America’s Civilian Rule of Law: Secretary of State Fined for Failure To Clear Snow

Though United States Secretary of State John Kerry has been crisscrossing the world, there was a civil complaint lodged at his Boston residence for a failure to clear the snow in front of his house for which he will be fined. While Secretary Kerry was conducting “condolence diplomacy” with President Barack Obama last month on the 27th, a major blizzard hit the Boston area and city authorities declared a state of emergency. According to a regulation citing “until the snow is cleared, a daily fine of $50 will be imposed” the neglected snow in front of Secretary Kerry’s residence has incurred one day’s charge. Secretary Kerry immediately admitted to his mistake and has publicly declared that he will pay the fine.

Regardless of whether this anecdote on the rule of law seems like a just interpretation or a relatively trivial event in everyday life, this incident refreshed the idea that laws apply equally to all people without exceptions. There is a reason why the goddess of law, Dike, covers her eyes. The reason to re-examine this snow removal violation by Secretary Kerry is because of the abundance of distinct national and local government laws that many are not even aware of. Aside from snow removal laws, there are traffic order laws, rally and demonstration laws, waste removal laws and many more broadly linked to daily life. These laws must be correctly implemented in order for a society to be considered a first-rate civilized nation.

Along with the U.S. example of overlooking the claims of illegal demonstrations by forcibly suppressing and arresting people, the South Korean police assaulting people in prison grounds and the humiliating declaration of “martial law” both symbolize the reckless abuses of the rule of law and authority of “the law and uniform.” Yet those affiliated with the “Attorneys for People and Civil Society” paint a suspicious image for the courts by refusing to levy disciplinary action. Starting from daily issues, the best path for the Department of Justice to “strengthen the rule of law” is to pursue “the law rather than the fist.”