Monday, July 20th marked the 40th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. In a White House meeting, President Obama welcomed Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins and called them “genuine American heroes.  I think it’s fair to say” the president said, “that the touchstone for excellence in exploration and discovery is always going to be represented by the...

We all have responsibilities to family, friends, co-workers, and employers, to name just a few.  But the ethical value of responsibility goes beyond individuals and institutions within our own circle to include our community, country, as well as the world at large. I’ve talked about David Krieger before.  Founder of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, David has served as the organization’s...

Last weekend’s Wall Street Journal ran an essay entitled, In Praise of Transgressions by Joe Queenan. Without condoning the very public offenses of Tom Daschle, Alex Rodriguez, Michael Phelps and others, Mr. Queenan posits the notion that rather than look upon the destructive actions of high-profile individuals as bad behavior, we should instead, embrace these events as a kind of psychotherapy: “…we...

Remember the Seinfeld episode where Jerry’s contacted about late fees on an overdue library book – twenty years overdue? Well, this one’s not quite as bad, but the individual returning the books has a good excuse. California State University at Fresno Library Dean Peter McDonald reported that he got a call from U.S. Airways Captain Chesley Sullenberger “…almost immediately about the books he’d borrowed that were...

The first time I became aware that the plane was in trouble I looked out the window and realized that the ground was coming up quickly. The oxygen masks dropped, and the pilot announced, “Yes, we want you all to put your oxygen masks on!” Flight attendants quickly went about helping passengers remain in their seats and put on their...

Much of the time we tend to think of compassion in terms of the extraordinary moments, events which seem removed from our daily perspective. The Dalai Lama’s story of a Tibetan monk’s compassion towards his Chinese jailers is one example. However, not long ago, I experienced a simple, yet powerful example of everyday compassion. My neighbor, Sue Adams, is funny, wise...

“The most important thing to understand about nuclear weapons is this:  these weapons do not and cannot provide physical protection to their possessors.” These are the opening words from a written appeal by David Krieger addressed to the next president of the United States. Last May, I chose Krieger as my ethical hero of the month due to his tireless...

I’ve been bothered lately, not just by the recklessness by certain members of Congress, but by the blatancy of it all. Florida Representative Tim Mahoney defiantly telling reporters that the issue of extramarital affairs he had while in office is a “private matter.” Louisiana Representative William Jefferson indicted on 16 corruption-related charges, unashamedly telling constituents that, in spite of $90,000...

One of the pleasureable aspects of being a writer is meeting and speaking with many interesting people; people with their own stories of principle. Two examples are Sam Broadnax and Art Harmon.  Both were part of the elite fighter pilot group known as the Tuskegee Airmen.  And both have a clear understanding of what they stand for. Sam Broadnax has had...

In 1914, so the tale goes, the following ad was placed in a London newspaper: “Men Wanted for Hazardous Journey. Small Wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.” It’s still not known whether those words were truly those of Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton or just another...