Deferential, Not Preferential

The ongoing FBI investigations spawned from the convictions and subsequent pre-sentencing cooperation plea-bargains of Jack Abramoff and Duke Cunningham are leading federal investigators into the offices and homes of many former and current public officials. Now, the leadership of this nation, with bipartisan support, thinks that the FBI should not be allowed to raid the Congressional offices in search of evidence, even with the proper warrants and court orders. High ranking officials in some departments are even threatening to resign should they not get their way.

(I will mention Rep. Jefferson here as well, since it is his case that brought about the wider debate on FBI searches. I’m not picking on just Republicans either. Mr. Jefferson needs to do some hard time for his crimes; least of all for being so incredibly stupid as to keep the cash in his freezer. I think he’s been watching too many drug movies on BET.)

We are witnessing the growth of a police state that insists upon monitoring the day to day communications of its citizens without legal precedent in direct violation of both the 4^th and 9^th amendments of the Constitution, now turn and demand that they be immune from the very same ‘justice’ they have been so eagerly willing to impose upon the American people. Should you or I become suspects in a criminal enterprise, there would be no stopping the local sheriff, the CIA, the FBI, or even the local building inspector from kicking in the front door and entering our homes and offices at will.

Why are the politicians demanding an exemption, due to their chosen profession, from the rules we must follow, and why is the President, one who campaigned on being a ‘straight shooter’, now backing away from enforcement of the law and calling for a ‘cooling off period’? (He never gave Saddam Hussein that option.) We already know the answers to these questions, but do we really know the core problem, or what to do about it? Without the force of law, how can government ever be held accountable?

The core principle of American jurisprudence is “Equality under the Law”; a credo that extends the rights, freedoms, liberties, protections, and responsibilities equally to each and every American, and even non-citizens within American borders. It is how we, as a nation, express our desire to treat each and every human being with dignity and courteous respect. Being ‘under’ this rule of law implies a bond between all those under its jurisdiction; a connection making each person as accountable as the next to ensure that the balance required for an orderly civilization and a free society are maintained. Those who deem themselves ‘above’ or ‘beyond’ the law destroy that national unity this principle was intended to preserve.

Now I know and you know that this principle has been corrupted long ago. Men of riches are tried under different circumstances than men of limited means. We have seen pretty women escape the harsh penalties applied to ugly men for the same crimes, as they invoke the sympathy of judges and prosecutors. A black man can hardly enter an American courtroom and ever expect to win an acquittal. That principle, no matter how perverted, is still worth reverently working to achieve. Yet, this administration, along with many influential members of Congress, now decides to debauch this core principle even further.

I cannot begin to express the shame I feel for being an American right now. While we are asked to forego the liberties and protections for ‘special circumstances’, those who impose those restrictions continue to find new ways to exempt themselves from compliance. The American system is meant to be one of deferential treatment of all, and not preferential exemptions for the few wishing to escape accountability.

“Civilization is built on a number of ultimate principles...respect for human life, the punishment of crimes against property and persons, the equality of all good citizens before the law...or, in a word justice.” (Max Nordau, 1849 - 1923)