"Norway’s runs cold — and that can be more dangerous. High-trust societies don’t just dislike corruption; they are built on the assumption that elites will not behave like a separate species."
Norway is a civilized nation. It cares for its citizens and it expects that they act and behave ethically and morally. That's why their crime rate is half of what is found in the US and their murder and rape rates are 10 times less.
It's no surprise that in Norway their elites are held accountable for crimes, especially crimes against young girls. In America if you have money and power, you've been untouchable.
Epstein and the foreclosure crisis proves this. No elite has been held to account for crimes against young girls, and nothing happened to the rich after 2008 housing crash where Wall Street banks walked away from their fraud and crimes against American homeowners.
Donald Trump wouldn't know what shame is. Neither would his Commerce Secretary focused on personal profit, or the manic Musk, high on ketamine. U.S. legacy media gave up mattering long ago. So far Donald Trump has been largely right in his notorious remark on January 23, 2016 in Sioux Center, Iowa: "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?" But this isn't new to America, as O.J. Simpson showed with the murder of his estranged wife and her friend - crime and sex as lurid entertainment and an opportunity to be milked for maximum advantage, not for justice or accountability.
THINKING OF MUSK…at Christmas time telling Epstein he was really wanting to CUT LOOSE. Thats a great line don’t you think? Lutnick stumblick cut loose! Sounds like a song. Can see all of Epsteiners dancing to the words CUT LOOSE!
I'm too old fashioned not to want to push back on the claim made here that no moral or ethical judgments can be made on how different European governments have responded to the Epstein scandal.
I agree with Tim below that Norwegian politicians do deserve credit for acting more ethically. Norwegian politicians reflect a society that hasn't tolerated the American style drift into an oligarchic, authoritarianism. And as Americans have learned, that kind of society isn't created without hard work and perseverance.
I also push back on defining America in terms of the present regime - and using the word "rational" to describe doing anything necessary for power and control. Evil is the word I might have chosen.
Right here on The Contrarian, we have heard from Norm and Tom Malinowski. about the high ethical standards set and enforced by the Obama administration. Not window dressing but a reflection of the moral compass of all who were inspired to work in that administration.
Also deserving of praise is President Carter whose leadership and ethical administration made me proud.
The biggest pushback against the notion that politics is just survival and institutional preservation - leave your morality at the door - is the heroism of Americans all across the country, and particularly in Minnesota, who are fighting because they DO believe in a politics that has a conscience, is moral, is ethical.
When we're talking about individuals instead of parties or systems, Wendy, I think there's a layer of filth that comes from being a long-term incumbent, which can't be washed off. Dear Obama and Carter escaped that mold by not hanging out in Congress for years before becoming president. And I think about Mayor Pete's 2020 presidential campaign; it was rooted in ethics, with a many-points core values statement that challenged him and his staff to meet its criteria every day of the campaign.
Notable among those points--besides respect and responsibility--was joy. We saw that sentiment coming from outsiders Pete and Barack Obama, but how often do we see that from Washington insiders? Does working in Congress sap the joy and morality from elected members, even if to a small degree? Are they then unable to give that back in higher office? No wonder so many Americans stay home from the polls.
Whoops, my comment just disappeared. So I'll say less but start with thank you. I really needed your affirmation that there can be respect, responsibility and, right, joy in politics. And if those values become jaded or disappear among long-term incumbents, then let's figure out a solution.
Mayor Pete was my top choice in 2020. His early wins were so exciting.
Gah, I hate when that happens! Pete’s campaign was not just fresh and new, it was disciplined and adult. Joy is definitely not a weakness. We are so very exhausted from stress and hatred and vitriol that we sorely need joy, and there’s no reason candidates can’t grasp that.
While Kamala was pleasant and even funny, she came from the legal profession and the Senate, where there is little time for joy. And her position was so fraught that all she could do was measure her words. Hell, she’s still doing that.
"...public trust is treated as a partisan argument rather than a governing necessity." My favorite Trump definition plucked from this. It's one of the things that galls me the most--that there are segments of public trust with different valuations. No American is more or less worthy of an honestly run administration. And I, a middle child, just want things to be fair.
What has been done is a disgrace and disgusting to all parties involved. Queen Elizabeth found out about Andrew and she didn’t take it lightly. She was a classy woman in general and she expected her children to behave honorably and maintain a level of decorum that exemplifies the British royal family. If it’s bad and off limits to the royals then the same should apply to everyone else.
Thank you Mr. O’Neil for this insightful piece. More Americans need to be thinking along these lines. Bonus: Your writing style and flair is top notch. Compelling.
Great article. On another note, I used to feel sorry for Mette-Marit with her son's many problems and accused criminality. No more. With her correspondence with Epstein when her son was 15, it seems the apple didn't fall far from the tree. The only one I feel sorry for now is Haakon. He must be having doubts about his decision all those years ago.
