BECAUSE THE “MEASURE” OF OUR LEADERS IS LACKING …
By Len Anthony || Let’s review a few presidential statements …
President Richard Nixon: “I am not a crook.” President Bill Clinton: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.” President George W. Bush: “This government does not torture people.” And “intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised.” President Barack Obama: “Here is a guarantee that I’ve made. If you have insurance that you like, then you will be able to keep that insurance.” CIA Director George Brennan: “People who are claiming that there has been this tremendous sort of spying and monitoring and hacking will be proved wrong.” [Regarding allegations the CIA hacked the computers of the Senate Intelligence Committee charged with overseeing the CIA.]
“It’s the measure of a man.” John Wayne said in the movie Hondo responding to Angie Lowe’s statement: “You think truth is the most important thing.”
I have two children, a 20-year-old son and a 24-year-old daughter. I have lamented to them over the years my disappointment in the lack of integrity in our elected officials and corporate executives. The response has always been the same: first a rolling of the eyes followed by “Dad, they all lie, why does it bother you, you can’t change things, that is how it works.” If my children are representative of the millennials, the future leaders of the world accept as normal misrepresentations and lying. We cannot allow that. We need to make integrity “the most important thing, the measure of a man.”
Allow me to sound like an old man for a moment, in the 1950’s and 1960’s we had two television shows that taught lessons of kindness, integrity and doing what is right. They were “The Rifleman” and “The Andy Griffith Show”. Practically every episode of both these series had a moral to the story. Not a religious moral, but a doing what is right moral. They and John Wayne made being a person of integrity a virtue, something everyone person should strive to achieve. John Wayne in particular was the symbol of doing what was right regardless of the personal consequences. We need a new John Wayne. Each of us needs to be John Wayne.
We must start at the bottom, at the grassroots level and demand integrity. We must demand it from ourselves, our children, our car mechanic, our neighbors, our elected officials and our corporations. How do we do that? We, ourselves, stop lying and telling half-truths. We set the example. When our children lie, they are punished. When they speak the truth they are praised and rewarded. When our car mechanic lies or attempts to mislead us, we confront him, never return, tell our friends and the Better Business Bureau. When our elected officials lie, we must contact them and tell them we know they are lying. We must watch and subscribe to news media that challenge dishonesty. We must stop buying the products of corporations that lie.
Allow me to close on a positive note. Several years ago I had the great fortune to hear Warren Buffett speak. At the close of his remarks he was asked: “We never hear of any scandals or inappropriate behavior at the Berkshire Hathaway companies, why?” Mr. Buffett said: “Because I don’t tolerate it.” In other words, he sets the example, and makes it known that integrity is valued and rewarded while deceit and dishonesty are not. I bet Mr. Buffett was a John Wayne fan.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: After spending thirty years as in-house counsel for a public utility, Len Anthony is now semi-retired living in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. Wanna sound off on FITS? Submit your letter to the editor or opinion column HERE.
25 comments
I used to watch the “Davey and Goliath” TV show, there were shows back then that tried to help kids know the right thing to do.
I would caution the author about praising Mr. Buffett too highly, his comments about his tax rate versus his secretary’s tax rate were disingenuous at best and more likely a deliberate falsehood to influence public opinion. His efforts helping King 0bama stall the Keystone XL pipeline so he could keep the Bakken oil on his trains is also, to my thinking, less than honorable.
I have always had a thing for the truth. Being truthful was the most important character trait that I believed a person should possess and practice.
That said, at 40+ years old I have been lied to by family members, close friends, clergy, business partners, neighbors and most anyone else that I encounter. When my mother started lying after my fathers passing it lead to the fracturing of our remaining family unit I decided enough is enough.
I notified my wife that from this point forward, and with the exception of her (as long as she behaves) and my children to whom I will never lie, that I will lie to each and every one of those people on a regular and on-going basis. I will make every attempt to avoid them and mind my own business but when they come around bringing all their drama and self-victimization that I will lie at will. I will tell them that I am out of the country when they call, I will tell them that I am broke when they need assistance, I will tell them that I have malaria at Christmas so that I can spare my family their ill-will. It’s on baby. As for strangers and new friends I will continue to promote honesty and integrity. But for all those bastards who went there first. Watch out.
So far, it’s working like a charm. The more outlandish my lies, the more I assail their character as they have mine with LIES, the more their panic and mental defects surface. What can they do? Accuse me of lying? Nobody likes to be lied to because it sucks. But sometimes you just have to join ’em if you can’t beat them.
If you don’t mind, I’ll join the club but I’ll be a silent member.
No offense man, but you might need therapy.
I don’t think he does. I think he’s got a handle on things.
Tommy [Flanagan]! Zat you?
His kids are right, he’s deluded himself.
I’ll never be rich because I’m honest. No good deed goes unpunished, and all that.
