Recently by Becky Akers: Reforming Rather than Abolishing Plague: Stupid or Just Plain Venal?
Punishing politicians for corruption is like scolding the Black Death for killing folks.
So we can empathize with the fury, despair and "why-me?" shock that must have roiled Illinois' former Congresscriminal and governor, Rod Blagojevich, at his arrest, trial, and conviction, let alone his sentencing last week on nebulous charges that boil down to … governing. Show me the politician who doesn't swap favors and peddle influence as tirelessly as normal people breathe.
Despite the preening of Blago's smug prosecutor, self-righteous judge and the State's cheerleaders in the media, condemning the poor slob to 14 years' imprisonment is equivalent to exterminating one rat out of the millions spreading plague in medieval Europe: it's the teeniest, tiniest start on curing what ails us. Judge James Zagel should round up the rest of the elected or appointed leeches and herd them off to the pokey, too, then follow and lock the door behind himself.
Fascinating questions have shadowed this circus from the start, primarily whom Blago angered. And what does he know about Obummer ("The White House declined comment on Blagojevich’s sentence." You bet it did!)? Or the vile Rahm Emmanuel? Blago's info is obviously explosive since it requires disgrace so profound the corporate media will continue to ridicule him rather than report whatever he sings. On top of that, Leviathan has forcibly silenced Blago ("In prison, Blagojevich will largely be cut off from the outside world"), perhaps permanently: look for him to die there, probably by "suicide."
Not that we should feel sorry for him. Indeed, let us rejoice whenever the insatiable State devours its own – and let us pray it does so more often. Better them than us, first of all. Second, there's a lot to commend Soviet-style purges: politicians who are free of decency and morality but slaves to the almighty Self might think twice about a career in plunder if the odds favored their winding up in stir or six feet under rather than on a monument somewhere.
Meanwhile, Leviathan's acolytes unwittingly revealed the beast's jaw-dropping vanity, perversion, and utter wickedness in their comments at Blago's sentencing. Consider Judge James Zagel's pontification: “When it is the governor who goes bad, the fabric of Illinois is torn and disfigured and not easily repaired."
Balderdash! And what staggering megalomania, to presume the State looms so large that a "bad" sponge tears the "fabric" for 12,830,632 Illinoisans (OK, I can see where the cloth's rent for Blago's family: his wife – a political critter herself as well as the daughter of one – and his two kids, but not the other 12,830,628 residents). No doubt the good folk of Illinois who continue trying to eke out a living despite their official predators hardly noticed Blago's sideshow and would've shrugged if they had.
I speak from experience. Three years ago, when the Feds caught New York's Chief Thief, Eliot Spitzer, dallying with unelected prostitutes, his fellow bloodsuckers and their enablers in the media fretted about the impact on us serfs. The New York Times feared we were "in limbo." And "State Senator Joseph L. Bruno, the state's top Republican" – who would resign from office after his own indictment on eight counts of corruption – babbled, "The important thing for the people of New York State is that people in office do the right thing." What a laugh! As if politicians even recognize the right thing or would do it if they did.
Far from agonizing over Spitz's peccadilloes, I suspect most of the state's victims turned the same jaundiced eye on them as “Elmira Shirkhin, 27, who works in sales," did. She "said she wasn’t surprised. u2018It’s what you would think politicians would do,’ she said … . u2018It’s men and power. They think they can do anything and get away with it’…” Bingo. I wager Illinois' peons boast as much savvy when it comes to sociopaths as New York's do.
That didn't keep Zagel from moaning that "The harm [Blago caused] is the erosion of public trust in government." Touching, the concern Our Rulers profess for our alleged faith in them.
Also bewailing Blago's betrayal of our belief were Illinois' Attorney General, its current governor, and the Assistant U.S. Attorney; as the last put it, “The defendant’s … criminal activity has further eroded the public’s confidence in government and government officials."
Oh, get over yourselves. Only morons trust government. For pity's sake, we're mature and intelligent enough that you depend entirely on us to pay your bills: give us some credit, you twits.
Others as guilty as Blago but as sanctimonious as the twits rushed to toss us their two cents. Senator Mark Kirk [R-Il] intoned, "Judge Zagel's sentence is a clear warning to all elected officials that public corruption of any form will not be tolerated." Boy, you better hope not, buddy, or you and your accomplices are out of business.
Zagel also confirmed Leviathan's inverted "morals." He opined that the defendant had done "good things … for people as governor…" Blago was a run-of-the-mill Demopublican, which is to say a socialist and fascist: he tried numerous times to further nationalize Illinois' medical insurers. That would have netted him another couple centuries in the slammer were I on the bench, but Zagel lauded his theft: "I do also believe what he did for children's health was motivated by a true concern for the welfare of children." Or, as the New York Times noted, "his policies for the state – health care insurance for children from poor families and free train and bus rides for older people – had been efforts to help citizens." Robbing all to buy goodies for some ever afflicts statists with warm fuzzies.
Meanwhile, the whole sordid fiasco seems to be nauseating and possibly converting observers. "Connie Wilson, the forewoman from Mr. Blagojevich's most recent trial [recall that it required two before the Feds nailed their man], said … "We just don't want this [corruption] anymore."
Hmmm: no corruption means no government. Welcome to anarchy, ma'am!
December 12, 2011
Becky Akers [send her mail] writes primarily about the American Revolution.
