As you probably know, Brian Williams, who was suspended from his prestigious NBC job earlier this year for lying about what happened when he was reporting in Iraq, has been reappointed as a special reports anchor for affiliate MSNBC.  The corporation refuses to comment on his salary, but according to some reports he will be pulling down close to $10 million a year.

Yes, that will teach him.

Some people think Williams’ rehabilitation shows that we are a forgiving nation.  I believe in forgiveness, but this isn’t about how forgiving we are.  It’s about how little we care about lying in positions of trust.

One may forgive the embezzler, but one does not trust him to work for the bank again.  One may forgive the burglar, but one does not give him the house keys.  One may forgive the rapist, but one does not let him date one’s daughter.