How do some people get to be so clever at covering up their own misdeeds by denouncing other people? So many of the rest of us are utter and complete failures at this. Where does their genius come from?
The latest foray into the game of covering up unkind deeds is the denunciation that Republicans roared at MoveOn.Org, an internet-based liberal political group, for making a pun out of General David Petraeus’s name. In a full-page ad in the New York Times, MoveOn wrote: Petraeus=Betray Us after the general reported that the invasion and recent surge in Iraq are successes and that opponents of the invasion are radical thugs with rings in their noses.
The Republican roar shifted attention away from the epic tragedy of Iraq and Petraeus’s contestable claims. They scapegoated MoveOn without taking one second to reflect upon any truth that is contained in their objections.
Win at any costs, say these denouncers. The costs are the truth, American and Iraqi lives, the economic disaster that the invasion is causing in the US and internationally, and the loss of American world leadership, to name a few. Do these Republicans care? No.
The good news for MoveOn is their own surge in fund-raising. In one day, they received a half a million in donations, the largest single donation in the few years of their existence.
This upside doesn’t really matter, though. What matters is the mindless fury of a few who do not have the executive skills to see that the consequences of their actions threaten the foundations of the US democracy. They do not see the terrible things they do in the name of winning.
Why can’t those who understand democracy and have good executive skills be as good at getting their own way as these denouncers who lie to themselves and to others?
The answer is in the question. Reasonable people understand democracy and think about the consequences of their actions. They have good executive skills. They have have consciences.
How are we ever going to defuse the influences of denouncers? They are mindless roarers.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Saturday, September 1, 2007
The Republican Party Power Brokers Have no Decency
The Republican Party hit the jackpot with its cruelty. Larry Craig resigned today as a US Senator after a firestorm of outrage set off when he pled guilty to lewd behavior in the men's room of the Minneapolis International Airport in the summer of 2007.
The first person to shun Senator Craig was Mitt Romney, Republican presidental hopeful, and known as the hypocrite-in-chief in Massachusetts where he lied about his views on homosexuality and abortion in order to be elected governor of the state, which he was.
The party that gets votes and keeps its power by playing to the prejudices and myths held by a minority of the American public once more is shown to be riddled not only with hypocrisy but with beliefs that are inhuman and inhumane.
So what if Craig is gay or bisexual? He is a human being, entitled to be who he is. The unreasonable beliefs about homosexuality have deeply hurt him and his family and GLBT people in general, now only today but for centuries.
From this horror may came some enlightenment. The Republican Party is being hung by its own petard, by its own ridiculous, cruel views and practices.
I also wonder if Craig would have been bullied and bludgeoned into resigning if the governor of his state were a Democrat. Probably not, because a Democratic governor would appoint a Democratic senator. That would upset the balance of power in the Senate.
The so-called moral and family values of the Republican Party not only are inhumane, but they will be trumped if loss of Republican power is at stake.
Open your minds. Be kind, not cruel. Hate mongering does untold damage.
The Republicans I know are as troubled by these events as I am. In reality, this is not a debacle that all Republicans have a hand in.
Those who hounded Craig out of his duly elected office have committed an unkind deed and then covered up with self-righteous cruelty and blather. They have succeeded in being shits.
Who will hold them accountable? When? Have they no decency?
On being a shit is a blog that points out the unkind deeds and cover-ups that are so pervasive in politics and other aspects of U.S. life.
The first person to shun Senator Craig was Mitt Romney, Republican presidental hopeful, and known as the hypocrite-in-chief in Massachusetts where he lied about his views on homosexuality and abortion in order to be elected governor of the state, which he was.
The party that gets votes and keeps its power by playing to the prejudices and myths held by a minority of the American public once more is shown to be riddled not only with hypocrisy but with beliefs that are inhuman and inhumane.
So what if Craig is gay or bisexual? He is a human being, entitled to be who he is. The unreasonable beliefs about homosexuality have deeply hurt him and his family and GLBT people in general, now only today but for centuries.
From this horror may came some enlightenment. The Republican Party is being hung by its own petard, by its own ridiculous, cruel views and practices.
I also wonder if Craig would have been bullied and bludgeoned into resigning if the governor of his state were a Democrat. Probably not, because a Democratic governor would appoint a Democratic senator. That would upset the balance of power in the Senate.
The so-called moral and family values of the Republican Party not only are inhumane, but they will be trumped if loss of Republican power is at stake.
Open your minds. Be kind, not cruel. Hate mongering does untold damage.
The Republicans I know are as troubled by these events as I am. In reality, this is not a debacle that all Republicans have a hand in.
Those who hounded Craig out of his duly elected office have committed an unkind deed and then covered up with self-righteous cruelty and blather. They have succeeded in being shits.
Who will hold them accountable? When? Have they no decency?
On being a shit is a blog that points out the unkind deeds and cover-ups that are so pervasive in politics and other aspects of U.S. life.
Billy Pittman Scores Big
Billy Pittman, a wide receiver for the Univeristy of Texas Longhorns football team, borrowed a friend’s car during the summer of 2007, in violation of the rules of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Such actions threaten his status as an amateur athlete.
Following up on an anonymous tip, University officials asked Billy about the use of the car. Billy admitted it right away. The University held him responsible for his actions. The coach suspended him for three games. The University voluntarily reported the rule violation to the college athletic association, the NCAA.
Billy made an almost perfect statement of accountability: “I’m really sorry. It was an honest mistake, and I’ll do everyting I can to make up for it.” What would have made it perfect would have been “I made a mistake. I’m really sorry. I’d do everyting I can to make up for it.” Then, of course, he has to mend his ways and make up for it. Saying it was an honest mistake was his statement one of self-justification, which was unnecessary.
Good for you, Billy. You are a real man. You made a mistake and you admitted it. You also pledged to make up for it.
Following up on an anonymous tip, University officials asked Billy about the use of the car. Billy admitted it right away. The University held him responsible for his actions. The coach suspended him for three games. The University voluntarily reported the rule violation to the college athletic association, the NCAA.
Billy made an almost perfect statement of accountability: “I’m really sorry. It was an honest mistake, and I’ll do everyting I can to make up for it.” What would have made it perfect would have been “I made a mistake. I’m really sorry. I’d do everyting I can to make up for it.” Then, of course, he has to mend his ways and make up for it. Saying it was an honest mistake was his statement one of self-justification, which was unnecessary.
Good for you, Billy. You are a real man. You made a mistake and you admitted it. You also pledged to make up for it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
