WHATEVER HAPPENED TO RESPONSIBILITY?

What has happened to responsibility? No one can seemingly make immoral,
wrong, illegal or shameful choices and take responsibility for themselves
and their actions.

Note Brandy French. Her parents are suing everyone they can think of to put
the blame on someone for their daughter's untimely and tragic death due to
an apparent one-time use of ecstasy. It is sad and tragic, yes. But Brandy
French was responsible for making the decision to take the drug. We've all
been young and have had the thought that we were invincible. Unfortunately
for the French family, Brandy's decision was fatal.

Then there is Judge McFalls, who is blaming his drinking on everything from
the Vietnam War to post-Sept. 11 stress to the media. Perhaps the media
wouldn't be hounding him if he didn't drop his pants in public places. I am
sure he doesn't think he has a problem, but if he does, it is not his
fault. He needs to take responsibility for his drinking, get off the bench,
pull up his pants and maybe attend some AA meetings.

What can you say about Gary Condit who, after losing a re-election campaign
said, "You guys have pretty much taken the hide off my career." What guys?
The guys who questioned him repeatedly about his involvement with a missing
intern? The guys who were missing a family member? The guys who once voted
for him and now wanted to know who exactly they had put into office? Or was
it the guy who had an affair with an intern, tried to deny the fact and
cooperated little with authorities who were trying to find her after she
went missing? Was he responsible enough to admit his affair, then give the
authorities information that may not have stalled the investigation? No, he
was more concerned about himself. He had an affair, yes. Bad or good, right
or wrong, it may not have killed his political career had he handled it
with more responsibility.

And on the March 16 front page was the story about the horrific acts of
Andrea Yates, again shirking her responsibility to be a human being. Her
husband is quoted as saying, "The medical community failed us." Need I say
more? Did Mr. Yates not fail also? Did their families not know that after
she attempted suicide perhaps there was something wrong with Andrea Yates?
I would think one attempt would be enough.

We all make choices that may or may not be wise. We all make mistakes, big
and little. But it seems that few of us are willing to be held accountable
for the consequences.

I will look up the word "responsibility" in Webster's just to see if we
have deleted it from our vocabulary. Perhaps when Bill Clinton was in
office the removal of this word and action from our lives was snuck through
on page 1,234 of a 2,564-page law, and I somehow missed it.

Lori-anne Grim, Wind Ridge