american aristocracy, the department of vengence, bringing evildoers to justice...

I have nothing against caroline kennedy personally. I am certain that she is a pleasant enough person (at least her public persona would lead us to believe). and she probably has just as good a shot as any other stooge to be adequate in the united states senate. that being said, she has no business in the united states senate...especially if she gains a seat by appointment and not by vote. look, I understand as well as anyone that this country has always had a monied aristocracy, and one with very little turnover at that (check out Kevin Phillips Wealth and Democracy if you are a complete nerd and are interested in how the same list of families have held the bulk of american assets for decades, even centuries). and I will be the first to admit that the roosevelts, although from wealthy bloodlines and related, were two presidents that I admire very much (while also recognizing they comitted america to shameful acts). I also happen to be fond of the kennedy clan...although I firmly believe that robert, post-john assasination transformation complete, would have outshone them all. but I am disgusted by the way in which american politics is becoming a family affair. one of my major problems with hillary clinton was her relation to bill. one of my major problems with the boy king is his relation to his father (and also some of those same monied aristocrats that have been running the show for a long, long time). and now there is talk that jeb will take federal office...and caroline is seeking a senate seat. this is exactly how societies get into big problems...it isn't the best and the brightest making decisions, it the most inbred. (side note - if you haven't seen the inbred brothers from the state...look it up). the dream of a meritocracy has vanished...

the united states department of justice does not deserve its name any longer. we all know how the boy king and his gang tranformed the DOJ into a spy organization used to circumvent the law rather than uphold it. what most of us don't know is that during the bush years the DOJ reversed course from what was the trend since the beginning of this nation - more humane prosecutions and a pull away from capital punishment. rather, in comes ashcroft and his cloth-draped statutes and gives the order to get very aggressive on pushing the death penalty in federal cases. at a time when the rest of the civilized world is disgusted with the united states for its state-sanctioned murder, to the point that many nations will not extradite to the united states for certain crimes (except of course those that torture themselves), the DOJ wanted more blood. (another plug - if a play The Exonerated comes to your town...go see it). and so we forget that our criminal justice system contains "justice" (or is supposed to anyhow) and turn it into the criminal vengence system. afterall, there is no other justification for the death penalty than vengence. show me one moral tradition that has been given any value over time that equates vengence with high moral character.

tellingly, col. theoneste bagosora was given life imprisonment from a UN tribunal trying him for genocide and crimes against humanity in rwanda. in the civilized world evildoers are brought to justice, not the other way around. in the civilized world law and order rule over the sword. and so closes another chapter in the latest of "agains" after the "never again" of the jewish holocaust. (interestingly, "never again" did not arise out of the aremenian holocaust). and while we condemn bagosora and his ilk for the unimaginable horror they propogated...we must remember that we share some of the blame. there are parts of the world that still remain in bitter conflict - now with modern weaponry. although this conflict did not necessarily start with western colonization, it was heightened by colonial powers with the old divide and conquer technique. and although much of the horror in rwanda was perpetrated with clubs and knives, much of the worldwide horror is being perpetrated with much more modern weapons. weapons that the western world sells for huge profits and then turns around and questions why people can get along peacefully.

so this time of year, remember that it is not their problem. it is also yours.

you could be that someone...