"Norway’s runs cold — and that can be more dangerous. High-trust societies don’t just dislike corruption; they are built on the assumption that elites will not behave like a separate species."
Norway is a civilized nation. It cares for its citizens and it expects that they act and behave ethically and morally. That's why their crime rate is half of what is found in the US and their murder and rape rates are 10 times less.
It's no surprise that in Norway their elites are held accountable for crimes, especially crimes against young girls. In America if you have money and power, you've been untouchable.
Epstein and the foreclosure crisis proves this. No elite has been held to account for crimes against young girls, and nothing happened to the rich after 2008 housing crash where Wall Street banks walked away from their fraud and crimes against American homeowners.
...and are doing it all over again.....with the help of you-know-who.
Donald Trump wouldn't know what shame is. Neither would his Commerce Secretary focused on personal profit, or the manic Musk, high on ketamine. U.S. legacy media gave up mattering long ago. So far Donald Trump has been largely right in his notorious remark on January 23, 2016 in Sioux Center, Iowa: "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?" But this isn't new to America, as O.J. Simpson showed with the murder of his estranged wife and her friend - crime and sex as lurid entertainment and an opportunity to be milked for maximum advantage, not for justice or accountability.
THINKING OF MUSK…at Christmas time telling Epstein he was really wanting to CUT LOOSE. Thats a great line don’t you think? Lutnick stumblick cut loose! Sounds like a song. Can see all of Epsteiners dancing to the words CUT LOOSE!
I'm too old fashioned not to want to push back on the claim made here that no moral or ethical judgments can be made on how different European governments have responded to the Epstein scandal.
I agree with Tim below that Norwegian politicians do deserve credit for acting more ethically. Norwegian politicians reflect a society that hasn't tolerated the American style drift into an oligarchic, authoritarianism. And as Americans have learned, that kind of society isn't created without hard work and perseverance.
I also push back on defining America in terms of the present regime - and using the word "rational" to describe doing anything necessary for power and control. Evil is the word I might have chosen.
Right here on The Contrarian, we have heard from Norm and Tom Malinowski. about the high ethical standards set and enforced by the Obama administration. Not window dressing but a reflection of the moral compass of all who were inspired to work in that administration.
Also deserving of praise is President Carter whose leadership and ethical administration made me proud.
The biggest pushback against the notion that politics is just survival and institutional preservation - leave your morality at the door - is the heroism of Americans all across the country, and particularly in Minnesota, who are fighting because they DO believe in a politics that has a conscience, is moral, is ethical.
When we're talking about individuals instead of parties or systems, Wendy, I think there's a layer of filth that comes from being a long-term incumbent, which can't be washed off. Dear Obama and Carter escaped that mold by not hanging out in Congress for years before becoming president. And I think about Mayor Pete's 2020 presidential campaign; it was rooted in ethics, with a many-points core values statement that challenged him and his staff to meet its criteria every day of the campaign.
Notable among those points--besides respect and responsibility--was joy. We saw that sentiment coming from outsiders Pete and Barack Obama, but how often do we see that from Washington insiders? Does working in Congress sap the joy and morality from elected members, even if to a small degree? Are they then unable to give that back in higher office? No wonder so many Americans stay home from the polls.
Whoops, my comment just disappeared. So I'll say less but start with thank you. I really needed your affirmation that there can be respect, responsibility and, right, joy in politics. And if those values become jaded or disappear among long-term incumbents, then let's figure out a solution.
Mayor Pete was my top choice in 2020. His early wins were so exciting.
Gah, I hate when that happens! Pete’s campaign was not just fresh and new, it was disciplined and adult. Joy is definitely not a weakness. We are so very exhausted from stress and hatred and vitriol that we sorely need joy, and there’s no reason candidates can’t grasp that.
While Kamala was pleasant and even funny, she came from the legal profession and the Senate, where there is little time for joy. And her position was so fraught that all she could do was measure her words. Hell, she’s still doing that.
"...public trust is treated as a partisan argument rather than a governing necessity." My favorite Trump definition plucked from this. It's one of the things that galls me the most--that there are segments of public trust with different valuations. No American is more or less worthy of an honestly run administration. And I, a middle child, just want things to be fair.
What has been done is a disgrace and disgusting to all parties involved. Queen Elizabeth found out about Andrew and she didn’t take it lightly. She was a classy woman in general and she expected her children to behave honorably and maintain a level of decorum that exemplifies the British royal family. If it’s bad and off limits to the royals then the same should apply to everyone else.
Thank you Mr. O’Neil for this insightful piece. More Americans need to be thinking along these lines. Bonus: Your writing style and flair is top notch. Compelling.
Great article. On another note, I used to feel sorry for Mette-Marit with her son's many problems and accused criminality. No more. With her correspondence with Epstein when her son was 15, it seems the apple didn't fall far from the tree. The only one I feel sorry for now is Haakon. He must be having doubts about his decision all those years ago.