Thursday, January 30, 2020

Draining the swamp, Seventeenth Century style

Oliver Cromwell led the Parliament forces which overthrew and executed British King Charles I on this day in 1649.  But no man leaves this life alive, and so it was for Cromwell, who died in his bed in 1658.  The experiment with what was basically a Puritan theocracy fizzled out, and the late King's son was crowned as Charles II.  The new King's problem was that the government was staffed with what were essentially Puritan mullahs.  His Majesty set out to drain the swamp.

Part of that was to execute the men who signed his father's death warrant.  These "regicides" as they were known were the key men in Cromwell's regime (I posted years about one of them who echoes down faintly to our time in the name for a really cool London pub).  But the King was just getting warmed up.  You see, he wanted all his subjects to understand that there was a new sheriff in town.

And so he had Oliver Cromwell's body dug up and executed.  Yup, he executed a dead man.

The execution of Oliver Cromwell, January 30 1661
Afterwards they cut his head off, stuck it on a pike, and displayed outside the Houses of Parliament for 24 years.  It was a not-very-subtle-at-all message.

Fast forward 359 years.  Our swamp desperately needs drained, but to date it seems that only a few disgruntled employees have resigned from the State Department and the EPA - seemingly on their own initiative.  Senior political figures are avoiding felony charges, probably because their friends or allies in the Justice Department are doing an extremely slow and thorough - but no doubt entirely slipshod - investigation of said felonious behavior.  Why?

It may be because Trump doesn't want to unleash a purge until after the election.  Then, when he can't run again he may take off the gloves.  Or maybe not.  Who knows?

But the institutions of the Federal Government have taken a crushing blow to their legitimacy.  I mean, many are run by people who by all rights are felons.  While we no longer display heads on pikes, is it too much to ask for some tar and feathers?

8 comments:

Lawrence Person said...

Vaguely related, a list of heads impaled on London Bridge.

Also: Did you know Oliver Cromwell's head has its own Wikipedia entry?

Old NFO said...

Tar and feathers is getting off LIGHTLY... Gen pop at Attica would be more appropriate...

Borepatch said...

Lawrence, you beat me by ten years!

Gorges Smythe said...

As you know, many are guilty of what were once hanging offenses.

Beans said...

President Trump has had one hand tied behind his back since January 20, 2017. From Deep State actors within his cabinet going against him and fabricating lies, to leftist judges going against every thing he does, to a hostile media, to hostile state governments to hostility everywhere.

Scandal this, scandal that, impeachment started on January 20, 2017 finally gets 'something' in June of 2019.

Yet he's been cutting regulations and making good decisions (for the most part, dangit, Bumpstock was his worse decision) since before Day 1 of his tenure.

Can you imagine how well he would do if he had half the freedom of administration as his predecessor?

These last three years, especially the impeachment, has flushed out most of the active Deep State actors. Now we just need to act on what we've learned.

Hopefully Trump and his administration get a chance to act upon the evil people.

Jess said...

It's been too many years since someone was severely punished for sedition, or treason.

Aesop said...

I'm old-fashioned.

I want the heads on pike poles.

And there are some by-God hangings coming, and if Fedgov proves unwilling, it will fall to the The People to do what needs doing.

Gravity will not be denied. Mark my words.

It may be ignored, but the consequences follow inevitably, nonetheless.

Will Brown said...

I remain endlessly amused by all the wailing about President Trump's "failure(s)" to "deal with" The Swamp (a designation I agree is most appropriate). Taking from Our Host's latest example of the spectrum of political action available to those in governance, the question I ask is: which would you have it to be? A country governed by rule of law (with all of the tedious fineness of grind that is famously reputed to entail), or King Donald the First?