At the close of World War II the United States stood as the world’s lone superpower.
No other nation had the awesome power of the Atomic Bomb. Winston Churchill said that the United States was the first nation in history with enough power to conquer the entire world, and they chose not to do so.
Consider the courts. We’ve reached a point where the U.S. Constitution means whatever the federal courts say it means. They have the power to rewrite the supreme law of the land. The Arkansas Supreme Court can strike down any state law for any reason. The words “judicial restraint” loom larger and mean less than ever before.
Years ago judges seemed to intuitively know where to draw the line—how to voluntarily limit themselves and the reach of their power. They respected the other branches of government and the right of the people to govern themselves. Act One, The Arkansas Adoption and Foster Care Act, passed with 57% of the vote in a fair election. In a 7-0 decision the Arkansas Supreme Court declared this good law unconstitutional.
So much for judicial restraint. So much for respecting the right of the people to govern themselves. So much for realizing that just because you can doesn’t mean you should.