Mark Rickling concluded: >Unfortunately these seemingly contradictory beliefs are easily reconciled >as the internalized moral shortcoming of the individual, and/or the moral >shortcomings of those in the same boat (e.g. Million Man March). Reconciling the contradictory beliefs is _not_ easy, as attested by the totality of journalism, education, criminal justice, medicine, religion, marketing and non-auratic art dedicated to promoting this internalization. A rough estimate would be that _most_ of the U.S. economy is a symbolic economy of illusion. The 'point' of most of the work that is done in the U.S.A. is to morally vindicate class inequities and systematic waste whose only residual 'function' is to stand as the object of this self-same ritual of vindication. It has long been recognized that the main function of the criminal justice system is to sustain a sufficient level of crime to employ the network of lawyers, courts, police and prisons whose raison d'etre is combating the crime. That principle can be taken as universal. It is not easy to reconcile the contradictions, but it is so much harder to stop doing it that it makes it look easy by comparison. regards, Tom Walker http://www.vcn.bc.ca/timework/covenant.htm
