In the hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan, Franklin Roosevelt had to make a number of critical decisions for the country; not the least of which was standing before Congress and the American people to clearly explain what had happened and what America’s response would be. While Roosevelt was responsible for a number of significant decisions in...

19th century American writer, artist and philosopher, Elbert Hubbard, wrote that “Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes of every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit.” That’s certainly one limit that I strive to achieve. However, true wisdom comes slow to most of us. For me, it’s comes at the crossroads of knowledge, experience,...

Have you had a talk with your son or daughter about bullying?  Do they recognize the difference between good-natured teasing and behavior that crosses the line into bullying? Every week we hear another tragic story involving bullying or hazing either by direct encounter or the high-tech version known as cyber bullying. “Insults, name calling, relentless teasing, and malicious gossip,” ethicist...

On Friday, November 4, Central Pennsylvania’s Patriot-Newswas the first to break the story on allegations of sex abuse on at least 8 young boys by former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky that go back as far as 1998. In ’02, staffer Mike McQueary personally witnessed another attack by Sandusky. Since that time, anyone with a microphone, camera crew or blog...

The sacred cow of protection from unwanted sales calls has been breached. “Telemarketers,” the New York Times writes, “increasingly are disguising their real identities and phone numbers to provoke people to pick up the phone. ‘Humane Soc.’ may not be the Humane Society. And think the I.R.S. is on the line? Think again. Caller ID, in other words, is becoming fake ID…....

We are facing a serious issue of intergenerational ethics when it comes to the proliferation of nuclear power. For the value of power today, we pass on the problems of nuclear waste to future generations. Yesterday, I was invited to attend a talk by Daniel Hirsch, Lecturer on Nuclear Policy at the University of California at Santa Cruz. Considering the...

As founder and president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation David Krieger’s goal is monumental: the elimination of all nuclear weapons on the planet. But his passion and commitment is equally massive. I met David several years ago at a conference and soon after we got together for lunch. That lunch not only turned into support for his cause but a mutual...

These are the 12 members of the Congressional “super committee” charged with finding $1.5 trillion in debt savings over the next ten years. They are: Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas (Republican and committee co-chair), Sen. Patty Murray of Washington (Democrat and committee co-chair), Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland (D), Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona (R), Sen. John Kerry of...

Negotiations stalled? Partisan gridlock? Angry citizens? It’s time to call in the heavy artillery. Chef Robert Irvine, fresh from the battlefront of Food Network’s Restaurant:Impossible, knows deadlines like the back of his hand. In fact, he’s very accomplished in using the back of his hand in dealing with entrenched chefs, staff and owners. “Sometimes you gotta just take the bull by...

Last February marked the fifth year of silence from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas during oral arguments held before the court. While Thomas certainly has a right not to enter the Q & A with lawyers, it does raise a simple question, “Why?”  This is a question that many have raised in the last several years. The simple fact is...