Three Reactions to Government Arrogance

A father writing to his hero son (Marine Corps officer) with three tours in Iraq expresses his anger when he says, “That a soldier who murdered 13 other soldiers on a Texas Army base, and who admitted he did it, is having a show trial (court martial).  I'm pretty sure UCMJ calls for his summary execution....That another soldier (Manning) who revealed sensitive, classified operational shit to the world won't be executed for treason, no matter how long he is in the slammer.  Better be Leavenworth. They make you break rocks with a sledge hammer, every day.  Till you die.  I can live with that....That a govt contractor who did the same is hiding in Russia.  Russia!”

These three strong, individual reactions from Hasan, Manning and Snowden remain in the news.  We could believe the reactions resulted from U.S. government responses to the September 11, 2001 attack that took the form of deception at the United Nations, an invasion of Iraq in 2003, and an explosion of government-directed intelligence-gathering capacity.  For many the news of these episodes of retribution or betrayal is disheartening and disgraceful.  For others, it represents examples of the moral courage it takes to oppose overwhelming institutional force. 

Conceivably, governments can be plotted along an imaginary line from benevolence on one end to malevolence on the other.  Most governments fall along that line with a majority, presumably, occupying a middle ground.  As governments creep away from benevolence they can begin to display arrogance, which falls far short of malevolence for sure but elicits nevertheless strong reaction from individuals such as Thomas Paine, Daniel Ellsburg, Nelson Mandela and right now, Hasan, Manning and Snowden.  Some we regard as patriots; some as traitors.  Wise leaders in governments pull back from arrogance.