One often hears in conservative media how the top folks at the DoJ, FBI, CIA, IRS, NSA, etc. may be corrupt traitors to the country and the Constitution but the ol’ rank and file are made up of honest, hardworking, patriotic Americans.

To this I call bullsh*t. Out of hundreds of thousands of employees, how many whistleblowers -- i.e., truth tellers -- are there? How many opinion pieces and media appearances have these supposed patriots made? How many have refused to participate in the crimes being committed by these agencies against their fellow American citizens? 

Yes, that was a lonely tumbleweed that just rolled by, serenaded by the sound of crickets.

It is not a question about whether these folks can be bought. They clearly can be and are.

Sadly for us, the price for them to sell their souls is no more than their annual paycheck and their retirement. That’s it! 

One would hope if you were going to abandon all honor -- in many situations violating a sacred oath they willingly took -- you’d demand more for it than a government paycheck and retirement. But I guess they know the value of their honor more than I.

If you are willing to look the other way and remain silent over obvious crimes and violations of fundamental laws then you are not an “honest, hard-working, patriotic American.” If you are willing to participate in outrageous armed assaults on American citizens, then you are not a “honest, hard-working, patriotic American.” 

Mar-a-Lago and Roger Stone are two perfect examples. More firepower and equipment were used in arresting Roger Stone -- a sleeping, unarmed 71-year-old in his underwear -- than was used in the attack on Osama bin Laden. Somehow all magically captured on film by CNN.

The Mar-a-Lago raid was similar -- with lethal force authorized. But I guess as a perk these “honest, hardworking, patriotic Americans” got to rummage through Melania’s underwear. I bet sniffing those got their rocks off, but I’m sure glad they aren’t as corrupt and evil as their bosses. Bullsh*t. They are bought and paid for -- at an astonishingly low price.

They may not have opened fire on American citizens -- at least not yet -- but don’t think for a minute these American Stasi are anything but amoral thugs who have willingly sold themselves for a pittance.

But wait, I must correct the above paragraph.  They may not have opened fire on American citizens en masse yet but they have been freely killing American citizens for some time now.  Ashli Babbitt was knowingly and willingly murdered by one of these thugs.  So were Vicki and Sammy Weaver.  I’m certain the full list would run for pages.

And those sitting in their offices -- whether secretary, executive, or anywhere between -- who remain silent about these abuses are no better. 

Think about Hunter Biden’s laptop.  Hundreds, if not thousands of people knew the laptop was real.  Yet they remained silent as a planned and coordinated lie was used to sway the 2020 election -- to say nothing of ignoring the fact it clearly shows that President Biden is a traitor to this country.  Those who remained silent deserve nothing but our complete and total contempt -- for all time.

Our Founding Fathers knowingly confronted the greatest military in the world and pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to each other in their demand for freedom. And they all paid a very high price -- but their honor remained intact and celebrated by some of us to this very day.

What we see today is a sick, sad inversion of this incredible moral courage.  Now they sell their sacred honor for a monthly paycheck and retirement benefits. I hope those benefits help assuage their secret pain of their being an insult to the very concept that hundreds of thousands of Americans have willingly given their lives.

It has been observed that both courage and cowardice are highly contagious. Sadly, cowardice is the default position in government and has been for years. Until this ends, I don’t need to hear any more about these mythical government employees who are anything but “honest, hardworking, patriotic Americans.”

John Conlin is an expert in organizational design and change.  He is also founder and President of E.I.C. Enterprises. He has been published in American Greatness, The Federalist, The Daily Caller, American Thinker, Houston Chronicle, Denver Post, and Public Square Magazine among others.

Image: Alexander Schaaf