Recently, news broke that Massachusetts State Rep. Michelle DuBois (D-Brockton) allegedly tipped off illegal immigrants to impending ICE raids, That got me thinking that we’re entering dangerous waters when our lawmakers are beginning to feel that it’s okay to break any laws that they don’t like. If our lawmakers can do that, what message does that send, and what will stop other citizens from also deciding to break the laws that they don’t like, or agree with?
It is a major threat to the rule of law, and a major threat to what makes us a viable country for an elected lawmaker to break the law with impunity, like Rep DuBois did. I think that something must be done to nip such behavior in the bud before it becomes accepted as an option. Hundreds of laws are made everyday, and we’re all required to follow and obey these laws as citizens because we’re all bound by it, whether we personally like the law, or not.
Would it be fine for an anti abortion legislator to tip off his/her anti abortion social media followers as to the location and operational hours of an abortion clinic because they don’t agree with the law protecting such clinics? What if a Republican mayor, or governor decides not to obey the federal laws governing abortion and abortion clinics, and refuses to send law enforcement officers to protect an abortion clinic under attack by anti abortion citizens. Given the precedent being set by Democrat government officials who flout federal laws because they disagree with the laws, this could happen, and where would this country be?
You have the right to disagree with a law that you think is unfair, but you cannot just decide to break it at will, especially when you’re a lawmaker. There are few laws that everybody in the country agree on, therefore, if we all decide to flout the laws that we don’t like, we will have an anarchy instead of a government. I think lawmakers should be working to change the laws that they don’t like instead of going out to break such laws, and encouraging others to break them. People charged with running the government should not be the ones working against the government.
