Recent Commentaries

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It’s Not the Bots. It’s Us!
“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.”  – Winston Churchill* While most Americans have a wide variety of factual information – literally at their fingertips – when it comes to political tribalism, facts seem to go out the window. According to a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology...
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March 12, 2018
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It’s Still Ethics, Stupid! – Part 2
What have I learned after 1,418 commentaries? I’ve learned that ethics scandals are not isolated to any age, party, gender, or ethnicity; that Democrats have been just as shameless as Republicans; that women are not as innocent as they may appear and old age, in many cases, does not confirm ethical wisdom. Nonetheless, I remain inspired by those individuals who...
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March 9, 2018
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It’s Still Ethics, Stupid!
Ten years ago, March 8, I launched this website with two goals: “First, I hope to generate a greater awareness of the importance of ethics in our lives; second, I want to foster a dialog with others about the affect ethical principles, or lack thereof, have on our decision making. It’s a dialog that will include politics, sports, entertainment, immigration,...
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March 7, 2018
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Darkest Hour
“We are masters of the unsaid words, but slaves of those we let slip out.” – Winston Churchill No, this is not about the Oscar-winning movie examining Winston Churchill’s hard choices that helped save the world. It’s about the darkest choices ever made by a U.S. president. Last week, National Security Agency Chief Admiral Mike Rogers told the Senate Armed...
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March 5, 2018
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More Than Just Thoughts and Prayers
Two weeks ago, I wrote about H.R. 38, The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017, (This is Who We’ve Become), which, if passed by the Senate, would effectively make it legal to carry a concealed weapon from state to state much like a driver’s license. In a statement from his office, California Congressman Salud Carbajal told me: “This shameful bill...
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March 2, 2018
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Why You Shouldn’t Trust Social Media*
Social media and video-sharing sites have become the new weapon of choice by activists. The problem is the lack of responsibility shown by some users and readers of information that is used to exploit fears and biases with false theories and propaganda. E.g. David Hogg – The New York Times reports (Feb. 21), “…for a brief time, the No. 1...
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February 28, 2018
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Let’s Learn to Be Americans, Again
During a conversation with a friend about the Parkland school shooting, I was struck by something she said: “I’m not a Republican or a Democrat; I’m an American.” Wednesday’s news was consumed with the aftershock of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. The first half of the day was occupied with a listening session held by President Trump, attended...
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February 23, 2018
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Project Trump
Last Friday, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein laid out chapter and verse on how the Russians meddled in our 2016 election, detailing a series of indictments by Special Counsel Robert Mueller III. “The indictment charges 13 Russian nationals and three Russian companies for committing federal crimes while seeking to interfere in the United States political system, including the 2016 presidential...
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February 21, 2018
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A. Lincoln: The Interview
I was told by White House Press Secretary John G. Nicolay, that “Mr. Lincoln needed a little respite after recent news of a loss in our great civil war.” “John, I’ve been waiting months for this interview.” “He’s at Murphy’s Bar next door to the theater.” It was a bleak and rainy night when I walked through the front door...
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February 19, 2018
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This is Who We’ve Become
17 Dead after a shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. “Oh my God! Oh my God!” one student shouted in a cell phone video. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel: “This is catastrophic!” Action Congress has taken since the Sandy Hook School shooting five years ago: Zero. I was already working on a commentary regarding gun...
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February 16, 2018