How many times did adults tell you that two wrongs didn’t make a right when you were growing up? We heard it far more than we wished we had.

That applies in today’s world in which politicians justify their ugly behavior and actions by pointing out the flaws of the other party. The Black Lives Matter people have gone over the edge with the defense that they have suffered long enough. Time to turn the tables. Protestors in Wisconsin have turned to violence and even bloodshed and justify it by what others have done. Local elected officials admitted spreading horrible rumors because someone told it to them. Most likely, it was never believable even to the gossips, but it was still fun and entertaining for them.

We can’t speak for your upbringing, but most of us learned there were consequences to our actions even if they were a reaction to a wrong committed to us. So, when the Mayor of Portland, Ore., drops charges against rioters and looters, he is contributing to their crimes. When Pittsburgh city officials excuse bad behavior from protesters turned violent and dangerous criminals, they are guilty of aiding their crimes. And when we as a society find ourselves accepting the antics of a rogue commissioner who damages the reputations of a fellow commissioner, a trusted county employee and a state police officer because it is too expensive to do right, that too makes us guilty of being part of the problem.

In a completely unrelated issue, the term qualified immunity was heavily debated in the courts recently. The term basically means that certain individuals cannot be held responsible for their actions, no matter how despicable, if they hold certain public offices. The former county commissioner who was forgiven $100,000 this week in attorney fees was basically hiding behind this concept. He and his attorney successfully argued that it was OK to spread false rumors if you held an elected position because the county would be responsible to pay any damages incurred.

This is no different than the plea bargains that are so often forced upon the district attorney’s office or even insurance companies when it becomes cheaper and less time consuming to make a deal even if it makes the people involved sick to their stomachs to do it. We can drop the saying “one nation under God” and adapt to “two wrongs almost make a right.” That is the system we have learned to live with and, yes, it does make some of us sick.— RV