Thread by @Teri_Kanefield

I'm tired of the word "accountable." It's a weasel word. Don't say "accountable." Say what you mean.

Does "accountable" mean
🔹Lose elections?
🔹Go to prison?
🔹Lose a lawsuit?
🔹Be hated?

It would be nice if all the good people were rewarded and the bad people punished.

So you want to start indicting people and gather the evidence after they're indicted?

Or not worry about evidence?

There are rules of evidence, which means that the stuff you've read in newspapers and Tweets probably isn't admissible in court . . .

https://twitter.com/kimsails/status/1492342554192400389

Indicting people and having juries return "not guilty" verdicts because there isn't evidence to prove each element of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt may not accomplish what people think it will accomplish.

I've seen people say that we have to throw out the books and rules because these are unusual times.
Guess what we're left with then.

And now we come full circle: The social media is turning everyone* into authoritarians⤵️

https://twitter.com/Teri_Kanefield/status/1492296432941895680

*people who should know better

The reason "accountability" is a weasel word is because when people use it they are actually demanding something impossible.

Sometimes they are demanding perfection, which is a goal we work toward but never reach . . .

https://twitter.com/gardros12/status/1492462836718653443

There can never be complete fairness– at least not on earth, where people are imperfect. All we can do is to keep trying to push the needle closer.

The Fourteenth Amendment (passed after the Civil War) guarantees equal protection under the law . . .

https://twitter.com/gardros12/status/1492462836718653443

The person who says "things are getting less fair" really has no sense of history. Before 1954, racial segregation was legal. It's only recently in our history that we are beginning to achieve anything like equality.

I maintain that "we want accountability" is a weasel word. . .

Because if what you're demanding is perfection or all the bad guys in jail then you will be disappointed.

Perfection cannot happen in a world with imperfect people.

All we can do is keep pushing the needle closer.

Suppose all the doomsayers on Twitter, instead of demanding "accountability" instead motivated people to do the hard work of making democracy stronger.'

Like the things on this list: terikanefield.com/things-to-do/

We will still never achieve perfection, but if the Democrats win larger majorities in November, we can move back from the danger zone.

Maybe the doomsayers don't want that.
Maybe that will put them out of business.
Maybe they want to be able to say "see! we were right!"