There was a time when American society broadly seemed to understand a simple fact about those who committed acts of civil disobedience to make a political point: that their high opinion of the merits of their chosen causes didn’t excuse them from paying the price for breaking the law. Burning an ROTC building still was burning an ROTC building. It wasn’t OK just because you had concerns about the Vietnam War.
Heck, even the lawbreakers generally understood that.
Not anymore.
Did you read about the environmental activist whose lawyer argued that the man’s conviction should be overturned because he was acting out of a desire to protect the environment from what he personally believed to be illegal actions?
Call it civil disobedience on the cheap.
Specifically, the man disrupted the auction of parcels of land in Utah that were destined for oil and gas exploration and development, after he had signed a form spelling out the rules of the 2008 auction. He won the bidding on almost $2 million worth of property that he knew he didn’t intend to pay for, according to a federal prosecutor. In consequence, he is serving a deserved two-year sentence.
But he says he meant well, and apparently it came as a bit of a surprise to him when he was held accountable for his actions.
Which suggests that his narcissism and self-righteousness are exceeded only by his naivete.