I am sick and tired of hearing about Jack Abramoff, but probably not in the way you think. Every time I hear him referred to by the media he is “disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff”, and while I am sure he has been both disgraced and a lobbyist (is that redundant?), what makes Jack Abramoff important is that he is a criminal.
You never hear him referred to as “convicted felon Jack Abramoff” but that is indeed what he is. He is a criminal who used money and politics as power just as a common thief uses a gun as power when robbing a liquor store. And honestly, which is worse? How many people have died because of people like Jack Abramoff, Tom Delay, and all the others that were instrumental in BushCo’s rise to power? But no, his is a white collar crime so he is a disgraced lobbyist which is kinda like saying John Wayne Gacy was a disgraced clown.
And society handles him softly not just with the title they bestowed on him, but also in his punishment. Sentenced to just over 5 years in a minimal security prison, the U.S. now wants to reduce his sentence. To put that in perspective, if you are caught selling an ounce of Marijuana here in Utah you get a minimum 5 year felony conviction, and you’re doing that stint in a real prison. And that’s just what he was convicted of; given his power, access and scruples, it is hard to imagine that these were his only transgressions.
It is inattention to language like this that seems to be a subtle plague on our country these days. The neocons know this very well and over-trump Democrats and liberals every time in the war of words. But, maybe Jack’s day isn’t over yet, as his name is surfacing again in relation to Rove’s using external email services to avoid leaving documentation.
-c
