The proverbial refrain of "kill the lawyers" -- (particularly out-of-place in relation to the actions of the Bush/Cheney Justice Department's purge) -- pops up in the discussion over Lapin's current diary about the firing of U.S. attorney John McKay. It is a great read and I recommend it highly.
Shakespeare's famous line "First, lets kill all the lawyers" is an homage to legal professionals as "first responders" against the enemies of civil society and the rule of law. It is just one more history lesson that keeps coming back during this failed administration.
This is what the phrase means, below --
The quote "first thing we do let's kill all the lawyers" is from Shakespeare's Henry VI. The phase has popped up in the context of the Bush/Cheney purge of U.S. Attorneys. However, using this phrase dismissively against attorneys in any context, but especially in this one, shows an historical lack of appreciation truly worthy of a Bush administration policy play or truth-purge.
In context, the quote from Part II, (Act IV), is Shakespearean homage to legal professionals as "first responders" against the enemies of democracy. Think Patrick Fitzgerald. Think Elliot Spitzer. [oops, cl]
Shakespeare’s tribute to the role of attorneys defending the rights of a populace is given in backhanded fashion by "Dick the Butcher" (think Mary Matalin // Ann Coulter) who supports anarchist Jack Cade (think Dick Cheney Alberto Gonzales). The "Butcher's" support is to the leader of "an army of rabble and a demagogue pandering to the ignorant" seeking to replace a government of law by a government of men. Hmmmm?
Shakespeare’s warning to civil society (conversely, Shakespeare’s lesson to fascist tyrants) is that an unfettered freedom to "kill all the lawyers" is the best recipe for successful regime change from rule-of-law to fascism.
As illiterate, incurious, illiberal and anti-intellectual as the Bush Cheney administrative conspiracy is, they have taken Shakespeare’s lesson to heart and updated it.
Shorter Bush/Cheney Justice Department: "First kill-off all the competent and honest U.S. Attorneys offices and then kill the judicial system in which they ply their trade."
sláinte,
cl