With Deathly Hallows out awhile, the Harry Potter omnivore has moved on to movie news, JK Rowling pronouncements, and social commentary. These have trickled in at various times since the final book’s release, not necessarily in this order. (more…)
It is eerily apt that on the 402nd anniversary of Guy Fawkes’ foiled attempt in the Gunpowder Plot, we find ourselves again observing a series of failed revolts against oppressive rule. The most recent is the swift conversion of Pakistan from an outwardly-democratic junta to a thinly-veiled military dictatorship. General Musharaff, facing the loss to his political legitimacy under a likely ruling by the Pakistan Supreme Court, pre-emptively declared a state of emergency. His first acts were particularly telling: dismissal of the Chief Justice and substitution with a loyal subordinate, armed guards impounding the rest of the court, acting judges forced to swear an oath of loyalty, widespread arrests of lawyers, and suspension of the Constitution - all undermining any judicial opposition. Political opponents and civil rights activists have likewise been put under house arrest. Following his televised announcement of the state of emergency, all private television stations were shut down, leaving only the state-run Pakistan Television Corp in operation, while FM radio is forbidden to broadcast news, and the press is forsworn from engaging in any criticism of Musharraf or his government. None of these actions seem even remotely related to the militant threats laid out in the televised announcement, although the judiciary is widely condemned for “constant interference” and embarrassments of the current administration.
So if we accept for a moment that the system of government is driven literally by the flow of money, then what are some structural changes that could constrain its abuse, to rechannel it along primary tributaries instead of individual eddies? One first step is rolling back the anonymity, and thus the appeal, of earmarks on legislation that amend spending to include ‘pork‘ projects. Some progress was made earlier this year by requiring names and some proof of non-interest in attached earmarks in both sides of Congress. But more recently the pendulum is swinging back towards obfuscation, with Congress sidestepping the issue simply by renaming the practice something other than ‘earmarking’ (see also: ‘enemy non-combatant’).
