This column is not yet up on rabble but probably will be shortly.
Dobbin blog: A party of thugs, liars, cheats, crooks, dirty tricksters - and Christians
The situation is so alarming that almost every week there is some new revelation. Just as the Oda lying spree was dying down for a few days, the Canadian Press finally (after 18 months) got detailed records from the office of the discredited Integrity Commissioner, Christiane Ouimet. This is the individual who suddenly resigned just before the auditor general delivered one of the most damning reports she has ever written, denouncing Ouimet for stonewalling on almost every complaint about wrong-doing in the Harper government (along with bullying her own staff).Now the details are out and they paint a picture of incredible corruption - even if only a fraction of the allegations by whistle blowers turned out to be true. The released documents show that 42 of the 228 cases involved (logged between 2007 and 2010) alleged misuse of taxpayer dollars. Many involved counseling public employees to break the law. Fifty fell into the category of "gross mismanagement" and fully 60 alleged that acts of Parliament had been contravened and almost as many - 58 - involved the punishment of people who tried to expose wrong-doing. It was precisely this kind of political terrorism that Ouimet's office was supposed to reign in.
This behaviour makes Bev Oda's lying barely visible on the ethical breach scale.
re - the title ...
The fact is that fundamentalist Christians actually believe that government violates the will of God.... Those believing that government is essentially the devil's work don't lose sleep or a little lying or fraud. It's the will of God....Part of the picture is simply a general decline in moral and ethical standards, a sort of leaking into civil society of the greed is good, anything goes, amorality of the corporate and financial world. Lying and cheating to get ahead is the new normal. Not for everyone, to be sure, but apparently for enough of our fellow-citizens to keep this wretched wrecking crew in office.
Which raises the question: Where are the real Christians when we need them?