The New Napoleonic Code

The use of force in the name of the state, that old tactic, a chestnut in the treasure trove of statecraft as deception, is a major plank in the new Napoleonic Code, in which American political power, such as it is, is doled out to family and friends, all of whom testify that they deplore being controlled by the mob while being, of course, controlled by the mob. Religious leaders are summoned, often the sons of previous religious leaders, to give their benediction in somber passages of righteous, purple Christianity. The pulpit adores the cult of the individual—it can’t be faulted—not even for its many false beliefs and blind devotion to patrimony. The People need reassurance that there’s been social progress, and reassurance is the mother’s milk of the new Napoleonic Code: the tremendous gains in infectious unemployment and the crushing of anarchic malfeasance among those violent left-wing protestors seeking to upend the rule of law. Progress has been a hallmark of this administration—The Wall, the broken treaties, the shunning of established governmental norms as enumerated in the Hatch Act and other quaint documents. One blonde person after another testifies to the big-heartedness of the leader, his compassion, his strong family feelings, his uncanny ability to avoid incarceration. Leader No. 2, the second in command, a pious straight-shooter in the American Gothic mode, a perfect counterpoint to the commander-in-chief, speaks glowingly of “limited government”, a virtue to those inside the bubble of the limit but a death-sentence to those outside. The government, it is true, is “limited”, so limited as to be almost invisible, except to those who profit from it, having secured an ambassadorship or a small protectorate short on paper towels. The good the current administration is doing on behalf of the people is stressed beyond belief, and the award-winning slogan, Make America Great Again, is up for sale, available to the highest bidder from the extraction industry, and the powers-that-be to amend the slogan for this election cycle up by the use of an exclamation point! So that it is now, Make American Great Again! Strange also that the people who benefit least from the new Code cheer so lustily, clapping their hands together in some sort of syncopated frenzy that reminds some old-timers of black-and-white newsreels shot in Munich in the early 1930s. The economy is great, long live the economy, though you might not want the sort of people who prosper from it moving into your neighborhood.

And so four more years of Napoleonic rule is likely, in which the question, is this sort of politician an essential worker? will never be asked. The rule of law be dammed, the rule of law is hazardous to one’s health.