Is he the only person who thinks persons who have committed crimes, acts defined as a breach of law, divine or human, should be persecuted rather than applauded, in spite of whether they have political power or not.

Gingrich was proved to have committed 'ethical violations' and was fined $300,000 by the Ethics Committee for doing so.

Gingrich had 81 charges placed against him. One stuck. The other charges were dismissed as meaningless according to Gingrich.

Then, the house applauded him for intending to pay the $300,000 back to the taxpayers to reimburse the taxpayers for costs incurred during the Ethics Committee investigation.

Bob Dole has agreed to loan the money to Gingrich since he is a 'good Republican' and wants to get the whole thing behind the Republican Party.

Let the writer review a few thoughts that should be of interest. First, Gingrich is a liar. He admitted that himself. No person has to lie who believes himself innocent of allegations or when he is adult enough to assume responsibility for his own actions. Lying is immoral and indicates a failing in self-responsibility that should be a charateristic of elected officials.

Second, no charge made against a person of high standing is meaningless (Gingrich's choice of term). It means a great deal to people who believe in truth and justice, concepts that have apparently been forgotten by many of our leading politicians and perhaps the majority of our society.

Third, charges against Gingrich are not fully resolved. The IRS currently is investigating his financial dealings. Why? If Gingrich only took money that is not counted as income and is a person of high integrity, why would the IRS still be investigating him, a man who apparently holds a power that places himself above the law?

The writer knows, as does the reader, they won't find anything and, even if they did and made it public, it would be pooh-poohed away as Gingrich again being ignorant of the laws or "I made a mistake." So, why use tax dollars to carry it on?

Guess it gives the IRS investigators something to do.

Fourth, Dole, in stating that Gingrich is a 'good Republican' and by his act of loaning Gingrich the money, apparently believes in supporting a man who is a liar, a man who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar, an act the most consider as stealing.

The writer wonders how Dole would react if Gingrich had been a Democrat. One might also wonder what is required to be a good Republican.

As an additional point to ponder, Dole is with a law firm known as an organization that lobbies for its clients. One of its clients is the tobacco industry. (Big surprise there, huh?)

The tobacco industry is also a huge Republican contributor. Dole is loaning Gingrich $300,000. The tobacco industry, as all Americans should be aware of, is in the stage of negotiating with anti-tobacco activists and the government in an attempt to settle the many lawsuits against them.

The negotiations include issues over ads, especially those attracting children, and, eventually, whether the industry will be relieved of any future potential of being sued.

Removing the right of people in the future to sue the tobacco industry can only be done by an act of Congress. The Republicans have the majority in both the House and the Senate.

Hmm, you surely don't think there could there be a tie between the industry, the firm that lobbies for its clients, and Dole's lending the leading House Republican $300,000, do you?

Fifth, the House, bless their misguided souls, applauded Gingrich for again admitting his guilt and that he was going to pay back the public, out of his own pocket???, for costs incurred during the investigation by the Ethics Committee against him.

The majority in the House, including some Democrats, MUST believe it is morally right to support a liar and a thief. Such support can easily cause one to suspect if Gingrich hadn't been caught, his compatriots 'on the inside' would have applauded him for being so slick his financial manipulations could not be detected.

Sixth, Gingrich stated that Dole is a great patriot. Since when is a sign of patriotism loaning a man money who has violated moral and, most probably, criminal codes? What the devil does that have to do with love of one's country?

Seventh, Gingrich has kept his job. Apparently, his constituency also supports people who commit moral crimes. Had he been investigated thoroughly, it is a certainty Gingrich would have been found to have committed crimes that would be defined as felons. Somehow, the people who put him in office seem to have lost sight of this during the political fancy footwork that took place.

Eighth, there is absolutely no reason for a celebration when the leaders of this nation are applauding a man who will one day in history be known as a man who could lie, manipulate funds, and finesse his way to no more than an ethics violation. Gingrich has found the path to infamy, a path that an honest, moral person would never, nor need to, take.

Ninth, Gingrich seems to think that he is a man with integrity since he is not using campaign funds or defense funds to pay his fine. What kind of system do we have that would have allowed him to do so to begin with, to pay a fine not out of his own pocket, but from other revenue sources supplied by the taxpayers?

It is quite difficult to believe Gingrich feels a moral obligation as he stated. People who feel moral obligations and "a higher responsibility"(Gingrich) would not have taken the funds to begin with nor lied about it when caught.

Tenth, his announcement speech of Dole's loan could be analyzed as nothing more than a political ploy, just politics as usual in our nation's capitol.

If our written history is accurate, this is what history will eventually record, especially if future books deal with how politicians got away with misuse of funds, lying to Congress and the American people, and then turning it into political advantage.

One politician, speaking of the loan by Dole and Gingrich's announcement of such, was so touched he seemed on the verge of tears. It is a sad state of affairs when a leader in Congress is 'touched' nearly to tears by a man who has lied repeatedly and then speaks of the antithesis, being obligated morally.

This writer, who considers himself a patriot, didn't volunteer for the military in the early 60's with the intent of supporting a system that allows politicians by merit of their positions to get away with actions which should be considered serious violations of integrity, if not criminal. (Nor did Dole, if the truth be known.)

That is not the American way, nor are such actions exemplified by Gingrich and supporting politicians a sign of patriotism. The Gingrich situation is a reflection of the condemnation of truth and justice by the very people who should be above reproach.

It is disheartening to realize our leaders accept actions such as Gingrich's as applaudable while people who commit far lesser crimes are imprisoned, fired by their employers, and/or astrocized by society in general.

Justice turned upside down, inside out, twisted beyond all recognition, and stomped into the quagmire we call 'Washington politics'.

But, do you know what is even sadder, Ladies and Gentlemen? We have allowed it. Is it no wonder that politicians do as they wish?

Just when is enough enough?