Americans are better off being rich and guilty, than poor and innocent.

This is not sustainable.  And a transformation of the US government is urgently needed. 

“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.”   Thomas Jefferson  

Words matter! When it comes to true justice in our courts or dealing with other countries, principles are useful. But our principles are rarely fundamental principles (FPs).  These are vastly more functional and urgently needed. They are the “self-evident” “Truths” that we should all hold!  They are found in the 1776 Declaration that inspired the creation or our “thirteen united States of America” 250 years ago.  

"All truly wise thoughts have been thought already thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think them over again honestly, till they take root in our personal experience."  -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe  (1749-1832) German writer, statesman. 

A principle is simply a rule or guideline our human minds construct to achieve a goal; a fundamental principle is a much deeper.  They abide by the laws of nature and in the DNA of most social species.  They are a foundation on which every mentally constructed rule or guideline should be judged.

“Important principles may, and must, be inflexible.”  Abraham Lincoln

 The Justice Department itself describes “equal justice under law” as a founding principle.  And its mission includes fair and impartial administration of justice, but it’s a legal system that too often fails. 

Real justice aligns with the Golden Rule - the foundation of every legitimate religion and human culture.  Yet too often human principles fail to be applied equally in every jurisdiction.  FPs are Truths that all living systems depend on. 

This distinction is vital.  The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is a highly developed legal system of laws, regulations, courts, prosecutors, procedures and rules. But a legal system is not necessarily a justice system.  Law is a mechanism; justice is a purpose.  And our U.S system is supposed to have “equal justice under law”. These very words are carved above the entrance to the Supreme Court.  They are more than a legal procedure. They represent a fundamental promise of American government.  And that promise is increasingly threatened when the administration of law becomes dependent upon partisan political power, unprecedented wealth, special influence, or financial access to superior legal representation.  This increasingly threatens our legal system’s legitimacy.  One American saying captures this problem, “You are better off being wealthy and guilty than innocent and poor.”  In the US and other nations wealth purchases experienced attorneys, investigators, experts, time and access to a legal system that is extraordinarily expensive to navigate. No justice system should depend upon one’s ability to purchase it.  Popes have said, “No Justice. No Peace”, and this vibe beats in the heart of anyone mistreated by any legal system.  Not everyone turns to violence, but violence should not be shocking when it comes.  And it will come.

Our DOJ therefore has a fundamental responsibility far greater than simply enforcing laws. It must ensure our laws deliver justice—and justice is available to everyone.

Our government is simply unsustainable in preserving the letter of the law while losing the fundamental principle of “liberty and justice for all”.  Every American has pledged allegiance to this, under our stars and stripes.  Have those brave men and women who sacrificed their lives been in vain?

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost."  -- John Quincy Adams   (1767-1848) 6th US President

"That no free government, or the blessing of liberty, can be preserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue, and by frequent recurrence to fundamental principles." –- George Mason, Virginia Declaration of Rights [1776]

“If you get the basics right, everything else falls into place.”  Lewis Pugh  

“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.”  Jim Rohn  

“Most of us forget the basics and wonder why the specifics don’t work.”  Garrison Wynn  

“The minute you get away from fundamentals whether it’s proper technique, work ethic, or mental preparation, the bottom can fall out of your game, your schoolwork, your job, whatever you’re doing.”  Michael Jordan