The United States apparently will not tolerate crime! According to the Bureau of JusticeStatistics, 2,266,800 people were behind bars at the end of 2011. As a percent our population of approximately 320 million, the U.S. has a greater percent of its population in prison than just about any other country in the world. In fact, as of July of 2015, only Seychelles, one of a group of small islands off the coast of East Africa, had a higher percent of its population behind bars than the U.S.; Seychelles has a population of about 95 thousand.

Okay. Think you know where I’m going here?

Also, the majority of U.S. prisoners have black or brown skin, in spite of the vast majority of the population being white. According to the website The Sentencing Project 60% of the U.S. prison population is a racial or ethnic minority.

You might think you know where this is going, but wait…

I’m a white male. That works in my favor in the larger picture. Also, I do not lead a criminal lifestyle (honestly). Being white, while simply walking or driving or sitting around in public has never gotten me into a “flash” confrontation with police. Or behind bars. Or suddenly suffering from the condition of being deceased.  Hmm. What, but what type of crime puts so many “people of color” in jail? Murder? Rape? Arson? Grand theft auto? Pedophilia? Cyber hacking? Jaywalking? Oh, wait, probably drug crimes. Sure that good ol’ war on drugs. Many such drug crimes are of the so-called “victimless” class, like possession of and/or smoking a bit of weed.

Do you see where…?

Ok. I’m not doing a sociological study here.

You don’t have to be an academic of any sort to look at the afore-noted numbers to wonder why such a large percent of our minority and non-minority population end up incarcerated. I have a theory being that increased privatization of prison operations (i.e. for profit) may be a significant factor in so many being locked up for even petty crimes.

Privatization? Hmm. Isn’t that a special aspect of conservative, less-government, more market based fiscal policies? That would be the neo-con wing of the Republican Party. Right. Or, as Sarah Palin would croak: you betcha! Tough on crime, that’s part of the neo-con ideology. But is it tough on any and all who cross the line? Little fish, and even some big fish?

Now do you see…?

Well, crime is crime, regardless of the perpetrator’s status, race, influence, connections, blah blah. Isn’t that the supposed manner in which our system of justice works? Sure! But that would seem not to be the case. Well, maybe at times it would appear so, as in President Nixon resigning from office due to his illegal cover-up of the botched Watergate hotel burglary (he was immediately pardoned, however, by Gerald Ford, who replaced him in the Oval Office). A President was, nonetheless, held to account. Sort of. Kind of…

That was then (1974). Fast-forward 20 years…

There’s been a constant rule of law! mantra coming from the Republicans, especially when a democrat is in the White House. Recall their eight-year effort to pin something, anything, on Bill and Hillary Clinton during President Clinton’s administration? He was impeached, but not convicted, as you may remember. Of all the trumped-up accusations against the Clinton’s, Bill did give them the Monica Lewinsky scandal on a platter. 24/7 hearings, sworn testimony. Fine, but while getting oral sex from a twenty-something year-old White House intern may be morally repugnant, it is not a crime. Hell, Hillary still is with the guy! What a gal! But like a snarling dog with a bone…

Hillary? Hmm. Isn’t she running for President? I do believe so. Another Clinton in the White House? Possibly, but not if the same breed of self-righteous Republican, crime fighting, truth-seeking, rule of law bloodhounds have anything to say about it.

So, what do they now have on this hellion, this scamp, this she-devil of deceit who disdains decency by tolerating her hubby getting blow-jobs from a bimbo, and thus tarnishing our democratic ideals? Well, take your pick:

Number. One. Benghazi!!!

Number Two: Benghazi, the Rogue Email Server edition!

Supposed criminal accusation, the first,  refers to the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya. Almost three years later, the Hillary Hounds won’t let go of this bloody bone of contention. Bloody as in four Americans were killed in the attack, including our Libyan ambassador at that time. Four. Americans. DEAD!!! What did then Secretary of State Clinton know about the attack and when did she know it? That blood is on her hands! Ruff ruff! It’s all her fault. Ruff, ruff! Hillary must be held to account. Ruff.

