Why aren't government officials ashamed of their conduct?

[noise]

Three recent examples:

1) Indefinite detention

2) Wall Street corruption followed by austerity measures

3) Bradley Manning treatment

Is power so intoxicating that government officials no longer understand the disgraceful nature of such conduct?

[WinkyDink]

1. Shame is so 1953. Get with the $$$$ game-plan.

[JackRiddler]

20. 1953 was just as shameless, only different.

There had been politicians calling for a nuclear attack on North Korea. One of them I've seen on film was Lloyd Bentsen, later VP candidate with Dukakis. There is absolutely no reason to prefer that time to now. We should fight injustice, not invoke a fictional better time.

[Autumn]

2. They have no conscience, or moral compass.

Face it, they are all in the game for their benefit. Not ours.

[Drale]

3. Why should you feel shame

when your doing Gods work? :sarcasm:

[Aerows]

4. You last question...

...answered your question, not to mention the fact that there is no accountability.

[The Wielding Truth]

5. AS for Bradley Manning, President Obama should not allow this.

[noise]

7. The military should not allow this

This isn't all about President Obama.

[Scuba]

13. He's the Commander in Chief.

[noise]

15. I'm not excusing his conduct

With one phone call he could end the nonsense.

[The Wielding Truth]

21. Who do they salute? Who is their leader? The President.

[noise]

23. I don't know how this situation is playing out

Is the brig command on a power trip? Have they been ordered to make an example out of Manning? Did President Obama call the base to make sure they made life miserable for Manning?

I get your point. The President is ultimately responsible for what is taking place at the base. IMO that doesn't mean the military gets a pass. The President is not a dictator. Illegal orders should not be followed.

[The Wielding Truth]

29. I agree.The military should be held responsible too.

[arbusto_baboso]

6. I once asked a cop why people commit obviously stupid crimes.

His reply: "They don't think they'll ever get caught."

Now, when you combine that criminal mentality with the reality that public officials who commit crimes are never punished, what do you think the result will be?

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. Cause that's where the money is????

( to update the Willy Sutton quote)

[demwing]

9. Wait...wait...

Ok I tried. No offense, it isn't you, it's just if I don't laugh, my head may explode in a bloody display of unchecked rage.

[alc]

10. because "we" don't hold them accountable

They'll only be ashamed if their party, not the other party, shames them (and doesn't vote for them). "The other side is worse" should never be an excuse or they will always use it to explain why they had to do what they did.

Look at 2 cases where the minority uses rules to keep the majority from passing laws: the US filibuster and WI quorum. I think both the US repubs and WI Democrats are abusing the rules and should be ashamed. The both get appropriate criticism from the other party, but almost unwaivering support and adoration from their party. I don't even hear people on either side saying "It's wrong but has to be done". I'd guess I'll get lots of complaints/unrecs/attack for posting this because "they are in no way the same". And on FR they'd probably say the same thing but for the opposite reason. And all senators involved will claim they are representing their voters and not doing anything wrong.

[Mr Generic Other]

12. in this case, the 14 wisconsin democrats

who are out of the state filibustering the passage of governor walker's draconian bill, happen to be representing the will of the majority of wisconsin voters. approximately 60% as revealed in last week's poll.
these senators should not feel shame for their actions.
politics is not a clean game. if you want to win you do what it takes.

[annabanana]

11. When you're surrounded by people CONGRATULATING YOU for your

transgressions.. It must get harder to see them for what they are.

[lpbk2713]

14. They use the same excuse third graders use.

"Cuz everybody else is doing it."

[rschop]

16. re: you left off the big one

You left off the big one. The CIA working with FBI HQ agents they had subjugated, most likely under to the orders from someone in the White House, allowed the al Qaeda terrorists to carry out the attacks on 9/11. They even had the power to cover this all up.

See my Journal for more details

[IDemo]

17. They understand the disgraceful nature of their conduct perfectly

They simply have no concern over the impact of their conduct on actual humans.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

18. Because not enough of us pay attention and VOTE. While we blame

each other, looking down on other working people, they're laughing behind our backs and stealing from us.

Note: "we" and "us" are collective.

[MedleyMisty]

19. They're psychopaths

They are not wired to feel shame. Or empathy.

[coalition_unwilling]

22. I think time has a way of stimulating remorse and shame. Am pretty

sure Robert McNamara began to feel ashamed of his role in running the war(s) in southeast Asia. In his autobiography "Secrets," one-time hawk and then noted anti-warrior Daniel Ellsburg relates his own awakening and ultimate epiphany that led to his decision to release the Pentagon Papers.

I predict we will get a confession of sorts from Colin Powell in fairly short order. As for the rest of the Bush junta, they're hard-boiled sociopaths and incapable of feeling empathy or remorse.

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. In the famous words of... "Power Corrupts and Absolute Power...

corrupts absolutely."

Also the levels of corruption are up there with the Gilded age when a few families BOUGHT State Houses...

[upi402]

25. There must be a 'sociopath' test

I think they have to do one helluva "F, marry, kill" test to get nominated. Something with: Grandma, a puppy, and a homeless person's last penny.

[Incitatus]

26. They are elite and we are beneath them so they really don't give a shit what we think about them. nt

[noise]

30. A lack of shame seems to go hand in hand with a sense of elitism

Outrageous conduct is magically deemed acceptable and patriotic simply because powerful officials claim it is so. The lack of accountability helps to reinforce the elitism which in turn normalizes deviant conduct.

[CommonSensePLZ]

27. self-delete

[dmosh42]

28. Simply because we have become "The nation of morons"! n/t