The death of legitimacy
Many events have happened in the first nine months of this year that have called into question the legitimacy of authority. I am speaking about the lies and fraud that have consumed many respected and important institutions and professions. Some have been highly publicized such as the Catholic Church and corporate scandals. However, many others exist under the radar screen, which makes the perpetration of these frauds even more dangerous.
The fraud scandals have touched almost every important institution that Americans rely on for credible information. These institutions are supposed to have qualified standards to prevent such incidences. Yet these criteria failed in some cases unforgivably. In the Wild West stealing a horse was a capital offence because losing one’s horse often meant losing one’s life. Although institutional fraud will not flat out kill someone it does cause great harm to the economy, public policy, and society.
The damage done to the economy, academia, churches, and self-confidence demonstrates a type moral depravity that totally eliminates any moral authority.
The damage done to the economy in the numerous corporate crimes is probably the most damaging. After the longest economic boom in history it is to be expected that some corporate excess will occur.
It is ridiculous to claim that more government regulation could have prevented all the scandals, for most were of a financial nature that is extremely difficult to regulate. Plus many government agencies run their agencies similar to Enron and will never face the consequences these CEOs will. CEOs can’t raise taxes to cover their company’s losses. The real damage came from the stock analysts who had private e-mail trashing companies that they were publicly recommending.
Such acts destroy the entire infrastructure of the small time investor. The average person does not have the ability to judge the value of companies and need the honest “expertise” of analyst. Privation of social security is the only way to handle the Baby Boom generation and the analysts scandals have threaten to push, a justifiable scared public back into the hands bureaucrats.
The next great loss of legitimacy comes from the FBI’s rather clumsy investigating of the anthrax investigation. It seems as if the FBI wants the letters to come from a domestic source so they can expand their investigating power by promoting the fear of domestic terrorism. The FBI treatment of “person of interest” Dr. Steven Hatfill and his girlfriend should be illegal.
One wonders if the FBI will investigate itself about leaks it gave to the media as intensely as they will the Senate. The ransacking of Hatfill’s girlfriend’s apartment and threatening her with Gestapo methods should be prosecutors. The first anthrax letter in Florida was totally inconsistency with the “right-wing lone wolf” theory that has been unquestioned since its first publication. The smart-ass answers given by former federal procurators and FBI agencies after Hatfill’s emotional and credible speech makes one believe that an immoral culture exists in the Department of “Justice.”
The Department of Justice might be looking for a head to cut off but the liberal media is shaping the ax for them. The media has eaten up the domestic terrorist theory when there is great evidence to the contrary.
It is the media’s job to get the facts straight, but they have failed miserably in terms of the Florida anthrax case.
There have been vague reports that the wife of the man who died in Florida rented a house to one of the 9/11 hijackers. I personally believed (at one time) that such an important rumor (or fact) would be widely talked about, however, recent examples have caused me to question the legitimacy of news sources.
The New York Times claimed Hatfill failed three lie detectors when he took only one and passed it. The Times also wrote that Henry Kissinger was against the invasion of Iraq when in reality he had only reservations about it.
The most “respected” newspaper has always had the reputation of being liberal, now that reputation should be viewed as fact.
Academia has also taken a hit that has the potential of discrediting further (or even past) historical writings. Historian Michael Bellesiles at Emory University wrote a best-selling book entitled Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture which is about American gun ownership. The theme of the book claims that gun culture in America is a “Hollywood” creation and has no real historical basis. However, many scholars claim that evidence of research fraud is common through out the book. Mr. Bellesiles has already been put on paid leave.
If true, the accusation poses disturbing questions because of the amount of praise the book received, including the Bancroft Award. Errors in the book should have been caught earlier and the fact they were not makes one believed that Academia wanted the theme to be true more than the evidence proved.
If Academia starts using their reputation to further the liberal agenda (which most of theme are) then liberalism will not succeed, but academia will fall.
There are countless other examples of respected institution misrepresenting or flat-out lying about information that the average person cannot possibly verify.
Knowledge is power and power is corrupting. The average person must begin to learn the basic vocabulary and background knowledge regarding important and influential subjects. It can be quite possible that the average person is living in ternary without even being conscious of it.
