They've been lying for a long time
The Powers That Be have been lying fast as dogs can trot when in court for some time now, but from this point they can do so with cheerful impunity. One looks at the slow, difficult development against arbitrary punishment, supposedly the mark of primitive and cruel despotism, towards an open and fair society where all stand equal before an impartial law, but as close as we sometimes were, we now hear its long, withdrawing roar.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
