LOYALTY!

Up until recently, I always thought LOYALTY was a very noble and positive trait. For me, it has always been associated with different levels of "family." This would include, but not limited to, family blood lines, sports teams you happen to be a part of, organizations, military service, true friendship. Fill in the blank for yourselves, but I'm sure you get the picture. Loyalty enhanced motivation. Working TOGETHER for a common goal, where each one's contribution is of equal importance. When someone is counting on us, we tend to put forth greater effort to avoid letting down those involved. It's much more gratifying to share in the successful result with others than alone. We are a community people and require contact with others to be truly happy. You can see this in action in any high school in the cliques, groups, and "loners." It's very important to us to be part of something greater. Right or wrong.

I am usually guilty of being loyal to a fault. This is mainly because I don't participate in activities that I don't truly believe in. If I'm involved with ANYTHING, I contribute relentlessly to accomplish whatever it may be. I consider this an elementary attribute of an effective leader.

With that being said, I'm very troubled with the NEW kind of loyalty being exhibited by members (cronies) of our current administration. It's no surprise that people in such positions of power are going to push moral and ethical limitations to maintain their current standing. if you haven't figured it out already, I'm referring to our Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez. This guy is an absolute disgrace; the epitome of selling your soul to the devil. As much as I despise Judge Judy, I'd like to give her a shot at him.That's because he deserves the type of scrutiny only she can deliver. I know it hasn't been proven that he's lied UNDER OATH to Congress, but come on. Anyone who knows anything about communication knows that it's the NON-VERBALS that tell the true story. To the parents out there, if you were questioning your child, and they were tap-dancing like Mr. Gonzalez, what would you conclude?

Mr Bush is well-known for his loyalty to his loyalists. Rumsfeld? Libby? Miers? Even though ALL these people, including Bush, took an oath to the CONSTITUTION, they all seem to have this allegiance to Bush (and his agenda/ideology.) This blind-loyalty even seeps out of these people's mouths. Remember SARAH TAYLOR? And how can Harriet Miers, former Supreme Court Justice nominee, IGNORE A CONGRESSIONAL SUBPOENA? She's a lawyer; she must know the consequences of this. This looks like a group of people working together towards the same goal. I just wonder what that is because it's obviously not to defend the Constitution.

One last thing that bewilders me is Mr Bush's selective loyalty. How can he say that he 's listening to the "Generals on the ground" when any of them that do not show the loyalty he demands, gets the boot. Then he places another one of his loyalists in the position, so he can say that he's listening to the General (he put) on the ground.

Something just doesn't smell right...