Welcome back to the theater of the absurd. I hope you are sitting comfortably, perhaps behind a locked door that you still mistakenly believe is private. It turns out that since last summer, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, has decided that the whole 'judge and warrant' thing is a bit too much work. Why bother with a piece of paper signed by a legal expert when you can just use your boot? Two officials have let it slip that officers are entering homes without judicial warrants. It is the kind of efficiency that would make a dictator blush, yet here it is in the land of the free.

For those of you who still believe in the fairy tales taught in middle school, a warrant is supposed to be a big deal. It is the part where a judge looks at evidence and says, 'Yes, you have a good reason to break into this person’s house.' It is a basic rule of a civil society. But rules are so heavy, aren't they? They slow things down. They require thinking. And if there is one thing the modern bureaucracy hates, it is anything that requires them to stop and think for five minutes. They have decided that their own internal paperwork—what they call administrative warrants—is just as good. It is essentially the government giving itself a high-five and then walking into your living room.

You have to admire the sheer laziness of it all. This isn't a grand conspiracy; it’s just people who are tired of doing their jobs correctly. Why wait for a judge to wake up and read a file when you can just print out your own permission slip? It is like a child writing their own hall pass and then acting surprised when the teacher gets mad. Except in this case, the teacher is the Constitution, and it has been asleep at the desk for years. We all saw this coming, didn't we? Once you tell a group of people they are the only thing standing between order and chaos, they start to think the laws are just suggestions for the little people.

The politicians will, of course, act shocked. One side will scream about the end of the world, while the other side will quietly look at their shoes and talk about 'border security.' It is a beautiful dance. Both sides know exactly what is happening, and both sides are perfectly fine with it as long as it gets them a few more votes or keeps the headlines moving. The irony is that the people who scream the loudest about 'law and order' are often the ones most comfortable with the law being ignored when it is convenient. It’s like a chef who insists on cleanliness but never washes his hands. You can see the dirt, he knows it's there, but we all pretend the meal is fine.

Let’s look at the logic here. If the government can decide that a judge is an optional part of the process, then what else is optional? Maybe trials are too long. Maybe the whole 'innocent until proven guilty' thing is just too much paperwork. If we are being honest, the entire system is leaning toward this kind of 'express service.' We want results, and we want them now. We don't want to deal with the messy reality of rights and rules. We want the theater of action. Seeing a door kicked in looks good on camera. It feels like something is being done. Whether it is legal or right is a question for people who have too much time on their hands.

I find a certain dark joy in watching this collapse. It is so predictable. You give a branch of government a lot of power and very little oversight, and they eventually decide that they are the law. They aren't even trying to hide it anymore. They are telling reporters about it. It’s a flex. It’s a way of saying, 'What are you going to do about it?' And the answer, as always, is absolutely nothing. We will post about it on social media, we will have a few cable news debates, and then we will go back to watching reality TV while our own reality becomes a cheap police drama.

The most European thing about this is the disdain I feel for the surprise people are showing. Of course this is happening. When has a government ever had a shortcut and decided not to take it? Power is like water; it finds the easiest way down. If the easiest way into a house is to ignore a judge, then the judge will be ignored. It’s not a scandal; it’s just the natural state of things. We live in a world where the symbols of freedom are still there, but the actual mechanics are rusted and broken. The door is still there, and the lock still turns, but it doesn't actually stop anyone with a badge and a bad attitude. Enjoy your dinner, but don't be surprised if you have unexpected guests who didn't wait for an invite.