Politics and justice, a fiery pair in Italy for many years, especially since the ‘Tangentopoli era. But even the greatest democracy in the world is not doing better. A bit Woody Allen-like: God is dead, Marx as well, and we citizens of the unified Western polis are not doing so well either. What’s more, none of the protagonists of this reflection has such a clean soul as to be able to cast the famous foundation stone of Christian memory.
The news is that President Biden, already with one foot on the White House threshold (heading out), has decided to pardon his son Hunter who has been charged with various serious federal crimes. From illegal gun possession to tax evasion to lying about drug use. He was facing 25 years in prison in the upcoming December trials. A prospect that softened Dad’s heart, one that would soften the heart of any father. Too bad Hunter’s is not just any worker or driver, with all due respect, but is the current still President of the United States, the world’s largest democracy.
A huge case of disregard for the rules for family convenience hardly worthy of that Democratic primary, but one that Biden father explained politically: they “unfairly” went after my son to target me, and having been so unfair I redress the balance. A little too simple as a little too obvious was Trump’s reaction: an abuse of justice. But even he as president had pardoned many figures close to him, not biological sons but political and lobbing sons certainly. In short, all of them pezz’e core in one way or another.
And really with this quote from Italian comedy, even a bit dated now, we can conclude like this: when you touch certain strings, family, power, money, all the world is a country. Democratically speaking, downward. After all, when I arrived in Milan many years ago, a powerful manager from the North told me: if you don’t abuse power, what do you have it for?
The article Justice, uses and abuses comes from TheNewyorker.
