As many of you know, back in 1998 I went to Washington D.C. An eager young pup, I wanted to watch history in the making- Clinton was going to be impeached over a scandalous encounter with an intern. As I have always been a slave to the trends, I hopped right on board and became an intern myself, albiet one who only dated powerful men close to my own age (but that's another story. or several other stories) and a prudish one by almost all standards.
In order to be an intern (so as to have good seats for the public scourging of a corrupt politician), one must select an office to intern for. I chose Randy "Duke" Cunningham, my local representative. It was a ton of fun. Despite spending my first day accidently dropping half of the flood of incoming calls regarding an incident where Duke gave the finger to an elderly cancer-surviving constituent, the experience was positive. Duke wasn't the most intellectual boss I'd had, but he did seem to have heart. He called my Dad at work with assurances that I'd be well taken care of, allowed movie Fridays in the off-season, took the staffers out on his yacht, and generally seemed to care a lot about all of his constituents. If you could win him over in his heart and gut he'd fight like crazy for an initiative. Texans loved him. So did his staff.
Last year, he made public headlines when he pleaded guilty to accepting bribes- he even admitted to having a "bribe menu." I was devastated. After reading the expose on the scandal (its title called him the most corrupt congressman ever caught), I realized that the corruption had started while I was there. Bits of memory began to align. I remembered the assurance I'd had that Duke had no part in something a reporter questioned; maybe I was naive, but I don't think the office manager who told me believed it, either. Duke's little dog, Kelly, had just peed all over the office (as she was prone to do) and the Press Sec. had picked the dog up hoping to stop the urination, but ended up just shooting dog pee all over the fancy schmancy carpet and furniture as the Sec. ran nervously around the room. The office manager and I scrubbed at the pee and laughed at the notion of Duke, former Top Gun, man who'd risked his life protecting freedom, being that unethical. There was still a faint stink of the urination when the reporter arrived.
So... I met today with a small committee at the school where I teach. The committee's goal is to introduce some much needed character education. I've been thinking about character a lot lately. I'm definitely not perfect. But I am striving to live an honorable life. I think that most people would like to be honorable, but all too often we get side-tracked and sometimes those tracks lead straight to the Tuscon correctional facility where my former boss is now hanging out. Late late the other night I had one of those crazy pie-in-the-sky 2 am epiphanies that Duke would want to use his trademark candor to talk to the youth of his former district to help them as they start putting down their own train tracks. I wrote him a letter. I'm going to mail it tomorrow. I doubt that he'll read it. I doubt even less that he'll respond, but I'm hoping. Not that I need him to confirm my faith in mankind, but it sure would help. I'm hoping that all of you (ok- my mom and kory- the only two who are probably still listening to my ramblings) will pray or send good ESP messages his way that my idealist bubble won't get burst again.
I'm posting a copy of the letter under the comments section if anyone wants to read it.
8 comments:
Dear Duke Cunningham
I know that you probably won’t remember me, even with the pictures included, but I was one of your “Critters” in the fall of 1998. I came to Washington, D.C. to intern in your office and spent four months in love with not only D.C., but also your office. It was a very supportive and nurturing environment under your leadership. Thank you.
Almost ten years later, I am now an English teacher at La Costa Canyon High School, and I adore my job. The school is doing well, but we are finding that so much of the community (not only students, but their parents as well) are becoming increasingly dishonest and disrespectful. I have caught a number of my favorite students cheating, and when I confront them they can’t understand why they should be punished since “everyone is doing it” and when the parents are called, the parents are even worse. I am really worried that there is no way for our great nation to survive and continue to thrive if we continue to accept dishonesty. It is no longer that only a few participate, even many of my favorite students continually lie and cheat. Our school has begun a small character education campaign that I have joined.
One of the hardest points to get across is that integrity is incredibly fragile and easy to lose- not by bold strokes, but slowly, and that no one, I mean no one, is immune to temptation and a potential future crash. I’ve always admired your candor and I hope to adopt a similar tone now.
You have been a great man. You’ve risked your life for your country, you didn’t chase after a career path known for great sums of wealth (instead you chose teaching and civil service), when given a place of power, you treated everyone beneath you with great dignity. While some others may only be looking at your great mistake, I can see that you have fought for good more than many will ever do. But something went terribly wrong.
