How The Law Is Used To Destroy Equality And Protect The Powerful

When it comes to ensuring equality, the law is often perceived as a powerful tool that should protect the rights of all individuals. However, in practice, the law can be used as a means to reinforce existing power structures and perpetuate inequality. This article will explore how the law is frequently manipulated to undermine equality and safeguard the interests of the powerful.

The Illusion of Equality

At first glance, the legal system may appear to be a neutral force that treats everyone equally. Laws are created to establish a framework for justice and fairness in society. However, this façade can be shattered when we examine how certain laws are applied and enforced.

One example of this is the criminal justice system, which disproportionately affects marginalized communities. Despite the principle of "innocent until proven guilty," individuals from minority groups often face higher arrest rates, harsher sentences, and inadequate legal representation. This systemic bias ensures that those who already hold power in society remain in control, while the disadvantaged suffer the consequences.

With Liberty and Justice for Some: How the Law Is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful

by Glenn Greenwald (Kindle Edition)

4.6 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	587 KB
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Print length	:	304 pages

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Legal Loopholes and Corporate Influence

Another way the law is exploited to protect the powerful is through the presence of legal loopholes and corporate influence. Powerful individuals and corporations with significant resources and connections can exploit these loopholes to their advantage.

For instance, tax laws often have provisions that allow the wealthy to minimize their tax obligations, while the burden falls heavily on the working class. This perpetuates income inequality and widens the gap between the rich and the poor. Similarly, corporations can influence lawmakers and enact policies that favor their interests, further deepening inequalities in society.

The Role of Discrimination and Prejudice

Discrimination and prejudice play a significant role in how the law can be used to protect the powerful. When laws are created, they can be biased towards certain groups or discriminatory in nature.

Historically, laws were used to enforce racial segregation, deny women the right to vote, and criminalize homosexuality. Although progress has been made in many areas, discrimination still persists in various forms. From wage gaps to barriers in accessing quality healthcare and education, inequalities are inherently built into the legal system, perpetuating the power structures that have historically benefited the privileged few.

Challenging the Status Quo

To address these issues and combat the use of the law as a tool of inequality, it is crucial to advocate for legal reforms that prioritize justice and equality for all. This requires creating awareness about the injustices that occur within the legal system and supporting initiatives that aim to dismantle existing power structures.

Additionally, promoting inclusivity and representation within the legal profession can help ensure that the law is applied more fairly and impartially. Bridging the gaps in legal knowledge and providing equal access to legal resources can empower marginalized communities to navigate the complexities of the legal system and seek justice for themselves.

The law, which should ideally protect equality and justice, can be manipulated and used to protect the powerful. Discrimination, loopholes, and corporate influence are only a few examples of how the law can perpetuate inequality in society. By recognizing and challenging these systemic issues, we can strive towards a legal system that truly upholds the principles of equality and serves the interests of all individuals, irrespective of their social standing or power.

With Liberty and Justice for Some: How the Law Is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful

by Glenn Greenwald (Kindle Edition)

4.6 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	587 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	304 pages

FREE

From "the most important voice to have entered the political discourse in years" (Bill Moyers), a scathing critique of the two-tiered system of justice that has emerged in America

From the nation's beginnings, the law was to be the great equalizer in American life, the guarantor of a common set of rules for all. But over the past four decades, the principle of equality before the law has been effectively abolished. Instead, a two-tiered system of justice ensures that the country's political and financial class is virtually immune from prosecution, licensed to act without restraint, while the politically powerless are imprisoned with greater ease and in greater numbers than in any other country in the world.

Starting with Watergate, continuing on through the Iran-Contra scandal, and culminating with Obama's shielding of Bush-era officials from prosecution, Glenn Greenwald lays bare the mechanisms that have come to shield the elite from accountability. He shows how the media, both political parties, and the courts have abetted a process that has produced torture, war crimes, domestic spying, and financial fraud.

Cogent, sharp, and urgent, this is a no-holds-barred indictment of a profoundly un-American system that sanctions immunity at the top and mercilessness for everyone else.