July 22, 2010
I feel for Feisal Abdul Rauf, the imam who has devoted his life to building bridges between Islam and the West, and is now leading the effort to build a mosque in New York 2-1/2 blocks from Ground Zero. When I was nine years old I learned to defend myself against bullies who beat me up because I had killed Christ. I didn’t know what the accusation meant, but I knew I was being picked on because I was Jewish, and I’d better learn to fight off these guys.
Most of the opposition to the mosque is because Imam Rauf killed 3000 Americans on 9/11. Or if he didn’t personally do it, his people (“they”) did it. Just as everybody is connected within six degrees of separation to Kevin Bacon, all Muslims are connected within six degrees to some terrorist. Or to someone who gave money to a charity that gave money to terrorists. Or who has a cousin who once said that Hamas had a point.
In the 1950s Senator Joe McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee tarred innocents with guilt by association. Today’s haters don’t even need association to make their accusations, they just need something within six degrees of separation.
Thursday’s New York Times has a good analysis by Robert Wright of the accusations against Imam Rauf, Read the rest of this entry »
34.064458
-118.451661
Tags: 9/11, anti-Semitism, Bill of Rights, Bin Laden, ethics, Feisal Abdul Rauf, Geopolitics, Ground Zero, guilt by association, Hamas, House Un-American Activities Committee, Kevin Bacon, mosque, Muslims, New York Times, Robert Wright, Senator Joe McCarthy, six degrees of separation
Posted in Ethics-general, International, Tolerance | 2 Comments »
July 22, 2010
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was the only Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote for the confirmation of Elena Kagan as Supreme Court Justice. I can’t improve on what Jack Marshall (who I believe to be a Republican) headlined and wrote in his EthicsAlarms.com blog. Anybody who hopes the American government can work again should read it.
“Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) delivered the following remarks as the Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of President Obama’s nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Obviously Ethics Alarms approves of Graham’s vote and reasoning, as it is consistent with what I believe is the most ethical, fair and responsible course for all Republican senators. His statement, however, is extraordinary in its appeal to the best instincts of ethical public servants, and rather than just a link (the text comes from The Hill), I think proper respect and admiration dictate a full presentation. It embodies fairness, civility, professionalism. respect and dignity, as well as the ideals of collaborative government.”
Here is the entire Marshall posting.
var sc_project=6152467;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security=”2276aa67″;
34.064458
-118.451661
Tags: civility, confirmation, Elena Kagan, Ethics Hero, Ethics Quote of the Week, EthicsAlarms, fairness, Jack Marshall, Lindsey Graham, professionalism. respect and dignity, public service, Republican senators, Senate Judiciary Committee, Supreme Court
Posted in Ethics-general, Government, Politics | 2 Comments »
July 21, 2010
When you screw up, say you screwed up, apologize, and attempt to repair the damage, Kudos to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who screwed up big-time yesterday by firing Shirley Sherrod on the basis of a sharply edited right wing video. He did the right thing today. The following is from Politico:
“POLITICO Breaking News:
“Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has personally apologized to Shirley Sherrod, the employee who was forced to resign Monday after videotapes surfaced of her making remarks that initially sounded racially discriminatory. Vilsack said Sherrod was “extraordinarily gracious” in accepting his apology and said he offered her a job that would take advantage of her “unique experiences” working with black and white farmers in Georgia. Sherrod, he said, wanted to think about it before answering. “This was my decision and it’s a decision I regret,” Vilsack said, saying he received no White House pressure to force Sherrod to resign. Vilsack plans to meet with the Congressional Black Caucus later Wednesday to discuss Sherrod.”
var sc_project=6152467;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security=”2276aa67″;
34.064458
-118.451661
Tags: apology, screw-up, Sherrod, Vilsack
Posted in Ethics-general, Politics, Tolerance | 3 Comments »
July 20, 2010
The University of Southern California took a step toward cleaning up its athletic program, which has been so diminished ethically under the see-no-evil eyes of Mike Garrett.
C. L. Max Nikias will become president of USC on August 3. He announced today that Pat Haden, former Trojan quarterback and academic all-American, would become athletic director on the same day. It looks like a signal from the new president that he wants nothing to do—not even a day overlap—with the world of Mike Garrett.
Haden said the right things at his first meeting with the press: His main goals were to “compete ferociously and win in every sport,” but do it “ethically and within the rules.” Haden said he wanted to have a “culture of compliance here and have the best compliance department in the country.”
