Department of Defense: Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure

I bring a gift and some light hearted fare for your Tuesday morning. This is supplied to us from those nice, helpful folks at the Department of Defense. I doubt they envisioned this document becoming the source of great entertainment on a site like Above Top Secret, but like I always say? Screw 'em if they can't take a joke.

It's not classified or distribution restricted so I share it with everyone to get a look at how those working in your Government come to occasionally abuse all sorts of power they have ...or just thought they had before being caught abusing it. A couple examples:

From the heading "Abuse of Position"

DEA Agent - Misuse of Position

A DEA agent whose responsibilities included fleet management and authorization of repairs of Government vehicles had attempted to obtain free repair services for his personal vehicles from two vendors. The agent also insinuated to the vendors that the cost of repairing his personal vehicles could be recouped as part of the charges for repairs to Government vehicles. After these allegations were substantiated, the agent was dismissed from DEA.

That would be one way to toss a Federal career. I'd imagine he doesn't feel the repairs were worth it at this point. lol...

From "Bribery"

Please Call Me “Doctor” Inmate

One enterprising Federal employee cut a deal with a local university - they gave him an honorary Ph.D. in public administration in return for his signing a mega-buck grant for the university. (Obviously, he had great expertise in Public Administration.) The offense of bribery occurs when a public official seeks or accepts anything of value (such as an honorary degree) in return for being influenced in the performance of an official act.

I have no doubt the inmate got one hell of a laugh out of that one in his cell. Dr., indeed. lol....

Finally, one from the "Gift Violations" section. It pays to know who is around you at dinner, it would seem.

"Great dinner, thanks for the tip."

Just prior to a major contract award, a Bureau Director went out to dinner with one of the potential competitors at a swanky Washington restaurant. The wine alone cost over $100 per bottle. Too bad the Director didn't realize that a Washington Post reporter was at the next table. The story received front-page coverage in the next day’s Post. By that afternoon, the Director announced that he had accepted a job in private industry — a job he couldn't refuse (with his father-in-law).

The Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (5 C.F.R. Part 2635) generally prohibit Federal personnel from accepting gifts (including meals) from persons who do business or seek to do business with the employee’s agency

It's over 160 pages though and would make a good PDF E-book, I'd think. I may just put it on my own tablet in fact, to read while at school. lol.... It looks like just the thing to chuckle at while sitting between classes. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys a little Political Madness that isn't dead serious and terribly depressing for a change.

Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure

Sometimes you're the bug and sometimes you're the windshield. These guys definitely got the buggy feeling, in most cases.

That's funny, I am not even phased by this anymore.

Am I numb to the corruption now? Has it developed into such a constant onslaught that I see this as petty and minuscule?

100$ bottle of wine here, a wad of cash under the table there.

I guess I am so preoccupied with what I consider to be root causes while I am viewing this as merely a symptom of our overall "disease". That ever present psychological disease we all suffer from....Ignorance.

Do you think if we just deny ignorance that eventually things will improve? This is my plan and I hope it works. I think it will because everything is like dominoes so push the right one over and watch the chain reactions.

Originally posted by Wrabbit2000
It looks like just the thing to chuckle at while sitting between classes. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys a little Political Madness that isn't dead serious and terribly depressing for a change.

I did and I laughed as well.
Thank you for the soft-scandal article this morning it was a good read.
A sense of humor can go a long way!

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Wrabbit, ..

I gotta hand it to ya. You post some really good stuff.

I didn’t read it all, but I will eventually. I do have to note a couple of observations though.

I couldn’t help but notice that regardless of the crime allot of the sentences amounted to small fines and probation. Maybe the judges are sympathetic to Alphabet colored criminals.

It also led me to wonder. These are the ones that were caught. Can you imagine what isn't being caught.

reply to post by ShadellacZumbrum


It really does strike me as a culture of 'get away with whatever you can because someone else will if you don't'. Scary thing there. If the millions working in Government all approach it that way? They'll walk out with the whole store and the foundation it's built on by the end of things ...Each individual never REALLY having done more in their own small part than some petty crime and corruption. Sheer scale of action and numbers doing it, right?

I noticed that too on the minor hits. Then again, I couldn't help but also notice the careers ended with termination from agencies. In this employment climate? Where does one go when your full blown career and in Government no less, has fire you because even by THEIR standards, you're too much a crook? That does limit re-hire options, doesn't it?

reply to post by Wrabbit2000



That is Super Funny.

When you work for those that scrape the bottom of the barrell there is No place left to go. Your out of barrell.

Well like they say " Locked Doors Keep Honest People Honest".

So what the hell happens when the barrell is left wide open. . .? .. .. Now you know.

Thanks for a good laugh.