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What is the end goal of the battle against Wall Street fraudsters,
government officials on the take, insane torturers and other other bad
guys we are fighting against? Is it to see the perpetrators tried for
their crimes, and then sentenced to life in jail? Or executed?
I think that's aiming too low. That's not going far enough.
Why?
Because the people who have done these criminal acts will likely be
replaced by some other corrupt, ruthless folks in the future.
Meet the new boss ... same as the old boss.
If
all we do is punish the perpetrators, the spin will be it was just a
"handful of bad apples". This is the same angle that was used on the
grunts at Abu Ghraib, even though we now know that the orders for
torture in Iraq came from the very top.
Further, many American
military, intelligence, financial and political folks are afraid to
expose what they know for fear that it will plunge the country into
chaos. As someone wrote anonymously in response to an essay I wrote:
"I think this is the key question. What would happen if this great crime were exposed and justice meted out to the many involved? How would the system be rebuilt and who would keep the broken pieces together during the healing process? Without some thought along these lines, many people will see exposing [these crimes] as stepping into the abyss."So unless we can provide a way to obtain truth and justice and save our country, many people with inside knowledge or who are in positions of power will hinder rather than help us.
Finally, even if the criminal masterminds are prosecuted, other countries will just blame it on the "crazy Americans". Who cares about other countries? Well, countries all over the world have problems with crime and corruption. So even if the American criminals are brought to justice, it is likely that the true lesson will not be learned by others.
A Different Strategy
There is an alternative strategy: a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
As you may recall, South Africa set up a truth and reconciliation commission. The Commission granted amnesty to the people who committed brutal acts of murder and torture under the apartheid regime. I wasn't in South Africa at the time, but my impression is that the Commission helped South Africa heal its incredibly deep wounds quickly. Not only did the victims have a chance to tell their stories, but the people who carried out these horrible acts had a chance to confess in public.
Would the same work with current crimes? Maybe so.
What if the perpetrators of the financial, military, torture, and other crimes and their assistants were granted amnesty from prosecution on the condition that they fully explain how and why the crimes happened? And anyone caught consciously lying would automatically go to jail? The following might occur:
" Lower-level conspirators would probably be more likely to come forward and tell what they know
" When they come forward, they are more likely to point their finger at the real masterminds
" Seeing a way to support the truth without destroying the country, others who have knowledge of the true facts -- even if they were not direct participants -- would be more likely to work publicly for truth and justice, instead of hindering us
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