"Let's Kill All the Lawyers" . . . and the Judges and Reporters, Too

According to a new UN report, October was the deadliest month yet for civilians in Iraq, with 3,709 reported killings by insurgents, militias, and sectarian groups.

One interesting detail: The report mentions that among those especially targeted for attacks are "journalists, judges, and lawyers." It makes sense. These are three professions that represent independent sources of power and influence in any society, which totalitarians and would-be totalitarians naturally abhor. At their best, journalists, judges, and lawyers stand up for the little people against government, business, military, and sectarian interests, and provide a space where truth and freedom have a chance to take root.

Remember this the next time you see America's so-called conservatives attacking the same three groups--journalists, judges, and lawyers. In the US, the attacks are usually political and psychological (though they have sometimes become physical and violent). But the conservatives' objective is similar to the objective of the terrorists in Iraq: To weaken and ultimately eliminate alternatives to the single repository of power and truth which the totalitarians control.

Tags: Iraq, journalists, judges, lawyers, totalitarianism