Special Trust and Confidence Revisited

On three different occasions I have discussed ethical conduct in Congress. My whole point is that we should try to elect folks we'd be proud to claim as our own family. So, in order from eldest to newest, you might peruse here, here, and here to see what I think Congress should aspire to. And in todays news we have one of the poster children for why reform is needed.

I mean, check this out.

Rep. Jefferson Indicted on Fraud, Bribery Counts
Nine-term Democratic Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana was indicted Monday on 16 federal counts of bribery, racketeering, fraud and money laundering. The indictment
includes charges that he paid off a Nigerian official. Almost two years ago,
investigators found $90,000 in cash in Jefferson's freezer.

This guy needs to be immediately suspended from all congressional duties and an interim appointment made via Louisiana law. In fact, it should have happened long ago and been in effect until all allegations have been cleared via investigation or prosecution.

I realise that since I picked a democrat, someone is going to throw out a republican in a tit for tat showing. Well, to those folks...... Soooooo What? Just because someone else did something wrong doesn't mean you or I get a "turn". The adage of "two wrongs don't make a right" is so true in politics.

The Marines have a phrase in thier promotion warrants that reads, "Know ye that reposing Special trust and confidence in the fidelity and abilities of (name) I do appoint him (her) a (New Rank) in the United States Marine Corps."

Special trust and confidence means a lot of things to different people. I can only comment on what it meant to me and to the Marines around me. Basically it meant that we could implicitly trust that person to literally cover our backs in combat. It meant that when the charge was sounded, we didn't need to look, we knew without a doubt that he or she was right there with us.
Feel free to define it your way, my way, or in the way it was described in 1956 and again in 1984. This article was required reading when I made Corporal (the first of the NCO ranks) in 1984. I reread it again as a Staff Sergeant. As a Master Sergeant it was on the list of things I required my young Corporals and Sergeants to read.

The point for Marines was that leadership isn't only for Generals, Colonels, and other Commissioned Officers. The point for Politicians is that if they are to transcend mere political games and become Statesmen, they must earn and more importantly enforce Special Trust and Confidence.

congress ethics values morals