Authority Issues in America

November 26, 2014 — authority, border, ethics, Tucson Sector

America has major authority issues. If we look at law enforcement as a human body with a single anatomy we see ailing, weak systems.  Eric Holder is the lame duck head of the brain of the body.  He will leave office without prosecuting bankers who drove the country over the financial edge with gambling and mendacity.  The next US Attorney General will serve for a couple of years and then we presume another will be appointed by the next president.  The brain function at a national level seems fuzzy if not corrupt.  Balance is impaired as a result.  The core strength seems very weak and lacking integrity.  The voice is breaking as it speaks.  We do not trust people in authority to tell the truth or follow a code of ethics.  We rely on the institutions of law enforcement and justice, but do not believe they are functional.  This is a highly unsustainable situation. I live in the state of Arizona, famous for making our own immigration laws.  We are also famous for Joe Arpaio, the Maricopa County Sheriff who loves to defy the Feds.  The Tucson sector of the US border, named for my home city, is responsible for a high volume of traffic in smuggling of drugs and people.  This has been true traditionally for many reasons.  The geography here favors the smuggler, and Mexico does not lack tunnel engineers or builders.  Cartel power trumps Mexican law enforcement to the point that it is dangerous to expose or oppose the profitable business of smuggling on the other side.  It would be crazy to believe that there is not some corruption in the US that smoothes the way for contraband to flow through Arizona.  This is a very complex economy that  existed long before the border wall or the concept known as “Homeland Security”. Economic security in Arizona had long depended on a whole lot of unreported income and undocumented workers to stay afloat.  To reverse this trend is a very difficult task. How can we restore trust and build integrity within our law enforcement institutions now?  I do not accept the idea that crime and injustice must continue to blight the nation.  I believe all of us, in and out of authority positions, have been complacent and apathetic.  If we view the crisis in law enforcement as a Missouri thing, with no impact on our daily lives, we will perpetuate our current problems.  I am not optimistic about change, but feel strongly that we must attempt it.  Do you trust the police where you live, gentle reader?  Do you feel protected by the courts?  Does America feel like the land of the free and the home of the brave to you?