Those Sad Ben Franklin Fellows

I heard from a member of the so-called Ben Franklin Fellows, the erstwhile BFFs. This individual’s point was to deny receiving personal promotion or benefit to their membership.

Maybe so.

This individual, now saddened to miss out on a promotion, proclaimed a sort of “diversity” to the BFF. That’s a lie on its face. The list of members tells a story.

A falsely-anointed, White, junior-grade head of State Department HR is alleged to overturn promotions and non-promotions in the Foreign Service. Their decisions, based on race and other demographic factors, require my sad interlocutor to note that they did not bump up.

They shared a slighted and defensive note: “One person within does not reflect others.”

I watched the howling madness of Lew Olowski in his early days as head of HR. He made frantic proclamations about race and diversity in the Foreign Service. His sickening perspective jolted my awareness that a new breed of drunken hooligan had taken hold of diplomatic assignments.

What could be worse?

It turned out that Olowski wasn’t drunk. He didn’t sit at the big kid’s table. He’d been quaffing fizzy drinks that merely gave him a sugar high. He couldn’t even achieve intoxication.

And now he’s been denounced by the very brethren who elevated him.

Many others of similar ilk will be deemed unwelcome in the months to come. Maybe they are Ben Franklin Fellows, maybe they are not. But they need to know that Administrations have expiration dates. Careerism over integrity will not play well.

Sorry, BFFs. You are tomorrow’s flushed turds.

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