Heartburn of Conscience - II

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Yeah. Blame yesterday on the drugs I needed to keep my lungs in my chest and not splattered across my desk and the computer.  Anyway, refresh your confusion and I'll see if I can make more sense of Part II.

The problem I have is:

If you say you are going to play by the rules, does it matter if those rules are corrupted? If you do not like corruption, but agree to play by corrupted rules, is this hypocrisy?

A better way to look at this: Does the end justify the means?

I promised a for instance yesterday. I give you one. It is from politics.

Ron Paul. Full disclosure: I am a Ron Paul supporter and believe if he is elected, we will see Real Change.

Dr. Paul is the only national politician I am aware of who is consistent, adheres to his own code of conduct, doesn't bend to polls or attempt to curry favor. Dr. Paul speaks his mind, stands by that and refuses to apologize if someone is offended by what he says is the truth.

In short, exactly the kind of person people say they want in office. People also lie.

Anyway, Dr. Paul has long complained about the state of government. He has promised to clean up corruption and bring an end to idiocy at the federal government. He is continuing to say in his media releases the nation wants him.

And 2012 too.

Really? Check the election results. Dr. Paul has come in second in some states, but mostly comes in third and fourth since the other candidates in the Reboobican field dropped out.

The people who vote are saying they prefer another candidate.

Check.

The.

Votes.

In every primary election so far, the majority of people who voted, voted for someone other than Ron Paul. This is a fact which is not distorted.

The problem comes in states where primary delegates are selected after the vote. Ron Paul supporters have been trained to hang around afterward to be selected as a convention delegate. At the national convention, they will vote for Ron Paul.

Never mind most of the people they are supposed to represent do not want Ron Paul.

In other words, Dr. Paul's supporters are playing the system by the rules set up. But if Dr. Paul genuinely says the Will of the People should be followed, then he's being a hypocrite.

Does might make right?

The Will of the People is Ron Paul should not be the Reboobican candidate for president. But his supporters are gaming the system, playing exactly by the corrupted rules, in hopes of putting him in the driver's seat.

On one hand, Ron Paul & Co. believe in the electoral system. On the other hand, they are also subverting the electoral system. Never mind they are playing by the rules.

A truly ethical and honorable (I note here honor is a concept akin to nailing Jell-O to a tree and ethics vary from person to person) person will play by the correct rules and eschew bending those rules to personal benefit.

Dr. Paul et al are not bending the rules to personal benefit. They truly believe they are working for the better good of the nation.

But they are still playing by bent rules.

Typical American voter explaining his vote

This is a precedent. Having done it once, it becomes easier to do it again. And again. And again.

The most tyrannical dictators the world has ever seen use the excuse "the ends justify the means." National politicians use the same excuse.

How many times have you used "ends to means" as an excuse to justify hypocritical behavior on your part? How many times have you condemned others for doing the exact same thing.

The man in the mirror wants to have a talk with you.