BLANKLEY: World's most dangerous city?

In a world growing more dangerous by the week in this dark spring of 2009, Washington may be the most dangerous city in the world. The city is safe enough for its residents - it is the rest of the country and world that is endangered by what Washington is capable of doing. On a bipartisan, bicameral, bigovernmental (executive and legislative branches) basis, rarely has so much policymaking, world-economy-transforming power been in harness to such unsteady political and policy instincts.

Whatever one thinks of the American International Group Inc.'s bonus actions, last week's performance by Washington's political class should give us all pause. With the exception of presidential economic adviser Lawrence H. Summers, one would have been hard-pressed to have spotted many other senior politicians in either branch of government or either party who, if they spoke out, did not try to raise public passion and fury beyond its already combustible temperature.

When I wrote last week's column, before the AIG fury erupted, I argued that we in Washington should dial back our rhetoric because public passions already were dangerously high - and we have many hard decisions in probably hard times ahead of us that we need to face as a united people.

...we in Washington should dial back our rhetoric because public passions already were dangerously high - and we have many hard decisions in probably hard times ahead of us that we need to face as a united people.

I had a revelation late last week. People like you are going to write back and reply with a resounding, "Duh-Huh!. But don't ruin it for me! It's MY revelation and it's new to me even if people like you saw it long ago!

I had this revelation because of a radio show I was listening to one moring last week, and they were talking about people such as Bernie Maddof (Ponzie scheme of the century!), and Representatives Barney Frank, and Chris Dodd. These men, and men like them (as well as some women!) are responsible for bringing our nation down through corruption, deceit, using power for personal gain, and a long list of other crimes which essentially add up to tyranny. The talk show hosts on the radio once or twice edged jokingly and lightly into a brief mention of physically harming these men, and then quickly recanted and said that they had to take the "moral high road", because they really didn't want to "hurt" these men. They said that we had to be "better" than that.

The criminals who comprise the political scene in D.C. are a bad bunch to be certain! Many people realize this. But is simply realizing it enough? These same criminals create complicated (but SERIOUS problems) and then convince people that they (the creators) are the only ones who can solve the problems! Why they're ever given the chance is a complete mystery. When the usual voter base displays displeasure in the choice of viable candidates, parties such as the GOP herd everybody into a corner thus ensuring that the likes of these people are their ONLY CHOICE. There's the good ole GOP! They're really looking out for their supporters eh?! :-)

While a certain minority cross section might truly realize what I've just pointed out, far too many of the citizenry buy into the invented crisis and the lie that the creators of the crisis are the only ones smart enough to solve it.

This equates to a fire department who sets your house on fire, and then tells you that they're the ONLY ones who can put it out! Nevermind that we all know good and well that the ENTIRE function of a fire department is to PREVENT fire and fight that which they have no control over! Oh, and by the way... you have to PAY them a LOT for this! The only real difference between this and what I'm talking about is timeframe and level of complexity. If you scale back what's happening nationally now, we have the fire department scenario to a TEE. It's difficult to realize when the house is burned s-l-o-w-l-y, but still observable nonetheless.

Herein lies the problem. It's a huge problem with America right now. The problem is that even if SOMEBODY were to walk these criminals into an environment where justice was applied through simple due process, and they were found guilty of sedition, tyranny, abuse of power, and having operated for years directly in opposition to the U.S. Constitution through deception and an anti-American agenda, I am CONVINCED that the people would let them go.

Before anybody tells me that I'm full of crap, I'll go back and use that radio show as an example. Those guys on that show spoke the heart of many people with what they said. They struck out in truth, but then recanted with their nonsense about the moral high ground and having to be better than those they're being critical of.

I'm not so sure that keeping the moral high ground is the best thing under current circumstances, and it might become a worse idea as time goes on. But I'm convinced that if Barney Frank and Chris Dodd (or any number of others) were taken into custody, and delivered to a Jury of The People tomorrow, that those people would let them go. The prisoners would weep while keeping a careful eye on that very small percentage whom they KNOW have the fortitude and follow-through to hang them in public, but the rest of the people will secure a promise from them that they've learned their lesson and decide to release them. Nevermind that these criminals have proven time after time after time that they are pathological and incorrigible liars, self serving tyrants, and Destroyers Of Nations. Afterwards, they will of course convince the same moronic base of people to vote them into power AGAIN, while that small percentage who would permanently solve this obvious problem stand aghast at what's just occurred.

Eventually, we end up with criminals in power who overtly and positively control anybody who could possibly present any real or credible threat to them. Eventually, the criminals control the financial systems, food supply and distribution systems, trade and commerce as a whole, private ownership of weapons, as well as mass quantities of land in the nation, and the ownership of private property. OH MY! Did I say THAT?!

The vast majority don't have the fortitude to TRULY deal with tyrants. But they'll empower those same tyrants to take rights and then in turn permit themselves to be fooled into thinking they've increased in personal liberty or security, when in truth they have secured neither and are worse off for it. I've heard it said before that the art of politics involves screwing your constituency for personal gain while making them feel GOOD about it. I've said before that America is becoming a Nation of Cowards, but upon rethinking this, I believe that it's more likely that America is becoming a Nation of STUPID PEOPLE.

Perhaps the catch and release crowd can let everybody know how that works out afterwards. How's it working out so far with a goodly percentage of those released from Gitmo?...not very well from what I read.

It is indeed true that this nation's worst enemy is here NOW, and very much in its MIDST. But it's not the haggard, vile looking criminal who creeps in the shadows at night and preys on sleeping women and children. It's the "nice" lady next door who drives the cutsie little hybrid car and recycles, and spends a little too much time worrying about global warming, social injustice, inequality, and woman's right to choose. She of course doesn't have the fortitude to hang a tyrant in public, but she WON'T let anybody else do it either!

But what do I know? I'm just a fringe religious fanatic with crazy views about what's going on around us. Lord knows I get told to STFU often enough for asking the WRONG questions. I would like for somebody to explain then WHY things like what I've just written above always seem to evoke such fear (even terror!) from those I convey it to. If everything is O.K. then why such worry from everybody? I don't get it. But as you well know, I really DO....and because of this, certain people have told me that they think people like myself should be in charge. But as I've pointed out above, while they might realize and even acknowledge certain things, they don't possess the fortitude to even permit others to follow through appropriately.

Not only this, but do they think somebody like me wants the Hague chasing them around for the next ten years to charge us for what we would do if initially permitted? NOT a chance! Whether our brainless citizenry realizes it or not, they would throw those with the FORTITUDE under the bus (so to speak) afterwards, and until this issue is resolved, we're pretty much at an impasse.

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