Posted on May 24, 2016
COL Mikel J. Burroughs
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RP Members do we truly have anyone that is serving as a Politician today that has been honest with the American Public, above reproach, that hasn't lied, or that hasn't done something illegal - those that we know about anyway?

When you read everyday in the news about this congressman or that politician being investigated and the lies that they are caught in! Are there no values in today's politicians and those who serve at the pleasure of the people?

Unbelievable! YOUR THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS! How can we fix this problem or will we ever be able to fix it?
Edited 8 y ago
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Responses: 57
CPT Jack Durish
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I suspect that the vast majority of politicians start out honest. They may often make promises they are incapable of keeping inasmuch as they don't fully understand the powers of the offices they seek, but breaking a promise is not always a dishonest act, is it? Circumstances may then tempt them to dishonesty and We the People don't hold them accountable when they succumb to that temptation. Once they get away with a lie, it's easier to voice the second. (Yes, there really are slippery slopes regardless of the fact that intellectuals laugh at the concept)
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PO3 Michael James
PO3 Michael James
8 y
CPT Durish.. Sir; Yes, I agree the majority probably START out honest.. however, quote Mark Twain "politicians and diapers must be changed often and for the same reason" .. They eventually become FULL of IT, and they Stink !! Thank You, Sir...
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PO2 Anthony Garner
PO2 Anthony Garner
8 y
Yes Sir agreed . Im not sure its possible to advance to higher levels of office without accepting " help " along the way . At this point I think that level may begin at or about local city councilman .
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Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
8 y
I agree 100%. The old saying "familiarity breeds contempt " comes to mind. Its hard to stay clean when wading through a mud puddle and when being constantly exposed to all the political antics this becomes the new norm to you. When stationed in North Dakota I was exposed to probably the closest thing to an honest politician, Paul Wellstone, who sadly died young. However I'm sure even he had flaws.
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SGT Michael Thorin
SGT Michael Thorin
8 y
My thoughts precisely CPT Durish. You saved me some typing.
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LTC Stephen C.
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COL Mikel J. Burroughs, many people don't know that members of Congress take the exact same oath of office as do commissioned officers. Imagine if said officers behaved as do many of these elected officials. The cells of Leavenworth would be filled to overflowing!
I'm sure there are some that are honest, but as CSM Charles Hayden suggested, Diogenes may have difficulty finding them!
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
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You're asking the Wrong Dude, I'm a retired Navy Spook, On a very base level I don't trust anybody. Our Motto was "In God We Trust All Others We Monitor" I worked in COMSEC and OPSEC but part of any good OPSEC is OPDEC, Operational Deception, we employed that against our Enemies, Dependents, Fellow Comrades in Arms. Project Classic Wizard Zeto Pt. Adak, AK We went out of our way to convince our Marine Security folks that we were operating an Underground Submarine Maintenance Facility. Fake Missile Runs at the Iraqis for a week to desensitize them before the Actual Launch of Missiles. Encouraging UFO Stories in Southern California in the Late 70's to cover the early testing of the Tomahawk. Huge Orders at the Pizza Hut near the Pentagon so they wouldn't be able to tell when an actual operation was going down. To Quote Churchill "Truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies". Everything I did had a Cover Story that was pure unadulterated BS and the Classified Mission Statement".
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PO3 Frank Opalecky
PO3 Frank Opalecky
8 y
I see a movie coming... "The Chip Strikes Again!" The stories ARE true!
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
8 y
PO3 Frank Opalecky - The worst Part was fessing up. I actually got to talk to one of the Security Marines from Adak on another Veterans Forum and had to explain the scam to him since Project Classic Wizard was no more I could tell him the truth about what we were actually doing there.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
8 y
PO3 Frank Opalecky - Actually it is kind of Fun telling people about the Scams we played on them and I always explain why it was necessary. They are usually forgiving.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
8 y
SP5 Christine Conley - Very Well Stated. Thank You.
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