People are saying “No one is above the law.” Discuss.

I spent a good deal of time last night while not sleeping thinking about some of the responses to the prosecution of George Floyd’s murder and his murderer being found guilty — responses like “the system works” and “George Floyd received justice” and “no one is above the law.” While I agree it’s gratifying to see his murderer led out of court in handcuffs it remains to be seen what the final sentencing, appeals, and disposition of the case will be. And that’s just the beginning of my thinking and feeling on this.

I’m not going to post this on Facebook, partly because I don’t want to deal with a whole Facebook “thing” and partly because I’m trying to avoid making diagnostic statements about the many emergencies and injustices threatening our presents and our futures without having a real educational paradigm in place and practical suggestions about plausible and effective actions ordinary people can take. OurBetterFuture, and the book I’m writing to support its attempted intervention in our history, will outline both.

So, no one is above the law.

Even though George Floyd’s murderer was found guilty, he was pretty clearly undercharged — at some point during those fateful minutes he must have known, or should have known, that George Floyd would almost certainly die, and there was no legitimate law enforcement purpose served by continuing to brutalize him. That seems to me to cross the law to first degree murder, or at the very least, second degree.

But let’s think a moment about others who have been and will certainly continue to be “above the law.”

All law enforcement personnel who murder unarmed civilians and civilians who pose no true threat, and whose murders are documented by unambiguous video and eyewitness evidence of violations of the law and policy — and are not fired, held liable for civil settlements, indicted, tried, or convicted. And all similar crimes where such evidence doesn’t exist. And all those who aid, abet, coverup, and condone such behavior. And let’s not forget to include in this list murder and other violence committed by ICE and other immigration law enforcement personnel, corrections officers, and personnel in the many other varieties of federal law enforcement.

Nearly all law enforcement and other prosecution witnesses committing perjury, and all those suborning such perjury. Nearly all prosecutors who engage in the many varieties of prosecutorial misconduct, including suppression of evidence and other violations of discovery laws, as well as plea bargains, trials, and convictions of people known or reasonably believed to be innocent.

Nearly everyone involved in approving, ordering, and carrying out instances of excessive force and unjustified arrest in response to non-violent protests over the summer, consistently throughout our history, and almost certainly to a much increased degree in our future. And all those who participate in the lobbying, passing, and signing into law obviously unconstitutional laws supporting such practices.

Nearly everyone who participated in the treasonous attack on the US Capitol on January 6th which resulted in murder, assault, and property damage. And (nearly?) everyone who planned, incited, promoted, financed, and arranged for deliberately insufficient law enforcement response before, during, and after the attack.

Nearly all hate crimes committed by neo-nazis and other white supremacists employed by law enforcement and the military. And most of the many, many people committing white supremacist violence and other hate crimes.

Nearly all rapists and other sexual and domestic violence criminals, especially those who commit their crimes against members of vulnerable populations, including but not limited to an obscenely high percentage of all women, college students, military personnel, native women, especially on reservations (including many native women kidnapped, raped, and then murdered or “disappeared”), migrant work camps and other undocumented immigrant populations. Nearly all those harassing, stalking, threatening women.

[[ Upon consideration I’ve decided to add a few additional classes of unpunished criminals. There’s so many more …

Nearly everyone guilty of violating environmental laws and EPA regulations, those which are still in force — though there are sometimes fines, which are nearly always considered just another acceptable cost of doing business. Nearly everyone running workplaces that violates worker safety and OSHA regulations, though there are sometimes fines. Nearly everyone violating our scandalously weak campaign finance laws. Nearly everyone involved in the interlocking conspiracies that result in regulatory capture. ]]

Sexual acts extorted through threats of law enforcement actions or loss of employment — including in exchange for not arresting people or writing tickets, and the many, many young women (and others) forced to choose between giving a manager blow jobs or keeping their (often minimum wage) jobs.

Nearly everyone involved in conspiracies to keep private prisons and other detention facilities above contractually-enforced minimum population levels, including facilities for juveniles and immigrants. Everyone involved in approving, profiting from, and facilitating slavery and near-slavery of incarcerated people, which, while technically legal, should obviously be illegal.

Nearly everyone involved in illegally interfering with voting rights, including the Crosscheck system documented by Greg Palast. All those who lobby for, pass, and sign into law obviously unconstitutional voter restriction laws.

Clarence Thomas and his wife for their ongoing blatant ethical violations (and presumably actual crimes along the way.) All those who committed crimes, including crippling the supposed FBI investigation, in the effort to get Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court.

Nearly all people committing wage theft (billions of dollars each year, nearly half of all property crimes — though some estimates are much higher.)

Nearly all those committing economic crimes against vulnerable populations like undocumented immigrants and ex-cons.

Nearly all sex traffickers and other human traffickers, especially those whose clienteles are largely white and economically secure.

Nearly all drug dealers, especially cocaine and narcotics dealers, especially those whose clienteles are largely white and economically secure.

Nearly everyone involved in the manufacture, marketing, over-prescription, and illegal sale of opioids. And all those giving legislative, judicial, and law enforcement aid and comfort to such people.

Nearly all high-net-worth people guilty of tax fraud and tax evasion, as well as nearly everyone involved in money laundering.

Nearly everyone who commits insider trading and other stock market manipulations, perhaps most egregiously our legislators.

(Nearly?) everyone guilty of fraud and other financial crimes in the sub-prime mortgage collapse, which led to the recession of 2008 and nearly precipitated global economic collapse, as well as nearly everyone guilty of similar financial crimes, and those who provide aid, comfort, and cover to such people.

Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and all others who have or will approve, order, provide material support, or carry out war crimes against countless humans in other countries, including Iraqis, Afghanis, Yemenis, Syrians. And the countless crimes committed against Palestinians in the Occupied Territories.

Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Carter Page. Everyone who facilitated and participated in sexual crimes committed by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Nearly everyone guilty of awarding of no-bid contracts and other illegal and unethical disbursements of government funds, and the kickbacks, bribery, influence peddling and other related crimes and violations. Including those who awarded that 300 million dollar contract to Whitefish Energy for work on Puerto Rico’s electric grid. (And interesting connections to neo-nazis going on in Whitefish Montana as well for anyone interested in a little research…)

Nearly everyone involved in Medicare fraud and other illegal abuses of government programs.

Nearly everyone involved in arranging and accepting as legitimate for regulatory purposes pharmaceutical and medical device testing without or with questionable informed consent, including among vulnerable populations like inmates, POC, and people in third-world countries. Nearly everyone involved in the forced sterilization and other medical interventions in a variety of vulnerable populations.

As you can see, I was having a lot of thoughts about this — and still managed to get a pretty good night’s sleep. Obviously, this is just some of the tip of the iceberg: there’s so much more. The system is obviously not “working” and the recent verdict in Minnesota provides virtually no evidence to the contrary. Unless by working one means the well-justified critique that the “system” is working just fine — this is the way it’s designed to work. Any suggestions on how to present material like this in a way that’s most likely to motivate people to take some action, even if just to engage in some self-education, would be appreciated.