two tiered justice

Ted Rall has published a strong editorial that calls for the criminal prosecution of Geoge W. Bush and his cronies. I have always admired Mr. Rall’s work–both his opinions and his cartoons–and this article has got to be the strongest argument I have seen out of him, with no humor included.

Granting prosecutorial immunity to war criminals like Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice and Powell is already “tearing the country apart.”

First and foremost, it confirms many people’s suspicion that there are two systems of justice in America: one for the rich and powerful and another for you and me. If I kidnap a man and hold him overnight, I face the death penalty or life in prison. Bush and his top officials ordered the kidnapping of tens of thousands of men as young as 12 years of age, the torture of thousands and the murder of hundreds. Until America’s official mass murderers are treated as harshly as its freelance psychos, Americans will view their justice system as something to be feared rather than respected.

I think it is difficult to disagree. In fact, I believe that people have long recognized that the American system of justice has always been different for the rich and priviledged than the poor. It is part of a rather sick culture where a person’s value is reflected in their wealth.

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