“The summer of 2009 has not been our finest hour.” So wrote Newsweek editor Jon Meacham (Aug. 24) in response to those individuals who have brought Hitler and Nazism into the debate on health care. There’s political commentary and there’s hate speech and I’m sick and tired of hate speech passing for commentary. Earlier this month, conservative radio talk host Rush Limbaugh...

“They can beg and they can plead But they can’t see the light, that’s right Cause the boy with the cold hard cash Is always mister right…” – Madonna, “Material Girl,” 1984 That’s it, right next to the Boca Burgers.  That’s the $90,000, in cash, the FBI found in former Representative William Jefferson’s freezer. Wednesday afternoon the Democratic Representative from Louisiana...

I was in the midst of writing a piece on President Obama’s initial remarks made last Wednesday concerning the arrest of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates by Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley when news came Friday of Mr. Obama making a new statement to “recalibrate” his language. More accurately, he was recalibrating his judgment. When I first heard the news that Mr....

In a press interview regarding the Iraq war, Vice-President Dick Cheney was once asked “Over 70 percent of Americans disagree with this war, what is your response?” “So.” It was a chilling moment of arrogance not easily forgotten by most Americans.  It was the same when events were disclosed surrounding the “legal” wrangling that took place at the Justice Department...

“We are committed to: “Integrity – We will conduct ourselves with integrity in our dealings with and on behalf of the [organization]. “Excellence – We will conscientiously strive for excellence in our work. “Accountability – We will be accountable as individuals and as members of this community for our ethical conduct and for compliance with applicable laws and [organizational] policies and directives.  » Read more about: Here’s...

Who does it hurt? That’s the question that needs to be answered when examining the issue of athletes lying about the use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. It’s a question that warrants meaningful examination by anyone who owns a team or sponsors an athletic event in which the public expects that athletes are not only giving it their physical...

The last time Elwin Wilson saw Congressman John Lewis was at the Rock Hill, South Carolina bus station in 1961. Lewis was a young civil rights protestor.  Wilson was the white bigot who beat him up. After decades of carrying the painful guilt, Wilson went to Washington to meet with the Georgia congressman. “I’m sorry for what happened, down there,”...

Earl J. Hickey is a low-down, sneaky… well, maybe I better let him tell you. “You know that guy you see going into the convenience store… a sort of shifty-lookin’ fella who buys a pack of smokes, a couple of lotto scratchers and a tall-boy at ten in the morning? Well, that guy is me!” Just when you thought there were...

“I spent some time… further improving my analysis on why Madoff Investment Securities LLC is likely a Ponzi Scheme… The entire report ties in to Fairfield Sentry Ltd., a third party hedge fund that has over $5 billion invested in Madoff Investment Securities, LLC.” – Extract of email sent to the SEC by Harry Markopolos, Nov. 7, 2005 “The staff has found...

What will it take for some people to get the message? In the case of Illinois Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich when U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald (he’s the guy that succeeded in convicting former Vice-Presidential aid “Scooter” Libby) comes knocking on your door, the news can’t be good. Blagojevich’s first response:  “You’re joking, right?” What isn’t a joke is how the Illinois governor...