A career lawyer for a public utility? Seriously?
I had to laugh at that too.
“Big John” Folks is touchy today………he knows how to fire an opinion “pistol”..!!
Way to go ….Wil….
Good points and I agree and adhere to those prinicples.
However:
You left out “Leave It To Beaver”:
June Cleaver was every “Boomer”‘s male fantsy of what a mom should look and be like and my brother and I were about the same age difference and I think of him often when i watch “Leave it to Beaver”
“Leave It To Beaver” also had a postiive “life’s lesson” at the end of the show and on one occassion went way above the idolic Andy Griffith “Mayberry” lifestyle when Beaver learned that a friend of his Dad’s (who helped aorund the place doing odd jobs) was a hopeless alcoholic. pretty serious stuff for a show like that.
The Andy Griffith Show would have never borached a topic like that.
Now about John Wayne………
You do know he never pulled a day of military duty don’t you?
I can’t remember which, but he was either 4F or got out of serving for some reason.
Maybe that is why that fake Ronald Reagan admired “The Duke” so much.
Don’t get me wrong, I like John Wayne myself but it was only a stage act and his real life was nothing like his personification.
Realiity vs. the way we hoped it would be is sadly like most of the ’50’s & ’60’s shows we “Boomers” grew up with. What we saw on TV was not like the real life we lived.
But hey, I’ve got the entire DVD collection of “Leave It To Beaver”, The Twighlight Zone”, the origional “Star Trek” and most treasured “The Smothers Brother’s Shows (vol 1 & 2) and a whole bunch more = not to mention “Saturday Night Live” 1975 – 1980(the entire shows DVD’s)
So I’m good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Okay, Mr. Sparkle Plenty, I concede that you have the bait to seduce some tittering, tottering, elderly biddies with gray hair for your “dates”. The thrill they get when Barney pulls out his sole bullet, or when Aunt Bea sets a platter of biscuits on the dinner table, well, that thrill must be too much for them to bear. You get (8+) for style!
Wrong “bait” – you gotta pull out DVD’s of Barnaby Jones or Matlock if you wanna score!!!!!
Serioulsy, I never thought I’d reach the age when I considered 40 – 45 year old women “sweet young things” and there are some damn fine 40 year old ladies out there!!!!!
Now, if “ol Strom” were around he would consider them “jail bait”!!!
You are on to a well kept secret because there are more available women. You should have met my former mother-in-law (a German lady) who got the hots for William Conrad in “Cannon”. She always said, “Big man with a big car.”
Ah…….Elke Summer in her “prime”
The epitomy of Teutonic beauty!!!!!!!!
I don’t know which is better in “A Shot in the Dark”: Eyeballing Elke or watching Cleauseau(sp) f**k up!!!!!
Here is a site to browse —- take your time…
http://www.thenuproject.com/
A few facts about “The Duke”:
Born in 1907, he was exempt from the draft in WWII due to his age when the war started (34). He was classified 3A (family and age deferments)
He applied to the naval academy in 1925 but was not admitted.
One of the driving factors behind the patriotic bent of many of his movies was the sense of failing he had for not serving when many of his fellow actors did. (Reagan’s eyesight was so bad he wasn’t qualified to do anything so he made movies for the Army)
Wayne was also prevented from enlisting by Republic who had the ability to halt enlistment since movie production was designated critical wartime activities.
Wayne actually applied and was accepted by the OSS but his estranged wife never gave him the letter of acceptance and the war ended before Herr found out.
Wayne visited troops in the Pacific in ’43-’44.
Don’t forget South Park – where there is a moral or two to every story. I’ve always thought Cartman’s mom was a primo MILF.
John Wayne was a movie actor. His whole persona was fake. He was a notorious horn-dog, married multiple times, and had a reputation as a heavy drinker with a nasty streak. So this is what we need today — another phony?
you are fake
Many in management at agencies lie like rugs. It is a treasured management skill with some. Most, though, use delusion to bring themselves–despite all evidence–to apparently believe the irrational swill used to justify the easy way out in any action or decision. And twisting the meanings of clearly written rules is the main job skill of not a few of them, making them feel that they are not “really” lying.
Up can equal down, yea even 2=3, with the truly shameless, that is to say the rising stars.
“You think truth is the most important thing.”
“It’s the measure of a man.” — Hondo
Marion Wayne was a big nothing, but the writer got it right.
“Marion Wayne”????
Marion Morrison
The American public want to be lied to. We are petulant children, who need to be reminded by our political establishment and mainstream media how great we are every hour or so. That’s why we’re numb to the deaths and destruction caused by our need for perpetual war. They’re not us, so they don’t really count. Our government is merely the extension of a society that is either too apathetic, too stupid or too sociopathic to not be horrified at what we’ve become.