America

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich fell into handcuffs after alledgedly conspiring to "sell or trade" Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat. He may beat these charges in pre-trial or trial. The trial may affirm the charges: he attempted to misuse his constitutional powers.

The point of this essay is to highlight that a governor of one of the nation's economic power-houses can be accountable in a nonviolent way. (A disturbing amount of Roman Emperors were killed in action; guys like Robert Mugabe refuse to leave without being nudged away by a crowbar.) While people in other nations live in such conditions that suicide bombing seems attractive, Americans resort to lawsuits because the process is reasonably successful and fair. A well-run, and fair legal system is a primary barrier between order, and chaos (see Afghanistan, where many areas lack regulated law enforcement agencies, and even law enforcement has been accused of abusing prisoners).

Political corruption is like a bad milk stain on the carpet. It won't leave, despite calls to a common sense of decency, and attempts to scrub corruption out. For instance, three other Illinois Governors have landed in jail since 1973, for charges such as tax evasion, bank fraud, and treating favorites to state contracts. Should the current Governor be found guilty, it would seem that more must be done to prevent corruption. The point of this little memo, however, is to remind us that his indictment is a success in regards to cleaning up the stain, if failing prevent it. In America: No one, we hope, can get away with the abuse of power, even politcal power.

That is our country, or, at least, it's political philosophy. So to speak, everyone is accountable to everyone else. You to me, me to you, us to them, them to us.