I came across an interesting case today of a lawyer who was dragged before a disciplinary committee, apparently mostly because he had the audacity to win a large settlement against his city for a client. He was then misrepresented in the news media and by those he opposed. This is a small example of a much larger phenomenon: abuse of power.

If this isn't a case of those in power abusing their authority then I'd be very surprised. Yet how many times do we hear about things like this and simply shrug our shoulders, as though surprise at corruption is something that should be reserved for the innocent or naive?

WAKE UP, PEOPLE! YOUR FREEDOMS ARE BEING STOLEN AT HOME!

And of course anyone who read George Orwell's 1984 knows that the classic technique for shifting attention from the abuses of domestic government is to manufacture hysteria about a real or imagined external threat. George W Bush's fruitless pursuit of Osama bin Laden is a classic play from Orwell's book.

With all the modern technology we have at our disposal today it's time to start policing the rules and making our elected and unelected representatives responsible for their actions. Of course, if we can't be bothered to bring a rogue president to justice (presumably on the grounds that "he was trying to protect the country") then why would they bother to take action against corrupt city officers who persecute ethical lawyers?

One problem, of course, is that to take arms against this sea of troubles is to invite its visitation on yourself. The bully boys who run the country at so many levels (city, state and national governments are equally bad) rely on our desire to escape persecution letting them continue to behave as though they were above the law. We ignore the abuse of others' rights in order to retain our own. What kind of sense does that make? About as much as going to war for peace, or screwing for virginity. It takes courage to stand up and be counted, but ultimately there is strength in numbers - encourage others to stand up with you and you will feel less alone standing up.

Let's be clear about this, not ALL elected officials and public servants are corrupt. But way too many are, and act as though they need not be constrained by the same laws and regulations they apply to other people every day. They need to learn to live in fear until they change their ways.

Nobody should be above the law. If our president can act as though the law did not apply to her* then are our legal freedoms really worth protecting?

* Yes, I know the current president is, like all those before him, a man. This emphasizes that we are discussing a principle here, not an individual.