Another Blow to American Exceptionalism

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 09:07:00 -0600

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has done us all a favor: he’s put a damper on the recent bout of American exceptionalism.

Yes, we elected a member of a minority group to the presidency. And yes, we we’ve got crooks in politics. We are at times a great nation, but we’re still one of the nations.

In terms of corruption, the United States is among the cleaner countries of the world, although nowhere near the top. Here’s Transparency International (TI)’s most recent Corruption Perception Index, with the US at 20, between France and Belgium. Blagojevich’s (alleged) crimes will unlikely change this ranking.

But by trying to sell Obama’s senate seat (FBI page), Blagojevich put American political corruption on television screens and newspapers around the world. Here are screen shots from news sites in countries with relatively poor records of corruption, according to TI: This Day of Nigeria; Jawa Pos of Indonesia; Telesur of Venezuela; and China View of China. The first two are independent, the latter two funded by the governments.

What's stronger than Privacy?

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:08:00 -0600

Is privacy as high as we can go?

I celebrate the European Court of Human Rights’ decision, from December 4, that Britain is wrong to store DNA information of innocent suspects—but wonder if privacy is as strong a foundation for human rights as it’s cracked up to be.

The ruling pertains to the 860,000 people without criminal records, whose DNA had been sampled while they were suspects. The two men who brought the suit did so under privacy concerns, claiming that having their information in the database was humiliating and stigmatizing.

While I agree with the ruling, I’ve been more than a little concerned with the long-term legal fate of genetic information. Privacy is just one small angle. There’s also ownership: the patenting of life.

Genetic tracing is one of several scientific and technological innovations that have grown far faster than our culture’s capacity to develop corresponding ethical standards. We have the power of Gods and the moral muscles of toddlers.

I am sure these issues are getting worked over at high levels in academies, religious bodies, and the like, but the threat is serious. I don’t know much about privacy law, but my sense is that even its greatest limits are insufficient to contain the potential for mischief carried by this new power.

Is there another ethics that reaches farther?

Urbana.org All Things New Blog - law

Another Blow to American Exceptionalism

What's stronger than Privacy?