BAM! Just Like That!: Why is this man smiling??

On the left you can see Tom DeLay.
As lyrics penned by Ray Davies of the Kinks might state it, "He's a well respected man about town, doing the best things so conservatively". A "have" as the term goes.
Mr. DeLay is under indictment for alleged fraud and swindle on a national, political level. His honor, integrity and trustworthiness to the American people as a whole are all under question.

On the right we have Dwayne Thomas.
Arrested this fall in St. Paul, Minneapolis for allegedly threatening his girlfriend.
While true, this was a boorish thing to do, it really had no repercussions on the average tax paying citizen and besides Dwayne was not elected as a matter of trust like Tom was. Dwayne is a "have not".

Dwayne's mug shot is typical of those we see daily on the network news and in the press. A large man with an intimidating gaze photographed while someone insisted as a matter of process that he not smile at the camera. His being black just adds to the fear factor allure that attracts and compells Joe and Jane Average to refrain from questioning authority and thankfully going along with the program in place by local and federal law enforcement because they feel they are being protected from people like Dwayne.
It also helps the network news retain good ratings.
Joe and Jane still haven't come to realize that they are more in need of protection from glad handing people like Tom.
Even less do they understand that if Dwayne or anyone of any or no color what so ever, were so inclined as to do Joe or Jane harm, the system which Tom is a part of wouldn't arrive until that damage was already done making their effectiveness in this arena pretty much a moot point.
On the other hand, the odds of the system that allowed Tom to (allegedly) pilfer and profit while hiding behind his position of power, to protect Joe and Jane are equally moot since Tom is the system created to protect Joe and Jane. And both Tom and that system allowed, if not contributed to just that happening (allegedly) in spite of itself.

Ah, but then there's Tom's mug shot. It's the epitome of smugness and a far cry of an exception to the rule as to what law enforcement would have ever let Dwayne get away with during his fifteen infamous minutes in the sun.
Dwayne's picture like so many other of society's minor offenders, menacing, somewhat disheveled and feral, captured for posterity and the typical prurient interest of an item on the evening news, intentinally portrays a good reason to lock your doors and windows before bed.
Yet with the explicit grace of law enforcement, Tom is granted to smile out at us with confidence, a joi de vie and a complete lack of any remorse.
Much like a game show host who smilingly expresses regret at our loss, he absolves himself of all involvement or guilt as if offering a home version of the game as consolation for our family enjoyment.
Then he quickly introduces this weeks next contestant.
But it's us... the American people... all over again.
And for Tom, as his picture would seem to imply, it's all just a game show.