ETHICS, My Aunt Fanny…

~~Posted by kenoshaMarge

(Note: This piece was written before Stephanie Tubbs Jones passed away.)

While doing some research on another topic on Congresspedia I found a link to a section on ethics and ethics training schedules.

I find it amazing that people who have been elected to the Senate or to the House of Representatives, the two highest legislative branches of our government, would need Ethics Training. However if you follow this link it will take you to the Committee On Standards of Official Conduct website. You will find their training calendar. And if the training didn’t take the first time on 8/15/2008 they can come back on09/19/08 to try again.

Unless you haven’t been paying attention or if you have been paying attention to anything that issues forth from the Corporate Media, you may believe that politicians who care about what is best for their country run our government.

You may even believe that they have at heart the best interests of the people they were elected to represent. See here. 

What is really sad, IMHO, is that so many really smart people, people with integrity themselves find the lack of integrity in politicians acceptable; the “pols will be pols” attitude that I find reprehensible. Reprehensible in that by accepting that “pols will be pols” you enable their bad behavior.

Don’t want you folks teaching my children or training my dog. (Caution, do not click on this link if infected with prudery.)

Unfortunately ethical behavior in Washington D.C. is most effectively defined by which party is being discussed. Democrats are appalled at unethical behavior by Republicans and Republicans are equally aghast at the same lack of ethical standards in Democrats. Perhaps once you become a politician some invisible being swooped in and scooped out honesty and integrity and replaced it with a heapin’-helpin’ of hypocrisy.

Ethical behavior in media is an endangered species. Greed replaced integrity long ago and mammoth paychecks for mediocrities are SOP. Corporate media doesn’t want an informed citizenry. An informed citizenry would see through their carefully scripted disinformation to the public. An informed citizenry would say no thanks to their blather and go play with the kids, talk to their spouse, read a book or any activity that could be done without the strident tones of a pundidiot ringing in their ears.

Media that could not even be honest about something as simple as fireworks at the Beijing Olympics suggests that everything else they do and say may be tainted as well.

We all know people in our lives that are chronic liars. I know several. One I have known for over 40 years. She lied then, she lies now and you can’t believe a freaking thing the woman says. I feel the same way about Corporate Media. Ethics from them? Pffft!

Granted some politicians are more ethical than others. The sad fact is that 100% ethical, honest people that speak the truth and let the cards fall where they may, wouldn’t be elected to the house or the senate. For which we, the public are to blame. Many of us will excuse any aberration in a candidate from “our” party and will nitpick a candidate from the opposing party to death. Thus our ethical behavior is corrupted too. Once we start making excuses we are part of the problem.

These are difficult times for decent people. We need to dig deep and find that honest core. Or we become them. And that is unacceptable. Just as their lack of honesty and integrity are unacceptable. Ethical training sessions at the congressional level? Unbelievable.

In the last verse of one of my favorite John Cougar Mellencamp songs it says:

Sister

She’s got a lot of pride

You can see it when she walks into the room

But she’s young

And she’s unaware

Of what a brutal world can do to you

So she loves a man

He lies like a dog

Tears her little world all apart

So the walls go up

For the rest of her days

And there ain’t no man can touch this girl’s heart

Here’s a link to the lyrics if you’re interested and a link to the song if you’re a Mellencamp fan.

I may not be young and unaware, but substitute party, as in political party for the word man in the last line and that’s where I am today. I want people in office that don’t “need” ethical training sessions when they have reached the level of elected office that sends them to Washington D.C.

I will vote on issues,actions and integrity not on party, personality, gender, race, or most vacuous of all, charisma. Ethical behavior, sigh, should be a given.

Note: This is in no way meant as a slam at those that serve on the ethics committee. In the congress we can at least rejoice that Stephanie Tubbs Jones is in charge to trying to instill what she has in abundance in those who are not so equipped. Ditto the Senate where Barbara Boxer has this thankless task.

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Ethics Training Calendar

http://ethics.house.gov/