“I sat there listening to Edward Liddy, hoping that he would ask the Lavender Inquisitor if he had “no shame” (or at least tell him to go to Hell... which he kinda, sorta started to do).”
Why would Liddy sit there and take that abuse? I believe he is also there for show and is in on the whole scam.
Could be. I'm waiting for the day when someone is called to appear before Congress, and right there on C-SPAN they deliver a short, cogent form of John Galt's speech -- lay into those politicians and exhort people to rise up everywhere and say "Enough!"
But so far, everyone kind of seems "in on it" to some degree, and no one wants to be the next John Hancock.