My lovely wife gave me a robe for Christmas last December. Not just any robe, but a black robe. I was very excited to wear it, especially in the early mornings when it was cold. But I had even greater expectations than warmth. I had an idea that a black robe made you a special human being, one with supernatural powers. I was convinced that my IQ would jump 100 points and that I would be able to see everything more clearly in this vastly complicated world. Unfortunately, none of that happened. Don’t get me wrong: the robe does a wonderful job of keeping me warm as I enjoy my morning coffee and newspaper. It just didn’t provide any extra intelligence or magic powers. It did not grant me a magical way to see into the future, nor did it offer me a singular authority to rule over the masses. I can’t figure out what went wrong.
So often as I scan the headlines in the mornings I read that some guy or gal in a black robe has made a momentous decision that affects us all. That black robe gives them an insight that no mere mortal among us can comprehend. It gives them an understanding and an intelligence that far surpasses any number of Americans, be they ten thousand or fifty million. Whatever you do, do not question the infinite wisdom of those who don the black robe. I still can’t figure out what went wrong with mine.
There are many examples but the latest is the recent overruling of Proposition 8. This is probably better known to most people as the California Gay Marriage Proposition. Now before any of you get all hot and bothered, let us save the debate on the pros and cons of this proposition for another column. The only point I want to make here is that this proposition was passed not once but twice by the voters in this state. Millions of Californians went to the polls and voted for what they believed was right for our state. But hardworking, law-abiding, tax-paying Californians who assume that their vote means something are time and again mistaken. There should be a warning sign at the polling booths: “Do not mess with the men and women in the black robes!” They know better. Seemingly, they know all.
We are all too familiar with this type of outcome. For years now it seems every time we go to vote for something, anything, we only have to sit back and wait for the inevitable court case to tell us how we got it all wrong. The black robes are going to tell us voters what we really meant. Many are berated for not taking the effort to go out and vote. They are assured, “your vote counts.” I have often used the line that if you don’t vote, you don’t have the right to complain afterwards with what you get. Perhaps, I’m beginning to realize, I got it all backward. We would all be wiser to step back and allow those in the black robes to rule in advance of our votes. Better yet, once we accept the reality of judicial activism, we can save ourselves from even the bother of going to the polls. Do tell us, all-seeing, all-knowing black robes, what it is that you want for us.
I am not sure where or when it all went so wrong for democracy. When did we begin to allow so few to dictate to so many? We are less and less a nation “of the people, by the people, for the people.” We are less and less a nation that believes in three competing branches of government, executive, legislative and judicial, all with appropriate checks and balances. We have now become a nation ruled by those in the black robes. If any of you are interested in buying me a new black robe, please make sure it’s the one with the magic.
Jon Edney is a former El Centro city council member.
So often as I scan the headlines in the mornings I read that some guy or gal in a black robe has made a momentous decision that affects us all. That black robe gives them an insight that no mere mortal among us can comprehend. It gives them an understanding and an intelligence that far surpasses any number of Americans, be they ten thousand or fifty million. Whatever you do, do not question the infinite wisdom of those who don the black robe. I still can’t figure out what went wrong with mine.
There are many examples but the latest is the recent overruling of Proposition 8. This is probably better known to most people as the California Gay Marriage Proposition. Now before any of you get all hot and bothered, let us save the debate on the pros and cons of this proposition for another column. The only point I want to make here is that this proposition was passed not once but twice by the voters in this state. Millions of Californians went to the polls and voted for what they believed was right for our state. But hardworking, law-abiding, tax-paying Californians who assume that their vote means something are time and again mistaken. There should be a warning sign at the polling booths: “Do not mess with the men and women in the black robes!” They know better. Seemingly, they know all.
We are all too familiar with this type of outcome. For years now it seems every time we go to vote for something, anything, we only have to sit back and wait for the inevitable court case to tell us how we got it all wrong. The black robes are going to tell us voters what we really meant. Many are berated for not taking the effort to go out and vote. They are assured, “your vote counts.” I have often used the line that if you don’t vote, you don’t have the right to complain afterwards with what you get. Perhaps, I’m beginning to realize, I got it all backward. We would all be wiser to step back and allow those in the black robes to rule in advance of our votes. Better yet, once we accept the reality of judicial activism, we can save ourselves from even the bother of going to the polls. Do tell us, all-seeing, all-knowing black robes, what it is that you want for us.
I am not sure where or when it all went so wrong for democracy. When did we begin to allow so few to dictate to so many? We are less and less a nation “of the people, by the people, for the people.” We are less and less a nation that believes in three competing branches of government, executive, legislative and judicial, all with appropriate checks and balances. We have now become a nation ruled by those in the black robes. If any of you are interested in buying me a new black robe, please make sure it’s the one with the magic.
Jon Edney is a former El Centro city council member.
