Politicians love to preach about “the rule of law.” But funny thing—nobody seems to mean it when it applies to their own side.
One minute, it’s sacred. The next, it’s “just politics.” These days, the rule of law feels less like a foundational principle and more like a rhetorical crowbar—something you pull out when it helps your team, then toss aside when it gets in the way.
Let’s call it what it is: selective outrage. And it’s eating this country alive.
Republicans and the Jan. 6 Dilemma
Let’s start with the elephant in the rotunda.
January 6th wasn’t your average protest. Things got out of hand. People broke laws. But whether you think it was a riot, a protest that spiraled, or something darker—it was a moment when a whole lot of self-proclaimed “law and order” conservatives suddenly found themselves making excuses for trespass, obstruction, and assault.
Some said the protesters were patriots. Others blamed federal agents. A few denied anything even happened. Meanwhile, hundreds of people faced real charges—and many pled guilty to real crimes. And yet, you’ll still hear folks say, “It was no worse than the summer riots of 2020.”
Now, I’m not here to relitigate that day. But if you’re going to wear the law-and-order badge, you don’t get to unpin it the second things get politically uncomfortable. Either we believe in the rule of law—or we don’t.
Democrats and the Modern-Day Mob Pass
Now swing the spotlight to the left.
In cities like Los Angeles, we’ve seen protest after protest spiral into chaos. Sometimes it’s about immigration, sometimes it’s Gaza, sometimes it’s policing. But when folks start smashing windows, blocking highways, or brawling with officers—that’s no longer civil disobedience. That’s unlawful.
And yet, how many arrests get made? How many prosecutors follow through? In too many cases, the answer is: not many. Instead, we get a press conference full of word salad about “systemic harm” and “community healing,” but precious little about criminal accountability.
The same people who cried “insurrection!” for January 6 barely bat an eye when activists in their own backyard take over buildings or clash with law enforcement. The laws don’t change—just the jerseys.
Law for Me, Not for Thee
This ain’t complicated.
- If you block a courthouse door in a red hat, you’re a threat to democracy.
- If you chain yourself to a federal building in a rainbow scarf, you’re a freedom fighter.
You see the problem.
The rule of law doesn’t work if we only apply it based on who’s holding the protest sign. That’s not law. That’s tribalism with a press team.
Integrity Is What You Do When It Hurts
The rule of law is supposed to be blind. But these days, it’s squinting through partisan glasses.
It’s easy to demand justice when the other guy is in the crosshairs. The hard part is sticking to principle when your own side steps over the line.
That’s what integrity looks like. That’s how a republic survives.
So here’s the bottom line:
If you only believe in the law when it helps your team, you don’t believe in the law—you believe in winning.
And that kind of winning? It costs more than it’s worth.
Written with a little help from ChatGPT, but blame the sass and the sarcasm on me. —David L. Page, Ph.D., Chief Trouble-Stirrer at Warped Minds Press.
