TPOL argued recently that in the Fifty States, the “consent of the governed” has in effect been withdrawn. We pointed out the growing refusal to obey the various stupid, even insane, edicts of the Lockdown (due to the Pandemic Panic), AND the lawlessness of the Twenty-Dollar Revolt protesters, rioters, and looters (“in response to” the death of George Floyd and others). This includes more and more Americans from Maine to Hawai’i, and from Alaska to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

As a correspondent pointed out, this is just a response to, and in lockstep with, the loss of legitimacy of government at every level, and growing contempt for ALL law. By more and more people.

Consider: As a home or business owner, you want to build something; a patio on your house. Or a new awning (or gasp, a new sign) for your business. So you go thru months and months of absolute garbage getting a permit. If it isn’t the city or county busybody inspectors, it is your neighbors or competitors that will rat you out. Or the people whom you need to hire for their expertise, because THEY will otherwise run afoul of the law.

But you want to go tear down a statue? Or spray paint “1619” or “Fascist” on a monument or memorial – or just some poor business’s walls and windows? No problem: just bring your skateboard, a backpack full of broken-off chunks of concrete and cans of paint, and some rope and a few friends? Even if the authorities try to stop you (most don’t even try), you might – MIGHT – get a ticket, which you can tear up in front of them.

You join a peaceful protest against the Lockdown and you call your governor what she is – another Hitler or Stalin in development – and you are condemned by the media for waving around “fascist symbols,” but you spray paint the word or symbols on the windows of a Jewish (or conservative or libertarian Black) owned business, and people will attack someone for trying to clean the graffiti off. And expect someone to prosecute for vandalism? Don’t hold your breath.

Does anybody in government, at any level, realize how much legitimacy they have lost? It is crystal clear: “law enforcement” is totally subjective. It is entirely dependent on the politics of lawbreakers and politicians in charge. And on the balance of bully-behavior versus fear (for their jobs and/or safety) on the part of the enforcers. And not just the cops but the inspectors and code enforcement officials and animal control and all the rest of the bureaucracy.

To use an old-fashioned expression, they know which side their bread is buttered on. And it is NOT private homeowners and business owners and people willing to live and let live, or with traditional respect for values.

Instead, we have an unholy alliance of regressivists (“progressives” and radical “leftists” and all their ilk. With free reign – even in so-called “conservative” towns and cities and states – to destroy whatever property they want. Private, government: anything they want. As long as they can claim some political (and politically-correct) reason (excuse) for it.

If they are detained or arrested or even yelled at, they can be sure that they will be released almost instantly, with all charges dropped. And more than likely, the elected leaders of that jurisdiction, if not the police involved, will drop to their knees in front of whomever was involved to worship them and beg for forgiveness from them.

So, we see contempt for the law by those in government – thereby denying its legitimacy. And among the social justice warriors and the extreme “Left.”

The storm troopers, the shock troops of Black Lives Matter, the AntiFa Movement, and the growing number of faux “anarchists” have been conditioned to see themselves as privileged victims (yes, both at the same time). Their teachers, their teachers’ bosses, the local courts – even their parents – have raised them to be permanent juveniles. And they have no hostages to fear about: they have lived in their parents’ basements or dormitories their entire lives, they have seen (and drawn) welfare checks and food stamps as a “right,” and have been taught that there IS NO objective right or wrong. If some of them seem to believe in “God” the chances are that they see “God” is in their own mind – and that they are just animals with “privilege.”

They have been raised not just to be stupid but to be without fundamental knowledge. Not just of history (well, factual history, not fables) but of English and math and science and logic. Especially when that math is dealing with dollars and cents – fake, fiat, or not. And as we have discussed, they are irrational.

They are seeking to trigger collapse of society. And they may be accomplishing that.

Because there IS more – which I will talk about in the second half of this commentary.