In
short, a brief reflection on leadership failures and cover-ups.
Yes,
reflecting on several serious cover-ups.
A few musings for the evening.
1.
While running into a narrow Puerto Rican harbour, our Naval vessel ran aground.
It stopped with violent shaking. The Skipper ordered her backwards and
forwards. The swirl of brown waters (rather than blue/green in the Caribbean
waters) roiled and swirled violently and with ever-widening eddies around the
ship. We knew what had happened. However, the Skipper ordered the Quarter
Master (the man on the charts on the bridge) to put in the navigator’s log, “We
encountered unusual acoustical effects.” Of course, something like that can
never be hidden for long. Crews talk. There was a conscious and serious effort
by the senior officers to batten down the verbal hatches. The leaks went
stateside. The Admiral got wind of it. Upon return to home port, the Admiral
ordered the ship to the dry dock. The ship’s bottom was “dented in” on the port
side. I won’t forget the Admiral and his staff walking under this huge ship in
the dry dock. There was a quick relief for cause. Loss of trust, lying, and
perilous ship-handling. Coverups and
lying? Yes.
2.
Or, a submarine Skipper who, while topside, running on the surface and heading
into port, hit a shrimping trawler in the lengthy run into New London, CT, just north of Long Island. The submarine
caught the shrimpers’ nets in the starboard keel, dragging the trawler
backwards and nearly sinking her. The Skipper saw it, knew he hit the trawler
(other officers atop testified to it), yet in violation of the law of the sea,
to render aid to vessels in distress…he nevertheless kept steaming. Yet, the
Skipper steamed full flank speed away from the trawler and towards the estuary.
A long story, but another cover-up.
While the Skipper was proceeding quickly to the piers, various calls from other
at-sea vessels to the US Coast Guard and tugboats were sent. A Coast Guard cutter and several tugs hastened
to the distressed vessel. Of course, Navy Operations monitor all those calls also. Several tugs ran quite quickly out to sea, more
quickly than usual. Well, old ADM “Wild Bull” Houley was notified, that old
feisty Irish Romanist and aggressive fast-attack Skipper. He was a man with a legendary temper and
and known for his skilled/adroit ship-handling. Well, old ADM“Wild Bull” Houley was on the pier as the
sub docked. The ADM then boarded and the Skipper denied everything. He immediately relieved the Skipper in front of the crew on the outboard
decks. The whispering was fast. The ADM’s Chief of Staff assumed command. (It didn’t help that a few months earlier the
same Skipper had previously run the front of the sub into a pier while docking in
Cuba, causing damage to the sonar dome on the front-ended dome…a big dollar item… and
attempting to squirrel out of that one too.) The old “Wild Bull” put that
Skipper on admin-leave, pending court martial. I think the Skipper resigned in
lieu of court martial, but we didn’t know. We went back to sea.
3.
There are several others, now that I think about it: leaders covering-up for
leaders. Several stories could be told, some worse than the above. Yes, there are several. One is particularly painful, to wit, my
personal involvement and precipitating work that led to the “relief for cause” of a USMC
Lieutenant Colonel. A sad case that had
some family effects for him. Or, some work in "outting" Romanist pedophiles (24 of them) that various Romanist Bishops had cycled "into" the military to escape problems and detections in civilian parishes. There was some very serious and high level corruptions on that one, all the way to the "Puzzle Palace" (the Pentagon).
4. Aside from the legal dimensions re:
Sandusky/Paterno/Penn State case, an interesting dimension is the sociological
theory about leadership behaviours. Do some leaders provide cover for other
leaders? Absolutely. “All hands, keep
your hands on your wallets.” “Trust, but verify.” But what specific sociological theories? Elite-theories? Marxist theories? And more.
Alas, that issue must wait for further study, academically.
5. While
there is a strong presumption (a careful but sometimes squishily defined word
in the law, “presumption”) of good order, intelligence, and decency on the part
of leaders, it is a presumption that is rebuttable if there is a solid factual
pattern. This presumption is especially
strong in the military. We extend this
legal presumption to other authorities also, in general.
6. With respect to Sovereign Grace Ministries, Brent
Detwiler has done some exceptional work without rebuttal from anyone. Many good questions arise about SGM, a
cover-up, and, again, raising the issues of sociological theory. Of course, we are not dismissing the issues
of original sin or the regal uses of Morning and Evening Prayer where we, as
dutiful Anglican Churchmen, keep a short leash on our “errings and strayings”
like dumb sheep. But, that is another
dimension: sin and sociology. Leadership
failures, sins and cover-ups?
Indeed. We might expect a legal
and moral presumption to sin amongst leaders? Why, of course.
7. While we mention the SGM-problem, we still
live with the unexplained and (very) uncritical passes to Mahaney and SGM from
Baptyerian leaders, Mohler, Dever, and Duncan. My sense is
that those three names have tanked amongst close observers of SGM . For those not watching, the sense is a failure of "due diligence" and "blindness" by these three. Besides sociology, original sin, and the few
sea stories above, one can add accounting, investments, and brand-advertising
to the SGM-questions. These fellows make
money with conferences, books and more. Of course, accounting, advertising and investments are also factors in the inter-disciplinary approach to leadership, corruption and cover-ups.
8. As to corruption, that’s the fundamental idea
behind the Constitution and amendments, restriction of potential corruption at
leadership levels. Checks and balances. That is the idea with appellate and supreme
courts of review over courts of original jurisdiction.
9.
Look at my Anglican Church. It’s a mess. Where can one entrust children, teens and
young adults? Yes, it’s about
leadership. As for Paterno, were he alive, the issue for him would be
“accessory before, to, and after the fact” to criminal, felonious statutory
rape/statutory sexual offenses. At least for NC statutes, that means two
classes below the original offense of class B felony, e.g. ergo, class D.
Probably 10 years. Given a lot of horizontal homogeneity amongst the states re:
criminal law, I’d expect similar issues in PA as would be seen in NC and other
states. At this point, there are two
perjury cases pending against top leaders at Penn State.
10.
I’ll ponder this further, that is,
leadership corruptions. It surely happened in ancient Israel. And…in church
history. Time to re-read the entire
Bible with this question in review and time to give church history a
comprehensive review.
11. My general maxim, “Keep a sharp lookout,
boys! Keep the powder dry!” Or, "Keep your `BS' Metres Plugged In." Or, the necessity for checks and balances.
12. From an Anglican living in the theological
ruins of a grievous, chastening, but strengthening Babylonian exile,
Donald
Philip Veitch
Thanks for sharing. I initially felt that Brent had gone slightly overboard in comparing SGM's cover up to that of Penn State. But your descriptive list of cover ups attempted in military settings helps make Brent's point. Also, your mention of brand protection as motive rings (sickeningly) possible.
ReplyDeleteDana:
ReplyDeleteSorry for delayed response.
Big picture, coverup is never surprising to me, be it the egregious stuff at Penn State or the SGM behaviours.
I've see it too often (not commonly), but often enough to not be surprised. I've only told the few of my stories.
Regards.