Recent Commentaries

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Now is the Time
I’ve written about David Krieger before. Founder and president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, Krieger has worked tirelessly toward a vision of “a world at peace, free of the threat of war and free of weapons of mass destruction.” (And I thought getting everyone to be more ethical was a tough sell.) In 2004, Krieger wrote, “World citizenship has...
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May 27, 2010
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Facebook Nation
Face-friend: Someone you are “friends” with on a website, such as Facebook and don’t acknowledge when you see them outside the internet. “So is Anna going to be at your party this Friday?” “No way. We’re just face-friends.” – Urban Dictionary In six short years the Internet website Facebook has grown tenfold. Twitter, MySpace, and Linkedin are all part of an...
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May 26, 2010
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Thinking Outside the Bomb
South African Bishop Desmond Tutu is a Nobel Laureate whose other passion is the abolishment of all nuclear weapons.  The following Op-ed, originally published in the Sunday Observer/UK (May 23), was sent to me by David Krieger, president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.  Bishop Tutu’s words are both passionate and compelling. This year the nuclear bomb turns 65 –...
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May 25, 2010
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Far From Heaven
From the category: If you live long enough… The New York Times reports (May 21) that the appearance of the Dalai Lama at Radio City Music Hall “has inspired a certain chant on the Avenue of the Americas… ‘Tickets for the Dalai Lama, TICKETS…’” New York’s famed theater has long been considered the gold standard for world class events (if you count the Grammys and...
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May 24, 2010
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Hope, Revisited
News stories continue to reflect challenging times for us as individuals and a country.  The ethical constitution of our nation has never been more important. As we approach another election cycle, I thought it important to revisit some of the thoughts I expressed last year in a commentary called, “Hope in a Time of Uncertainty,” whose only addition comes from...
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May 21, 2010
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Character and Success
There’s a right way to handle misconduct and… there’s the other way. Former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor was arrested on charges of rape and soliciting prostitution involving a 16-year-old girl.  One of the NFL’s greatest defensive players, Taylor denied the charges and was released after posting a $75,000 bond. This isn’t the first time Taylor’s been in trouble.  His thirteen-year...
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May 19, 2010
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Tikkun Olam
How long does it take to correct a wrong? On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor.  Two months later, President Franklin Roosevelt signed United States Executive Order 9066;an order that moved approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans into 10 internment camps located in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Utah and Wyoming. FBI Director J. Edgar...
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May 17, 2010
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Comments
Bloggers don’t receive letters. We receive “comments.”  While all of my “postings” appear here, I offer some on Huffington Post, and the reactions from readers are interesting. Regarding my post about the need for more women in decision-making positions in the Catholic Church (What Would Rev. Barbie Do?, April 9), one reader wrote, “Go Episcopalians! Diet-Catholic… Twice the fun and half...
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May 14, 2010
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May 2010 Ethical Hero – Gordon Massie
Gordon Massie was your average, guy-next-door, high-yield bond and investment manager who happened to work at… American International Group (AIG). (Whoa, wait-a-second, Jim!  Don’t tell me you’re making one of those high-finance, me-first, Wall Street types Ethical Hero of the Month?) Six months ago I received a call from Gordon and what he told me over the next hour of...
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May 12, 2010
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Common Sense, Uncommon Man
At the lowest point in America’s war for independence from Great Britain, General George Washington read an inspiring essay written by British-born sympathizer Thomas Paine.  Entitled, The American Crisis, it began like this – “These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but...
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May 12, 2010