Conservative Americans See Justice as Government;
Liberal Americans see Government as Justice Agent
In order to answer the question in our title, “Which Justice Dose One Follow?“, one must first define justice less we also violate the Law of Identity and conflate justice with whatever goal is desired; a common and often intentional error of politicians, reporters and so-called change agents. Merriam-Webster defines justice as, “…maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments.” As impressive sounding as it appears this definition does not define justice; it simply kicks the can down the road by using the word, just. The reader still must read his, or her, own meaning into the definition. America’s Department of Justice (DOJ) defines its mission, “…enforce the law and defend the interests of the United States according to the law; to ensure public safety against threats foreign and domestic; to provide federal leadership in preventing and controlling crime; to seek just punishment for those guilty of unlawful behavior; and to ensure fair and…” blah, blah, and blah. Again, this is not a definition of justice, only rhetoric about enforcing government’s laws in a just manner. My son had the clearest definition, “To retaliate against those who break the laws of government equally;” or Lex Talionis, law of retaliation or claw though most often known as, “eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth.” Often quoted from the Bible (Ex 21:23–27) though no examples of its implementation are found; yet, it is a prominent feature in Hammurabi’s Law Codex. Continue reading “Which Justice Does One Follow?”