Recent Commentaries

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April 1 Breaking News: ‘Ethics Disorder’ a Disease
Washington, D.C. – In a stunning announcement on the steps of the Capitol today, scientists from four leading research centers believe they have found a direct link between the ethics scandals of the last five years – perhaps going back as far as five decades – and a chemical imbalance in the brain. The new disease, which scientists are calling...
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March 31, 2017
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60 Minutes Investigates “Fake News”
What stood out to me in watching last Sunday’s show, where 60 Minutes journalist Scott Pelley interviews an individual who traffics in “fake” news, is how perfectly plausible he could sound. The more I listened, however, the more I realized I was listening to “fake” plausibility. “ ‘What we are talking about are stories that are fabricated out of thin...
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March 29, 2017
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The Cost of a “Judgment Call”
In 2005, I was invited to speak on ethics at a prominent university. I was escorted to a site on campus where the room was packed with students, teachers and administrators. I take my place at a table down in front near the podium for a luncheon that preceded my talk. An official in the room leans over and tells...
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March 27, 2017
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Biiiiig Mistake!
Don’t do it! That’s my advice to Senate Democrats who seem to be ready, willing and very able to filibuster a confirmation vote on Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch. “While a parade of witnesses spoke in the committee room,” The New York Times writes (Mar. 23), “[Senate Minority Leader Chuck] Schumer went to the Senate floor and announced that he...
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March 24, 2017
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How Am I Doing?
I’ve been “clean and sober” – no mention of you-know-who, (rhymes with “rump”) – for 21 days and I must confess, a change has come over me. I feel… a little happier. The birds are singing more beautifully; the blossoms on the trees smell more sweetly; and I’ve unplugged from most cable news. In a March 1 commentary (La La...
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March 22, 2017
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The Ethical Conscience of Rock Climbers
Climbing is a great game; great not in spite of the demands it makes, but because of them. Great because it will not let us give half of ourselves, it demands all of us. It demands our best. – Royal Robbins If the 60s and 70s are consider the Golden Age of rock climbing then Yosemite Valley was the place...
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March 20, 2017
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The Road to Washington
That’s right. Those two zany congressmen from Texas are off on the wildest, funniest road they’ve ever traveled! … And you’re along for the ride! Starring Will Hurd, a Republican and “Beto” O’Rourke, a Democrat… (Cue the music) O’Rourke: “We’re off on the road to Wash…ing…ton.” Hurd: “We certainly do get around.”  » Read more about: The Road to Washington  »...
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March 16, 2017
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Bad Actor – Part 2
Last Friday (Mar. 10), I talked about the more than 8,700 classified CIA documents released by Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, whose stated mission “…is to bring important news and information to the public.” On March 9, The New York Times reported that Assange “…fresh from revealing the largest leak of classified documents in CIA history… tried to turn the table...
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March 13, 2017
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Bad Actor
On Tuesday, WikiLeaks, the Julian Assange-created so-called “whistle-blower” site, released more than 8,700 classified documents and files, known as “zero day” – detailing all manner of cyber tools used by the CIA to gather information on “bad actors” (individual(s) with the intent on doing serious harm) outside the U.S. It is one of the worst thefts to occur since Edward...
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March 10, 2017
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Mr. Rogers Goes to Washington
On May 1, 1969, Fred Rogers – the venerable host of the Public Broadcasting Service show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood – testified before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communications which had jurisdiction over television and radio. At the time, PBS received $20 million. However, due to the demands of the Vietnam War, President Nixon was looking to cut the funding in...
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March 8, 2017