Thinking about a quote from Orwell

[ThomWV]

This is from the first chapter of the first section of George Orwell's book 1984*.

"The thing that he was about to do was to open a diary. This was not illegal (nothing was illegal, since there were no longer any laws), but if detected it was reasonably certain that it would be punished by death, or at least by twenty-five years in a forced-labour camp."

That is a description of a world in which there is no rule of law at all; a barbaric world. Then I thought, 'what is the difference between a world in which punishment exists without the rule of law and the one we live in if there is no punishment when law is broken unless all we are doing is entertaining the illusion that we have anything like rule of law?' I have no good answer.


* You can read the entire book on line at http://www.george-orwell.org/1984/index.html

[4 t 4]

1. Even worse is we do have the

rule of law but it's only enforced on those under certain income brackets.

[TechBear_Seattle]

2. Inner Party, Outer Party and Proles

Guess which group is least subject to what law exists?

[ananda]

3. Certain people and groups are subject to law and punishment..

.. in this country, but others are not.

For example, Reep office holders, former
Reep presidents and veeps, corporate
fatcats, and the very rich are above the law;
Dems, activists, protesters, liberals,
and the young are subject to the law.