Worthy Sets the Record Straight

Kym's point is clear: "even children understand that lying is wrong." It is obvious that there is no justifiable excuse for Kwame. Whether a juror, lawyer, judge, or elected official takes an oath, honesty is always vital. Kym uses logos throughtout her comments, when pointing out that even children have enough common sense to know that lying is unacceptable. She also says that whenever the "moral force" of "honesty, integrity and honor" is "mocked or downplayed or ignored or laughed at or excuses [are] made for them", it cannot be ignored.
She follows this use of logos by describing the consequences of lying: "if a witness lies, innocent people can go to jail or prison, people can literally get away with murder, civil litigants who deserve money may not get it or may get money they don't deserve. And lying cannot be tolerated even if a judge or jury sees through it." This is especially important when dealing with public figures. When the eyes of the city are on leaders such as Kwame Kilpatrick, and he decides to make a mistake that compromises his morals and causes the city to question his motives, it makes a difference. It doesn't matter if you are 5 or 45, when someone lies, there will be consequences. How can the people of the city be expected to lead morally sound lives of integrity and honesty, when this simple trait, understandable by even children, cannot be accomplished by their own mayor. Kwame's actions set an example, whether he realizes it or not. If there are no consequences for his actions, he is mocking the judicial system and everything that it stands for.

"Witnesses must give truthful testimony. And we have to demand that they do...it is perjury if there is lying and perjury is a crime."

Most people wouldn't expect their own mayor to be committing any crimes, but sadly Kwame has violated every one of the "fundamental principles of the justice system": not telling the truth, not taking responsibility for his own actions, not admitting when he was wrong, being unfair, taking things that weren't his, and not realizing that there are consequences for his bad behavior. Kym expresses that even though these may seem to be "fairly simple" and that "we learned them all as children", Kwame has thrown these, along with the principal of honesty out the window. And, just as a child temporarily loses the trust of his/her parents, Kwame has also "trampled on the public trust." But sadly for him, it is not going to be as easy as being a prisoner to the timeout chair or serving time in his bedroom to pay for this mistake.
Kym also uses logos again to help the reader understand that this is not a private or personal matter, as some are calling the scandal. She states, "our investigation has clearly shown that public dollars were used, people's lives were ruined, the justice system was severely mocked...this case is about as far from being a private matter as one can get." It is obvious that once his decisions start effecting the lives and well-being of the public, it is no longer personal. Now that Kwame is forced to realize that his actions do have an effect on others, we'll see how he tries to get himself out of this one, with the public's love, trust, and support no longer on his side.