So says Dick the Butcher in Shakespeare's "Henry VI, Part 2." Though often regarded as a Renaissance-era lawyer joke, the line is actually a backhanded compliment to the legal profession. Dick, a follower of the rebel Jack Cade, knows that before their insurrection can succeed, they have to get rid of the defenders of law and order.
We are seeing a disturbingly similar strategy unfold in American politics. Except that this time, they want to kill all the journalists.
The 2018 massacre at a newsroom in Annapolis and ongoing violence and threats against reporters make the analogy a rather sensitive one, so let’s emphasize that it’s only that — analogy.