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"Unaccountability is symbolic of all government. It encompasses the implication that government is supreme and can do no wrong. It thrives on the fear of those it subjugates making clear it has the power of life and death over its citizens." 

 

 

Government Accountability
NO SUCH THING!

Posted October 3, 2004 thepeoplesvoice.org

By: Ted Lang

Whatever happened to accountability? Everyone I know wants to be number one, the top dog or gun; the title where the buck stops. Whatever happened to that inescapable assignment of responsibility?

Those in upper positions are often heard to quip, "That's why I get paid the big bucks!" But whether it's stopping the buck, or making the big bucks, somebody at the top must be held accountable. Why else would an organization be needed if not to compartmentalize and differentiate work and various tasks to accomplish an organization's overall mission under a designated leader?

And where else is there a more significant reference to an organization's purpose than in the military where the term "mission" is so commonplace? The military relies upon its "chain of command" in order to execute a designated mission. Orders are directed downward, and most failed military missions have resulted from mistakes and miscalculations made at the top.

Both successes and failures are usually directed upward at the originators and planners of mission strategy. No commander or chief executive can hide behind the excuse that they were simply ignorant of certain circumstances and events because of some failure on the part of subordinates under them.

After innumerable failures on the part of both the FBI and the CIA, President George Bush did absolutely nothing to either direct rebuke at the leaders of these organizations within his administration, nor did he do anything in terms of honestly confronting the American people with either an apology or an explanation. His failure to terminate FBI Chief Robert Mueller III, and the belated resignation of the CIA's George Tenet, demonstrate an arrogance of rank while dodging responsibility. This is an arrogance of unaccountability always demonstrated by despots, tyrants and absolute rulers.

Unaccountability is symbolic of all government. It encompasses the implication that government is supreme and can do no wrong. It thrives on the fear of those it subjugates making clear it has the power of life and death over its citizens. It amasses its power by replacing the fear of God, the true giver of life, with the fear it inculcates via the use of deadly force. As such, in its every involvement in human events, it should be held accountable. Government is supposed to be our servant, not our master.

The key to preventing runaway, out-of-control government, a government such as we now have, is accountability. It is for this reason that the presence of a free and independent press, a press free from government control and regulation, is so vital. Our government is no longer accountable to us because of the absence of true journalistic challenge.

Our media is now a function of either of our two mainstream political parties, forming a meaningless political polarization that inhibits our ability to recognize the total rescission of our rule of law and our resultant loss of individual freedom. Neither political party is addressing critical issues during this most crucial presidential election. The technology that so awesomely empowers our government's military might has also provided an alternative to a compromised and non-existent American press. The Dan Rather and Jayson Blair incidents are indicative of the extent of the political polarization, as is also the rapid growth and success of FOXNews.

The rapid success of FOX is evidence of the frustration the American people are experiencing in seeking an honest, reliable, fact-oriented news medium to understand what is really going on. Also confirming this is the rapid drop in ratings of Dan Rather and CBS News. The Internet offers a refreshing alternative as Jim Moore has pointed out; but there is a problem.

The Internet is the new medium of our younger citizens, most of whom are clueless as to our Constitution and Bill of Rights. They know how to surf the Internet, but not how to think constitutionally about a limited republican form of government. On the other hand, oldsters that have a solid political base are intellectually stunted in their political views because of the absence of a balanced, free and independent press. They are intellectually stunted and uninformed in a political sense because of an unprofessional biased press on the one hand, and talk radio on the other.

This is the real generation gap, and fortunately, it is narrowing. But this narrowing is happening while our government is rapidly expanding and curtailing our freedoms at a frightening pace. The criticality of this election is the race between informing the voters versus the government's speed in totally enslaving us.

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© THEODORE E. LANG 9/29/04 All rights reserved.

 

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