If We Never Punish Evil, Sooner or Later, It Will Come for Us, Too
May 21, 2018
So an outlaw, incredibly dangerous, absurdly powerful extra-constitutional agency got their chosen chief outlaw, Gina Haspel. The Senate, specifically repulsive Republicans and media darling 'moderate' Democrats, found her history of complicity in inflicting death, maiming, anal rape and general extreme cruelty, on, among others, innocent foreigners just fine. The endorsement of their security state pals made her not only passable, but ‘a great candidate’.
This pitiful promotion of someone, at best, complicit in illegal, stupid, and counterproductive government enacted evil is a product of a system that defends the blindly loyal (and unfailingly amoral) regardless of their crimes. It is a direct product of the self-serving 'look forward, not back' ethic, where horrific acts must be excused because failure to do so might weaken the institutions inflicting them.
It’s not the first, or even the worst, example of this dangerous ideal. Just as torturers were never punished, those who lied us into the disaster in Iraq (bit of a pattern considering the agency involved…) were never held to account.
But violation of international law is not exactly an uncommon act for the American government these days. It’s more the rule than the exception.
We are illegally flying drones around several countries this moment, not only violating those country’s airspace (which causes me to chuckle when the media squeals about other countries 'aggression' in international airspace) but assuming the right to blow their citizens to pieces when we feel like it.
We have decided to occupy a chunk of Syria, based on completely illegal (and curiously amorphous) justifications, and then slaughtered the rightful owners when they have the temerity to enter 'our' area. We conduct bombings and raids on other countries, despite their objections, murdering shocking numbers of civilians (including children whom we claim to care so deeply about).
And there’s barely a peep of objection, either from the governmental bodies with responsibility, the pitifully credulous, complicit major media, or, sadly, the general public.
This public indifference is shameful but understandable, when one considers the sea of supportive (or just ignorant) mainstream media propaganda that continually soaks us and the increasing economic desperation of most, which fixes our attention.
But we must start demanding accountability for these crimes and evils, for eventually these horrors will rebound upon us. The more the criminals are excused from their crimes, the more likely the victims will find a way to strike back. And it essentially assures that criminal, evil acts will continue.
Might should not make right. Cruel, immoral, law breaking actors shouldn’t be free to not only escape punishment, but prosper. Individuals, organizations, and even states that brutally violate basic, obvious rules of human decency must expect punishment.
Our sick political system no longer acts as a bulwark against evil, it promotes it. We must find a way to retake control, and direct our government’s energies to humane causes, instead of violence, repression, and greed.
If we do not, the darkness will eventually swallow us, too.