(With apologies to Booth Tarkington) The ‘magnificence’ of the Trumps began with Frederick Christ ‘Fred’ Trump, who acquired his wealth by building and selling housing to soldiers who returned from World War II and their families. Their gilded splendor lasted throughout all the years that son Donald took over his father’s company, later renamed The Trump Organization. The younger Trump...

As the partial shutdown of the federal government grinds on, we have learned that employees who have been furloughed will eventually be paid. That’s little consolation to those who literally live paycheck to paycheck with housing and other costs. “The shutdown is affecting parts of nine cabinet-level departments,” The New York Times writes (Jan. 1), “and as it drags on,...

“Individual faults and fragilities are no excuse to give in, and no exemption from the common obligation to give of ourselves. Today, more than ever before, I believe that each of us as individuals must not only struggle to make a better world, but to make ourselves better, too….” – Senator Edward M. Kennedy, speech at JFK School of Government,...

In 2017, the United Nations convened a conference which resulted in The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. In 2017, the Nobel committee awarded The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons – better known as ICAN – its coveted Peace prize for their work leading to the U.N.’s goal. Who is ICAN? ICAN is a coalition of more than...

In 1982, Dr. David Krieger founded The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation to be a driving force in abolishing all nuclear weapons from the planet. When it comes to peace and disarmament, Krieger says, “the people must lead their leaders.” Recently, Krieger wrote a ten-point message aimed at the next caretakers of the planet. “Our generation has caused and witnessed a...

Looking back on his life and presidency, George H. W. Bush made decisions consistent with specific ethical values. Here are seven illustrations. 1: Nice Guys Don’t Finish Last (Respect, Compassion) – Bush was always respectful. Even in the political fray, he never ridiculed or berated opponents. He also understood how others felt and went above and beyond to support them....

In the age of Trump everything is a cultural/political battlefield where the truth is suspect and the weapons are in most everyone’s hands. The Internet is the infrastructure and social media has become a pipeline of hate speech, conspiracies and political tribalism; a cultural free-for-all where people say whatever they want, attach a link to fear or hate, and pass...

In response to yet another controversial and unprecedented action taken by President Trump, cable news organization CNN has filed a lawsuit against the president, as well as some members of his administration, for revoking White House Correspondent Jim Acosta’s press pass to The White House. Updated: Friday, 11:23 a.m. The opening of the 18-page lawsuit reads: “…on November 7, 2018,...

In the olden days (of 2017), I used to say, “every week”; ridiculous! Every DAY, Trump and/or his administration face some new potential legal or ethical issue. Here’s the latest rundown: Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke – According to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), “…Zinke has racked up 17 federal investigations into his behavior since becoming Secretary.” “…the...

“When a man does all he can, though it succeeds not well, blame not him that did it.” – George Washington, Rules of Civility Civility is a word Mr. Trump and his spokespersons use only when condemning reporters who have the temerity to ask hard questions. What is a “hard” question? Any question the president doesn’t like. The latest hard...