Hollow Apologies
The Dirty Bomb of Unaccountability
October 17, 2002
A dollar used to be able to buy something and apologies used to have some substance. But in contemporary America, an apology is nothing more than another perverted dénouement in our societal soap opera of the unaccountable.
For all practical purposes, the morals of American society have devolved into an infinite loop of malice with the following sequence:
Commission of immoral and/or illegal deeds
Apprehension (being discovered)
Attempt at a cover-up through denial, lies & disinformation (more lies)
Assumption of “Victim” status & begrudging guilt (“It wasn’t my fault”)
Crocodile tears (mostly from being caught)
Forgiveness (a.k.a. no personal accountability)
Celebrity status (a.k.a. another potato-head selling their slime on the talk show circuit
There is little doubt among the rational that the tolerance and encouragement of unaccountability has become a societal virus whose infectious qualities discriminate against none.
The Torricelli debacle is a great example of this. Torricelli uses his Office as a vehicle for unethical and, almost undoubtedly, illegal personal enrichment. Once discovered, he launches a series of barefaced denials while his accomplices (a.k.a. Senate Democrats) start the B.S. machine churning out disinformation in an attempt to obscure the truth. As the facts start to overwhelm the lies, Torricelli receives a “pat” on the wrist from a Senate ethics panel controlled by people with self-interests tied to Torricelli’s fate.
At the end of the day, all Torricelli can do is play the victim, “I remember in our culture that a person would spend a lifetime building credibility, so it would stand against who had none if they were ever challenged… When we did become such an unforgiving people?” Talk about arrogant entitlement!
And, what will be the consequences? A good guess might be that as payback (bribe?) for being an obedient soldier in the Daschle gang, Torricelli is enabled into a million dollar per year position to use the benefits of his corruption as influence over his former Senate peers…called Lobbyist!
While on the topic of unaccountable delusory idiots, the name of John Walker Lindh comes to mind. Lindh, the American Taliban, was recently sentenced to 20 (might serve 17) years in jail for his role as a Taliban soldier. For those with a short memory, Taliban Johnny told a Newsweek reporter in December of 2001 that, “he became a self-described ‘jihadist,’ a holy warrior, and …that he ‘supported’ the September 11 terrorist attacks.”
For those with a shorter memory…at his sentencing Lindh, “apologized for his actions and told the court he regretted ever joining the Taliban and did not do so in order to fight America.” Even more amusing was Lindh’s courtroom performance, “I made a mistake by joining the Taliban," he said, his voice breaking and halting. "I want the American people to know that had I realized then what I know now about the Taliban, I would never have joined them.” Of course the phony tears were constantly flowing.
And what is your regret little Johnny…That the Taliban lost, that you were captured and that you are mercifully facing 20 years in the slammer. To the point, Walker regrets having been caught at his malice. The abuse of accountability!
It’s just so easy to shed crocodile tears once the jig is up and it is even more than pathetic that these tears so often work. Just ask any murderer. They all say, “I’m so sorry…If I could only undo my wrong…If I could take it back…Blah, Blah, Blah.”
There appears to be little downside for mothers who drown their children, spoiled suburban teenage brats who become jihadists, corporate executives who rape their shareholders, politicians who betray their country or any multitude of scumbags who wish to pee on the laws of this nation while still enjoying the full benefits of the American legal system. It has become much too easy to perform the act and not to be accountable for the consequences.
So why is the truth such an important issue? What is the real downside of America’s ongoing theater of unaccountability? Is this any more than a molehill of a nuisance being blown into a mountain of a rant?
It is written in Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”
Just look to President Bush’s 7 October address concerning the Iraqi threat.
The President warns that, “An Iraqi regime faced with its own demise may attempt cruel and desperate measures. If Saddam Hussein orders such measures, his generals would be well advised to refuse those orders. If they do not refuse, they must understand that all war criminals will be pursued and punished.”
Is this just another hollow threat? After all, most of Japan’s WW II criminals, including those who used biological warfare agents on civilians and American POW’s, became esteemed business and political leaders in the post war world. Our cuddly little Al Qaeda friends presently vacationing at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba are being served their 3 square Islamic meals per day. And, Taliban Johnny got an easy 20 (called 17) for being a traitor to his own nation.
And this goes without even mentioning the idiotic performances of Congressjerks Jim McDermott and David Bonior. Other than observing that the McDermott- Bonior duet is a case of the patients running the institution, these two Quislings are subjects for another day.
Why should Iraqi generals fear the consequences of firing a thousand Sarin (nerve gas) filled artillery rounds at American troops?
Let’s play a little make-believe.
You are an Iraqi general. Sultry Saddam orders you to nerve gas a few thousand American troops. You have a decision to make. Either disobey Saddam’s orders and face the absolute certainty of having your tongue slit, your wife systematically raped and your son being castrated…Or…ignore the Bush warning and face U.S. justice.
Which, as in the usual course of events, means that once captured you can deny complicity (blame Saddam), cry a bit, ask for forgiveness, have the American Civil Liberties Union jump to your defense, invoke American Constitutional protections and, after a few pats on the wrist become a talk show celebrity. Not to mention the benefits of culturally appropriate meals and medical care replete with mental counseling.
Screw it…launch the nerve gas!!!
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