Some conservatives enjoy branding the leftward the “blame America first” crowd. Of course, there’s kneejerk nationalism, then there’s a mature love of country that requires looking at faults and remedying them–in short, taking responsibility for making the country work instead of claiming to be right even when you’re wrong.
It should be safe to say we have our moral highs, and our moral lows. Here’s as clear a low as there’s ever been:
U.S. government medical researchers intentionally infected hundreds of people in Guatemala, including institutionalized mental patients, with gonorrhea and syphilis without their knowledge or permission more than 60 years ago.
Many of those infected were encouraged to pass the infection onto others as part of the study.
About one third of those who were infected never got adequate treatment.
On Friday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius offered extensive apologies for actions taken by the U.S. Public Health Service.
Will any conservatives (scratch that–nationalists) be willing to defend that as necessary or okay? What will the Tea Partiers say? (One man’s guess: “Who made this public? String ’em up!”)
We need a little work in the “moral beacon” department.
Update: Or, apparently, “It’s the Democrats’ fault!”
Sigh. It’s really that bad.
