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Teacher: What lesson did we learn from FBI Director James Comey this week class?
Class: That if you are rich and politically powerful the laws
can be bent to keep you out of jail.
Teacher: Yes, class, that’s right. And how do we know that was
the lesson Director Comey was teaching?
Class: He said so himself when he said that even though Mrs
Clinton broke the law the FBI found no clear evidence that the former First
Lady, former Senator from New York, former Secretary of State, and presumptive
Democratic nominee for President “intended to break the law governing the use
of classified materials.”[i]
Teacher: And what was the response of the Congressional
Committee?
Class: Congressman Jason Caffetz from Utah said he was mystified
by Director Comey’s answers because “If the ‘average Joe’ handled classified
information the way that Mrs Clinton had, ‘they’d be in handcuffs.” [ii]
Teacher: Was that the only reaction?
Class: No. Congressman Trey Gowdy from South Carolina elicited
from Director Comey testimony to show that Mrs Clinton had lied to Congress
about numerous details of her improper handling of classified information.[iii]
Congressman Gowdy then elicited agreement from Director Comey that the actions
taken by Mrs Clinton and her staff, had they been taken by an average,
reasonable person, would be used in court to prove the very intent Director Comey
claims the FBI could not find in Mrs Clinton’s use of a private email server to
handle classified information.[iv]
Teacher: Class, there is no right or wrong answer to this, but
what do you think the outcome of the FBI’s findings in this case, and the subsequent
recommendation not to prosecute Mrs Clinton for breaking the law because she, according
to Director Comey, hadn’t intended to break the law, will be?
Class: Congressman Gowdy stated the probable outcome of this
decision during the hearing when he said. “…this double track justice system
that is rightly or wrongly perceived in this country. That if you are a private
in the Army and email yourself classified information you will be kicked out.
But if you are Hillary Clinton, and you seek a promotion to Commander in Chief,
you will not be. So what I hope you can do today is help the average person,
the reasonable person you made reference to, the reasonable person understand
why she appears to be treated differently than the rest of us would be.”[v]
Teacher: Does the FBI’s finding in the case mean that Mrs
Clinton will suffer no consequences for breaking the law governing handling of
classified information?
Class: It certainly seems that way.
We, as a society, wonder why our children don’t take rules and
laws seriously. We are puzzled as to why our children, and a lot of adults,
too, believe there should be no consequences for their improper behavior, or
even their outright breaking of the rules and laws in place. I don’t understand
why we are surprised at their attitude. After all, they learned if from
watching what our nation’s leaders do. When high ranking government officials
get away with breaking the law because of a favorable interpretation of their
intent by the high ranking government official charged with investigating the
breaking of such laws, and then the person who holds the highest elected office
in the land, who is the person ultimately responsible for enforcing the laws of
the land, describes the law breaker as the most qualified person to be
President ever[vi],
is it any wonder our children are confused about why they should obey the laws
and rules imposed on them?
As always, I remain,
The Exhausted Educator
[ii]
ibid
[iii] http://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/07/
[iv]
ibid
[v]
ibid
[vi] http://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/05/clinton-heaps-praise-on-obama-in-first-joint-campaign-stop.html
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