I don’t know about you, but I’m burned out on all the Republican debates…. and we haven’t even hit the primaries yet! The first debate was held September 7 in Simi Valley, California. Debate two happened less than a week later in Miami, Florida. Ten days later, number three took place in Orlando. The fourth, October 11 in Hanover, New...

Yee-Haa! That’s right, boys and girls it’s time once again for anotherPolitifact Rodeo Round-up. Who’s shootin’ straight and who’s fibbin’ from the lip. First out of the chute is the round-up’s most sensational newcomer, Herman “Yes, we” Cain. Of  21 statements checked, Politifact rated 14% as Mostly True, 19% Half True, 14% Mostly False, 43% False and 10% Pants-on-Fire.  » Read more about: Rodeo...

Last month I posted a commentary asking you to respond to recent events in Washington. I asked you to tell me your thoughts; what you believed leaders in Washington should do; more importantly, what together we can all do. One reader shared, “We are all exasperated to the point of exploding at this reductive and ideological stance taken by Congress, particularly the so-called ‘Tea Party.’ I...

Is this the future of politics? Here is Texas Governor Rick Perry on evolution: “It’s a theory that’s out there. It’s got some gaps in it.” Here is former Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell talking about women in the military: “By integrating women into particular military institutes, it cripples the readiness of our defense. When you have a woman in that...

Two years ago I wrote a commentary that asked: how do we restore America’s Integrity? Today, we’re not only challenged by an uncertain economy but uncertain leadership in Congress. Some representatives believe it is more important to hold to a pledge made to a special interest group rather than work for what is best for the country as a whole....

In Colin Powell and the American Dream (1995), Judith Cummings and Stefan Rudnicki write about an early choice made by a man who would rise to become an extraordinary leader and statesman. “In 1964, stationed in Fort Benning, Georgia, Powell pulled into a drive-in hamburger stand on Victory Drive. The waitress said she was not allowed to serve him, but if he...

Spoiler Alert: This one’s for fun, not ethics. According to an April 12th poll of possible GOP presidential candidates that includes former Governor Mike Huckabee, former Governor Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann, and Representative Ron Paul of Texas, businessman-real-estate-developer-reality-TV-star Donald Trump (you better sit down for this) is currently...

Let’s all bow our heads for a moment of silent prayer for the soon to be departed right Reverend-Professor Beck. Moment over. For those who have not heard the news, Glenn Beck announced last week that he will be leaving Fox News at the end of the year… (with five months notice in the bank). “Not long ago,” Linda Feldmann writes in...

In this excerpt from “Shameless,” I discuss 60s talk show confrontationalist Joe Pyne.   In 1966, I sat before a TV to watch a strange, new kind of entertainment unlike anything I had ever seen before.  It began like this… “The Joe Pyne Show, a fascinating forum of funny, famous, infamous, way out, and factual confrontations and interviews with real...

When it comes to opinion media, what raises my ethical hackles most comes from Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and Glenn Beck – three individuals responsible for much of the fear, unreason and cynicism that flourishes today. This excerpt comes from the chapter on Glenn Beck, from my new e-Book entitled, Shameless: The Ethical Case Against Three Out-of-Control Critics and the...