Introduction As some of the left fall all over themseves referring to the genocide in Gaza and the West Bank as a breach of international law without gaining any criticial distancing from the limitations of "the law," , the actual nature of law and its procedural acrobatics lies hidden. It is better to remind workers, … Continue reading The Real World of the Rule of Law, Part 9: The So-Called Right to Remain Silent
Tag: Ideology of law
The Real World of the Rule of Law, Part 8: So-Called Voluntary Statements Made by a Charged Person Include Many Actions that a Normal Person Would Not Define as Voluntary
Introduction As some of the left fall all over themseves referring to the genocide in Gaza and the West Bank as a breach of international law without gaining any criticial distancing from the limitations of "the law," , the actual nature of law and its procedural acrobatics lies hidden. It is better to remind workers, … Continue reading The Real World of the Rule of Law, Part 8: So-Called Voluntary Statements Made by a Charged Person Include Many Actions that a Normal Person Would Not Define as Voluntary
The Real World of the Rule of Law, Part 7: From Citizen to Accused, and then From Citizen to Suspect with the Emergence of the Police
Introduction As some of the left fall all over themseves referring to the genocide in Gaza and the West Bank as a breach of international law without gaining any criticial distancing from the limitations of "the law," , the actual nature of law and its procedural acrobatics lies hidden. It is better to remind workers, … Continue reading The Real World of the Rule of Law, Part 7: From Citizen to Accused, and then From Citizen to Suspect with the Emergence of the Police
A Radical’s Exaggeration of the Crisis of Legitimacy of the World Social Order
Activists tend to exaggerate the extent to which there is a crisis of legitimacy of the class power of employers and the associated economic, political and social structures. Thus, John Clarke, a former major organizer of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), wrote the following on August 21, 2024: John Clarke · There is … Continue reading A Radical’s Exaggeration of the Crisis of Legitimacy of the World Social Order
The Rule of Law–One Rule for Police Officers, Another Rule for Citizens
John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently posted an article on the absolute discharge of a police officer who assaulted a handcuffed person. Had this been a citizen doing the same act, the person would likely have been imprisoned. But, as I have often argued in the series The … Continue reading The Rule of Law–One Rule for Police Officers, Another Rule for Citizens
International law and failure in the context of Gaza
The following (with the above title) is a copy and paste of an article on international law in the context of a capitalist world order (https://criticallegalthinking.com/2024/04/02/international-law-and-failure-in-the-context-of-gaza/). Before I paste the whole article, I will quote some key features that reinforce what I have been saying about the place of international law in socialist strategy. Finally, … Continue reading International law and failure in the context of Gaza
Direct action confronts Canada-Israel arms trade–but the Idealization of International Law Limits Its Effectiveness
The above title is taken from the following article published in the Canadian social-democratic magazine Canadian Dimension ( https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/direct-action-confronts-canada-israel-arms-trade ). Although its tactics of direct action against arms manufacturers that produce arms for Israel is, in general, a better tactic than merely protesting against the genocide occurring in Gaza and the West Bank, it, like much … Continue reading Direct action confronts Canada-Israel arms trade–but the Idealization of International Law Limits Its Effectiveness
The Real World of the Rule of Law, Part 6: The Rhetorical Right Not to Be Interrogated Once Charged Versus the Reality of the Right of Police to Interrogate
Introduction As some of the left fall all over themseves referring to the genocide in Gaza and the West Bank as a breach of international law without gaining any criticial distancing from the limitations of "the law," , the actual nature of law and its procedural acrobatics lies hidden. It is better to remind workers, … Continue reading The Real World of the Rule of Law, Part 6: The Rhetorical Right Not to Be Interrogated Once Charged Versus the Reality of the Right of Police to Interrogate
Police Engagement In Ideological Rhetoric Points to the Importance of the Ideological Struggle for Socialism
John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), posted the following on Facebook a few days ago: I just saw a Toronto Police Association ad pressing for even more funding to be diverted from community needs into the already swollen police budget. It shows someone lying hurt on the ground after … Continue reading Police Engagement In Ideological Rhetoric Points to the Importance of the Ideological Struggle for Socialism
Another Example of the Limits of the Law, or Legal Reasoning
Introduction It is amazing how the so-called radical left refer to international law without qualification when they try to defend Palestine against Israel (see for example The Limitations of a Union Position–and Much of the Left– with Respect to the Israel-Palestine Conflict: The Idealization of International Law). Legal Opposition to a Particular Infringement of Civil … Continue reading Another Example of the Limits of the Law, or Legal Reasoning
The Abolitionary 