Ellington

The controversy surrounding the video of Saddam Hussein's hanging holds a lesson for us here in Jackson. You'll notice that while the civilized world is outraged by the way Hussein was hanged, Iraqi officials are more outraged that someone videoed the hanging and thereby exposed their cruel methods. They have vowed to find and prosecute the scoundrels who exposed them to the world! Governments simply hate transparency, for it leads to accountability.

Some of our government officials in Jackson are also zealous to keep out the scrutinizing gaze of the public. They prefer to meet and plan in private, and then, when they are ready, give us staged presentations. That process gives the appearance of good government, but it excludes the most important component of our government--the people of Jackson.

Why do they do it? Because government of, by and for the people is messy, be it in Mississippi or in the Middle East. It involves oversight, debate, protest, video cameras that catch corruption, reporters that write articles about abusive mayors and excessive City Attorney fees. For the government, the people are a pain in the ass because we embarrass, expose and object. And as such we are the only power that has ever kept a government accountable to the governed.

Long live the people and their cell phone camera batteries.