On March 23, 1903, Lizzie Magie applied for a patent to protect a board game she had invented.
The “Landlord’s Game” enabled players to buy and sell properties with play money. Railroads were located in the center of each side of the board. One of the corner spaces said, “No trespassing. Go to Jail.” The opposite corner was the Jail. Players who passed the corner marked “Labor upon Mother Earth produces wages” received $100. Magie’s patent was granted in 1904.
Three decades later and without credit to its original inventor, Parker Brothers made “Monopoly” one of the most popular games of all time. Players who passed Go collected $200 and while “go to jail” was still a dreaded space, people could always hope to pick up a “Get out of jail free” Chance card.
In 16 months, President Donald Trump’s administration has turned that card into an operating philosophy for the Justice Department — with one difference: It’s get out of jail free — and collect $200.
The rioters wh…
