is a sine qua non of democracy itself, of the people’s self-rule. Without Law’s Rule, there can be no democratic form of government. If any person or group is above the law, then by definition there is no democracy. There is either autocracy or totalitarianism. Continue reading “Is the Rule of Law a Chimera?”