3-5-06 Corruption
Corruption, n 1: lack of integrity or honesty (especially susceptibility to bribery); use of a position of trust for dishonest gain.
Once upon a time, I probably had a tendency to trust that our government here in the United States of America was run by honest people, people with integrity. I grew up in the 1950's and 1960's, when there was an upheaval of social change, so the transition from trust to mistrust took place during my "formative years". My first hint of all not being quite right with our government was one day in the late 1950's when my grandfather commented upon Richard Nixon, saying, "...he's an evil man."
That's where the first chink in the armor was placed, for me.
The first real blow to my trust was the day that JFK was murdered. At first, I trusted that everything I saw on the TV that day, and everything that went down concerning this horrible event afterwards, was trustworthy information from our government. But as the years passed, this "official story" of the lone gunman in the book repository eventually failed to satisfy any sense that this "official story" was adequate to explain what had happened.
From my perspective all these years later, here in the beginning of the 21st century, the long years of evidence suggests that my government is not worthy of my trust. But no period in my whole life has been more prolific in the development of events to suggest this than the past five years.
I'm not particularly focused upon whether democrats or republicans might be better or worse at governing us. And I'm not particularly focused upon whether any leaning to the "left" or to the "right" is preferable. What I've tended more to be concerned with over the years has been whether the people in our government have integrity, honesty, and the best of intentions for the American people, as opposed to the best of intentions only for their own personal gain.
The tool that corrupt individuals in our government have used to manipulate the American people over the years has been fear. Early in my life, it was the fear of global thermonuclear war breaking out during any given 20 minute period. This was the "cold war". During the Vietnam era, it was the "domino effect" and the "enemies list" of the Nixon administration. During the 1970's it was the rising threat of energy costs and impending economic collapse. The fear of nuclear war stayed with us through the Reagan/Bush era.
Then, all of a sudden, the "cold war" was over. The most significant symbol of the cold war, the Berlin Wall, came down.
Our basic fear of nuclear war was suddenly reduced to practically nothing. Meanwhile, those corrupt individuals within our government who had been living off of this fear all those years began scrambling around like rats in a sinking ship. What the hell were they going to do now??? The basis for manipulating the American people into agreeing to support the vast war machine, the "military/industrial complex" as Ike had called it, was suddenly erased!
The Clinton administration had absolutely nothing to do with the prosperity we enjoyed during that last decade of the twentieth century. It was just a coincidence of timing that during those years the scumbags in the military/industrial complex were scrambling around trying to figure out some way to save their golden goose.
Well, they found a way to not only save it, but to make it even bigger and more profitable than ever.
Before the term of the current administration is over, that rogues gallery of corrupt individuals in our government, both elected and appointed, will have grown to such numbers as to completely overshadow any previous era of corruption in this country. The indictments and convictions that have already taken place under the watch of this administration is beyond belief, but it's hardly begun.
I only hope the depths of corruption that this administration has fostered will not destroy our great nation before the righting of these wrongs has fully unfolded.
Once upon a time, I probably had a tendency to trust that our government here in the United States of America was run by honest people, people with integrity. I grew up in the 1950's and 1960's, when there was an upheaval of social change, so the transition from trust to mistrust took place during my "formative years". My first hint of all not being quite right with our government was one day in the late 1950's when my grandfather commented upon Richard Nixon, saying, "...he's an evil man."
That's where the first chink in the armor was placed, for me.
The first real blow to my trust was the day that JFK was murdered. At first, I trusted that everything I saw on the TV that day, and everything that went down concerning this horrible event afterwards, was trustworthy information from our government. But as the years passed, this "official story" of the lone gunman in the book repository eventually failed to satisfy any sense that this "official story" was adequate to explain what had happened.
From my perspective all these years later, here in the beginning of the 21st century, the long years of evidence suggests that my government is not worthy of my trust. But no period in my whole life has been more prolific in the development of events to suggest this than the past five years.
I'm not particularly focused upon whether democrats or republicans might be better or worse at governing us. And I'm not particularly focused upon whether any leaning to the "left" or to the "right" is preferable. What I've tended more to be concerned with over the years has been whether the people in our government have integrity, honesty, and the best of intentions for the American people, as opposed to the best of intentions only for their own personal gain.
The tool that corrupt individuals in our government have used to manipulate the American people over the years has been fear. Early in my life, it was the fear of global thermonuclear war breaking out during any given 20 minute period. This was the "cold war". During the Vietnam era, it was the "domino effect" and the "enemies list" of the Nixon administration. During the 1970's it was the rising threat of energy costs and impending economic collapse. The fear of nuclear war stayed with us through the Reagan/Bush era.
Then, all of a sudden, the "cold war" was over. The most significant symbol of the cold war, the Berlin Wall, came down.
Our basic fear of nuclear war was suddenly reduced to practically nothing. Meanwhile, those corrupt individuals within our government who had been living off of this fear all those years began scrambling around like rats in a sinking ship. What the hell were they going to do now??? The basis for manipulating the American people into agreeing to support the vast war machine, the "military/industrial complex" as Ike had called it, was suddenly erased!
The Clinton administration had absolutely nothing to do with the prosperity we enjoyed during that last decade of the twentieth century. It was just a coincidence of timing that during those years the scumbags in the military/industrial complex were scrambling around trying to figure out some way to save their golden goose.
Well, they found a way to not only save it, but to make it even bigger and more profitable than ever.
Before the term of the current administration is over, that rogues gallery of corrupt individuals in our government, both elected and appointed, will have grown to such numbers as to completely overshadow any previous era of corruption in this country. The indictments and convictions that have already taken place under the watch of this administration is beyond belief, but it's hardly begun.
I only hope the depths of corruption that this administration has fostered will not destroy our great nation before the righting of these wrongs has fully unfolded.
posted by Jeff Barnard at 10:29 AM
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