Former Vice President Dick Cheney vandalized the Constitution, Justice, and earmarks of decency that distinguish civilization from savagery as thoroughly as Alaric the Great vandalized Rome in 410 A.D.
He would have been ostracized by the Founding Fathers, who viewed the final end of government as justice.
During an interview on NBC's Meet the Press recently, the former Vice President sneered at contrition over the prolonged imprisonments and harsh interrogations of at least 26 erroneously kidnapped Al Qaeda suspects without due process.
He snarled that it was far better that the United States be complicit in widespread injustice than that a single Al Qaeda member remain at large. He thus fumed over the release of "folks..that end[ed] up back on the battlefield." But scoffed at the 26 false imprisonments by arguing that the ends justify the means: "I have no problem as long as we achieve our objective."
Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), who was tortured by the North Vietnamese, declared on CBS's Face the Nation that, "You can't claim that tying someone to the floor and having them freeze to death is not torture." As regards waterboarding, the former POW emphasized that the United States "tried and hung Japanese war criminals for waterboarding Americans in World War II."
Mr. Cheney vehemently disputed Senator McCain. He refused to condemn any of the CIA's "enhanced interrogation techniques" as torture, including waterboarding, rectal feeding, or handcuffing a prisoner's wrists to an overhead bar 22 hours a day. Mr. Cheney insinuated that anything less draconian than United States government murders of 3,000 civilians as retribution for the 9/11 abominations was de riguer.
In philosophy and spirit, Mr. Cheney is at war with civilization itself.
Writing more than 2,000 years ago in The Republic and The Laws, Cicero denounced as unjust a law "to the effect that a dictator might put to death with impunity any citizen he wished, even without a trial."
Cicero further stated that if, as with Mr. Cheney, "everything is to be tested by the standard of utility, then anyone who thinks it will be profitable to him will, if he is able, disregard and violate the laws. It follows that Justice does not exist at all, if it does not exist in Nature, and if that form of it which is based on utility can be overthrown by that very utility itself. And if Nature is not to be considered the foundation of Justice, that will mean the destruction [of the virtues on which human society depends]."
Mr. Cheney would have exulted in the Dark Ages.
He would have been a champion of trial by ordeal. (In trial by cold water ordeal, the accused was thrown bound into a pool of water. If he sunk and drowned, he was innocent. If he floated, he was deemed "rejected" by the water and necessarily guilty).
He would have opposed the Magna Charta in 1215 as tying the King's hands by the law and arresting his ability to throw alleged enemies into dungeons to rot and expire.
He would have saluted King George III's punishing colonial rebels by, among other things, endeavoring "to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions."
Mr. Cheney scorns the three bedrock moral principles that gave birth to the United States.
First, our actions are dictated by what they say about us independently of the barbarism of others. We reject slavery, torture, and extrajudicial killings because they are incompatible with human dignity--not because they are counter-utilitarian.
Second, we sacralize due process because we know that we could be wrong and that every happening is multidimensional.
Third, we believe it is better to assume risks that might occasion injustice to us than to risk being complicit in injustice to others.
The Minutemen at Lexington and Concord fired a shot heard round the world because of these three enlightened principles.
The former Vice President has never received the message.
For more information, please visit brucefeinlaw.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.