Thursday, July 31, 2014

Reading: Notes on the banality of "tyranny"

Charlie Pierce plants one deep in the bleachers this morning, reviewing the care and circumspection with which the signers of the Declaration of Independence thought through their use of the word "tyrant" to describe the obviously-tyrannical George III – and comparing that with yesterday's morally feckless, intellectually sloppy, and politically expedient party-line vote by House Republicans to sue President Obama for alleged offenses against the Constitution, offenses which, if true, ought to require them as a matter of law and conscience (!) to begin impeachment hearings by tiffin tomorrow.

I haven't yet located the full text of the resolution authorizing the House GOP's Impeachment Lite lawsuit, but we can safely assume that, when I do, the words "we mutually pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor" will be nowhere in evidence.

Pierce's essay, "Words Matter," is going in the p3 Readings list.

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