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Commentary |
The Sound Of Silence: Ethics
By Russell Verney
Aug 8, 2001
A comedian once said, "When you hear silence, that's just me speaking in parenthesis."
Judicial Watch has filed a complaint against Congressman Gary Condit with the House Standards of Official Conduct (Ethics) Committee regarding Representative Condit's deplorable behavior.
The committee title which places Ethics in parenthesis is the work of Congress and not my creation. The official name includes (Ethics).
In situations that require the House of Representatives to police itself, the parenthesis speaks volumes.
Volumes of silence, that is.
Members of the House refer to each other in debate as the Gentlewoman or Gentleman from... Gary Condit is no gentleman.
A gentleman doesn't stonewall police investigations of their "good" friend's mysterious disappearance let alone their secret lover's disappearance. In fact gentlemen don't have secret lovers.
Any casual observer of politics can attest that members of the House of Representatives are elected primarily on their promises to serve their constituents. The Members of the House each year vote themselves huge amounts of taxpayer money to keep offices and staff available to assist their constituents.
When Gary Condit's constituents, Dr. and Mrs. Levy called with a desperate plea for help, Gary Condit turned a deaf ear and a lying mouth towards them. As inhumane as his actions were and are, they were also an abuse of the taxpayer resources at his disposal to assist his constituents.
The actions of Gary Condit since the disappearance of Chandra Levy came to light have brought shame to himself and his family and have brought disgrace on the House of Representatives.
To this day Gary Condit remains a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Beside the fact that O. J. Condit has not shown intelligence, his compromising lifestyle has made him a risk to our national security. The dark side of Gary Condit that has recently come to light makes him a possible target for blackmail by foreign agents.
In the House of Representatives the silence of ethics in parenthesis is deafening.
Democratic Majority Leader Gephardt should immediately remove Gary Condit from the Intelligence Committee.
Republican Speaker Hastert should immediately remove Gary Condit from the Intelligence Committee.
Gephardt and Hastert should order the (Ethics) Committee to drop the parenthesis and haul Gary Condit in for an open hearing.
The Committee should take sworn testimony from all the principals in this case but especially from the flight attendant who has publicly stated that Gary Condit asked her to sign a legal document swearing to the truth of known lies.
If Gary Condit or any lawmaker who has sworn to uphold the constitution is found to have encouraged lies under oath he should be expelled from the House.
For using his taxpayer funded office and staff to hinder the investigation of Chandra Levy's disappearance he should be expelled from the House.
For Gary Condit's failure as a man, he should ask the forgiveness of the Levy family.
The honor and reputation of the House of Representative is on the line here. It takes courage, integrity and fortitude to go against the natural inclination to sweep embarrassing matters under the rug. But it is time for the Speaker and the Democratic Party Leader to show leadership by policing the institution they are in charge of.
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