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Now, everybody knows the old adage "Power Corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," but how many understand it? Let us look into power, corruption, and their rewards, shall we? Power attracts those who are corrupt, and great power attracts great corruption, yet no society has ever lasted on the basis of power and corruption alone! The reason is simple, not only does power corrupt, but it instills a desire for more and yet more power, with the accompanying greater and greater corruption. Soon enough that power is much more attractive to the members of that society, than the moral restraint necessary to maintain a working society. Pretty soon every member of that society wants, and yes, insists on more and more power, but wants to contribute less and less. The exercise of power causes a corruption of the very soul of the user until that user wields power without contribution, compunction, compassion or remorse; until we have examples like an out-of-control "peace" officer repeatedly spraying pepper spray into the mouth and nose of a restrained (in handcuffs) person till that person dies. He can do this in the knowledge that his superiors will cover it up, lest their corruption be noticed. This leads to an "underclass" of people who feel cheated and used. This "underclass" expands and grows, kept in check by occasional demonstrations of power--like shooting a cyclist for riding a bike at night without a light, or beating a man to death for walking his dog by the railroad tracks. As the "underclass" grows and watches their efforts and hopes squandered and wasted by the few less and less people will abide by the society's rules--with the inevitable breakdown of the society. One has merely to look at ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, the Ottoman Empire, the British Empire, the Tzarist Empire, the Soviet Union, Ghenkis Khan, Adolph Hitler, Benito Mussolini--All were--once! All are gone--now!! More recently in the place called California, in San Francisco, a Federal Appeals Court on Friday, October 29, 2004, up held the convictions and sentences of two former Pelican Bay State Prison Guards, who arranged assaults of disliked prisoners. The prosecution prompted a Federal Judge to consider appointing Receiver to run the California Department of Corrections amid accusations the agency lacked internal controls to investigate guards' malfeasance. Edward Michael Powers was sentenced to seven years in Federal Prison, and Jose Ramon Garcia was sentenced to six years and four months in Federal Prison. The two were sentenced in U.S. District Court for their conduct between 1992 and 1996, when they would solicit inmates to attack other inmates whom they (Powers & Garcia) disliked. This shows that some Federal authorities are starting to notice something amiss, and are starting to look at the Justice?? System in California. The Leaders of Shasta County should take note of this, and per chance,
read the writing on the wall, as it is only a matter of time before the
Federal Government starts to investigate the racketeering and "killer cops"
in Shasta County and their ilk. (They may even be asked how a poor county
like Shasta can afford a thirty-plus million dollar County Structure, and
a twenty-five plus million white pedestrian bridge that does not serve
any real purpose??
Moshe I. Stein
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