Legality Quotes
In every major war in the United States there have been government activities contrary to law, most of which were embarrassments when discovered years later and in retrospect most of which did not help the war effort in any way but undermined the sense of law and order either by not enforcing certain laws (profiteering in WWI or violence against war protesters in the Vietnam War), passing new laws that in retrospect were unjust or unconstitutional (incarceration of Japanese Americans in WWII) or by engaging in illegal activities (illegal spying and detention in the Iraq War.)
Between the politicians and the financial industry lobbyists the laws are written so that there is sufficient room for enough self dealing so that members of Congress can get rich using methods that are questionable but have been legislated as legal and the Congressional rules have been written so that they are “not unethical”. Many members of Congress leave the institution much wealthier than when they entered but have received salaries that are insufficient to build that kind of wealth. Many then accept lobbying or other jobs at very high pay representing the people and corporations who have been the subjects of their legislative efforts. Other members do not avail themselves of the “legal” self dealing as the practice is not universal.
Spinoza’s ideas were considered so radical and dangerous that he was the only man in history who was excommunicated by the Catholics, the Jews and the Muslims.
