As I write this, the jury is in the process of rendering its verdict in the penalty phase of the Boston Marathon bombing case. Last month, a jury of seven women and five men convicted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev of all thirty charges against him – 17 carry the death penalty. While awaiting the jury’s response, I read a surprising appeal by...

Spoiler Alert: This probably won’t win me any fans in New Hampshire. Despite the fact that America has long been perceived as the home of the brave, and land of free enterprise, there have always been three classes: the rich, the elite and the rest of us. While the rest of us watch the game at home or in a...

The political blog Think Progress reported (Apr. 1), “In March alone, 111 people died during police encounters… As in the past, numerous incidents were spurred by violent threats from suspects, and two officers were shot in Ferguson during a peaceful protest. However, the deaths follow a national pattern: suspects were mostly people of color, mentally ill, or both.” With misconduct...

“I have never used steroids. Period.” – Rafael Palmeiro “As long as I live, I will deny it.” – Lance Armstrong “Never knowingly did I take performance enhancing drugs.” – Marion Jones “I would never do anything to break the rules.” – Tom Brady, Jan. 22, 2015 “I don’t have, really any reaction [to a report finding: ‘it is more...

Character Counts! is the name of the character education program established by The Josephson Institute of Ethics utilized by schools and communities nationwide. While character in professional athletes can appear to be lacking, more organizations are waking up to the reality that reputation matters, and if a player has behavior issues it reflects directly on the organization for which they...

Although the arrest of six Baltimore police officers accused in the death of Freddie Gray demonstrates that the course to justice has, indeed, begun, there is another more difficult ethical path that the family and citizens will need to consider – forgiveness. I was recently contacted by Melissa (Mel) Coulson. “Throughout my life I’ve experienced mental health problems, and over...

What could be better? You’re at the ballpark of your team. A beeee-u-tiful Spring day. You’re on your 4th dog with beverage of your choice. “Take me out to the ballgame,” National Anthem, then PLAY BALL! Ever wonder what it might be like to have the stadium all to yourself? No one getting up every five minutes for another beer....

Last Friday (Apr. 24), I wrote about ESPN reporter Britt McHenry’s verbal abuse against a clerk at a towing company. While the Disney/Hearst cable network took immediate action, the penalty amounted to a one-week suspension. I also pointed out that McHenry’s own apology, via Twitter, was far from appropriate or complete. I then offered a long list of actions McHenry...

Amid the chaos and violence of the Baltimore riots on Monday, one individual – a mother – took accountability into her own hands. In a video, captured by ABC Baltimore affiliate WMAR (Apr. 28), a suspected rioter got the surprise and woopin’ of his life when his mother showed up to personally take charge of her son’s wrongdoing. According to...

What’s to become of Brian Williams, the stalwart and – up until his abrupt six month suspension in February – trusted news anchor for NBC? The good news is that NBC News is taking the time to conduct a thorough internal investigation into the fabrications Williams has told the media, particularly about war-related incidents he was supposedly involved in. According...