Another Day in the Empire

Despite going about the Fourth of July festivities on Wednesday, I could not help but notice a deep irony when it came to thinking about this holiday: the events within America has caused a deep chasm of mistrust between the people and their leaders. The most glaring example of late is the commuted sentence of "Scooter" Libby, Vice-President Cheney's top aide. In a court of law, he was found guilty of obstructing justice. He was about to don his prison stripes to start his sentence while his lawyers began to appeal the case.

And lo and behold, before Mr. Libby was able to cross into the cold confines of prison, a statement was sent from the Bush family home in Maine: the sentence given in light of the charges was "too harsh" and that although it wouldn't erase the charges, the prison time would be wiped away.

Now, you might understand why I wrote at the beginning why there might be a little bit of irony going on here. The big deal is the message it sends to us, the American people. By commuting Mr. Libby's sentence, it sets a definite precedent that anyone with means and money can get off without any form of guilt or remorse for the crime. Now, you never heard a public statement of apology to Ambassador Wilson and his wife, Valerie Plame. You never heard a sense of regret for ruining Mrs. Plame Wilson's life in the Central Intelligence Agency. You'd think that the Vice-President and President were so privvy to the most covert of secrets that they might understand why outing her name in the press could jeopardize her life--especially when there has not been an open denial that her position within the agency was secretive in the first place. What is worse, is that an act of revealing the identity of an agent doing the nation's business reflects the worst sort of sedition out there. After all, it is understood that Mrs. Plame Wilson was working for the government. And the act that revealed her name reflected sheer pettiness that would only point to the later drama of the failed search of WMD's and other alleged falsities that spurred on a war with Iraq.

For everyday people, such events might be a slight on our radar. We have to continue to put food on our tables. And of course, we toil on our jobs for gas money and health care--especially under this administration. But Plamegate gave the public an unwitting glance at the ruthlessness and callousness that has taken root in our national leaders. It is rather unsettling to know that dissent is not welcomed--not even by those who have strived to maintain their integrity and truthfulness when trying to point out discrepancies in what would turn out to be a colossal blunder overseas.

Although the story isn't done yet, there are things to ponder upon when trying to make sense of what happened this week. On its most basic point, such an act calls into question on who really does get punished in this country. As I had heard in other circles, there are people in prison for the same charges as Mr. Libby. One has to wonder what happens to those very same people who have done similar crimes and had to go off to jail without such a reprieve. The other thing to think about is the notion that it is just another day in the empire.

I had first heard that term on-line when it was used not only to describe a web site I came across, but on other blogs across the blogosphere when talking about the long list of events that happened under the watch of the Bush White House. In a way, it sort of makes sense. Knowing that now the Executive Branch has prided itself on saying what it "will or won't do" in the terms of Executive signing statements, it truly supercedes in control over the other two branches (as I mentioned previously in yesterday's entry). It is rather interesting that because the Executive Branch has practiced such hubris and arrogance over the determination of who holds the cards in the present government, it seems that the scales of justice are only tipped toward a small number of people leaving the rest of us out of the cold.

One of the things I did yesterday between Independence Day events was listen and read political commentary. Fascinatingly enough, there was one conversation between a commentator and a caller that discussed whether we could truly celebrate Independence day knowing what has been done in our country's name. That is a rather difficult question, because it is a day that all Americans commemorate in terms of recognizing the sacrifices that the Founding Fathers made in terms of giving birth to the nation.

But, in light of that, one has to ask did the system that the Founding Fathers developed really worked? Did they fight for independence so they could get the wealth for themselves instead of the common "sacred myth" of true independence for all men (you see, there were groups of people who still were not free at the end of the Revolutionary War. And for non-white people, this freedom would not come to pass until the Civil Rights Era)? Are the system of checks and balances being re-written in the light of the War on Terror? Do we even believe in the Bill of Rights anymore since there were acts by the government that flirted with undermining our civil liberties?

These questions are rather provocative and thought-provoking because it allows one to reexamine constantly what the country's ideals are for. Let's just say it now. The "Scooter" Libby case makes it very hard for one to even see what ideals we even have left. And when dissent is punished in such a public and graphic way, one also has to wonder what exactly the current Administration is doing in order to present to us, the American people, the values we hold dear. Do they truly care about the basic tenets of the country at all?

It's gotten to the point that we are now at the crossroads in terms of trying to make sense of all these things. And, a blatant repudiation of the law and what it stands for by issuing a commuted sentence doesn't help.