Tip of the Iceberg

Over a hundred years ago, the Titanic sank after a collision with an iceberg.  The Captain and the Crew only saw the tip of the iceberg that was jutting out of the icy waters of the North Atlantic.   There are times we cannot see the trees for the forest. Things are not always as appear for what we see on the surface is not always the whole story.

Once again, our country is in an uproar over events in the halls of government.  This time we have three "scandals" grabbing the attention of the Press and Congress.  Are these events deliberate?  Are they plots to divert our attention from members of congress who spend a lot and accomplish little?  Are they attempts of the President and the Executive Branch to punish enemies?  Are they violations of the law?  Who can we believe?  What can we believe?

The "buzz" word of the day is "trust".  We hear that the American people have lost "trust" in their government.  Some are saying this is worse than "Watergate" while others are seeking to explain that this is the work of subordinates who did not have the permission of the administration to perform such actions or that they administration ignored warnings and sought to soften or hide the truth.

The real issue is truth.  What really happened?  What are the facts?  Did the President order the IRS to target the tea party/patriotic/912 groups when they applied for tax exempt status?  Who knew what and who ignored what in the attack on the Benghazi Compound?  Did the President order wiretapping of Associated Press reports to find the source of links in his administration?    Are these situations pointing to something bigger than what appears on the surface?

When we elect our President and Vice President we "trust" them to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the office by obeying the laws of our nation, providing true and accurate information to us, and leading us to reach the goals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

We elect members of Congress for the same purpose.  They should seek to represent the views and needs of the citizens they serve by passing laws, providing balanced budgets, approving appointees of the executive branch, and overseeing the actions of the executive branch.  We "trust" the members of the legislative branch to do the right thing, be honest, and seek the good of the nation.

Members of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President and approved by the Senate.  We "trust" them to interpret the laws passed by Congress and approved by the President  in light of the constitution.  We trust them to determine if the situation is a violation of the Constitution or if if the situation is constitutional.

Our "Trust" gives us assurance that officials will do what they have been sworn to do.  We rely on their oath of office as assurance they are people of character and will seek truth and be truthful.

Once again, we are bombarded with claims of "cover up", "misuse and abuse of office", and "lying".  We are sitting in judgement and in violation of a basic legal principle of our country, we jump to conclusions before we know the facts.  This is the problem isn't it?  We condemn ourselves as ordinary hard working citizens by accepting what is reported on the news or is claimed by a group without knowing the facts.  We jump to conclusions and we form "lynching" mobs to hang someone or send someone to jail.  We need a scapegoat.

Yet, we never stop to research the source of our information.  Who supplied it and what is motivation for supplying it?  Is there a political motivation?  Is this a power play to smear and destroy one group so our group can gain the power?  

We should not accept "status quo".  We can do something about this.  We can demand truth by voting, by speaking out, by writing our Representative and our Senators.  We have the right to petition, the right to speak out, the right to protest.  As long as we allow such actions as we see in all spectrum's of the current situation to continue, we have no one to blame but ourselves.  This is our country.  We have fought and died to be free.  Now, let us accept the fact we have allowed this to happen and it is time all of us say this is enough.  Let's tell Congress it is time to act  by dealing with the problems facing our nation.  Let's tell the President that is is time to lead us.  Let's seek truth not for political gain but because it is the right thing to do!