I am trying to reconcile Scooter Libby’s jail time, a troubled young lady’s plowing her car into a crowd at a church-sponsored street festival in Southeast Washington, DC, and recent good news about the No Child Left Behind law.
There may be no three things more disparate than these. Yet, my gut tells me that there is a connection.
One link is government. Congress, courts, and the Executive Branch all played some role.
The courts hit the trifecta. The education law was challenged in court more times than Paris Hilton has been jet-setting and partying around the globe. Now, Scooter Libby and Tonya Bell, the troubled young lady, have been or will be processed through the legal landscape for their crimes.
Law enforcement -- the Executive Branch component -- was also involved in all three cases. Police, Justice Department prosecutors, local officials, and Department of Education staff have had their fingerprints on these issues, too.
Yet, something else nags at my soul. What is the connection? Why do these events seem interwoven? Perhaps Courtland Milloy’s column this week in The Washington Post about Tonya Bell triggered this feeling.
It is about tragedy, loss, and senselessness.
Ms. Bell has experienced terrible pain and devastation in her life. Now she has heaped some upon others injured in the crash as well as family members and friends.
Lewis I. (Scooter) Libby could not resist (or remember, as he asserted during his trial) spilling the beans about a political foe’s wife working in a sensitive position in the CIA, thereby endangering her and others around the world and effectively ending her future career opportunities as a covert agent.
No Child Left Behind was intended to ensure all children received a solid education and could demonstrate sufficient proficiency to have a sporting chance at the American Dream. News reports this week indicate that better results are being attained – finally!
These three events suggest that our society has a long way to go before its people can understand where to turn, how to act, or what to do to avoid debilitating actions that harm not only the forlorn individual but also our societal sense of well-being.
It would be reassuring to say that Ms. Bell and Mr. Libby are exceptions to the rule and should cause us no great concern. I suppose we could say the same about Seung-Hui Cho, the shooter at Virginia Tech, or Randy Cunningham or Tom DeLay, a couple more disgraced politicians, or thousands of other miscreants about whom we hear in the media.
However, I suppose that the linchpin behind the interdependencies of these stories is the basic role of government in our lives: to protect. Ultimately, the law created to improve education, the failure to undergird Ms. Bell, and the prosecution of perjury underscore both the successes and failures of government systems.
In the end, regardless of whether your political philosophy favors bigger or smaller government, one thing is certain. Government plays a huge role.
Our quality of life reflects how well or poorly the government does its job.
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YETMO: “You’re Entitled To My Opinion,” A Balanced Point of View
"To stimulate thought, debate, and introspection”
Fred W. Apelquist, M.Ed.
Approximately 510 words.
© June, 2007