In the ’70s film, The Graduate, young Benjamin Braddock is attending a celebratory party arranged by his parents when he is pulled to the side by a business friend of the family. The older man puts his arm around Ben, then lowers his voice before distilling his business wisdom into one word: Plastics. Plastics may have been the best career...

In my 2004 book, What Do You Stand For? I asked a cross-section of more than 100 individuals to answer a questionnaire: What do you stand for, what principles have you lived by? Describe a “moment of principle” in which your convictions were tested or a story in which you were inspired by another. Last night, on the floor of...

This story ran last March, but it’s worth another look to show that there are police officers who, with patience and compassion, take a closer look before using any force. Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police in her own apartment one year ago. George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police officer Dreck Chauvin when the officer held his...

“In a democracy, every citizen, regardless of his interest in politics, ‘holds office’; every one of us is in a position of responsibility; and, in the final analysis, the kind of government we get depends upon how we fulfill those responsibilities. We, the people, are the boss, and we will get the kind of political leadership, be it good or...

This remake of the classic 1965 Stanley Kramer film is filled with everything you’ve come to expect from a memorable masterpiece of scandal and treachery. Based on the incredible playbook by Donald Trump with a cast ripped from the halls of Washington. Starring Senator Josh Hawley, the ignoble mate who put out a fund-raising message telling supporters of his planned...

With all the division in the country and the world, how can we begin to change if we don’t recognize who we really are? French philosopher, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin wrote, “We are one, after all, you and I, together we suffer, together exist and forever will recreate one another.” American-Israeli artist Efrat Cybulkiewicz: “We are more alike than different....

I didn’t know much about Tyler Perry before Sunday’s Academy Award event. I sure know a lot more now. Last Sunday, Perry was the recipient of the Gene Hersholt Humanitarian Award. The honor is only periodically given to an “individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.” And Perry more than qualified. His...

Every year, Buzzwords are added to the lexicon of our lives. Nowhere have they been more prevalent than in politics. Before he even rode down the escalator into infamy, Donald Trump would frequently use the word, “Fake,” or “Fake News Media.” In fact, he used the word so often – nearly 2,000 times, according to Britain’s Independent – that  the...

Normally, I’m against passing any legislation that forces a health decision on anyone. But we are not living in normal times. We continue to live with a contagious virus that affects the entire world – a pandemic. According to Johns Hopkins University and Medicine, more than 3 million have died worldwide. As of Wednesday, deaths in the United States have...

Yesterday, Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. Chauvin’s conviction resolves one incident. It’s a big step forward, but it’s just one step. Embed from Getty Images Thirteen-year-old Adam Toledo, with his hands raised, was killed by police. Daunte Wright, shot by police 11 miles from where George Floyd was...