How many times have you watched some movie or TV show depicting the villain as extreme governmental control, with severe abuse of innocents as the cause of rebellion? We sit through these horrors, reassuring ourselves that this would never happen in America. Why? Because, we tell ourselves, we would never allow things to deteriorate to such a degree that the level of control and abuse we are witnessing could occur.

Well don't be so sure. How do you think those film scenarios were conceived? Certainly from lively imaginations, but also from history; mankind has a long tradition of cruel, suppressive conduct toward his fellow human beings.

According to The Oxford English Dictionary, "justice" is defined as "maintenance of legal, social, or moral principles by the exercise of authority or power; assignment of deserved reward or punishment," "the quality or fact of being just; (the principle of) just dealing or conduct; integrity; impartiality, fairness," and "conformity (of an action or thing) to moral right or to reason, truth, or fact."

The above definitions are foundational to our democracy. When these principles fail on any level, whether in our national arena, district courts, or local civil-rights commissions, this failure contributes to the overall erosion of our system.

This 600th issue marks the Reader's 14th year in publication. My husband, Todd McGreevy, and I founded this paper for several important reasons: to stimulate alternative viewpoints from those in the mainstream media; to disseminate relevant, truthful, well-researched information conveyed through intelligent writing; to expose Quad Citians to the community's vibrant arts culture populated by individuals and groups with plenty of energy and talent; to provide the area's most comprehensive calendar of events as a resource for both patrons and venues to inspire connectivity; to offer advertisers the opportunity to reach a loyal, educated, and economically active consumer group that defines our exceptional readership; and finally to provide meaningful, productive, and lucrative employment opportunities that creatively engage individuals in the vital mission of conveying need-to-know information in a collaborative environment.

On Native Soil made its debut Monday evening, August 21, on Court TV. It is a documentary hosted by Kevin Costner and Hilary Swank on the grassroots efforts of 9/11 victims' families and loved ones to hold the United States government accountable for the tragedy that changed our nation forever.

The film acknowledges in no small measure that Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda are clearly the mass murderers responsible for the deaths of thousands on 9/11. But their evil was perpetrated because of the aggregate failure of our government on many levels, including failed policy and preparedness as reported in the 9/11 Commission's final report, but mostly "a failure of imagination."