[The Soup Nazi]

Fuck the FCC / Fuck the FBI / Fuck the CIA / Livin' in the motherfuckin' USA!
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Fareed Zakaria today on FBI director James Comey and his horseshit letter to Congress. (I had to type this shit, so ya better read it):

There are so few details provided by FBI director James Comey that it is impossible to know what to make of his decision to inform Congress about new e-mails relating to Hillary Clinton's server. The timing is unfortunate, since Justice Department guidelines expressly advices officers to be careful not to do anything, through action or announcement, that could interfere with elections or the democratic process.

It also raises a larger issue. The United States has gone too far down the road of criminalizing public policy. When your oponents do something wrong, even profoundly wrong, in politics it is often best to treat it for what it is: bad judgement, bad policy, bad ethics, and then make the case to the electorate to hold those people accountable. It should not be standard practice to instantly begin searching for ways to treat that behavior as criminal.

This has been a bipartisan problem. When Democrats controlled the Legislature under the Reagan administration, they turned the Iran-Contra affair into a legal matter which resulted in the appointment of an independent council, years of inquiries, and bitter partisan divisions. Then came the Clinton years, when the zeal exploded. The investigations of Bill Clinton consumed public attention, cost tens of millions of dollars, and resulted in an impeachment that was totally unrelated to the original alleged offense: Whitewater, on which no charges were ever filed.

The last two presidencies have seen something of a respit from these witch-hunts, but it seems possible that we are ramping up again for a round of criminalization of policy differences. House Republicans are now promising years of hearing and inquiries should Hillary Clinton be elected President.

The FBI and the Justice Department in particular should stand as independent institutions, and not be swayed by demands made by partisans on either side. James Comey's decision to provide lively commentary on his decisions to testify to Congress, to send them raw FBI data, and now send them this vague letter, are all a break with longstanding practice and established procedures. Not since J Edgar Hoover has an FBI director positioned himself as a player in the political realm.

The power to use the State to put someone in jail is an awesome authority. It should not be used against political oponents. It poisons the public arena, it makes politics a life-and-death affair, and it reminds one of Third World banana republics, not an advanced democracy.