By Stephanie Burke

As many as 20 US Secret Service and military personal are under investigation for their conduct in Colombia.  It is rumored that on the President’s recent trip local strippers were paid to “accompany” Secret Service Agents and Military Personal back to their hotel. It is the same hotel that had the Presidents “top level” security team was at. Many of the rumored participants in this scandal were members of that “top level” security team.

As many as 11 Secret Service have been put on leave.  New security video from the hotel has also called into question the actions of 9 military personal in this incident. Apparently the scandal erupted when one of the “companions” insisted on more money from one of the agents.  Now it didn’t take a genius to see that coming.  Aren’t these agents supposed to be the best & brightest?  I mean come on you take a stripper from poorer country, flash some American cash, and let her see your swanky hotel and you really think she isn’t going to ask for more money. The really funny thing is that these “men” that were involved are at the top of the pay scale.  Earning in excess of $110,000 a year; and this agent started a fight with a stripper over $150…does anyone else find that amusing?

I read somewhere that many married agents have been heard, on several occasions, joking “wheels up, rings off”. Talk about conduct unbecoming. How about Conduct downright deplorable!  This has left many at the top scrambling to find excuses and talking about how embarrassed the agency is. Well they should be.  I can’t imagine that there were 20 people involved and someone at the top didn’t know! I mean how do 20 people all think that it is OK to behave that way while protecting the president in another country.  Somewhere, somehow, obviously a precedent was set and they believed this was not only ok but acceptable to behave this way.  Now the top officials want to talk about being embarrassed and apologize.  Unfortunately I think the only thing they are sorry for is that fact that they were caught; not the action itself!

Of course it is still “under investigation”. However, no matter the outcome it is obvious that the morals and “sense of entitlement” need to be adjusted with this agency.  I can’t help but think of a lesson my mother taught me “if you have to hide to do something you probably shouldn’t do it”!  Well apparently the Secret Service never learned that life lesson.  If you have to take off your wedding ring, be in a foreign company, and last but not least, PAY a woman to “accompany” you ….guess what, it is probably not a good idea.  Oh and to add to that you are suppose to be there protecting the highest profile person possible, The President of the United States.  As I learn more about this “incident” I keep thinking of the immortal words of Forest Gump “Stupid is as stupid does” and “that’s all I have to say about that”.