Friday, September 21, 2001

Present generation must have faith in government
by Doug Clarke
Skiff Staff

Several times since the attack on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon, I’ve been approached by students who have asked the same basic question: “We have grown up being taught to be suspicious of government, politicians and the military. Why should we trust them now?”

It is a question deserving of an answer that requires reflection and consideration of the varied incidents that have turned a generation of students to cynicism, doubt and worry.

And while there are no easy answers, there are considerations.

Watergate: While many consider the breaking of the Watergate case and the exposing of the arm-pit deep corruption in the Nixon Administration, a high point in modern journalism, the truth of the matter is reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, while rightly honored for groundbreaking work, many times found themselves plowing ground behind the FBI.

The system was working. Whether or not the end result would have been the resignation of President Nixon without the efforts of the media is open to speculation.

But the Watergate hearings, the trials, the jostling of the lawyers seeking leverage and legal positions were part of the system.

In the final analysis, the system worked. The country emerged stronger and with a better understanding of the inter-workings of the political scene on the national scale.

From the legal aspects, through the investigation and judiciary actions, the system was grinding finely and thoroughly.

Another blip on the screen of government wrongdoing, the Iran-Contra arms scandal, while apparently specifically against the rules of actions set out by the legislative body of the government, came to its tragic-comic end, not through the investigative prowess of the news media, but by the action of the system. Investigation, hearings, indictments, trials and punishment.

The system worked again.

A third scenario mentioned in connection with trust of the government, was the impeachment of President Clinton. While many were aghast at the president’s actions, the resulting firestorm was of a political nature with both parties flexing their muscles.

And once again, this time depending which side you are on, the system worked. The dirty laundry was aired, the appropriate people were embarrassed, but the government continued.

And therein lies the strength of the system. It was set to take its hits. It was created with each branch having only limited powers. It was designed to endure.

There have been hard times before. There have been scary and life threatening situations before. There have been madmen and mad systems before that have threatened us.

Our system has worked. Not always perfectly, not always efficiently, not always as rapidly as we would wish, but the system has worked.

America was founded on faith. Faith in the system is not too much to ask now.

Doug Clarke is a former journalist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and an adjunct professor of journalism.
He can be contacted at (drclarke@mail.com).