Dear Editor:
Transparency and integrity are two words used by an assortment of politicians and would-be public servants with a set of definitions for each person waving those flags and concepts. The word democracy is tossed into the mix to make it all seem real.
Transparency can easily be avoided by pulling down blinds. This is accomplished with the help of a special communication expert, skilled in word usage, whose expertise is in obfuscation…or avoidance. Too, filling pages of a major communication medium with material that those for whom the information might be useful do not have the tools or skills to access it. This uses up space, which might better be used to communicate information that reflects reality…not always pleasant. The mention of the word integrity takes me back to my childhood when youngsters could utter the most outrageous lies, as long as one hand, with fingers crossed, was held behind the back. This was the ground rule then. Now experts are well-practiced at staring into your eyes, with one hand raised and the other on a bible, swearing that the moon is down and the dirt up above.
How can an average civilian decide whether today’s promise will not turn out to be tomorrow’s “my fingers were crossed behind my back?” How can a voter react when a “public servant” declares that anyone voting against him is an outright traitor?
Once upon a time arguments and wars and nations were won by whoever could hurl the biggest stones; today the rocks have been replaced by…
Helen Hirsch