V-Grams

V-Gram 40

March 28, 1997


Here we go

In today's New York Times, Anthony Lewis has fired the opening shot in what, in retrospect, will make the barrage against the "Contract with America" appear like children throwing popcorn. The topic is judges who ignore both the Constitution and the clearly established will of the people. At last, Representative Tom DeLay seems willing to take them on. Predictably, Mr. Lewis is furious.

Americans with eyes, ears, and healthy brain tissue have watched the workings of our judiciary with growing alarm. Traditions which had taken a millennium to refine, which represent the only stable and dependable legal system in the world, have been transformed into pulpits for assorted persons who routinely replace the Rule of Law with their personal-political agenda.

Using the well-known and well-tried tactics of his army, Mr. Lewis aims instantly to turn the tables in accusing Mr. DeLay of intimidation. (The outbreak of the Second World War comes to mind when, as Radio Berlin put it, German troops "lost patience and finally returned fire" to Poland.) We hope that, unlike in the case of the "Contract," this time defenders of the Constitution will be prepared for an all-out war. Nothing in the Liberal arsenal is comparable to the usefulness of judges who place themselves above the law. If Mr. DeLay is serious, he had better check and re-check his personal vulnerabilities.