As I grow older and my hair turns grayer, I look back at the years I spent in military service. The education I received while traveling around the world on US Navy vessels and the experiences I had when meeting the “locals” gave me an appreciation for America that few non-veteran Americans can feel.

All of this came to mind recently. In an unexpected way. And in an unexpected place.

I was waiting for my interview for a Massachusetts Class-A CCL when the young entry guard – I’d guess barely 21 – and I struck up a conversation. I was wearing my veteran’s ball cap and he proudly began telling me about how he joined the military and how he no longer minded getting up in the morning, going to work, and doing his job. Indeed, it was obvious that he wanted to do his job well, and he impressed me with his professionalism and confidence.

When I asked him where he lived, he told me that he had a small apartment but was happy that he no longer lived in public housing. I asked why, and he said that he sometimes had to work there as a guard. He was shocked at how poorly the residents behaved, how they didn’t care about themselves or others, their lack of respect for the building, their greed, the drug use… he spoke about it for a while, and it was clear that he knew the “culture” there.

We spoke a while, and then, I dropped the bomb. “If anyone had told you about the behavior and attitude of the people in public housing before you joined the military, and before you understood that only you are responsible for your own actions, would you have believed them?”

He looked at me, almost in shock. I could tell that nobody had asked him this question before. He thought a while, and then quietly told me “No.” We spoke a bit more, and I could tell that my question had deeply affected him – but for the better. He had never done a “before-after” comparison and said that he liked himself a lot more now than when he lived in public housing. He spoke of having self-respect and purpose, and he seemed to mean it. We would have continued our conversation, but another officer came down to bring me to my appointment.

Your Highness, this young man demonstrates the compounded failures of bad / missing parents, a school system that no longer teaches “civics,” and a government that “feeds a man to fish” rather than espousing self-reliance. But he also demonstrates that “tough love” and discipline can often turn a weed into a flower.

What a shame that our current government would rather grow weeds.

Does Hillary Clinton realize what she did? She set a precedent for violating the ethical requirement that all official government communications, both sent and received, must be kept on government-controlled computers, servers, and handheld devices. By using a private server for “convenience,” she has set the bar for all who follow her to claim “convenience” as the reason to not turn over emails—even under subpoena—by claiming that such emails don’t exist. And without access to that private server, there is no way to verify that claim.

Whether we ever hear the truth about Benghazi, Clinton Foundation donations, or if any classified information flowed through her “server” is beside the point. She has effectively told every Democrat, as well as every Republican, that they can use a non-government communication channel without fear of any reprisal, censure, criminal charges, or any punitive action.

The most amazing thing about this is that the MSM, the same folks who use FOIA to gain access to official government communications, are defending Hillary’s use of a private server. They’re also defending her actions in turning over documents that she feels are relevant to her time in office, without asking whether a 3rd party is verifying it. Heck, she’s “one of their own”, and they don’t want to do anything to ruin her chances for a Presidential run.

Corruption is measured both by what you do and by what you don’t do. By using only unofficial channels for all of her official communication, and by refusing to allow anyone to verify that she has turned over everyofficial email, Hillary has redefined “corruption” to mean “nothing to see here—move along.” We, The People, may never know the extent to which Hillary Clinton damaged American relations with the rest of the world, or the amount of “payola” she received to do it.

Nixon is smiling.