Recent Commentaries

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Do as I Say, Not as I Do
In an Opinion piece in The New York Times (Jan. 28), Rachel Denhollander – the first woman to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct by gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar – writes, movingly, about her transition from whistleblower to courtroom witness. “When I took on Larry Nassar,” Denhollander says, “I had no idea what I would lose. …I lost my...
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January 31, 2018
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The Most Unethical Presidency
Friday’s revelations that President Trump called for the firing of Special Counsel Robert Muller III last June, and would have, had it not been for the threatened resignation by White House counsel, Donald McGahn II, is yet another piece of a growing mosaic that may lead to the conclusion that the president obstructed justice. Writing in The New York Times...
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January 29, 2018
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Ethics and Social Media – Part 2
Last Wednesday, I shared excerpts from two papers written by New Hampshire students on the topic of Ethics and Social Media. Christofer (pictured above in his final presentation) utilizes insight from another class to help inform his ethical reasoning. “…during my Communicating Mindfully class with Professor Del-Bonis Platt,” Christofer writes, “we explored the effects such devices had on social interactions....
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January 26, 2018
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Ethics and Social Media
The use of social media has grown exponentially in the last several years. It’s become an ideal, and in some cases, vital source for reporting everything from emergencies to political uprisings; from coordinating protest marches to connecting with friends and family. That’s social media’s positive side. There is, however, a much darker side where bullies, predators and terrorists live. It’s...
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January 24, 2018
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And the Whiner Is…
“Bryan can you give us a sense of what it’s like there?” “Jim, the excitement here in front of Trump International, D.C. is absolutely incredible. And the turnout, unbelievable. Back to you, Jim.” “Bryan, this was a last-minute event. Can you tell us about the size of the crowd?” “I haven’t seen this many Republicans turn out for an event...
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January 22, 2018
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The Truth Needs Allies
Last year I wrote that Trump supporters, in general, fall into two categories: the willfully and woefully ignorant. Let me explain. The willful represent a majority of Republicans in Congress. They realize that Trump is a walking disaster, but they’ll stick with him because he’s a Republican, and many don’t want to face the wrath of his “base.” The woefully...
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January 19, 2018
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Ryan Zinke is No Teddy Roosevelt
Okay, he knows how to ride a horse perhaps as well as conservationist president Teddy Roosevelt.  And he was a Navy SEAL for more than 20 years. Does that qualify him to be the Secretary of the Interior to serve and protect our National Parks? After asking for a meeting with Secretary Zinke for months, ten of the twelve advisory...
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January 17, 2018
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The Silence of the Many
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. – Martin Luther King, Jr. Last Thursday, during a bipartisan meeting on immigration, President Trump asked lawmakers, “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” He was referring to immigrants coming into the U.S. from Haiti, El Salvador...
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January 15, 2018
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And Now, Another Moral Message from our President
On Thursday, The Washington Post reported (Jan. 11) that during a bipartisan discussion with lawmakers about immigrants coming from African countries, Haiti, and El Salvador, Trump, once again, showed both his ignorance, and racist views when he asked, “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” According to some at the meeting, Trump insisted that the...
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January 12, 2018
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The Day I Cheated
Ethics is not about what we say or what we intend, it’s about what we do. This is the heart of integrity – demonstrating a consistency between ethical principle and practice. While I wrote this commentary more than eight years ago, it’s a story worth repeating and a moral reminder to me. Who we are is never more clearly revealed than...
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January 10, 2018