Keith Mack
When the government breaks its own laws, it is not held accountable. This is a dirty little secret known to those in power, and it happens every day. The FBI, for example, has been known to break the law and establish a precedent that becomes part of government culture. This culture fosters an expectation of entitlement, and the lawbreakers go unpunished. It is important to ask: how do these law-breakers decide whose rights to trample and whose to protect? While a president's executive order can be reviewed by Congress or the courts, executive power can also expand, especially in times of disagreement.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Judges | |
| Congress | |
| Courts | |
| The FBI | |
| The President |
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What You'll Learn
The FBI's decision-making process when breaking the law
When the government breaks its own laws, it is not held accountable, and this becomes a precedent for future lawbreaking. This culture of impunity is fostered by the idea that law enforcement is free to break the laws it enforces in order to preserve national security.
Emotions play a significant role in the decision-making process, with excessive emotions impairing the ability to make sound judgments. Officers are trained to recognise and manage their emotions, switching to slower, more deliberate thought processes when needed.
While the FBI's decision-making process aims to ensure good judgment, it is not always effective in preventing lawbreaking. The consequences of these actions can be serious, with victims suffering from authorised crimes and human liberty being trampled.
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The government's culture of lawbreaking
When the government breaks its own laws, it is not held accountable. This creates a culture of lawbreaking where the government feels entitled to break the law and act with impunity. This culture is fostered by the establishment of precedents that become part of government culture and are used as a basis for future lawbreaking.
Even when a president issues an executive order, it is often reviewed or checked by Congress or the courts. However, executive power can expand, especially in times of disagreement. This expansion of power can lead to the government breaking its own laws without consequence.
The FBI, for example, has been known to break the law and excuse the lawbreaking of others. This raises questions about how the FBI decides which laws to break and whose lawbreaking to excuse. The victims of these authorised crimes are often forgotten, and the culture of lawbreaking within the government fosters an expectation of entitlement.
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The government's impunity when breaking the law
It is a well-known secret that governments and their collaborators break the law every day, with impunity. When the government breaks its own laws, it establishes a precedent that becomes part of government culture. This precedent then forms the basis for future lawbreaking, and culture fosters an expectation of entitlement.
For example, in the weeks after 9/11, then-President George W. Bush began his systematic shredding of the Constitution by unleashing federal agencies to spy on all Americans without warrants and the CIA to torture foreign persons in order to gain information about so-called threats to the nation. This attitude — that law enforcement is free to break the laws it enforces in order to preserve national security — has continued to the present day.
Even when a president issues an executive order, they do so with some legal standing, and that order will often be reviewed, or checked, by Congress or the courts. However, executive power can also expand, especially where there’s disagreement.
When the government breaks its own laws, it becomes a precedent and thus a basis for others in government to do the same. That precedent tramples human liberty and makes those in government who do this into tyrants. How do these law-breakers decide whose rights to trample and whose to protect?
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The government's obstruction of justice
When the government breaks its own laws, it is not held accountable. This is a fact known to politicians, public officeholders, lawyers and judges. The government and its collaborators break the law every day, with impunity.
When the FBI breaks the law, it becomes the law. This situation is exactly what the Constitution was enacted to prevent. It establishes a precedent that becomes part of government culture, which then fosters an expectation of entitlement.
In the US, even when a president issues an executive order, it will often be reviewed, or checked, by Congress or the courts. However, executive power can also expand, especially where there is disagreement.
The government's actions also send a message that law enforcement is free to break the laws it enforces in the name of national security. This attitude was exemplified by then-President George W. Bush in the weeks after 9/11 when he authorised federal agencies to spy on Americans without warrants and allowed the CIA to torture foreign persons to gain information about potential threats.
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The government's expansion of executive power
When the government breaks its own laws, it is not held accountable. This is a widely known fact among politicians, public officeholders, lawyers and judges. This culture of lawlessness within the government sets a precedent for future lawbreaking and fosters an expectation of entitlement.
The expansion of executive power can be seen as a contributing factor to this issue. Executive power can expand, especially in times of disagreement or crisis. For example, in the weeks after 9/11, then-President George W. Bush authorised federal agencies to spy on Americans without warrants and allowed the CIA to torture foreign persons, all in the name of national security. This expansion of executive power allowed the government to operate outside the bounds of the law and the Constitution, setting a dangerous precedent.
While a president's executive order is typically reviewed by Congress or the courts, there is still room for abuse of power. The government's expansion of executive power can lead to a situation where the FBI or other federal agencies become a law unto themselves, deciding which laws to break and whose rights to trample. This undermines the very foundation of democracy and the rule of law.
It is essential to hold the government accountable for its actions and ensure that no one is above the law. Checks and balances, an independent judiciary, and a vigilant citizenry are crucial to preventing the abuse of power and protecting the rights and liberties of the people.
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Frequently asked questions
It becomes a precedent and a basis for others in government to do the same. This can trample human liberty and make those in government into tyrants.
It is not clear who decides which laws the government breaks. However, it is known that the government and its collaborators break the law every day, with impunity.
An executive order will often be reviewed, or checked, by Congress or the courts. However, executive power can also expand, especially where there is disagreement.
It becomes the law. This is a situation the Constitution was enacted to prevent.
