Volume CXXXIII, Number 1 September 7, 2001 f

A disgraceful Little League world series
Benjamin Kreider

Recently it came to light that Felipe Almonte, the father of a Little League baseball pitcher who led his team to a third-place finish, falsified his son's birth certificate so that he met the league's age requirements. According to Dominican authorities, the father made it appear that the 14-year-old was 12 so he could pitch.

It has now come to light that the boy, Danny, has not attended school since he arrived in the Bronx last year. Both the father and the coach were aware of the situation. Clearly, both men cared more about the team's success than the young boy's welfare.

This situation is a disgrace, yet it is only a microcosm of a bigger phenomenon going on in the U.S. Unfortunately, many people are so driven to succeed at all costs that they are willing to lie, cheat, or generally play dirty to get what they want.

Politicians do it all the time. Bill Clinton claimed he did not have sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky but later admitted that he did. Gary Condit claimed he never had an affair with his intern until the police pressured him. Countless other politicians have lied about their sexual escapades, about campaign contributions, and for other reasons.

Sadly, using deception and treachery to get what you want has become the norm both in politics and in American society.

The children of America today are growing up in a virtual moral vacuum. When politicians, who are supposedly the nation's most distinguished citizens, regularly act in an immoral manner, children learn to imitate them. Imagine a eight year-old boy saying, "If the president can lie, why can't I?" Sadly, this situation is not unrealistic these days. Not only are many children never educated by their parents about how to be honest and moral, but the problem is exacerbated when our nation's politicians and celebrities fail to keep their noses clean.

There are countless examples of individuals being dishonest to get what they want. I will not bore you by going into all of them.

The scariest part of this phenomenon is that our nation's young people are growing up without knowing the difference between right and wrong. A huge percentage of high school students and college students have admitted to cheating on tests and papers. Many students commit blatant plagiarism by copying websites word for word to use in their essays. What's even scarier is that many students find nothing wrong with this practice.

America remains the strongest, freest democracy in the world. Sadly, though, we are a nation of lies and cheats. We do what we want regardless of morals.
Children must be educated that lying and cheating are wrong. Individuals must learn that it is not right to win at all costs. It is better to lose honestly than to win and have an asterisk placed next to your name.