If the Truth Hurts

One of my favorite fairy tales is The Emperor's New Clothes. It is the story of a couple of weavers who convince the emperor that they can make him a suit of clothes that will be invisible to anyone who unworthy of honor or position. In reality, the "invisible clothes" were non-existent, but the vanity of the king and all of his advisors dictated that they pretend to admire the new suit. Unconcerned about honor or position, a young child saw the emperor and cried out, "But he is not wearing any clothes." Everyone realized they had been conned and the weavers were run out of town.

The difference in the fairy tale and current events is that the one who notices that the Emperor is naked is ridiculed, punished, fired or shamed while the naked rulers continue business as usual.

Two current events prompted my rant today.

First, Congressman Joe Barton apologized to BP for the government shakedown of their business.

Is the oil spill a horrible disaster? Yes.

Is BP responsible for the mess? Yes.

Has BP made some ill-advised public relation gaffs? Yes.

Should they be held responsible for damages? Yes.

Has the federal government executed a government shakedown of their business? You better believe it.

The federal government has the authority to enforce current regulatory law and the authority to prosecute any violations of criminal law. They do not have the authority to threaten or coerce a company to relinquish assets or control of a private company to the government.

Why should it matter to you if the evil oil company is brought to its knees by the government? It is a violation of the rule of law. Any government that can exert powers not granted to it by the Constitution or statute to break a $191 billion company can certainly take you or me out in a heartbeat.

Congressman Barton is taking a lot of grief over his comments. He may even lose his seniority on the Energy Committee as a result of his fellow legislators insisting that they love the Emperor's new clothes. It was not politically correct for Barton to apologize, but he wasn't wrong.

Meanwhile, the top general in Afghanistan is being called back to Washington to meet with the President over comments that he and aides made in an article in Rolling Stone. (Not the first publication I seek for news.) The article doesn't come out until Friday, but apparently everyone is getting called on the carpet prior to its availability at the news stands.

It is never a good thing for a commanding officer or his aides to make unflattering remarks about the commander in chief. The general in Afghanistan knows that. So, it has to make you wonder just how naked the emperor might be for a general to offer his career as a sacrifice to point out the obvious.

One of my first mentors when I was a baby Christian used to say, "If the truth hurts, it shouldn't be the truth." His point was that when the truth hurts (Barton apologizing to BP), then it shouldn't be the truth (the government was shaking down BP). It is time to quit shooting the messenger.