JonBenet and the Politics of Distraction

Who could have imagined that ten years after her tragic death, JonBenet Ramsey would come back from the dead to protect America from eminent attack, solve the insoluble in the Middle East, and bring peace to a world on the brink of unimaginable terror?

Was it only a week ago that we were beset by the latest developments in the London-born terror threat, the greatest threat since 9-11? Now, it is yesterday’s news, a postscript in the JonBenet saga.

The crisis in the Middle East is apparently solved. No one is dying in Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan, Gaza or anywhere else in the world. The little girl with the million-dollar smile rises from the grave to set all the world’s ills aside.

It is of no consequence that a federal judge found our president’s actions in the NSA domestic spying scandal a violation of the constitutional separation of powers. Not to worry: The Federalist Society will reverse it on appeal. It is not worthy of national debate.

The president implies that illegal wiretapping was instrumental in the London terrorist bust but not even the British lapdogs are willing to hand him credit (though it may well turn out there is little credit to give). The president asserts that illegal surveillance is an essential and effective tool in counter-terrorism.

If the president is allowed assertions and implications, so am I: Illegal, unwarranted wiretapping and eavesdropping have not uncovered a single legitimate threat. Leads do not grow on trees. They are the products of hard, on the ground, undercover intelligence. They are not plucked at random from a sea of white noise.

The president’s interference mucked up a valuable operation – an operation years in the making – by forcing the Brits to act prematurely. The NSA domestic spying program is a political operation that is in fact counterproductive in the real world fight against terrorism.

Give it up, Mr. President. Let the curtain drop. The days when "victories" in intelligence went un-trumpeted died the day the neocons took power. I accuse you of dangerous incompetence: By politicizing intelligence, you have left our nation imperiled.

Not to worry: If the truth comes out, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will take the fall.

Colin Powell and George Tenet took the dagger for imaginary weapons of mass destruction. Scooter Libby was the fall guy for Plamegate. Michael Brown was the fall guy for Katrina and New Orleans. Donald Rumsfeld will take the fall for Iraq. Kenny Boy Lay took the blame for energy policy and corporate corruption to an early grave. Low-ranking soldiers took the blame for Abu Ghraib and Haditha. Job loss, declining wages, burgeoning debt, NAFTA-CAFTA, Guantanamo Bay: A goat for every catastrophe.

All along, the president smiles: He was only doing what he was told.

When will Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, Rummy, Gonzales and Cheney receive their presidential medals of honor? Will JonBenet receive a posthumous commendation?

I do not mean to be insensitive or callous. I am certain she was a delightful child and her murder was inhuman and horrific. Nevertheless, the JonBenet saga is only a margin note in the nation’s cultural history. It belongs under the heading: The politics of distraction.

The nation’s legacy lies in the balance: Iraq, Afghanistan, Darfur, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Iran, Kashmir, North Korea, on and on. Our legacy lies in billions and billions of tons of toxic waste, spewed into our oceans, waterways and air, buried beneath the surface of the earth, awaiting the next disaster. The price of gas continues to rise, the price of housing declines, and our dependence on burning fuels continues unabated.

How many must die, now and in the decades ahead, because we turned our collective attention to JonBenet, Teri Schiavo, coal mining disasters, steroids in sports, the foibles of royalty, crimes of the day, car chases and celebrity offspring? How many must suffer because we closed our eyes to pressing, critical issues as the world burst into flames all around us?

Stay awake, America. Remain alert. Do not be distracted. There is an election before us. We must vote the change the planet demands.

Jazz.

JACK RANDOM IS THE AUTHOR OF THE JAZZMAN CHRONICLES (CROW DOG PRESS) AND GHOST DANCE INSURRECTION (DRY BONES PRESS). THE CHRONICLES HAVE APPEARED ON DISSIDENT VOICE, THE ALBION MONITOR, BUZZLE, PEACE-EARTH-JUSTICE AND COUNTERPUNCH.