Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.
– George Washington
If you have been watching the unfolding, nail-biting, drama in Japan over the nuclear power plant, you may have noticed many of the official statements coming out of the Japanese government aren’t exactly true. While watching I have often heard a reporter read off or play back tape of such statements only to, an hour or more later, report the complete opposite has actually transpired or show images that blatantly contradict what was said.
There appeared to be a collective resistance in the first few days to note this obvious fact but in the last 24 hours it has become so obvious that even our own government, itself adverse to truth, is starting to openly question what is being said. At this point we may all be better off to discount most of what the Japanese government is saying on this issue and instead err on the side of caution.
Anyone shocked by this fact hasn’t paid much attention to history. Actually anyone surprised must not watch the news or our own government on a daily basis.
Government, all government, by nature seeks tyranny. Deception is a proven tool of tyrants. Sure it would be easy to point to the comedic levels of denial and deception that have come from tyrants in recent times as evidence. We just watched Libya deny there were protestors, claiming instead the people there loved the leader who was at the same time shooting them down. There is Iraq, where spokesmen under Saddam denied America had entered the nation, just as tanks and gun shots drove toward them. Remember the audacious statement made by Iran’s Ahmadinejad when he came to the US and declared not a single homosexual existed in his country?
We know brutal tyrants lie but sadly we also know representatives of republics do too. There are the big ones from our own government, which has a history of experimenting on its own people with drugs and radiation, furthering false evidence to start more than a couple wars, locking up dissidents and war objectors and repeatedly classifying or burying evidence that runs counter to policy. We have a long documented trail of lawsuits won and media reports filed against our government that tell of consistent deception, especially in times of crisis.
There are also little daily lies. Lying is such a part of our politics and our government that we have a happy euphemism to cover it all up, spin. Every month our government “spins” jobs, housing and other economic reports to make what is, seem like it isn’t. Reporters openly point out “spin” when hearing these tall tales but what they should do is call it what it is, lying.
With this in mind, it isn’t shocking that the Japanese government is being less than truthful. It is shocking anyone is surprised. Government is force, as George Washington and our founders told us. When given the choice between the good of itself and the greater good of the people, government will seek to prosper and protect itself first and wait for the people to push back. Suspicion first should always be the rule when government makes statements. Especially those that contradict logic or our own eyes in such blatant ways.
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Tags: Defense
