Our House is in Disorder, Why the Flag Should be Flown Upside Down in Distress

The irony of a Hosni Mubarak being tried in Egypt on charges of "corruption and the killing of protesters" while here in the United States former President Bush, Vice President Cheney, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld et al remain free of any charges in initiating the illegal pre-emptive invasion, occupation and killing of untold thousands in Iraq is viewed from here with incredible dismay.

It shows unmistakably, in America, top officials who authorize crimes against humanity are immune from prosecution and not held accountable and are truly above the law, making our vaunted respect for the rule of law nothing but an empty shell, a platitude of arrogant hubris.

But it certainly isn't surprising considering our history with regard to our engagement and treatment of the indigenous Native American Indians, African Americans, Japanese Americans, the people of Viet Nam and all other foreign innocents our leaders now authorize be killed in drone strikes and missile attacks as well as those detained in extraordinary rendition and held in indefinite detention at Guantanamo and other secret "black" sites around the world.

It is also not surprising that we are conspicuously absent from and refuse to join the International Criminal Court and why we sign "status of force" agreements with quisling leaders of countries we invade and occupy which gives our military and the private mercenary contractors we hire, complete immunity from prosecution when they commit crimes in those countries.

Of course these "status of force" agreements are signed with ALL foreign countries governments we maintain military bases in around the world, again with complete immunity from prosecution by those governments.  

So for those who continue to cling to the fantasy that we remain a Republic rather than an empire, too much evidence points to the contrary.

As I read our Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the words set forth in those documents, it becomes clear we have strayed far from the signers and founders idealized intent.

Our house is in disorder. Foreign terrorists and their terrorism are a miniscule threat compared to the internal corruption and dysfunction of our government that has been usurped by corporate oligarchs who have turned our representative democracy into a plutocracy for their sole benefit (and to the detriment of the majority).

So that flag of ours should be flown upside down in distress. [1]

The occupy movement has come about as a result of our peoples duress, showing the way, articulating and protesting against the malevolence of the oligarchic 1% reigning over the 99%. It represents possibly our only chance to reclaim our country and the democracy that was forged over two centuries ago.