Friday, March 15, 2013

Social Diamonds in the Rough

Buried in the silliness over the dreaded sequester impact on White House tours is a significant point. Since the deprivations of sequester are appearing more and more politically inspired, responsibility for the tour cancellations have shifted again and again, amazingly at very high levels. But underneath these shifts is a profound social problem: Lying. Insincerity.

Now many just slough the mendacity off as "politics as usual." And it might be. But reverting to the lowest common denominator does not make something justifiable or right. Or desirable. It creates a corrosive cynicism in the culture, a culture that, at its core, has high aims and ideals whether we admit it or not. Those ideals must be maintained for the culture to be maintained.

Last year Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Congressional questioners were haranguing each other about the Benghazi mess and when Mrs. Clinton finally screamed, "What difference does it make?" the question hung there until it became rhetorical.

But the answer was, "Truth. Truth makes a difference."

http://steeleydock.blogspot.com/2009/04/mendacity.html

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