Moral Authority
Let me begin by saying I wouldn't defend Anthony Weiner for all the tea in China. I think he's a scumbag.
Just in case you missed the video here's a link to what I'm about to talk about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KVb0pOKEnXk
That's retired New York City schoolteacher and administrator Peg Brunda giving mayoral candidate a piece of her mind. During her diatribe, she questions Weiner's "moral authority" to govern New York City. What is moral authority? Here's a definition from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_authority. I like this definition as well: http://definitions.uslegal.com/m/moral-authority/
Now let's take a hypothetical situation. A politician is violating his marital vows. His or her behavior is socially unacceptable, gross and disgusting to some. His or her spouse is behind him or her 100%. They go in front of the public and tell a lie concerning their violations of those vows.
Does that person lack moral authority? If it wasn't a politician and instead had been Peg Brunda, could she have been fired? I don't think so. Sexting isn't a crime. Infidelity isn't a crime. Lying about sexting or infidelity isn't a crime. Now teachers in almost every public school system have a clause in their contracts about moral turpitude and some may consider such behavior to fit into that category. I don't think it does. Teachers have been fired for having sex but I'm not aware of one who was fired when their partner wasn't a student.
Now Ms Brunda identified herself as a Democrat. I suspect that when President Clinton was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice, Ms Brunda was one of his defenders. Fine. He deserved the support of his constituency.
But after the President of the United States raised his right hand, swore an oath to tell the truth, and then lied, does he still possess the moral authority to govern? Isn't lying under oath (and it's easy to prove President Clinton did that, just read the definition of sex he was provided before giving his deposition and the transcript of that deposition) worse than sexting and then lying about it to the public, when not under oath? I think when examined without considering the individual person, most of us would rank lying under oath as worse than lying to the public about sexting.
In my view, both men lacked moral authority, but because one was extremely popular, and doing a good job as far as his constituents were concerned (hey, I think he did a good job too); and the other wasn't, one gets a pass and the other doesn't. Is that fair? I don't think so.
* * *
Today is the day Bradley Manning will learn how many years he will spend behind bars. Yesterday there were a number of comments from veterans ranging from World War II to Afghanistan on Manning. Is he patriot, traitor or what?
Anyone who volunteers to serve is a patriot by my definition. But PFC Manning lost that label when he betrayed the trust of his nation. The act of betrayal makes one a traitor, again by definition.
There's a scene from "A Few Good Men" that unfortunately isn't available as a short clip. Here's the dialogue:
LT Kaffee: "What do you want from me?"
LT CMDR Galloway: "I want you to make an argument."
LT Weinberg: "An argument that didn't help Calley at My Lai, or the Nazis at Nuremberg."
Lt Calley and those Nazis argued they were following orders and it didn't help them. That argument can be flipped around here. The argument has been made that the orders to keep the information that PFC Manning leaked wasn't a lawful order because it concealed evidence of a crime.
Maybe that argument applies to SOME of that information. It doesn't apply to all of it. PFC Manning is guilty of espionage. Aiding the enemy was a stretch. Article 104 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice does mention the word "indirectly" in terms of giving intelligence to the enemy but I think it was right to find him not guilty of that charge.
Bottom line is that he's not a hero and he didn't do the right thing. That's why he's going to spend a long time at Fort Leavenworth.
* * *
Random Ponderings:
How many comedians asked the question, "will Weiner pull out?"
Who will cook the burgers and inject the fat into the French fries if all of the workers at McDonald's go on strike?
When will all the naysayers about this year's Dodgers shut up? They've won 27 of their last 33 games.
Do people using e-cigarettes really think they're all that much safer? Then again, maybe they are.
Is El Monte exercising eminent domain to stop foreclosure a good idea?
What kind of moron is on the phone when he's driving a train at twice the posted speed limit? Oh, the kind that kills 78 people.
Did the L.A. Times really call an 18 year old female a woman in the headline and then refer to her as a girl in the text of the story? Yes they did.
So one of the people arrested in connection with the rioting in Huntington Beach is a Fullerton fireman. I bet he's in big trouble.
Did Mayor Filner really ask the city to pay his legal fees? The man isn't just a sexual predator, he's an idiot.
This Date In History:
On this date in 781, the oldest recorded eruption of Japan's Mt. Fuji takes place.
On this date in 904, Thessalonica is captured by the Arabs, who destroy the city.
On this date in 1492, the Alhambra Decree takes effect in Spain, requiring all Jews to be deported.
On this date in 1498, Christopher Columbus discovers Trinidad, during his third voyage.
On this date in 1790, the first U.S. patent is issued. Samuel Hopkins was issued a patent for a potash process.
