Government Corruption

     In the book Grave Secrets by Kathy Reichs, Temperence Brennan, a well known forensic anthropologist is sent to Guatemala to uncover and identify genocide victems. However, in Guatemala, she is faced with discrimination and a corrupt government. What I found apalling was the corruption she was faced with in the midst of law enforcement, and how the people in power abused it to cover up their own secrets or those of someone they were protecting, especially when faced with "outsiders."
     When the book opens on Brennan, uncovering skeletons in a part of Guatemala where corrupt armies committed mass genocide on the civilian people, she is already being confronted with the fear and hostility that it is implied that all "outsiders" are treated with. This continues through the book, flaring up especially when she meets DA Diaz, who greets her by telling her that "I have been a prosecutor for almost twenty years, and in all that time I have never required, nor have I requested, outside help in a death investigation." Brennan is shocked when she hears this, and I believe that this is because she has never encountered this type of discrimination before. I suspect that this is because being white, she has almost never encountered racism towards her before.
     However, what I was most appalled by was the corruption in the government. Here in America, democracy has been a part of our lives for the majority of our country. The idea that criminal activities- major ones, such as murder- had been committed and covered up by people working in the government, scared the living daylights out of me. After thinking about it, I decided the reason was because people in government have power. They have power to stop an investigation in it's tracks, to frustrate all efforts of solving the crime, and to persuade people in their favor. I feel that no matter what, the danger of abuse of power in the government is there, because it's so available and tempting.