Libyan Lies?

Tough love. It can be hard to do but as mothers we know it’s needed at times. My children knew from a young age that I would not tolerate lies, and that the consequences of a “cover up” would be far more painful than “fessing up” with the truth. I wanted to instill in them that all meaningful relationships – from friendships, to marriage, to employee/employer – depend on honesty in order to thrive.

Our society depends on us raising children who understand the value of integrity, and when our children are among the soldiers and diplomats serving the U.S. overseas, we expect absolute integrity from our government when it comes to protecting them.

Safety First

Our Constitution very clearly states that one of the most important duties of our federal government is national defense. Our inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness require our leaders (political and military) to keep us safe. We as mothers take this responsibility very seriously, as it’s one of our jobs too. Just watch a mom jump into action when she thinks her child is being threatened!

In order to effectively keep our loved ones safe we must be aware of the facts and understand the truth in any given situation. When our teenagers want to go to a new friend’s house, don’t we “annoy” them with a rapid-fire list of questions? (Where do they live? Will there be adult supervision? Who else is going to be there?) We are trying to assess the environment in order to prevent possible harm.

Our national leaders must also be able to clearly evaluate the environment and accurately assess the world’s conditions in order to make the appropriate decisions for our citizens’ safety. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to have been the case in regards to our U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Four Americans were murdered there on September 11, 2012, a date that should have had every American leader on high alert here and most certainly abroad in the Middle East.

Yet it’s now been revealed that repeated requests by our Libyan Ambassador for extra security were denied or ignored even though there had been 230 security incidents in Libya in the 13 months preceding the attack![1] [2]

To make matters worse this administration initially blamed the murders, as well as other anti-American Middle East uprisings, on a “spontaneous protest” over an anti-Muslim Internet video even though evidence from the start showed that to be untrue.[3]

Mother’s Grief

Pat Smith, the mother of one of the 4 Americans murdered in Benghazi, has repeatedly tried to find out the truth about the death of her son. Even though many high-ranking officials, including President Obama, promised her that she would hear the truth no matter how painful, she had this to say in a recent interview on CNN:

“Everyone of them, all the big shots over there told me – they promised me, they promised me that they would tell me what happened… They haven’t told me anything. They are still studying it. And the things that they are telling me are just outright lies.” [4]

Thankfully the truth is starting to come to light in the congressional hearings taking place in Washington,[5] but why wouldn’t the Obama Administration just tell the truth from the beginning? Why blame a video that hardly a living soul had seen? Even if they didn’t have all of the facts yet, why blame someone or something else prematurely? Is it because of the upcoming election and the possible consequences of a failed foreign policy?

Mainstream Media A.W.O.L.?

Worse yet, where were our mainstream media investigative journalists when all of this was happening? Why weren’t they asking the hard, direct questions from the start? It was 9/11 after all. Do they really think the American people believe it was just a coincidence that this “spontaneous protest” just happened to occur on that date? Seriously? Let’s get a mom in front of the media microphones, especially one who has a child risking his life overseas in the military, and I can guarantee that she will drill the White House with a list of tough questions that would make their heads spin!

Remember as moms we know that those who lie and perpetuate a lie must be held accountable and face the consequences. At the very least, if the people in charge were telling the truth, but can’t accurately assess the dangers our citizens face, then these leaders are themselves a threat to our security and must be replaced.

It is my responsibility as a mother to keep my young children safe when they are in my care; and it is my responsibility as a citizen to make sure I hold our  leaders accountable to do the same for all of our daughters and sons, whether overseas or at home.