A little different look this evening on the porch we normally don’t give it a title. It’s just simply “Back Porch” but tonight we’re going to discuss and ponder on some things related to law and ideology. Kind of up-town stuff for us country boys. To start with both law and ideology have separate trajectories but it can be said with some certainty that there are some interconnected concepts also. Now I would not want you to think that I’m so brilliant that I thought about this myself, no, I read this… law is a system of rules enforced by political system, but ideology is a set of political ideas that guide action and shape beliefs about society. All these rules and regulations are created by this political authority which the people have elected. This political authority has put in place laws which are backed by sanctions and mechanisms for ensuring compliance. Those laws are there to maintain order resolved disputes, protect rights, and establish standards of behavior. Pay attention now because you’ll need this later on as we begin to ponder all of this. Now comes ideology and usually that’s a set of beliefs that encompasses a system of ideas and beliefs that shapes and helps people understand the world we live in and their place in it. Now we’re getting on some familiar ground to a lot of of us. It is here that I say we encounter those social justice warriors. Most all of ideology is action oriented. Ideologies are used often to motivate a collective action and provide a framework for political and social change. In the world we live in today it’s very evident there is definitely influences on our laws and our culture that are shape this and reflect the dominant ideologies of our society. Be aware of this, studies have shown that ideological factors can influence how judges interpret laws and that of course hinges on how dependent they are on legislative history. Well, I believe that law and ideology are distinct, I must admit the facts prove they are not totally independent of one another. Our laws are a product of our government and they the tools we use to govern with, but they are also shaped by and reflective of political ideas and values that prevail in our society.

So Ponder this if you will. Are we here in America going to be a country governed by laws and reasonable thought or well organized ideologies that are pushed by social justice warriors and cultural changes.

Kurt