@evan @JessTheUnstill @mpjgregoire
Legitimacy in the plain English sense of the word, something like "morally valid", is something that is earned in the eyes of every individual, not claimed by force.
Legitimacy in the sense of according to the law as defined by those who would execute it, well that is taken.
Don't mistake the latter for the former. Don't mistake law for justice.
I'm a fan of the notion that the purpose of a system is what it does.