It has to be said...

Oddly, and I am in grave danger of overstepping the mark here, but oddly one group of lawmakers see themselves as above the pack – untouchable.

The racist card seems so inviolable that the Democrats Black Caucus can still freely rant and rave, threaten and bluster, to protect one of their own.

Forget the damage being done to their own party, forget the impression given that lawmakers are considered to be above the law, forget the potential to further institutionalize division.

Of all peoples, these should be the ones who understand best the awful effects of unjust government. They should be the ones showing that barriers are divisive and destructive.

This is not a racist rant! Almost nothing; colour, creed, party or anything else should put anyone apart. It is called equality.

Almost anything. Jefferson has a primae facie case to answer. He might well be able to explain, satisfactorily, the damning physical evidence, and he has the right to try. That is hardly the argument. But first and foremost, in this context, he is an electd lawmaker.

The community, the media, anyone in their right mind wants to see some positive action to turn around the lamentable mess US politics has fallen into.

Lawmakers have a very special responsibility, above everyone else; they make the law on behalf of the citizens and must be seen to abide, not by the letter, but the spirit of those laws. The laws must be seen as just for all, not granting special privileges to one group or another.

The Black Caucus are doing themselves and their country a great disservice by shielding one of their own from the standards they would impose on everyone else. And they do so in the cowardly manner of capitalizing on national guilt and fear.

That is hardly a step toward inspiring the trust of the people in the countries political institutions.

Third World Corruption

There is another issue in this debate, one which stretches well beyond US borders. I recent weeks African leaders have been shedding light on the fact that the other side of the crippling corruption in their countries is its encouragement by rich countries.

The World Bank’s Wolfenstein recently put it perspective; to have a bribe taker there must be a bribe giver, and these are coming from the rich countries.

The whole issue of the Jefferson allegations revolves around business dealings with Nigeria. In the frame with Jefferson is the Vice President of Nigeria, among others.

It is all very well for the US to lament the high level of corruption in African countries, and it is all very well to blame maverick, greedy corporations.

The allegation that a lawmaker, of any colour, aided and abetted in the corrupting of one of these countries is deplorable.

Yes, Jefferson might well prove himself to be innocent. But so far there has been no word from him or his caucus on the deplorable subverting of developing economies. I would have thought that would have been a strong moral issue, but not a dickey bird.

Instead we have only seen those efforts we have become so accustomed to from lawmakers in general, damage control.

It is equality alright, but I doubt if it is the sort of equality America or the world needs to experience.