In an era when even our own government won’t take responsibility for its actions, is it any surprise that it’s more common to sue someone than to take the time to meet one’s neighbors or apologize for one’s mistakes instead of pointing the finger at someone else?
Personal responsibility waning, experts say:
“My first goal is to usher in the responsibility era, an era that stands in stark contrast to the last few decades, where our culture has said: If it feels good, do it, and if you’ve got a problem, blame someone else,” Bush said. “Each American must understand that we are responsible for the decision each of us makes in life.”
But he hasn’t taken responsibility for failures in his government, nor has he assigned it to those who work for him.
…
After Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941, the government investigated and punished several senior military officials. Similarly, at the height of World War II, then-Sen. Truman led an investigation into war profiteering by American businesses, exposing shoddy work and saving billions of dollars and thousands of lives.
After the United States was attacked in 2001, Bush resisted attempts to find flaws in the nation’s intelligence or security apparatus. Once he relented, investigations found fault, but Bush didn’t assign responsibility or take it.
Investigations also faulted intelligence services for wrongly stating that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction before the United States invaded. Again, Bush didn’t assign responsibility or take it.
(Thanks, Jonty, for the link.)
This week I’ve been getting Yahoo IM spam from chred222. This morning I had this waiting for me, which, cheesy as it is, actually conveys a nice sentiment:
Every night, someone thinks about you before they go to sleep. At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.The only reason someone would hate you is because they want to be just like you.There are at least 2 people in this world that would die for you.You mean the world to someone.Someone that you dont even know exists loves you.When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good comes from it.When you think the world has turned its back on you , take a look again. Always remember the compliments you received. Forget the rude remarks. So if you are a loving friend, send this to everyone on your list including me
Two years ago today I wrote about Laci Peterson’s body having been found the day before.
