Saturday, September 16, 2006
Of foxes and hen-houses...
I like conspiracy-theories as much as the next person. Life would be so much...more understandable if only conspiracies caused the amazing number of foul-ups we see, make sense out of the block-headedness of high-level decisions, and give us permission to shrug and say, "Well, it's all the fault of ___________" (use the name of your favorite gang of evil-doers).
Like with the boy in the White House and his surrogate father, Dick Cheney. Sometimes I think they are plotting a really really evil take-over of the country— to, like, suspend elections, declare martial law, all that. On the other hand, are they smart enough? They're greedy, and greediness and good sense don't always go together. I've been thinking about the Department of the Interior and the stuff that's gone on there in the last five or six years: open up all kinds of areas for gas and oil exploitation, reduce environmental protections to the bare minimum (and likely as not, not even enforce the mminimum), wheel and deal over Indian casinos. The Defense Department isn't much better: the procurement officers retire into posh jobs with the big contractors and guess who gets the contracts... It's greed. The cash register is open, boys, take what you want! I don't think we've seen such corruption since the days of the robber barons: everybody who wears a suit, plays golf, makes campaign donations, and votes Republican has their finger in the till. Kind of like get it while you can.
So that's plain old fashioned greed more than some plot to rule in the world in the name of Christ and the Free Market. And it's definitely rampant: rampant enough that the examples that come to our attention are just so fucking stupid; they aren't even good thieves.
Today, at least, I'm thinking the current administration is strictly on a hit-and-run mission.
At least, I hope so.
Like with the boy in the White House and his surrogate father, Dick Cheney. Sometimes I think they are plotting a really really evil take-over of the country— to, like, suspend elections, declare martial law, all that. On the other hand, are they smart enough? They're greedy, and greediness and good sense don't always go together. I've been thinking about the Department of the Interior and the stuff that's gone on there in the last five or six years: open up all kinds of areas for gas and oil exploitation, reduce environmental protections to the bare minimum (and likely as not, not even enforce the mminimum), wheel and deal over Indian casinos. The Defense Department isn't much better: the procurement officers retire into posh jobs with the big contractors and guess who gets the contracts... It's greed. The cash register is open, boys, take what you want! I don't think we've seen such corruption since the days of the robber barons: everybody who wears a suit, plays golf, makes campaign donations, and votes Republican has their finger in the till. Kind of like get it while you can.
So that's plain old fashioned greed more than some plot to rule in the world in the name of Christ and the Free Market. And it's definitely rampant: rampant enough that the examples that come to our attention are just so fucking stupid; they aren't even good thieves.
Today, at least, I'm thinking the current administration is strictly on a hit-and-run mission.
At least, I hope so.
