Tea at Trianon: History of Misconduct

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

History of Misconduct

From The Hill:

Comey’s history of misconduct at the FBI has hurt the agency’s reputation and sparked criticism about his credibility from members of both parties. Many lawmakers have pointed to Comey’s contradictory statements and violation of federal protocol as indication that he was unfit to lead the agency. For instance, Comey broke FBI protocol by publicly speaking about ongoing agency investigations. In July 2016, he said the FBI was closing its investigation into Clinton’s emails. The Justice Department was not involved in this decision because unverified documents claimed they had an agreement with the Clinton campaign. Then, right before the 2016 presidential election, Comey announced he was investigating a new batch of Clinton emails, to the surprise of then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch. The announcement caused an uproar among Democrats, who came out in full force against Comey. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said he was “not in the right job,” while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he did “not have confidence in [Comey] any longer.” Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said Comey had “damaged the institution of law enforcement,” while Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) called his actions “appalling.” (Read more.)