“Are These The Real Stars In Our Theater Of The Absurd?”

Every day I get up and brace myself for yet another dose of the sad state of affairs in this country being reported by the myriad sources of news. It is enough to want the sanest among us to seriously consider suicide just for the sake of the relief it would provide. Then, I am brought back to reality when I actually look at how all this has descended on this country and why it is still happening. That is when I make the transition from resigned despair to outrage. The root cause, in my opinion, is clearly due to the complete erosion of any sense of decency and integrity among those in high places, and further compounded by the prevailing complacency in the population at large. At best, it is a rare attribute among their masses.

There are certain “professions” that seem to have migrated to their ranks and have wasted no time in discovering the massive amounts of money and influence they can garner by simply chucking all of those old fashioned virtues over the side and becoming quite smug about their ability to manipulate others when conscience is no longer a serious or contentious issue in their lives.

I have tread the boards of this old earth for a sufficient number of years to have drawn some conclusions about some of the more “revered” and “honored” professionals upon which we rely to do the honorable thing for those they profess to serve.

I would have to say that those for whom I have developed the greatest disdain are those who have settled into the various classifications commonly subsumed under the classification of “lawyers” and the various derivatives thereof, none of which I regard as particularly virtuous or honorable. Just look at the sheer numbers of their ilk dominating every aspect of our government, in every branch, and the hoards of lobbyists (also attorneys) that schmooze them and grovel at their feet hoping to incur some ill-gotten gain by the use of loose and dubiously acquired money. Then, shift your focus on the barons of Wall Street and how many of them claim to be members of the elite club of those who would have us believe that their sole professional pursuit is that of justice. Give me a break. Let’s call a spade what it is. Justice, in all its forms, is far behind the ability of their kind to simply win at any cost, the rewards for which are infinitely greater than any misdirected notion of “justice.” Obfuscation, deception and feigned sincerity are their stock in trade. None are more adroit in their ability to master those dubious virtues of their “chosen” profession. One has to hand it to them. No other group is as skilled as they are when it comes to moving in and out of various fields of endeavor, applying those same attributes for a very handsome return. Because of that, they have managed to infect a broad spectrum of vocational pursuits in their endless quest for the almighty dollar.

Now, I will grant you that there are people among them who still have a respect for integrity and all the measures of that term. They are due the respect all of their kin would like to imagine they have. But, from my point of view, the garden variety “lawyer” or “attorney” doesn’t really stand for much other than his/her own aggrandizement in its various forms. It is whatever the traffic will bear, truth be damned.

Academic scholars in law hold a revered place among those in their profession simply because they have a commitment to the pure essence what they hold themselves out to be and their reverence for all that embodies. I suspect there are a few who might not pass the smell test, but we have to allow for some degree of imperfection in the interest of fairness.

Then, we have those chosen ones who sit on high and pontificate to all of us mere mortals who simply cannot comprehend or understand the nuances of all they have mastered in order to “sit on the bench.” One need only look at the purity and clarity of their decisions, arrived at through collegial discourse and contemplation, and the resultant weight of their “opinions,” which we digest without any serious question. You need only to look at the absolute clarity of the reasoning that put George W. Bush in the White House and bounced Al Gore out on his gazetzah. Then, if that wasn’t of sufficient profundity, we were treated to the wisdom inherent in their deliberations referred to as “Citizens United.” How is that for an encore? Wouldn’t you like to know how much the intrinsic reward for their collective wisdom was worth?

The sheer arrogance of those holding themselves out as paragons of objectivity and omnipotence when it comes to the law, automatically make them the most suspect among those who claim membership in the exclusive club of “lawyers.”

Then we have a whole host of sullied characters who claim membership in the financial industries, the worst of whom take shelter in the caverns of Wall Street and the vast array of corporations. I rather imagine the preponderance of them are lawyers of one stripe or another, but they have taken up residence with an entire cadre of thieves who boast some claim to knowledge when it comes to finances and financial affairs. They have managed to infiltrate entire empires of wealth and privilege, not to mention the various halls of government that we, the people, so naively believe are there to serve us. Tell me another one.

Some of the most egregious are those who have sought haven and massive wealth in the various sectors of the health care industries. I have had personal experience of sitting among the entrepreneurs peddling health care to an unsuspecting and trusting public, only to be exploited for every dollar that could be wrenched from their hands in order to procure the hope of a better life because of their promises given in exchange. For anyone who would have the slightest respect in and trust for what they get from this bunch, I have a great bridge at a bargain price for sale at the entrance to San Francisco Bay.

On a more serious note, I am reasonably certain there are many good and decent people among the ranks of those to whom I have referred in this epistle. However, I would also hazard a guess that, for the most part, the preponderance of them are among the bottom feeders of one sort or another. It utterly mystifies me as to why we have entrusted this fragile Republic to their hands. The only time we see them for more than a twinkling is when they want our vote and, moreover, they do all they can to stack the deck so the greatest number of those who are likely to vote against them are disenfranchised.

They feed from the coffers and the meager savings of the taxpayers who seem to never give up hope that things will, indeed, get better. But, as soon as the votes are counted, the acceptance speeches are made and the convention lights are turned off, it is back to business as usual. They turn their attention to their real constituency and partners in crime, and plunder this country for all they can wring from us. They have stacked the deck in terms of untold trillions of dollars in crooked financial pursuits, defense spending and international trade agreements and have converted those dollars into personal fortunes and influence peddling.

They have taken ownership of the taxpayers’ money for Wall Street, corporate capitalists, and personal wealth and perquisites for politicians. They have laced the pockets of big money with outrageous payments for services at inflated prices to an unsuspecting public that only gets left holding the bag.

Despite the fact that they are among the bottom feeders in all this, at the end of the day, they write the rules for us, steal the money from us to finance those rules, and assault us when we protest their actions. It sure looks like the cart is clearly before the horse on these deals.

Why, I ask you, do we sit by in a vegetative and complacent state, and simply allow them to go on without even so much as a whimper from those of us who are the rightful owners and beneficiaries of all this democracy has to offer?

The fragile body of Lady Liberty is being sacrificed for the sake of the maggots that have been allowed to control every aspect of our lives. Isn’t it about time we stopped the merry-go-round, got off and demanded more of what is clearly ours, including all the attendant costs of doing business?

And we, once again, ask ourselves, “Who among us is getting screwed without benefit of kiss? It sure looks like it is rather self-evident if we will simply open our eyes and react with all the ire we can possibly muster. Nobody is going to do it for us.

As an ancient Confucian philosopher once opined, “It is far better to be pissed off than pissed on!”

Cowboy Bob
aka The Sagebrush Philosopher
May 23, 2013