Letters from North
America
I
suppose I am just old
and out of touch with
reality but that doesn’t
mean I am necessarily
looking to change. It
probably just won’t
happen. In fact I’m
certain it won’t happen.
In the future I feel
fairly sure that one
midnight I will have to
go to the front door and
be confronted with a
troop of ‘political
correctness’ cops. They
will have some type of
executive order issued
by some federal
magistrate (appointed,
not elected) who has
willingly issued an
order to transport me…
mind and body to the
nearest PC gulag.
My crime? Failure to
deal with the reality of
the times. Speaking out
against what I perceive
is immoral, illegal or
just downright wrong.
Case in point. In
today’s paper there is a
story about a state
official responsible for
contracts worth millions
of dollars receiving
gifts and presents from
one of the companies
seeking more contract
money. In the article
the official states that
he just never thought
about there being any
connection with the
thousands of dollars in
gifts and perks he
received and the
company. He just thought
these were given to him
because they ‘liked him’
and they were ‘friends’.
When asked whether or
not he remembered $700
football tickets, he
replied that he was
‘old’ and couldn’t
recall any events going
back a year or so ago.
My response is that if
he’s too old and senile
to recall a football
game then he certainly
should not be in any
position to vote on the
handing out of millions
of dollars in taxpayer
money.
The majority of us have
jobs or worked for
someone at some point in
time in our lives. Most
of us came into those
jobs with an innate
sense of honesty. We
knew it was wrong to
steal from those who
employed us or to lie
concerning our various
responsibilities.
However it seems in our
changing times, it isn’t
politically correct to
do this any longer. In
fact the more you can
get away with, the more
notoriety and attention
you can expect to
receive. In fact you may
get your own reality
show.
Take Dave Letterman’s
revelation last week of
having multiple
relations with his
office co-workers. This
confession consumed the
airways for nearly a
week. His confession to
his audience about his
behavior elicited laughs
and applause. For what?
Adultery and being
unfaithful to his wife
and children? Ha..ha…ha….isn’t
this funny?
Not…..
What has happened to
just plain old common
decency in this country?
Or the world for that
matter? Don’t honesty,
integrity, loyalty and
other values have any
place in our fast paces
internet connected,
facebook and twitter
world? Is the new order
of the day along the
lines of do anything as
long as you don’t get
caught and then loudly
declare your innocence?
Last week in one of our
courts, we had the trial
of a man charged with
the killing of six
people. The defense
argued that this man
came from an abused
background and suffered
from a lack of self
esteem. This was the
root cause for his
murderous streak. He got
the death penalty. I
know a lot of people who
came from abused
backgrounds and who have
poor self esteem and
most of those people
sought help for their
issues. None that I
recall went out and
murdered one much less
six others. There have
been letters to the
editor in our local
paper complaining that
his penalty was too
severe. They argued that
he lacked the skills
necessary to keep him
from harming others.
Tell that to the
families of those six
murdered individuals.
Maybe this man did have
a self esteem issue, but
does that eliminate him
from seeking help to
deal with it? Doesn’t
the man who takes $700
football tickets see
that there could be a
connection between what
he takes and what he is
expected to give?
Doesn’t David Letterman
realize that his actions
are viewed by millions
and that men (and women)
having their high
profiles are models for
behavior of others? If
they lie, cheat and
steal, then have we
gotten to the point that
it is acceptable for all
of us to do the same?
As I said earlier, have
we gotten to the point
to where nothing is a
crime or frowned upon
except getting caught?
I hope not and I will
continue what I can to
stop or slow this
creeping attitude. Even
if it means being carted
off to some remotely
located retraining area
for the remainder of my
life.
Comments go to
pperry@austin.rr.com
