Opinion> Bill Oreilly> Lying And Cheating In The Home Of The Brave

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Lying and Cheating in the Home of the Brave

So, I'm trying to channel Moses here to find out why so many Americans are bearing false witness against their neighbors. Ask any attorney or judge, and they will tell you that lying under oath is now the rule, not the exception, in the nation's courtrooms.

In addition, the national cheating epidemic has exploded. A Georgia investigation alleges systematic cheating occurred at 44 public schools over a 10-year period. But it's not the kids who were caught. No, the state says at least 178 teachers and principals did the deeds. It seems the remarkable improvements in student scores on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests were fraudulent. Educators doctored the tests in order to make their schools look good. They have all been fired.

Lying and cheating almost always come down to betrayal and are most often driven by selfishness. America has become a nation obsessed with immediate gratification. Public schools have embraced secularism with a vengeance; therefore, Moses and his 10 Commandments have been banished.

There are, of course, good people who understand that honesty is indeed the best policy if you want to live a worthwhile life. But their numbers are dwindling. In fact, a recent study out of the University of Connecticut says that an astounding 95 percent of high school students have admitted to cheating in the past year.

For a variety of reasons, our society now embraces and empowers scoundrels. Many of them are fun and exciting. Charlie Sheen commands headlines.

Bad guy rappers make millions. In the 1960s, it was: "If it feels good, do it." Today, it is: "If it looks good, steal it." Or: "If it sounds good, say it." Many of the moral boundaries that once elevated this country have collapsed.

President Obama talks about "shared sacrifice," and we used to have that in the USA. My parents pulled together with their neighbors during the Great Depression and World War II. Americans looked out for each other in those trying times. Lying and cheating were considered shameful and could get you ostracized. Generosity and honor were celebrated in even the poorest precincts. This is not some romantic remembrance. It's what happened.

Not today. Now it's a free-for-all of getting what you want as quickly as possible. Lying and cheating are considered by many to be useful tools on the road to accomplishment. If society does not hold us responsible for deceit, why should we hold ourselves responsible?

That's a tough question to answer when students see their teachers cooking the books. And God help the public person who addresses the issue. That person will be branded a hypocrite if he or she has any wrongdoing on the resume.

Truth be told, even Moses would have a tough time in this environment.

Veteran TV news anchor Bill O'Reilly is host of the Fox News show "The O'Reilly Factor" and author of the book "Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama." To find out more about Bill O'Reilly, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page at www.creators.com. This column originates on the website www.billoreilly.com.

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Comments

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I do wonder, O'Reilly, and I know you think you and Moses are best buddies, how Moses would score compliance with his 10 commandments if he were to comment on the track record of Christianity, Islam, and many other religions since he offered his 10 commandments to our blind eyes.

Most of them seem to screech to a halt at "thou shalt not kill." Then there's "love thy neighbor as thyself," and "do unto others as you would have them do unto you," definite show-stoppers when it comes to bragging about the scorecard.

When ostensibly well-meaning folks like you act as if membership in the business of Christianity has anything to do what Moses and Christ tried to teach us, it is a very depressing thing. Especially when one considers how much money is made off of selling that proposition.

Anyone who has a shred of honesty in them should be easily able to understand why atheism exists in such abundance. Many, many soul-searching folks find that the only moral and ethical way to live, given the miserable record of brutality, blood-letting, dishonesty, hypocrisy, and avarice of those who claim to be members of God's flock, is to utterly reject religion in favor of a life code that actually promotes the principles of the 10 commandments.

That said, you are quite right to point out that American culture seems to revolve around the proposition that you follow the rules only when you will be called to account for non-compliance. Just look at what happens on the highways every day.

It is expected that people will not drive the speed limit. In fact, cops rarely bother to stop anyone unless driving more than 10 miles over. This is the expectation--so much so that drivers often get irritated when they are stuck behind some nimrod who actually wants to drive at the speed limit.

This is caused by a combination of idiotic notions about what laws should say people are supposed to do, and a culture that acknowledges the strong influence of such notions.

Ultimately, it is all about risk, and the degree to which people are willing or not willing to acknowledge that (1) risk exists in life, and (2) that's OK, it's part of being human and mortal.

That is life as a frail human being in this world. No hermetic sealing against accidents, pain, or death allowed, although you would think it's a God-given right, to see how the media treat every accident as absolutely requiring someone to be (1) the cause, (2) at fault, and (3) the person we should all hate because it happened.

Comment: #1
Posted by: Masako
Sun Jul 24, 2011 5:44 PM