tear at

A ruling that weakens the current nationwide injunctions would not only gut the 14th Amendment’s promise of equal citizenship, but it would tear at the core of America’s national identity.

To close his farewell speech, Romney warned of the challenge created by those “who would tear at our unity.”

“Hate and violence are antithetical to American values and tear at our community. It is therefore critical that we protect the civil and constitutional rights of our community against those who promote divisiveness.”

If this were any other extraordinary case of historic import, any other case likely to tear at the national fabric, the president of the United States might have stepped before the cameras to try to calm his fellow citizens and encourage faith in the American system of justice.

Such disruptions wouldn’t just affect climate and temperature conditions, they would also tear at the fabric of civilization.