50 Shades of Grey

Don't worry, I'm not going to talk about the "mommy-porn" book.

“I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by man. Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth?”  ~Bronte

Principles

1. A fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.

2. A rule or belief governing one's personal behavior.

Principled

1.  based on or manifesting objectively defined standards of rightness or morality

Character

1. the complex of mental and ethical traits marking and often individualizing a person, group, or nation

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. ~Abraham Lincoln

Face it, you either have them or you don't, and it seems like many of us, and many more of our politicians have neither.

When did we become so tolerant?

So tolerant of men (and women) of poor character and principles. Better yet, why do we continue to put up with their bullshit?  How many of you would characterize your elected representatives as men of high character and principle?  Okay, you can stop laughing now. Now, look in the mirror... we have no one to blame other than ourselves.

Now a comment yesterday really pissed me off.  I'm sick and tired of people trying to justify the actions of others that are quite obviously and inarguably wrong.  

22 USC 8422 clearly restricts assistance to

"the government of any country whose duly elected head of government is deposed by military coup or decree"

"Determining that you are not going to make a determination" is something that I would expect a petulant child to do,  not our elected and/or appointed government."

In Egypt tanks rolled, battalions marched, and the duly and democratically elected president was carted off in chains.  Now, if we feel that he wasn't duly elected, then it is the responsibility of our government NOT TO RECOGNIZE the Egyptian government.  If he was "duly elected" then it is the responsibility of our government not to LOOK THE OTHER WAY as the Egyptian military takes over.

Now I'm not saying we need to get involved at all,  what I am say is we need to act in accordance with our own principles and laws.

Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. ~Abraham Lincoln

The tree is dead and we are left with nothing but the shadow. Until we start exhibiting character again we shall continue to be nothing but a shadow of our former selves.  

 

And don't think this post is about Egypt, it is about ourselves.