On this date in 1913, the Balkan States sign an armistice.
On this date in 1930, the radio program "The Shadow" airs for the first time.
On this date in 1931, New York City's W2XAB begins broadcasting (it is now WCBS).
On this date in 1932, the German elections are won by the Nazi party.
On this date in 1941, Hermann Goring orders Reinhard Heydrich to submit plans for the "Final Solution" to be implemented.
On this date in 1948, the USS Nevada is sunk by aerial torpedo after surviving hits by two atomic bombs.
On this date in 1952, the first ascent of K-2 is completed.
On this date in 1961, the first MLB All-Star game to ever end in a tie is played in Boston.
On this date in 1964, Ranger 7 sends back the first close-up photos of the moon.
On this date in 1971, the Apollo 15 astronauts are the first to ride in a lunar rover.
Famous Folk Born On This Date:
Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
George Henry Thomas
S. S. Kresge
Salvatore Maranzano
Fred Quimby
Milton Friedman
Paul D. Boyer
Curt Gowdy
Peter Berenson
Ahmet Ertegun
Ted Cassidy
Lobo
Gary Lewis
William Weld
Faye Kellerman
Michael Biehn
Dirk Blocker
Mark Cuban
Wesley Snipes
Jim Corr
Pat Finn
John Laurinaitis
J.K. Rowling
Dean Cain
Peter Rono
Ben Chaplin
Movie quotes today come from "The Truth About Cats and Dogs", which Ben Chaplin played the male lead:
Abby: I have to tell you something.
Brian: What?
Abby: The other night on the phone...I'm pregnant.
Brian: Oh darling...are you sure it was me?
Abby: I don't know. I made a lot of phone calls that night.
#2
Dr. Abby Barnes: [to a radio caller:] Dogs don't like to be left alone. It's not like, when you leave, he goes, "Great, time to finish writing my novel!" No, when their humans leave, dogs get depressed, and they show it.
#3
Dr. Abby Barnes: You burp and guys think its adorable. You puke and they line up to hold your hair back.
#4
Abby: Did you call me?
Roy: What?
Abby: I heard dumb bitch. I assumed you were talking to me.
Roy: I was talking to her.
Abby: Your name is dumb bitch TOO? No wonder I keep getting all of your mail! You know, we could be related. There are a lot of us dumb bitches here in LA.
Just in case you missed the video here's a link to what I'm about to talk about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KVb0pOKEnXk
That's retired New York City schoolteacher and administrator Peg Brunda giving mayoral candidate a piece of her mind. During her diatribe, she questions Weiner's "moral authority" to govern New York City. What is moral authority? Here's a definition from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_authority. I like this definition as well: http://definitions.uslegal.com/m/moral-authority/
Now let's take a hypothetical situation. A politician is violating his marital vows. His or her behavior is socially unacceptable, gross and disgusting to some. His or her spouse is behind him or her 100%. They go in front of the public and tell a lie concerning their violations of those vows.
Does that person lack moral authority? If it wasn't a politician and instead had been Peg Brunda, could she have been fired? I don't think so. Sexting isn't a crime. Infidelity isn't a crime. Lying about sexting or infidelity isn't a crime. Now teachers in almost every public school system have a clause in their contracts about moral turpitude and some may consider such behavior to fit into that category. I don't think it does. Teachers have been fired for having sex but I'm not aware of one who was fired when their partner wasn't a student.
Now Ms Brunda identified herself as a Democrat. I suspect that when President Clinton was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice, Ms Brunda was one of his defenders. Fine. He deserved the support of his constituency.
But after the President of the United States raised his right hand, swore an oath to tell the truth, and then lied, does he still possess the moral authority to govern? Isn't lying under oath (and it's easy to prove President Clinton did that, just read the definition of sex he was provided before giving his deposition and the transcript of that deposition) worse than sexting and then lying about it to the public, when not under oath? I think when examined without considering the individual person, most of us would rank lying under oath as worse than lying to the public about sexting.
In my view, both men lacked moral authority, but because one was extremely popular, and doing a good job as far as his constituents were concerned (hey, I think he did a good job too); and the other wasn't, one gets a pass and the other doesn't. Is that fair? I don't think so.
* * *
Today is the day Bradley Manning will learn how many years he will spend behind bars. Yesterday there were a number of comments from veterans ranging from World War II to Afghanistan on Manning. Is he patriot, traitor or what?
Anyone who volunteers to serve is a patriot by my definition. But PFC Manning lost that label when he betrayed the trust of his nation. The act of betrayal makes one a traitor, again by definition.
