Did you hear about Tiger’s predicament at this year’s Masters? After physical and marital troubles the past few years, Tiger Woods has not only reclaimed the number one spot in golf, but appeared on his way to win his 6th Masters earlier this month until… uh-oh… “Woods awoke Saturday having to defend himself against a rules violation he committed in...

First up: Senate to Debate Gun Legislation – On Wednesday I acknowledged six politically courageous GOP Senators who refused to go along with a proposed filibuster to prevent new gun legislation from being brought to the floor for a debate. We have two Senators to thank for that. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.), and Sen. Patrick J. Toomey (R-Penn.), “unveiled a bipartisan...

Tracee Hamilton gets it. The Washington Post columnist jumped ahead of me when she heard about the absurdly ethical lapses in actions and reasoning behind two recent college basketball stories. It was only eleven days ago when I wrote, “college and university presidents need to take a hard look in the mirror and consider just what’s important: winning-at-any-cost, or role-modeling a...

“He was the very, very first to come and apologize to me. For a private citizen to come along and say, ‘I’m the one that attacked you; I’m the one who beat you,’ it was very meaningful…. His story and the way he arrived at his position must be understood, must be told.” That was civil-rights leader and Georgia Representative John...

“Shame,” writes author Richard Reeves (Mar. 15) “is an essential ingredient of a healthy society, particularly a liberal one. It acts as a form of moral regulation, or social ‘nudge,’ encouraging good behavior while guarding individual freedom.” Just when I think that we’re going to politically correct ourselves off the cliff, along comes a breath of fresh air. Reeves asks, “Where and when shame...

Before Sheryl Sandberg there was Sister Mary Benedict. The other night, I settled back to watch an old (1945) classic and was surprised to discover a few ethical indiscretions. The Bells of St. Mary’s tells the story of kindly father O’Malley (Bing Crosby) who is sent to the run-down school of St. Mary’s in a town comprised of only fine,...

Beginning today, at least once a month, I will offer an abbreviated take on a variety of current issues. First up: The New Pope – Let’s begin with the fact that, historically, the (Roman) Catholic Church is the oldest club on the planet. With 1.2 billion in membership and billions more in cash and assets, they continue to exercise considerable influence. And they...

Wednesday’s New York Times (Mar. 6), offered two stories, appearing side-by-side, that present a contrast in decision-making between two high-profile executives. One uses rationalization while the other employs reason. The two company figureheads I’m talking about are Marissa Mayer, newly installed CEO of Yahoo, an Internet search engine company, and Martha Stewart, author, magazine publisher and founder of Martha Stewart...

Yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of It’s Ethics, Stupid! While it’s great to acknowledge a milestone, sadly, five years and 712 commentaries later, ethics scandals seem to be more widespread than ever. In March, 2008, my own survey found that every day, on average, 4.5 ethics-related stories appeared in the news – more stories than all other areas of concern by...

The sequester; Republicans blame the president; the president blames them back; the Catholic sex abuse scandal, same sex marriage, voting rights, gun control, Martha Stewart vs. Macy’s… AND the Pope says, “I’m Outta here!” Obstruction, power, intolerance, hubris – The Four Horsemen ride again. After my commentary on Downton Abbey, one reader wrote, “I am distressed by almost everything going on right now in...