The recent spying scandals rocking the U.S.A. have led me to wonder–is there anyone out there who, like me, finds the business of spying just a bit odd? If so, please raise your hand. I mean, on the one hand, in the name of national security, we use money, sex, ideology, addiction, power and promised fame to recruit spies to spy for us in every country on, and possibly off, the planet1. On the other hand, we zealously seek to deport, prosecute and sometimes fry spies recruited by money, sex, ideology, addiction, power and promised fame to spy on us.
Besides the fact that we, as a nation, are infallible (not because we are, but because our military and religious leaders say we are), and besides the fact that spying, especially during wartime, can lead to the loss of life, property and liberty, isn’t it all just a bit petty?
To put an end to this whole sordid, hypocritical business, we should take the profit out of spying by decriminalizing it between countries that are willing to adopt an "open spying policy," kind of like the old "open skies policy" attempted during the Cold War. If we caught an alien spying on us we could send him to Disneyland for a month, and if we caught one of our own spying on us, we could send him to visit Lenin’s tomb for a month, and vice versa.
This makes as much sense and decriminalizing illegal drugs. In fact, why don’t we just go on a decriminalization frenzy. Think of the money we’d save!
Loren M. Lambert
May 16, 2001 ©
1. So I’m told by my friends from Roswell, New Mexico.
Wednesday, May 16, 2001
Hypocritical Utah
Recently, I successfully litigated a whistle blower, free speech, privacy claim on behalf of Debbie Youren against Tintic School District and its officials. Although not a victim of polygamy itself, she was a victim of a misguided culture that has resulted from the societal and self-imposed isolation of the polygamists and their sympathizers.
Ms. Youren should be praised by State Government Officials for the concerns she has raised in her whistle blower action. She should be invited by Governor Leavitt to the Capitol and given a medal. Instead, prior to the trial, during the trial and now, she has been mocked, denigrated and belittled by attorneys from the Governor’s Attorney General Office and the wrongdoers from the District. Coddle by the State’s attorneys who are fishing for any technicality to escape liability or at least make Ms. Youren’s life as miserable as possible, the wrongdoers continue to deny any responsibility for their illegal conduct.
Similarly, I have successfully represent others that have had legitimate complaints against Utah State Government officials. The reaction by the Attorney General’s Office has always been, and continues to be, to metaphorically kill the messenger of such legitimate complaints and to bury the bad news. The Utah State Government’s policy towards incompetent, corrupt or bad officials seems to be the same as one of Richard Nixon’s foreign policies–"He [or she] may be [a rear body part] but at least he’s [or she’s] our [rear body part]."
In view of Debbie Youren’s treatment by the State, it is therefore ironic that the State has gone after Tom Green with such zeal. While, because of the age of his consorts, I do not condone Tom Green’s lifestyle, his most fatal failing is that he was not working for the State as a State official when his misdeeds were discovered by some disgruntled employee, and that he is not one of the more secretive, well-thought-of, wealthier and high-placed polygamists1. If he had been so fortunate, he would not have been prosecuted. To the contrary, the whistle blower that had complained about him would have been vilified, terminated and then asked to quietly disappear into some far off place–lik, say, the West Desert.
Loren M. Lambert
May 16, 2001 ©
1. The reality is that in this State, illegal consensual sexual crimes, such as sodomy, are mostly only prosecuted against the poor and minorities.
Ms. Youren should be praised by State Government Officials for the concerns she has raised in her whistle blower action. She should be invited by Governor Leavitt to the Capitol and given a medal. Instead, prior to the trial, during the trial and now, she has been mocked, denigrated and belittled by attorneys from the Governor’s Attorney General Office and the wrongdoers from the District. Coddle by the State’s attorneys who are fishing for any technicality to escape liability or at least make Ms. Youren’s life as miserable as possible, the wrongdoers continue to deny any responsibility for their illegal conduct.
Similarly, I have successfully represent others that have had legitimate complaints against Utah State Government officials. The reaction by the Attorney General’s Office has always been, and continues to be, to metaphorically kill the messenger of such legitimate complaints and to bury the bad news. The Utah State Government’s policy towards incompetent, corrupt or bad officials seems to be the same as one of Richard Nixon’s foreign policies–"He [or she] may be [a rear body part] but at least he’s [or she’s] our [rear body part]."
In view of Debbie Youren’s treatment by the State, it is therefore ironic that the State has gone after Tom Green with such zeal. While, because of the age of his consorts, I do not condone Tom Green’s lifestyle, his most fatal failing is that he was not working for the State as a State official when his misdeeds were discovered by some disgruntled employee, and that he is not one of the more secretive, well-thought-of, wealthier and high-placed polygamists1. If he had been so fortunate, he would not have been prosecuted. To the contrary, the whistle blower that had complained about him would have been vilified, terminated and then asked to quietly disappear into some far off place–lik, say, the West Desert.
Loren M. Lambert
May 16, 2001 ©
1. The reality is that in this State, illegal consensual sexual crimes, such as sodomy, are mostly only prosecuted against the poor and minorities.
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