Posted by
peripheral on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 7:39:13 AM
From My Perspective - - -
Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) is being reprimanded by the US House of
Representatives for expressing in public to the Speaker of the moment,
“You Lie!” As a matter of fact, there is a proper Decorum in the House
and Committees in terms of what can and cannot be said. As stated in
Cannon’s Precedents, on January 27, 1909, the House adopted a report in
response to improper references in debate to the President. That report
read in part as follows: “It is...the duty of the House to require its
Members in speech or debate to preserve that proper restraint which
will permit the House to conduct its business in an orderly manner and
without unnecessarily and unduly exciting animosity among its Members
or antagonism from those other branches of the Government with which
the House is correlated.”
The accepted Decorum stipulates: “As a guide for debate, it is
permissible in debate to challenge the President on matters of policy.
The difference is one between political criticism and personally
offensive criticism. For example, a Member may assert in debate that an
incumbent President is not worthy of re-election, but in doing so
should not allude to personal misconduct. By extension, a Member may
assert in debate that the House should conduct an inquiry, or that a
President should not remain in office. Under section 370 of the House
Rules and Manual it has been held that a Member could: refer to the
government as something hated, something oppressive; refer to the
President as using legislative or judicial pork; refer to a
Presidential message as a disgrace to the country; refer to unnamed
officials as our half-baked nitwits handling foreign affairs.”
Likewise, it has been held that “…a member could not: call the
President a liar; call the President a hypocrite; describe the
President’s veto of a bill as cowardly; charge that the President has
been intellectually dishonest; refer to the President as giving aid and
comfort to the enemy; refer to alleged sexual misconduct on the
President’s part…”
In June 2009, Alex Brill wrote in Forbes Magazine Online an article: What Should Congress Do With Liars And Cheaters?
- “Patent holders should be relieved they're not treated like those
engaged in securities fraud - The U.S. legal system does not look
favorably toward liars and cheaters. This is well known to the parade
of executives sentenced to jail time over the last few years for
securities fraud. But lawmakers need to take a closer look at how to
treat fraud at the Patent and Trademark Office. While most consumers
may think of the PTO as a government office for the nerdy types seeking
permits for new gizmos, the truth is that the rules governing the
patent system stand to affect the prices paid on household products
from the medicine cabinet to the desktop. And the ability to entice
investors to back new science discoveries depends on a system that
discourages scientists from being cheats. Liars always face a
cost-benefit trade-off. For securities fraud, lying may result in a
short-run competitive edge, a boost in profits or market share, an
up-tick in stock value or a bigger year-end bonus. The costs can be
large fines or - as in the case of Bernard Madoff and others -
imprisonment. These penalties reflect that markets cannot function well
if investors worry about being stung by fraud. If investors cannot
trust the information provided by the companies that they invest in,
then financial markets cannot function efficiently and all investors
will bear the greater risk. The public recognizes the importance of
severe punishment as a deterrent against securities fraud…”
There are basic Biblical principles that should serve as guidelines: I Corinthians 14:40,
“…everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.” The KJV
states it, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” In II Corinthians 8:21, “…we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.” In Romans 12:17,
“…Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.” In
addition, we are to show respect toward and give honor to our political
leaders/rulers – I Peter 2:13-17,
“Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted
among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to
governors… Show proper respect to everyone - fear God, honor the king.”
This is the God-given direction for our lives. Let us do it adequately.
Consider these things with me!