Recent Accountability Commentaries

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Radical American Gibberish
“Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.”  – Plato “Appreciate the congrats for being right on radical Islamic terrorism, I don’t want congrats, I want toughness & vigilance. We must be smart!…” — Donald J. Trump on his prediction of another terrorist attack, June 12, 2016 “…we have to have our...
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June 22, 2016
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Those Emails – Part 2
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s e-mails have been the subject of criticism, speculation and more ever since it was discovered that she used a private server located in her home to handle her e-mail account during the period she served as secretary of state. From an ethical standpoint, here are the questions that concern me most: 1) Was Secretary...
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June 17, 2016
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Those Emails… again!
“The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails!”          — Bernie Sanders, the first Democratic debate I was going to wait before addressing this issue again until the FBI had released a report on its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private e-mail server, but with the recent release of the Office of Inspector General’s...
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June 15, 2016
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“You don’t know me, but you’ve been inside me.”
On June 2, a California judge ordered Stanford University student Brock Turner to serve six months in jail for sexually assaulting a female student. In a statement to the judge, Turner blamed the “party culture and risk-taking behavior” for his actions. On June 15, Congress will hold a special one hour presentation where congressional members, both men and women, will...
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June 13, 2016
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Rigged?
While Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders has been mathematically eliminated from the 2016 election, for weeks he has complained that the election process is rigged. While many brushed his remarks aside as a non-story, many, including Sanders own campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, stated that Nevada Democratic officials “hijacked the process…” Are they right? On May 16, The New York Times writes,...
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June 10, 2016
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Between a Rock and a Trump Place
SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATES! Dear Mr. Speaker, Well, that didn’t take long. Last month you told CNN’s Jake Tapper: “I’m just not ready to [endorse Donald Trump].” You said you couldn’t support Trump unless he “advances the principles of our party and appeals to a wide, vast majority of Americans.” The only problem with that statement, Mr. Speaker is that...
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June 7, 2016
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The Ethical Take: ‘From Here to Absurdity’ Edition
This month’s ethical snapshot goes from the absurd to the absurder and some good news . Who are the Never Trumps? – Contrary to Trump’s zealous base, there are a group of conservative donors who are unwilling to contribute to Trump’s campaign need of $1 billion. According to The New York Times (May 21), “50 of the Republican Party’s largest...
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May 23, 2016
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Eat It!
October 2, 2015: a date… which will live… in infamy; at least for one journalist. That look of utter defeat on Washington Post Columnist Dana Milbank’s face comes as a consequence of a promise he made last year. “I’m so certain Trump won’t win the nomination,” Milbank wrote, “that I’ll eat my words if he does. Literally: The day Trump...
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May 16, 2016
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But How Many Others?
Good news about Dennis Haines… finally! Last week, I wrote about Vietnam Vet. Dennis Haines’s difficulty in getting a medication approved by the V.A. for treatment for Hepatitis C – an infectious disease that he contracted after he had unintentionally received tainted blood while being treated by the 24th Evacuation Hospital in Long Binh. One week ago, I had contacted...
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May 9, 2016
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No Excuse, Follow-up
On Monday, I contacted Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey’s office and explained about Dennis Haines’s battle with the V.A. system. A Vietnam veteran and recipient of both a Purple Heart and Bronze Star, Haines had been approved to receive drug treatment for the Hepatitis C he had contracted through tainted blood while in a military hospital. While the treatment and payment...
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May 4, 2016