If they can break the law, why can't we?...

[Badgerman]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/24/breaking_the_law/print.html

Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/05/24/breaking_the_law/
If they can break the law, why can't we?

Establishment bad behaviour weakens rule of law

By John Ozimek

Posted in Government, 24th May 2009 06:02 GMT

The Register Agile Data Centre Summit

Comment Lies, spin and establishment contempt for the rules by which the rest of the population are meant to live, are nothing new.

It is just possible, however, that the last few weeks have been a tipping point, with large swathes of the population now questioning just why they should adhere to the letter of the law when others don’t. More seriously, if this resentment spills over into active disobedience, then for a while at least, the British population may become just that bit less governable – with all the implications that may have for added costs of law enforcement.
...At base is the question of whether our consent to be governed, to be policed, has weakened in any way. The answer is almost certainly yes. But it would be unwise for those in authority to respond in an, er, authoritarian manner. Wiser counsel, both in the Police and legal establishment, are well aware that policing with consent is infinitely cheaper and more effective than policing with grudging acceptance – or worse, open defiance.
...
If we are able to make any predictions at all, it is not that the public will now indulge itself in a crime spree of epic proportions: rather that the collective will to abide by the spirit of the law is now irrevocably weakened and that in future, where a rule can be bent to individual advantage, it is much more likely that it will be.

So the problem isn't just in this country alone, the practice of 'Rule by Man' is eroding the 'Rule of Law' ever more rapidly. It appears to be more bottom up in the UK(I may be wrong on that), but here in the USA it seems to be far more a Top to bottom surge. This is exactly my concerns with the Obama Doctrine of not investigating, and prosecuting, if facts dictate, the criminal activities of the previous administration...it appears that Obama is quite willing to hunt down and prosecute lesser wrong doers far down the chain of command, but is loath to do so in the upper echelons where the orders came from. The consequences to this choice on his part may prove to be grave indeed. For even many who voted for Bush are quite upset that the criminality of some of there actions is going unpunished. the author of that quoted article above makes a most telling conclusion at the end, and he may be conservative on his estimation of the effects.

This is a matter that must be kept forfront until the administration reverses itself, or a power group in Congress developes backbones and takes matters into their own hands...I do NOT mean wishy-washy hearings, and idle threats such as we have seen and heard for two years now from our erstwhile Democratic leaders.
(edited for speeling)