Even as he took the oath of office, Lincoln knew that civil war was coming. In his first speech as commander and chief, even as he urged restraint, he made clear “In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war… You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while...

Ethics is often dry, serious, and yes, even depressing with the amount and frequency of individuals and organizations that we admire, trust, depend on, or root for caught up in all manner of conduct unbecoming. So, here are some questions to consider: Is it ethical to have fun? Can you have too much fun; not enough fun; is there an...

What could be better? You’re at the ballpark of your team. A beeee-u-tiful Spring day. You’re on your 4th dog with beverage of your choice. “Take me out to the ballgame,” National Anthem, then PLAY BALL! Ever wonder what it might be like to have the stadium all to yourself? No one getting up every five minutes for another beer....

Amid the chaos and violence of the Baltimore riots on Monday, one individual – a mother – took accountability into her own hands. In a video, captured by ABC Baltimore affiliate WMAR (Apr. 28), a suspected rioter got the surprise and woopin’ of his life when his mother showed up to personally take charge of her son’s wrongdoing. According to...

No sooner had FBI Director James Comey delivered comments that revealed a deeper and more vital regard for what he called “the responsible exercise of power,” than critics from Poland demanded an apology for a reference he made in a speech about the Holocaust. As reported in The New York Times (Apr. 20), “Polish political leaders have been taking turns...

Speaking at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s annual National Tribute Dinner held each year on April 15th, FBI Director James Comey took time to make clear why he requires agents to visit the Holocaust Museum. Director Comey is a special breed of law enforcement official who not only sees and understands the big picture, but encourages his agents to...

Since a bystander’s video uncovered the brutal shooting of a fifty-year-old black man by a North Charleston, South Carolina police officer, the graphic video has been played and replayed by broadcast media too many times to count. Every time an expert, analyst, relative or the witness/videographer himself, have been interviewed, we see the same horrific images with sound repeated. When...

Where do you go when the court of last resort turns you down? For the past several years I’ve been researching a couple of aspects of the Office of Independent Counsel headed by Kenneth Starr and succeeded by Robert Ray. I interviewed Jo Ann Harris, the former assistant attorney general for the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division under then-Attorney General...

What will make a difference in the years ahead? How can we overcome extremism, complacency, prejudice, arrogance, ignorance, doubt, fear and hate? How can we learn to be better citizens, not just of our own country but of the world? How can we get to a place where helping each other is more important than winning at any cost; where...

Cyber attacks are no longer a matter of “if.” They’re here, they’re growing more frequent, and we need to be prepared. However, in journalist Shane Harris’ enlightening, call to action book, @ War – The Rise of the Military-Internet Complex (2014), questions continue to arise, not only about the legality, but the ethics of such far-reaching programs utilized by the...