Taking the State wherever found, striking into its history at any point, one sees no way to differentiate the activities of its founders, administrators and beneficiaries from those of a professional-criminal class. Albert J. Nock

Mr. Nock wrote these words in the 1920s or 1930s. When he wrote them, history supported his contention. Nothing has changed since, except ethics, integrity and law abidance have all deteriorated.  The criminality of States referred to by Nock has only increased. That would not have surprised him if he were still around.

The evidence is now coming out regarding Benghazi. Doug Ross reports on it below and calls it “damning.” It is certainly that and probably to few objective observers’ surprise. That is the problem! No one seems to care, at least in Washington. The corruption is so ensconced and the gains so big that no one wants to rock the boat.

Contrast the current situation with that of Watergate. President Nixon faced impeachment over a third-rate burglary which he apparently did not order. His crime was trying to protect subordinates by attempting to cover-up the break-in. Nixon resigned rather than face certain impeachment and probable removal from office.

The Nixon stain on the Presidency occurred forty years ago. Today, it seems trivial. Today it would not be considered a crime, merely good political tactics or strategy. Society and our politicians have no moral compass anymore. Compare the Watergate details with the emerging information about Benghazi and see how much we have deteriorated.

The Benghazi problem goes beyond Obama and Hillary Clinton. They are both guilty of much more serious crimes and misdemeanors than Nixon and should be held accountable. But they won’t be because Washington cannot afford to let this happen. In that sense, Benghazi is just as much a problem for the Republicans as the Democrats. It is necessary that the cesspool of lying, plunder and criminal behavior that is Washington not be revealed.

The gang lords of DC consider themselves above the laws that govern a civil society. They are too important (and too powerful) to be held accountable. The city is ruled by two competing gangs, much like the Bloods and Crips. They will do whatever they can to gain advantage over one another. They are constantly battling each other over turf, except under one condition. That condition brings them together and they fight as one. That condition occurs whenever the scam they both participate in is threatened.

Benghazi represents just such a threat. In that respect, it is as much of a Republican problem as a Democrat problem. It goes beyond Obama and Hillary. It threatens to expose the entire corrupt culture which is Washington. That is the way that Benghazi has to be understood. Republicans will not act in what appears to be a clear-cut situation. They will be described as feckless and worse. Regardless of whether that is the case or not, it is not the reason they will not act. They will not act because to do so threatens the entire political casa nostra.

It is not Obama and Hillary who are on trial here. It is the entire political class. The Republicans by not bringing impeachment proceedings are no better than the perpetrators responsible for Benghazi and those who engineered its cover-up. The media, by ignoring this story, have proven themselves to be useless, at least with respect to any role a free press is supposed to play.

The Democrats and the Republicans are little different from the Bloods and the Crips. Both exploit the societies they rule and both battle each other over turf. They are arch enemies until and unless the exploitation itself is threatened. Then they come together to form a united defense.  As important as turf may be, the protection of the scam is more important. Thus, the game is to battle hard against each other for advantage unless outsiders threaten the scam.

Any idea that Washington wants to deal with impeachment hearings is misplaced. The Republicans are just as threatened by this scandal as the Democrats. Their vulnerability is not because of culpability but the risk that the entire corrupt enterprise that is Washington be exposed. Benghazi exposed is a threat to the Republicans as well as the Democrats.

The Bloods will help out the Crips to prevent too much from surfacing. Don Obama will not be impeached, although he should have been even before Benghazi. The corruption will continue and worsen.

Here is Mr. Ross’ article:

DAMNING: The Complete Benghazi Timeline in Spreadsheet Format

The complete Benghazi timeline, now augmented with information culled by Stephen Hayes and the House Oversight Committee [PDF], leads me to four inescapable conclusions.

[You may be able to get an enlarged version of this table by going to the Ross article]

It is now clear to me that:

a) Hillary Clinton lied under oath to Congress.
b) Barack Obama went to sleep knowing that a U.S. Ambassador and other Americans were under terrorist attack.
c) Barack Obama awoke refreshed the next day to begin fundraising.
d) The entire Executive Branch lied repeatedly to the American people to save Obama’s chances for reelection.

Could someone drag John Boehner out of whatever bar he’s in, wake him up, and let him know: There is more than enough material for impeachment proceedings to begin and criminal charges levied against Hillary Clinton.

Civilization is fragile. It can be destroyed from within by merely forgetting what seemingly unimportant but necessary condtions. Like economics, society cannot be managed from the top down. It is dependent upon relationships among individuals and these are dependent upon rules or incentives.

I usually emphasize property rights and the Rule of Law as foundations for a civilized society. Naturally, freedom is assumed. Others use different terms, but they essentially point to the same things. Richard Mayberry, noted investment adviser, expresses his conditions less formally but equally meaningfully:

 In my book, Whatever Happened to Justice?, in a few of the other Uncle Eric books and in my newsletter, I often point out that the two fundamental laws that make civilization possible are 1) Do all you have agreed to do and 2) Do not encroach on other persons or their property. The first is the basis of contract law, and the second is the basis of tort law and some criminal law. If you have a population that’s dedicated to these laws, and the laws are widely obeyed, then you can have a very ethical civilization, one that moves forward very quickly.

If, however, you have somebody or some large group of people who are violating those laws, then that civilization can’t operate very well and it begins to decline. We see this all over the world. When legal systems are mutated to be tools of government policy rather than tools for producing a peaceful society, then it all goes to wrack and ruin. And this is repeated over and over again, throughout history.

I come back to that all the time. America has drifted entirely away from those two laws. Most Americans have never heard of them. Those laws were extracted from the British common law, which goes back to the Middle Ages. It used to be that in the schools the children were taught common law. In fact, at the time of the American Revolution, the common law was American history. If two Americans were talking about history they would be talking about common law. Most Americans today don’t have the foggiest idea what common law was, and civilization is in a downhill slide because it can’t go any other direction without those two laws.

You might want to read his full interview at the Daily Bell. It may open some eyes to a different view of the world.

We are at a point where our government is destroying the bonds of civilization. If they continue their attack on property rights and the Rule of Law, society is going to become very uncivil. It will make life “nasty brutish and short.”

When people are better than their government, they must either restrain their government or turn upon themselves as a result of their government.