Nikias announced several other actions to bolster USC’s compliance with the rules. He named David M. Roberts to a new post of vice president for athletic compliance, saying he believed this would be the first position of its kind in the nation. Read the rest of this entry »
34.064458
-118.451661
Tags: academic all-American, C. L. Max Nikias, David M. Roberts, ethics, Louis J. Freeh, Mike Garrett, Pat Haden, president of USC, The Freeh Group International, University of Southern California, USC athletic director; compliance, vice president for athletic compliance
Posted in Ethics-general, Sports | 1 Comment »
July 20, 2010
Until Monday Shirley Sherrod was a low-level political appointee working in Georgia for the Department of Agriculture. A right-wing website posted a videotape appearing to show Sherrod saying she refused help to a farmer save his farm because he was white. Fox News played it endlessly, with all the fair and balanced commentators screaming racism and demanding Sherrod’s head.
The NAACP bit and denounced Sherrod’s apparent racism, and Agriculture Tom Vilsack pushed her out—all the way out—of government employment. The White House announced that the President supported Vilsack’s decision.
As the old saying goes, it was all lies, including the words an and the. The video had been edited to turn Sherrod’s remarks 180 degrees. She had been telling her personal tale of growth out of racism. She had thought of not helping the white farmer, identified in several news reports as Roger Spooner, then realized that the issue was rich and poor, not white and black, and had gone to great lengths to help him save his farm. And the whole thing took place 24 years ago, long before she entered government service. Read the rest of this entry »
34.064458
-118.451661
Tags: Department of Agriculture, Fox News, lies, NAACP, Obama administration, racism, Roger Spooner, Shirley Sherrod, Tom Vilsack, White House
Posted in Ethics-general, Politics, Tolerance | 5 Comments »
July 19, 2010
The Tea Party is a loosely organized group of people who favor generally conservative causes—lower taxes, smaller government, gun rights, and more immigration enforcement. But the party has attracted people to its rallies carrying signs comparing Obama to Hitler and telling him to “Go back to Kenya.” And members have spat epithets of faggot and nigger at congressmen Barney Frank (D-MA) and Jim Clyburn (D-SC).
As a result the NAACP passed a resolution last week calling on Tea Party leaders “to repudiate those in their ranks who use racist language in their signs and speeches.” (Several of those signs are shown here.) Tea Party Express spokesman Mark Williams, asked to tell racists “you’re not welcome” in the tea party, replied, “Racists have their own movement. It’s called the NAACP.”
Not satisfied to let things stand, Williams posted on his web site a letter supposedly written to Lincoln by “colored people” protesting emancipation and praising slavery.
While Williams defended his letter as satire, he has used ugly racial language regularly, especially in opposition to the proposed mosque near Ground Zero. He derided Mohammed as “the terrorist monkey god,” and called Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who backs building the mosque, a “Jewish Uncle Tom who would have turned rat on Anne Frank.” President Obama was an “Indonesian Muslim turned welfare thug.” Read the rest of this entry »
34.064458
-118.451661
Tags: Anne Frank, Barney Frank, Candy Crowley, CNN, colored people, conservative causes, David Webb, emancipation, ethics, faggot, Ground Zero, Hitler, Jim Clyburn, Kenya, Lincoln, Mark Williams, Mitch McConnell, Mohammed, monkey god, mosque, NAACP, Nigger, Obama, racism, Scott Stringer, slavery, Tea Party, Tea Party Express, Tea Party Federation
Posted in Ethics-general, Politics, Tolerance | 5 Comments »
July 17, 2010
The hate message is undisguised: “Where we Americans weep, they rejoice and intend to erect a shrine to the 9/11 terrorists they hail as martyrs. “
The “they” in the message can only refer to the moderate and patriotic American Muslims who support building a mosque and community center 2-1/2 blocks from Ground Zero. It’s not too big a stretch to think it also refers to Mayor Bloomberg, the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan, and everyone else who supports it.
The message is courtesy of Scott Wheeler, whose web site, www.goptrust.com, explains, “The National Republican Trust Political Action Committee (NRT PAC) was formed as an independent organization to help promote American values and support federal candidates for Congress, Senate and the Presidency who share those values. The NRT is committed to continuing the legacy of Ronald Reagan.”
Watch the vile ad to see what hate is being spread under the mantle of conservatism and Ronald Reagan. NBC and CBS have refused to air it, but it’s viral on the internet. Shades of the anti-Semitism of the 1930s.
var sc_project=6152467;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security=”2276aa67″;
34.064458
-118.451661
Tags: . NBC, 9/11, American Muslims, anti-Semitism, CBS, community center, ethics, Ground Zero, Hatred, Jewish Community Center of Manhattan, martyrs, Mayor Bloomberg, mosque, National Republican Trust, Ronald Reagan, Scott Wheeler, terrorists
Posted in Ethics-general, Tolerance | Leave a Comment »
July 15, 2010
The long-running saga of a Muslim-American group’s effort to build a community center and mosque two and a half blocks from Ground Zero ended another chapter Wednesday night. New York’s Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on whether to declare the group’s 150-year old building to be a historic landmark, and thus require its preservation as is.
