“Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law breaker, it breeds contempt for the law.”

Just look around....!

...look at Tom Delay! Here's an example of how our government gets around the laws they have created.

Warning! Don't do at home what they do in Washington DC. You could go to jail.

When the government authorizes larceny (calling it tax, federal reserve, etc.) with impunity, it breeds contempt for true law, integrity, compassion for one's fellow man, and creates an atmosphere of cheaters (look at the Obamunist's picks) When the peace officers become law enforcement thugs and revenuers, the whole of society becomes violent. When violation of natural law becomes the norm, people rationalize their actions against their fellow man as justifiable. Etc. Etc. Etc. The destruction of any society begins with its government.

The government rules, not only by making rules that turn law abiding citizens into criminals, but with the ultimate threat of violence. Now you tell me...who are the real criminals?

J Carlton and Mike summed it up well.

Is this apropos to breaking international law and treaties concerning torture, or what? I don't know where Mike, J and Jim live but I am glad I don't live there.My government is composed of my friends, neighbors and relatives, I plan on keeping it that way. Granted there are on occasion some bad apples, Delay et al.

Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Lord Acton

Then you can probably count yourself among criminals Waffler.

The mystery is solved: now I know why I hold government in such contempt. Very good, Carlton. Very good. Criminals always have a reason to justify their criminality and to them the crime is in the victim resisting their robbery.

Waffler, your friends, neighbors and relatives are criminals also - you live within an enclave of felonious reprobates (what do all your buds down at the IRS think?)

Waffler, I live in Texas, not Lala land where you live.

The contagion is so massive, that every elected official is dependent upon a system of debt and subservience to the national credit line in order to survive. Responsibility and production be damned -- get elected on promises of giving money to the robbed and enslaved, bound and regulated by rules that keep the racket(s) going.