Recent Responsibility Commentaries

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The Ethical Take: All Spin Edition
The Take has been MIA for a while. So, let’s get to it. Spin Out – Yesterday, the junior senator from Arizona, Jeff Flake, announced he would not be running for re-election. In a surprise announcement from the floor of the Senate, most of Flake’s comments were pointed at the current occupant of the White House whose behavior grows more...
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October 25, 2017
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If I Only Had a Brain
One day – (hopefully), many, many millennia in the future – some grad student will be green-lighted for a doctoral dissertation on President Trump’s tweets to examine, and perhaps shed light on the current “dark age” of American politics, starting here: “Sorry losers and haters, but my I.Q. is one of the highest — and you all know it! Please...
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October 23, 2017
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Alone with Her
“The film starts with Doug seeking out his next prey. He becomes obsessed with a woman named Amy… he’s able to learn details of her life… He meets her at a coffee shop… strikes up conversations with her. The two become friends, but it seems as though Amy isn’t interested in continuing the relationship further.” That bit of opening plot...
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October 16, 2017
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What Would You Do? – Conclusion
2007, Virginia Tech., Blacksburg, VA = 32 dead; 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newton, CT = 27 dead; 2016, Orlando, FL = 49 dead; Las Vegas, NV = 58 dead, more than 500 injured. According to The Wall Street Journal (Oct., 2015), The United States “leads the world in mass shootings.” Survivors of mass shootings frequently suffer post-traumatic stress. Think...
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October 13, 2017
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What Would You Do?
Last week, I wrote about the mass shooting in Las Vegas, (Why? When? What?). After the deaths of 58 individuals at an outdoor concert, my commentary was another plea for commonsense gun legislation. In a separate e-mail, a regular reader to this site wrote to ask me a good question: What would you do? Hey Jim: …Please write 5 suggestions...
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October 11, 2017
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In Good Conscience
Jeff Flake is the junior U.S. Senator from Arizona whose recent book, Conscience of a Conservative, has received some harsh criticism, mostly from conservatives. “A Book by A Fake Conservative with No Conscience.” – The Tennessee Star “Jeff Flake is no Barry Goldwater. He’s a sellout Liberal.” – Conservative Review Editor-in-Chief Mark Levin Here’s part of a note addressed to...
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October 9, 2017
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Why? When? What?
After watching events unfold in Las Vegas last Sunday – now the largest mass shooting in U.S. history – I went to my archives to see how many commentaries I’d written about gun control. It’s an issue I have revisited several times, maybe eight or ten. I was surprised to discover twenty-three! (Twenty-four, counting this piece.) When I first heard...
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October 6, 2017
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Responsibility and Respect
Two things happened last week that received little attention, but are vital to our progress toward a more perfect union. Last Thursday (Sept. 28), Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch spoke to The Fund for American Studies, a conservative, non-profit educational organization that teaches “the principles of limited government, free-market economics and honorable leadership.” “In his remarks,” The New York...
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October 2, 2017
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Trump v. Ethics
“The law’s totally on my side, the president can’t have a conflict of interest.” – President-Elect Trump,  New York Times interview, November, 2016 During the 2016 campaign, Trump spoke dozens of times on Twitter and at rallies that his opponent, Hillary Clinton, should be prosecuted for having used a private e-mail server as secretary of state. “…nothing Hillary has said...
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September 29, 2017
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Unbearable Thoughtlessness of… Yada, Yada
“If the National Football League players want to take a knee, they should take a knee at night, every night, and thank God in heaven Donald J. Trump is president of the United States… He’s done such a tremendous job…” – Steve Bannon, former W.H. chief strategist, current Trump “wingman” Okay, let’s put this into context. Trump returns to the...
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September 27, 2017