Spinning

Watching news on the price individuals pay for the ideals this country was built on. The price is often their lives. One young marine said he was called to fight for what is true and right. What are the ideals we hold dear?? Honor, integrity, truth, justice. We talk of these high moral standards and hold them up in our history books, literature, and they are promoted in our entertainment, our movies, books, and the stories we tell. However it is important to look past the hype and observe reality. Reality is something many of us avoid till it bites us in the ass with a wake up call that removes the blinders we choose by accepting what we are told with out question. What is that reality? Those who rise to positions of power and authority all present an outward image matching our expectations of these values but what happens when their positions are threatened? They hide, they lie, they violate what we hold dear. Look at the whistle blowers who shine a spotlight on the truth who bravely risk career and sometimes their lives following those principles. Even our court system, that bastion of upholding right and wrong, often sends some to prison in the name of justice to qualify for more funding, to keep their numbers up, to win elections, to secure their position and power. Look at how many have been released from prison once DNA testing proved with out any question their innocence. And still their prosecutors refuse to admit error. It is commonly recognized that our government avoids responsibility for actions. We even have created language for this process. We call it spinning. We often hear "cover-up". This is reality, the American way, clear evidence that power corrupts. I now have to fight this to obtain freedom and justice for myself.