What’s the definition of a public servant? You would think that it means an individual who is elected or appointed to serve the public.  But apparently, that’s not a definition embraced by former Republican Senator Norm Coleman. Last Monday, (April 13) a three-judge panel in Minnesota certified that Democrat Al Franken was the victor in the 2008 Senate race against...

“Some people hope for a miracle cure Some people just accept the world as it is But I’m not willing to lay down and die Because I am an innocent man…”             – Billy Joel, “Innocent Man,” 1983 Considering the “cure” that happened last week when a federal judge dismissed the ethics conviction against former Senator Ted Stevens,  » Read more about: An...

Anyone who has ever had to deal, firsthand, with the affects of Alzheimer’s disease, knows how it slowly robs the person affected of their heart and soul. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive and fatal brain disease that affects as many as 5.3 million Americans. “The disease destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior severe enough to...

On page A-18 of Thursday’s (April 9) print edition of the New York Times, three of the four stories on that page were about ethics: “New Scrutiny of Other Alaska Corruption Cases” “Director of Ethics Office Is Replaced at Justice Department” “Congressional Ethics Office Opens Inquiry into Rep. Jackson”         I typed “ethics” into The Washington Post search engine and...

There’s always a debate about journalistic ethics when the media goes too far.  But there are journalists who stand by their own standards even when pressured by others. Charles Lewis founded the Center for Public Integrity after eleven years as an investigative reporter at ABC News and CBS News, as well as a producer for 60 Minutes. The following is a story Lewis shared with me...

Halfway through the Jim Carrey movie, The Majestic, the story takes a sharp turn away from romantic comedy to a drama that examines one man facing a moment of principle. Blacklisted writer Peter Appleton must choose between reading a pre-arranged statement that provides a list of communist sympathizers or take a stand against the Committee on Un-American Activities and stand for the second amendment.  » Read...

“How does the court have confidence that the Public Integrity Section has public integrity?” That was the question Judge Emmet G. Sullivan asked last October in the face of prosecutorial misconduct by attorneys from the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section in the corruption case of former Alaska Republican Senator Ted Stevens. In a front page story in the New York Times (April...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a stunning announcement on the steps of the Capitol today, scientists from four leading research centers believe they have found a direct link between the ethics scandals of the last five years – perhaps going back as far as five decades – and a chemical imbalance in the brain. The new disease, which scientists are calling “Involuntary...

You’re facing a crisis. “Know what you can control and what you can’t.” People challenge and criticize you. “Refrain from defending your reputation and intentions.” Some people use harsh language and bombast. “Conduct yourself with dignity.” If you’re looking for the calm while working your way through a great storm, the ancient Greek Stoic philosopher Epictetus just might be the...

Re-interpreting a New York Daily News headline from 1975, the following is in response to a resignation letter written by Jake DeSantis, former executive vice-president, A.I.G. financial products unit to Edward M. Liddy, chief executive of A.I.G., appearing in the New York Times on Wednesday, March 25th.   Dear Mr. DeSantis, It’s difficult to read that you feel “betrayed by A.I.G.  » Read more...