The hearing drew a robust crowd, hardly any of whom cared a bit about the building. The real issue was whether to allow a Muslim center near Ground Zero. Most of the arguments made in favor of landmark designation were anti-Muslim rants, like that of an unidentified woman who said “It would be a terrible mistake to destroy a 150-year old building in order to build a monument to terrorism.”
Dania Darwish, a new graduate of New York’s Fort Hamilton High School, argued for the mosque:
“My family died that day…You’re yelling at me and you don’t know. If a mosque was built maybe you would know what Islam is about.”
The community isn’t particularly bigoted—New Yorkers pride themselves on their diversity, and a Manhattan community board recently voted 29-1 with ten abstentions to approve the mosque.. If you expected New York Jews to be opposed, guess again: New York’s Jewish Week reported that Jewish leaders haven’t made a big deal about the center, and the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan even offered some advice. Jewish elected officials Read the rest of this entry »
34.064458
-118.451661
Tags: bigotry, Dania Darwish, diversity, ethics, Fort Hamilton High School, Ground Zero, hate, historic landmark, Jerrold Nadler, Jewish Community Center of Manhattan, Jewish Week, Landmarks Preservation Commission, Manhattan community board, Michael Bloomberg, mosque, Muslim Center, Muslim-American, New York, New York Jews, Scott Stringer, terrorism, tolerance
Posted in Ethics-general, Tolerance | 1 Comment »
July 13, 2010
LeBron James is a wonderful athlete, this year’s Most Valuable Player in the NBA. Some like to compare him to Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan or Jerry West. Only problem is, MJ won six championships, Kobe five, and West one. LeBron: so far zip. He’s getting old in terms of basketball mileage and wants to be on a championship team, maybe challenge the others’ numbers, before it’s too late.
So James, who had become a free agent after playing out his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, agreed to leave for the Miami Heat, a team already with two superstars, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, that looks like a better bet to win it all. LeBron is leaving his home state and the team he’s played for all his seven seasons in the pros.
While James is a free agent, both legally and ethically, and free to go wherever he gets the best deal, ethics doesn’t allow him to ignore the feelings of the fans who worshipped him for years. The very foundation of ethics is the ability to imagine yourself in others’ circumstances. It’s the Golden Rule.
The ethical thing for James to have done, having decided to leave Cleveland for greener pastures, was to be considerate of the fans’ feelings. He owed them, not a life sentence with the Cavs, but a gentle let-down. Perhaps a news conference as soon as he made his decision, in which he could say something nice about the Cavs’ fans. Read the rest of this entry »
34.064458
-118.451661
Tags: championships, Chris Bosh, Cleveland Cavaliers, Damn Yankees, Dwayne Wade, Golden Rule ESPN, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Miami Heat, Michael Jordan, Most Valuable Player, MVP, NBA, the devil
Posted in Ethics-general, Sports | 5 Comments »
July 12, 2010
When you’ve done something wrong and you want to apologize, say. “I’m sorry.” Even better, say what you’re sorry for. This doesn’t apply to the University of Southern California.
After USC was hit last month with sanctions from the NCAA for serious rule violations involving football star Reggie Bush and basketball star O. J. Mayo, the athletic department feared that players already committed to the Trojans (or already enrolled) would switch to other schools. Not just fears: according to ESPN, USC accused five other schools–Oregon, Washington, Florida, Alabama, and Fresno State—of cheating by contacting top Trojan recruit Dillon Baxter without the Trojans’ permission.
Mike Garrett, Trojan athletic director confirmed the ESPN report when he sent letters of “apology” to the five schools. After accusing the five schools of cheating Garrett belatedly asked Baxter, who said he’d not been contacted by any of the schools.
Garrett didn’t apologize for his careless accusation of cheating, or perhaps for damaging their reputations, nor for anything he had done. No responsibility for Mike Garrett, nosirree:
“I apologize for any inconvenience or embarrassment this matter has caused to you and your institution,” Garrett wrote.
var sc_project=6152467;
var sc_invisible=1;
var sc_security=”2276aa67″;
34.064458
-118.451661
Tags: Alabama, apology, cheating, Dillon Baxter, ESPN, ethics, Florida, football, Fresno State, Mike Garrett, NCAA sanctions, non-apology, O. J. Mayo, Oregon, Reggie Bush, University of Southern California, USC, Washington
Posted in Ethics-general, Sports | Leave a Comment »
I feel for Feisal Abdul Rauf, the imam who has devoted his life to building bridges between Islam and the West, and is now leading the effort to build a mosque in New York 2-1/2 blocks from Ground Zero. When I was nine years old I learned to defend myself against bullies who beat me up because I had killed Christ. I didn’t know what the accusation meant, but I knew I was being picked on because I was Jewish, and I’d better learn to fight off these guys.
Ethics Bob 