What Happened To Integrity In America?

Thursday, the world watched as a helium balloon flew through the air in Colorado. Twitter and Facebook, along with the news media, kept people up to date minute by minute, on the balloon and what was thought to be a 6 year old boy inside. People were horrified and scared. The parents were weeping and people prayed that the boy would be okay. Then it was heard that he might have fallen out and every parents’ heart, I am sure, was feeling the agony of the moment. The boy was later found in the family’s attic and the world rejoiced that he was found alive. Speculation began to arise about whether the authorities and the world had been deceived.

Friday, a blogger posts on her blog that TSA took her son. As a mother, my heart felt for her. I was enraged that such a thing could happened and wanted to know why TSA would take a child from any mother. The blog post was dramatic and filled with everything (except the swearing), that a mother feels during times like these. Again, Twitter and Facebook took up the story and people began to contact TSA. TSA then released their own side of the story through actual, real-time footage of the time that the mother was in the airport.

Saturday, both stories were proven to be hoaxes, given by parents, to obtain media coverage. Balloon boy’s parents wanted television coverage and the blogger wanted traffic hits on her blog. Both families sacrificed their children and their own integrity, for this much wanted attention.

What has America come to, when we are willing to sacrifice our children for our own moment of fame? People lie and make up stories so that people will listen to them. What happened to the truth? Politicians tell the voters what they want to hear so that they can get into office. They say that they want to be in office for the people, but if you lowered their paycheck, how many would still run for office? Parents tell their children that they are going to do something and then something else comes up and the child learns that other things are more important than the truth. What are we teaching the future generation through these actions? Self-serving parents are not only ruining this country, but they are destroying their own family. How did we get to this point in America?

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" ~ Isaiah 5:20