The Newest War Against Abstraction

Well, now that the president has perfunctorily declared war on the seemingly inexhaustible Gulf spill, we can now lump it together with all the other wars, metaphorical and literal, that we're engaged in: Afghanistan, Iraq, "Terror" (although it's now called something else), Drugs, Obesity, Christmas, blah, blah, blah. But now, also thanks to The President of Hope and Change, there is a new undeclared war (Aren't all modern wars usually undeclared?) against information and transparency, those abstractions that can both empower the cynically rhetorical, the economic and political elites that govern us, as well as check them, thus preventing tragedies like the newest Gulf spill before they happen. Say, some information and transparent oversight at Minerals Management Service perhaps?

But no. It is now WikiLeaks who has been decreed a Public Enemy, along with all the other whistleblowers Obama vowed to defend as a candidate. The tough and terrified U.S. government is "hunting down" the owner and founder as we speak so that we can all sleep well at night, unafraid that we might stumble upon information we might find upsetting or inconvenient. And true to form, Glenn Greenwald compares the vigilance against those exposing government misdeeds and worse, like WikiLeaks, James Risen, etc. versus the administration's defense of Bush Era crimes (notwithstanding their own in Bagram and elsewhere). Medical professionals experimenting on detainees? It's all legit.

Numerous incidents now demonstrate that as high-level Bush lawbreakers are vested with presidential immunity, low-level whistle blowers who exposed serious wrongdoing and allowed citizens some minimal glimpse into what our government does are being persecuted by the Obama administration with a vengeance.

While George W. can brag about how he would water board people again if given the chance, thanks to our three strikes laws, some Americans are allowed to rot in jail for life for non-violent drug offenses. Culture of impunity, and lawlessness, indeed. Good thing 2.3 million Americans don't lie in jail right now because they are too much the "common criminal" to get out of serving time. Also, the fact that high-level offenders escape prison time becomes even more egregious once you learn that crime has not even increased in the U.S., and yet, more and more are imprisoned:

According to the Pew Center study, the higher rates of incarceration did not reflect a similar increase in crime, or in population, but tougher sentencing measures [study found here].

When we see the selectivity of enforcement and incarceration according to race, the picture of U.S. justice and jurisprudence looks bleak. Or, if you're someone like John McCain and Barack Obama, it is unambiguously a beacon of liberty and justice that all the world should emulate. Nuff said. Try to prove otherwise with actual information, and we'll shut you down.

Well, all hope is not lost though for those who still believe in an efficacious Fourth Estate, although you must move to Iceland. They have recently passed a law protecting whistle blowers and independent media journalists and bloggers, which will have worldwide implications. Just as an interesting side note: It was the fact that the banks silenced a story on their participation in the economic collapse there that got Icelanders enraged enough to pass this law. Economic malfeasance led to more open protections for journalists and information vital to the democratic health and welfare of the country. Here in the U.S., however, where we've had an economic assault---need we say war----against taxpayers, consumers, and homeowners, not to mention the war crimes, black sites, and legal black holes, the government is clamping down hard on information and transparency. Nothing has changed economically here except that our Congress is haggling over a tepid derivatives "reform" bill, which looks to accomplish nothing for limiting the "too big to fail" Corporate Nanny-State (They can't even pass unemployment protections, nor an effectual jobs and stimulus bill). And we've actually lost protections as far as the Public's right to know? Only in the United States of Apathy. Or is it United States of Amnesia? I am too listless and forgetful to remember which.

Anyways, here's the video on Iceland:


And here's Jon Stewart handing it to Obama:

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And don't forget this incredible episode of This American Life, which teamed up with ProPublica to investigate "hedging," or the practice of banks betting against their own investments. Spoiler: there is a great song about this practice set to The Producers. Brilliant stuff.