I have to admit that it was hard to hear about the scandal. I had really believed in you. I put up your posters on my lawn, I worked as hard as I knew how for free in your office (answering phones, organizing tours and flags, sorting mail, cleaning up Kelly’s urinary accidents, etc.). I really don’t believe that you ever intended to misuse your power. I really don’t believe that you were one of the only ones doing it. But I do believe that what you did was horribly horribly wrong. From the outside, here in San Diego, it was sickening, and a lot of those of us who supported you felt deeply betrayed.
You’ve heard all of this before, I know, and you are serving your time, but I would like to give you an opportunity to use your pain for something honorable again. You didn’t get to where you are by accident or quickly. The Duke I know would never ever knowingly agree to sell out his country if flat out asked the question. He’d give the guy the finger. So, how did it happen? I’m assuming that there were a number of small compromises of integrity and a willingness to look the other way at stuff that shouldn’t have been ovelooked. I’m assuming that you looked around and saw others doing similar things and thought “well, I guess that this is how it works.” I’m assuming that it didn’t begin until you’d gotten comfortable.
I worry that many in your former district are heading down the same path. I know that I, myself, am constantly battling (and more times than I’d like to admit- losing) those small battles of integrity. But at least I see the battles. I know that many of my students don’t even realize that the battles exist. I know that many of them rely on looking around to see what everyone else is doing and ask themselves “what’s the big deal? It’ll be fine.” When questions of character arise. I’m terrified for them and for society that they don’t see any danger in making concessions as long as they don’t think that they’ll get caught. I want them to value honor. I want them to crave integrity. I can’t imagine anyone better to talk to them about its value than someone who knows what it feels like to have had great honor and integrity and who lost it slowly when he didn’t realize it was in danger.
I would love to come visit you and tape an interview with you to be shown to the school as we begin our character education program. If you aren’t comfortable with that, I’d love a letter from you to read to them. I’ve read your official statement in my class before and it opened a nice discussion, but the kids kept asking how it happened. You’re a heartfelt and effective speaker, and I know that your trademark candor would resonate with them. I know that what I’m asking for is a lot and that it’s only a shot in the dark, but I believed in you ten years ago and I still do. The Duke I know would want to use his life to help others even if it means talking openly about his mistakes so that others won’t make the same ones.
Sincerely,
Lauren
This is a great post and a great letter. As someone who also worked in Congress and continues to work in Politics, I know how hard it is to see the people that we trust make really stupid decisions (see my post from today).
I have been working in some form of politics and policy since I was 10 and yet I still get hurt and upset when a law-maker does something wrong, lies to my face, or even doesn't live up to his/her potential.
But, I hope I never lose that feeling of disappointment, I hope that I always expect greatness from everyone.
It's sad to hear that parents defend their kid's cheating. Honor seems to be a thing of the past.
It's hard to be an idealist, which is exactly why struggling against our own darkness is the heart of heroism. It's easier to give in.
Something i will always remember about your class is that it awakened the craving for integrity, and the drive to decide what having it would mean to me, to my life. Don't ever stop treating people as they ought to be. It's why I am the person I am today.
Good on you for the letter. i hope he agrees to the interview. LCC could use some character.
oh wow. thanks. The compliment means even more coming from someone so intelligent and dedicated to authenticity.
Amazing, Lauren. Of course I hope you get a response; what a powerful experience that would be for your students.
As a teacher as well, I've thought a lot about character education. I don't know if it can be taught overtly, as a program; can lessons about character and integrity really be pre-planned, packaged? I don't know. Mostly, I think all you really can do is be a model for students -- a model of caring, integrity, honesty, compassion -- and try to make the most of the 'integrity' moments that arise with students. I doubt that's enough to fight the tide of parents and society, but as a teacher I don't expect to stop the entire tide of rushing water; I just want to fill up sand bags as fast as I can to stop as much of it as I can.
On that note, a teacher who has the vision and willingness to try and create such a unique, powerful learning experience for children is to be commended. So, as a fellow professional, I commend you in the highest possible terms. With people like you in classrooms, we have at least a fighting chance.
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