Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Lie, Cheat & Steal Theory

When I was in college I had a roommate that had what he called the "lie, cheat and steal theory." He especially liked to apply this theory in the context of a dating relationship. However, his approach could be used more broadly if the need presented itself. The basics of his idealogy are very simple and obvious. No matter what, it is okay to lie, cheat or steal if you are the beneficiary. That's it.

Last week on the Today Show (no, I won't link to them) there was a piece on lying and they discussed how common it was and how it is okay in certain situations etc. I was not shocked but still concerned that this attitude is apparently so prevelant among Americans. Well, this morning on talk radio I hear again about Sandy Berger because this report has come out about his actions with regard to classified documents. Here is an excerpt from the report.

"The facts of this case raise some peculiar and disturbing questions about the conduct, and more importantly, the motivations of the former National Security Advisor. For example, Berger admitted to leaving highly classified documents at a construction site near the main National Archives facility in downtown Washington, D.C. where they could have been easily found. Addtionally, one of the archivists with a very high clearance level (and therefore presumably reliable) who worked on the document producton for the 9/11 Commission reported that he saw Berger hiding some documents in his socks and under his pants. These acts of concealment show the lengths to which Berger was willing to deliberately go to compormise national security." [emphasis added]

This guy Berger is a former high level government official. I am not completly shocked that someone of his position would lie, cheat and steal. I am most concerned that the majority of Americans do not find this the least bit disturbing. On the grand scale of things Sandy Berger's story is not huge, but it is indicative of a huge problem. Morals in America are gone. Not slipping...GONE. I have often heard, and repeated myself, "we shouldn't be surprised when sinners sin." Ok, I'm not surprised. But, I will call it what it is, sin that is offensive to God. Furthermore, I will not condone it as acceptable.

Twenty years ago (has it been that long) I sat quietly as my roommate espoused the value and necessity of his "lie, cheat and steal" theory. He was wrong, I was wrong, Sandy Berger was wrong (and stupid) and anyone who sits quietly today is equally wrong.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Um . . . Bill Clinton said it was OK, remember? Duh.

Madness!

Jon Cyrus said...

Oh yeah, we must defer to the Slickster...by all means!

Anonymous said...

I was never one that believed in this theory and I am sitting her trying to figure out who this was.. Whenever in doubt, I always fall back on the quote of Mark Twain.... If you always tell the truth, you never have to remember.
Jamie