I continue to be amazed at the level of duplicity and hypocrisy in North Carolina’s government. The latest case in point is the new commander of the North Carolina Highway Patrol. In a speech given to the entire patrol last month, Patrol Commander Randy Glover told the troopers that they needed to be “morally and ethically beyond reproach.” One assumes this speech was made to address a few instances in recent history where the patrol operated at a standard that was, shall we say, a bit lower.
How he meets that high standard, given his past, is the subject of some debate. Governor Dimples seems to think that we’re horrible people for bringing this out in the open.
I’m not for shooting the guy over a marital affair 22 years ago, but I do question how, in his mind and the mind of those under his command, he meets the standard that he has laid out for their behavior.
There’s a lot of ways this discussion could go. Should the guy be disqualified from the job of the affair? After 22 years is it relevant to his ability to serve as Patrol Commander? Will it color his judgement if he must discipline a trooper for a similar problem? Is an extra-marital affair even a big deal at all?
But to be told we aren’t allowed to discuss it at all rankles. Governor Dimples may bite me.