Former Egyptian strong man, Hosni Mubarak, was wheeled into an Egyptian courtroom, today, to face charges of corruption and the killing of demonstrators. His two sons accompanied him, also to be charged with crimes of their own.
With this act Egypt is showing the world that nobody is above the law as it becomes the world's paragon in this respect, something the U.S. has failed immeasurably in letting Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Yoo, et al, from being held to account for their roles in authorizing and initiating the Iraq War and the resort to torture.
That Egypt is now the country that leads the way in holding officials accountable for their crimes shows in retrospect how far the U.S. has fallen into disrepute as a leader in enforcing the rule of law, particularly when it involves criminality at the highest levels.
This travesty of injustice makes us suspect in the eyes of the world when we condemn others for their human rights violations and oppression committed against their own people.
This double standard of injustice makes a mockery of our officials being conscience-stricken when leaders of other countries commit egregious violations. They can legitimately say, "what about you and your violations."
Yes, all countries have blood on their hands with acts of aggression and oppression toward their own people or the minority cultures that were overwhelmed by their more populous counterparts.
But the world has advanced in officially condemning crimes against humanity, (that is, if our signature to these UN strictures against these acts has any meaning).
When the Bush mob was given a "free, get out of jail card" by President Obama's announcement that he would not prosecute the actions of the former administration, the whole idea of our being a "moral authority" in the world became laughable. Simply put, the rest of the world clearly saw through our moralizing duplicity.
As for the American people, it is hard to say where they stand. There are some who have been appalled at Obama's decision to let the Bush crowd off the hook, but the suspicion from here is, most Americans don't really care or defend in "knee jerk" fashion whatever we do is ok, ie, "my country right or wrong."
Yet, with respect to such people, without clarity as to what's right and wrong, just what constitutes the moral life, or is it something that's an old-fashioned notion and doesn't matter?
