There's No Sacred Honor In Politics Anymore

Politics
Written By Vincent Williams
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A few years ago, I went on a date with a young lady. I took her to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in downtown Chicago, the largest Starbucks in the world. I’m not the biggest Starbucks fan around, but it is a very nice establishment. Intimate lighting, rooftop lounge area overlooking Michigan Avenue, the smell of coffee in the air. Great place for a first date.

My companion that evening was a gentle, well-meaning woman who was committed to humanitarian work and helping those in need. I listened as she explained how America does not do enough for the less fortunate. (We do spend billions on various programs, but many people today don’t spend their time. So perhaps in hindsight she had a point.)

She told me about some of the seminars she participates in, helping people looking for work update their resumes and network with employers. She also went to soup kitchens to help feed the needy. She pulled out her phone and showed me a few pictures. I said, “Oh, nice! That’s really good.”

Then, my critical eye started to twitch.

“There’s a woman who works for Fox Sports [at the time]—Joy Taylor,” I said. “She posts videos of herself at soup kitchens on Instagram. Sometimes I get the feeling she’s doing that for attention, not to actually help people. If it’s really about helping people, why does she need to film herself?”

She gave me a peculiar look, probably because she thought I was questioning her motives. “I’m not accusing you of that, though,” I quickly added.

Smooth, Vincent. Real smooth.

She asked, “If she’s helping people, why does it matter if she records it? She might just want to get the word out and inspire others to do the same.”

I replied, “Because poor people are not props. I feel like she is using poor people to help her make more money. That defeats the purpose.”

I think about that date more than I’d like to admit, because I see that same impulse everywhere now, especially in politics. People everywhere are performing—for television, for social media, for their constituencies. And instead of standing up to and stopping evil, people use that evil to polish their own image.

Many people are expressing appropriate levels of disgust regarding Jeffrey Epstein, the late child sex offender with ties to governments all over the world, his private island, infamously known as Epstein Island, and his wealthy friends, some of whom were allegedly participating in a child sex ring. It’s grotesque stuff. But let’s call balls and strikes here. Some of this outrage is pure theatre.

Take former Trump ally, Marjorie Taylor Greene.

Since her falling out with No. 47, she now races to any microphone she can find to tie him to Epstein. She claims the President fought to keep files from being released. She frames it as proof of something dark.

"That fight…came directly from President Trump. I know a lot of people have a hard time with that, but that is the truth. He fought the hardest to stop these files from being released."

I don’t doubt that. He probably did try to stop the release of the files at first. He understands our political climate better than most. There is no nuance right now. People will make grand sweeping accusations based on a sliver of information. A name on a flight log becomes a conviction in the court of public opinion. I’m sure there are people who thought Epstein was completely on the up-and-up and were interested in doing legitimate business with him. Now, their name gets released, and their reputation and livelihood are ruined because they are thrown in the media narrative blender with the rest of the pedophiles.

Which makes it even more baffling that some of the people in his administration campaigned on releasing the files. Bondi’s statement about the client list “sitting on my desk right now” will haunt her the rest of her career.

Greene, of all people, should understand this. Her own name appears in the files. I doubt she committed any crimes, but her name will inevitably be lumped in with others.

Marjorie Taylor Green is not driven by justice for the victims. She is driven by revenge. At one time, she was part of Trump’s inner circle and a viable VP contender. Then, she became a political liability and was given the proverbial boot. Now she wants to throw verbal sticks of dynamite at the movement that got her elected in the first place.

She sang a completely different tune a few years ago.

Then there’s our liberal friends who know so much that isn’t so. Last month, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) accused the Trump Admin of engaging in one of the greatest cover-ups in modern history.

Let’s think this through.

The first time Jeffrey Epstein appeared on the national radar was in 2005, when the parents of a 14-year-old girl reported that she had been molested at his home in Palm Beach, Florida. He struck a plea deal with then-Miami U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta and served only 18 months in jail. In 2018, federal prosecutors reexamined the case and arrested Epstein the following year.

The federal government has had a file on Epstein through multiple administrations. Trump’s administration arrests Epstein and releases the files. And he is engaged in a cover-up? It’s not necessarily a one-party issue, but Epstein has had longstanding ties to Bill Clinton and to longtime Democrat donor Bill Gates.

AOC and Trump’s detractors pretend to care about the victimized children. We know they do not care about children at all. They incessantly preach about abortion being a “woman’s right.” They support 8-year-olds “switching genders” without parental consent. Dems don’t give a damn about children. They just want to score points on the political football field. And that’s my problem with the Epstein saga. People are using innocent children to score points against a political opponent they don’t like.

What happened to sacred honor? What happened to fighting battles mano-a-mano? Man to man. Leave the children out of it.

There was a time when even tough rivals knew there were lines you shouldn’t cross. Say what you want about me, but leave the innocent out of it. These days, the loudest and most extreme voices win. Restraint hardly ever gets rewarded.

Restraint is a virtue. It shows maturity, seriousness, and morality.

In 1794, during the Whiskey Rebellion, President George Washington faced open defiance of federal law in western Pennsylvania. Armed citizens resisted a federal tax. The young republic could have tipped into chaos. Washington assembled a militia force large enough to crush the uprising. He rode out with the troops, making clear that the federal government would enforce its laws. Yet once the rebellion collapsed, he showed restraint. He avoided mass reprisals. He pardoned two men who had been convicted of treason. He understood that the goal was to preserve the Union, not to humiliate his countrymen. He enforced order without indulging vengeance.

Remember that 2016 debate between Trump and Hillary Clinton? Trump said he would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate her. Clinton said it was good that he was not in charge of the law.

Trump responded, “Because you would be in jail.”

When Trump took office, he, in theory, had the power to investigate the Clintons and “lock her up.” He didn’t. He showed restraint. For all of his bombast and theatrics, Trump has shown incredible restraint as a world leader.

It’s no coincidence that as morality and obedience to Jesus Christ are on the decline, the political arena has become more barbaric and sanctimonious.

These days, restraint looks weak. Anger gets attention online. Outrage brings in money. Politicians treat every scandal as a way to score points.

Sacred honor has faded from politics. It used to mean answering to a higher authority than polls or party leaders. It meant telling the truth, even if it cost you power. It was based on biblical morality, the belief that every person is made in God’s image and should never be used for personal gain. Scripture says we reap what we sow and that God hates dishonesty. A political culture built on that would never think of exploiting children for advantage.

Politics is a bloodsport and it will always be rough. But it should never be soulless.

A nation that loses its sense of honor loses its way. When leaders seek revenge, the country follows that example. But when citizens do the same and lose their values, leaders follow them. Washington, D.C., reflects the spirit of the nation. It goes both ways.

As the saying goes, “Politics is show business for ugly people.” There are so many wannabe actors and influencers grabbing the reins of power in Washington. It’s become the East Coast extension of Hollywood. AOC, MTG, and Jasmine Crockett are not that different from Selena Gomez, Julia Roberts, and Halle Berry.

Sacred honor won’t come back until voters demand and reward it.

Until then, let the political circus roll on.

Written by Vincent Williams

He is a former Music Director at Windy City Underground radio, on-air talent at Logik Radio, as well as board operator, sound engineer and videographer. ​Writing has always been an integral part of Vincent's life. He is a life-long Chicagoland resident, a pro wrestling fan, a zodiac Cancer and lover of anything mint flavored.

 

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Vincent Williams

Christian, Founder and Chief Editor of Critic at Extra Large, an American, former radio personality, former Music Director, likes mint-flavored Oreos

https://twitter.com/VinWilliams28
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