There's a scene from "A Few Good Men" that unfortunately isn't available as a short clip. Here's the dialogue:
LT Kaffee: "What do you want from me?"
LT CMDR Galloway: "I want you to make an argument."
LT Weinberg: "An argument that didn't help Calley at My Lai, or the Nazis at Nuremberg."
Lt Calley and those Nazis argued they were following orders and it didn't help them. That argument can be flipped around here. The argument has been made that the orders to keep the information that PFC Manning leaked wasn't a lawful order because it concealed evidence of a crime.
Maybe that argument applies to SOME of that information. It doesn't apply to all of it. PFC Manning is guilty of espionage. Aiding the enemy was a stretch. Article 104 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice does mention the word "indirectly" in terms of giving intelligence to the enemy but I think it was right to find him not guilty of that charge.
Bottom line is that he's not a hero and he didn't do the right thing. That's why he's going to spend a long time at Fort Leavenworth.
* * *
Random Ponderings:
How many comedians asked the question, "will Weiner pull out?"
Who will cook the burgers and inject the fat into the French fries if all of the workers at McDonald's go on strike?
When will all the naysayers about this year's Dodgers shut up? They've won 27 of their last 33 games.
Do people using e-cigarettes really think they're all that much safer? Then again, maybe they are.
Is El Monte exercising eminent domain to stop foreclosure a good idea?
What kind of moron is on the phone when he's driving a train at twice the posted speed limit? Oh, the kind that kills 78 people.
Did the L.A. Times really call an 18 year old female a woman in the headline and then refer to her as a girl in the text of the story? Yes they did.
So one of the people arrested in connection with the rioting in Huntington Beach is a Fullerton fireman. I bet he's in big trouble.
Did Mayor Filner really ask the city to pay his legal fees? The man isn't just a sexual predator, he's an idiot.
This Date In History:
On this date in 781, the oldest recorded eruption of Japan's Mt. Fuji takes place.
On this date in 904, Thessalonica is captured by the Arabs, who destroy the city.
On this date in 1492, the Alhambra Decree takes effect in Spain, requiring all Jews to be deported.
On this date in 1498, Christopher Columbus discovers Trinidad, during his third voyage.
On this date in 1790, the first U.S. patent is issued. Samuel Hopkins was issued a patent for a potash process.
On this date in 1913, the Balkan States sign an armistice.
On this date in 1930, the radio program "The Shadow" airs for the first time.
On this date in 1931, New York City's W2XAB begins broadcasting (it is now WCBS).
On this date in 1932, the German elections are won by the Nazi party.
On this date in 1941, Hermann Goring orders Reinhard Heydrich to submit plans for the "Final Solution" to be implemented.
On this date in 1948, the USS Nevada is sunk by aerial torpedo after surviving hits by two atomic bombs.
On this date in 1952, the first ascent of K-2 is completed.
On this date in 1961, the first MLB All-Star game to ever end in a tie is played in Boston.
On this date in 1964, Ranger 7 sends back the first close-up photos of the moon.
On this date in 1971, the Apollo 15 astronauts are the first to ride in a lunar rover.
Famous Folk Born On This Date:
Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
George Henry Thomas
S. S. Kresge
Salvatore Maranzano
Fred Quimby
Milton Friedman
Paul D. Boyer
Curt Gowdy
Peter Berenson
Ahmet Ertegun
Ted Cassidy
Lobo
Gary Lewis
William Weld
Faye Kellerman
Michael Biehn
Dirk Blocker
Mark Cuban
Wesley Snipes
Jim Corr
Pat Finn
John Laurinaitis
J.K. Rowling
Dean Cain
Peter Rono
Ben Chaplin
Movie quotes today come from "The Truth About Cats and Dogs", which Ben Chaplin played the male lead:
Abby: I have to tell you something.
Brian: What?
Abby: The other night on the phone...I'm pregnant.
Brian: Oh darling...are you sure it was me?
Abby: I don't know. I made a lot of phone calls that night.
#2
Dr. Abby Barnes: [to a radio caller:] Dogs don't like to be left alone. It's not like, when you leave, he goes, "Great, time to finish writing my novel!" No, when their humans leave, dogs get depressed, and they show it.
#3
Dr. Abby Barnes: You burp and guys think its adorable. You puke and they line up to hold your hair back.
#4
Abby: Did you call me?
Roy: What?
Abby: I heard dumb bitch. I assumed you were talking to me.
Roy: I was talking to her.
Abby: Your name is dumb bitch TOO? No wonder I keep getting all of your mail! You know, we could be related. There are a lot of us dumb bitches here in LA.
posted by me at 4:31 PM
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