The woodshed *
Xymphora&sentence=sentence&in_blogs=6">Xymphora
The crime of Wikileaks was lèse-majesté, an insufficient deference to Power. The cables are instructive. The Americans could care less about the opinions of the leaders of various nonentities like Saudi Arabia or Great Britain. What is important is that American diplomats conduct a periodic check-up - like having your teeth cleaned - in order to ensure that everybody knows who the boss is. Thus, from time to time, world leaders are interviewed by American diplomats who say nothing and just write everything down. The various leaders struggle to say what they think the Americans would want them to say, and if they meet the test, they are allowed to stay in power. Just striving to meet the test teaches a lesson. Perhaps the biggest surprise from the cables is how hard everybody strives to meet the American test of fealty.
We're in the middle of a long social experiment to see what we will put up with. The plutocrats keep asking for more, and we just give it to them. There is absolutely no push-back whatsoever. In fact, all we do is ask for more punishment and deprivation. The results of this experiment have been so startling to the plutocrats that they have until recently not asked for everything, in fear that perhaps they would awaken a sleeping giant of rebellion. Nope. No giant. Just sleeping. The continuing non-reaction to the massive financial theft in Europe and the United States, where the thieves were not only not punished, but massively rewarded, was the final test. The only reason why we are not all slaves building pyramids to the glory of the plutocrats is that they, in their infinite generosity of spirit, haven't asked us yet. They will, and we'll start hauling rocks.