And she’s hiding her guilt by scrambling her email trail. Was she using a personal, rather than a “classified”  server. Gasp, gasp! Where are those emails? They prove she caused the attack and the death of those FOUR patriots. That treasonous bitch! Ruff, ruff, ruff, woof, WOOF!

It’s the tough-on-crime, rule of law, being held to account, world of the GOP, relentlessly accusing her of wrong-doing; Benghazi represents Hillary’s asserted corrupt, collusive, conspiratorial actions. And she wants to be what? President?! She must be brought to justice! Using a personal server to cover up emails that PROVE she planned and coordinated the Benghazi attack, WOOF, RUFF, and is thus responsible for those four dead Americans. Or, well, at the very least she was so self-absorbed, secretive, and incompetent, she is still responsible for those four dead Americans. Or, well, she’s been lying about something about that attack and her emails, and where there’s manufactured smoke there’s fraudulent fire. Or something…

Ok. Maybe none of it will ever stick, so let’s just admit  that it’s simply that she’s goddam, fucking Hillary Rodham Clinton! What more need be said, apparently? Ipso facto, she’s gotta go! Ruff, ruff, woof, drool, snarl, grrrrr…

Still think you know where this is headed? Hint:

Oh, thy hypocritical, asshole, vile, venal, chicken-hawkish, squawking, screeching, sniveling, snarling, prevaricating, creepy, control-freaky, misogynistic, xenophobic, misanthropic, cruel,  jag-bag, dispassionate, Republican Party, over-taken by Tea Bag sociopathic blowhards.

Go after Hillary, but never mind their own kind, with exhibit A being George W.Bush.  They seem to find no fault in his Presidency, especially that Iraq matter, and the now clearly proven prevaricating propaganda about either we fight them there, or we fight them here; never mind that Iraq had nothing what-so-ever to do with the 9-11 attack.

But what about another September 11 attack, eleven years prior to the one in Benghazi, with its quartet of casualties. Hmm. What did George know about that 9-11 attack and when did he know it? Fine, we’ll assume he knew nothing. We’ll go with that. Sure. Defies belief to even consider that level of evil. But it sure serviced that run-up to the Iraq invasion, with all its bogus “evidence” about uranium tubes, weapons of mass destruction and Saddam being tied to 9-11. Where are the right-wing truth seekers on that steaming pile of doggy-do?

Let’s see. nearly five thousand  dead G.I.s and countless wounded. Tens of thousands in dead Iraqi civilians.  Tens of billions of dollars tossed into in this military fiasco/sinkhole that has left Iraq a sectarian nightmare of suicide bombings and social chaos during and after our occupation. I guess there’s no way to blame Hillary on this score (other than she misguidedly voted for the invasion, but that incriminates plenty of those who are now out to get her). Never mind… But imagine if it was a democratic administration that presided over this disgraceful waste of life and taxpayer dollars, and the now seemingly perpetual destabilization of part of the Middle East. Imagine the wild pack of mad dogs barking incessantly over the catastrophic carnage, as they relentlessly sniff about to snuff out crime in the name of Justice, which as we have all been told, is supposedly blind. Sure it is.

Until it isn’t expedient to keep that blindfold on. Hmm. Let’s take a peek, a look-see before we do/do not push for “justice”.

So, there’s all those people packed in prisons, and some surely belong there. But not all. And as crowded as our prisons appear to be, I’m sure there’s still room for a certain someone who’s considered a “war criminal” by numerous foreign countries, where this certain ex-President is also considered to have committed “crimes against humanity” as well. Here, though, in the Home of the Brave and Land of the Free, Mr. Ex-President is forever free to have Texas tollways (the irony!) named after him. He has his own library, too. And he writes books and goes on book tours, revising historical fact. Paging Oprah…

Never you mind. Benghazi. Four dead. Emails. Grrrrr!

Were we headed in the same direction here after all?