June 17, 2010
Congressman Bob Etheridge (D-NC) was walking down a Washington sidewalk when a short (half-a-head shorter than the Congressman) young man in a suit approached him with a camera—perhaps in a cell phone—and asked him if he supported the Obama agenda. “WHO ARE YOU?” the Congressman demanded, before he lunged at the camera, grabbed the young man’s arm, and then his neck, before letting go.
My favorite ethics blogger, Jack Marshall, labeled Etheridge an “ethics dunce” in his EthicsAlarms.com. Shamefully, some in the liberal media, including MSNBC’s Chris Mathews the Washington Post’s Chris Cilizza, and the Charlotte Observer, defended Etheridge. Worse, Politico reports that the DNC is blaming the Republican party.
The story on the right from Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, and their friends, is that the mainstream media don’t cover bad behavior on the left. Not so in this case: The incident was immediately covered by CBS News, CNN, National Public Radio, the Los Angeles Times, the Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: Bob Etheridge, CBS News, Charlotte Observer, Chris Cilizza, Chris Mathews, CNN, DNC, Drudge Report, ethics, ethics dunce, EthicsAlarms.com, Fox News, Huffington Post, Jack Marshall, liberal media, Los Angeles Times, mainstream media, MSNBC, National Public Radio, New York Times Washington Post, Politico, Republican Party, Rush Limbaugh, Salon, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Washington Times
Posted in Ethics-general, Politics | Leave a Comment »
June 15, 2010
They say that our fee-for-service system of medical and dental insurance is crushingly expensive because doctors and dentists are paid for the treatments they deliver. So they treat you in overly expensive ways, and earn more at your expense and your insurance company’s.
Not my experience. I just got back from a visit to my West Los Angeles dentist, Dr. Abdolreza “Abdi” Sameni. For several years he’s been warning me that a long-ago filled tooth would eventually need an expensive onlay, costing about $2000. “But no need to do it yet,” he had told me. “It could be years before you have to do it.”
A few weeks ago he told me it was time, and the time was today. I was in the chair, anaesthetized, and he was doing the final examination of the area to be repaired, when he said, “I think we can get by very well with just a filling.” Great news—it would save me $2000 and several more hours in the dental chair.
They say that ethics is how you behave when nobody is looking. Abdi, in addition to his skill and attention to his patients’ comfort, is certainly ethical. There’s no way I could have known anything was amiss had he just gone ahead with the onlay we had agreed on. But he knew it wasn’t needed, and he saved me $2000, right out of his pocket.
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Tags: dentists, Dr. Abdolreza “Abdi” Sameni, ethics, fee-for-service, medical and dental insurance, onlay, West Los Angeles
Posted in Ethics-general, Health care | 2 Comments »
June 13, 2010
There are two dramatically different stories of the botched May 31 incident that cost at least ten lives and poisoned relations between Israel and Turkey, and perhaps damaged the relations of both with the United States.
In one version, Israeli forces attacked a peaceful group that was trying to deliver humanitarian relief to the besieged people of Gaza; in the other, violent extremists, in league with Hamas, surrounded themselves with naïve civilians while attacking Israeli forces exercising a legal search of a ship attempting to run a legal blockade of Hamas-ruled Gaza.
We won’t know the true story for a long time. The best that could happen would be an objective and unbiased inquiry, but that won’t happen. As George Orwell said, “History is written by the winners.” The Israelis won, and they released video showing Israeli commandos sliding down ropes from helicopters and being attacked with what appear to be metal pipes.
The people on the Mavi Marmara took videos, too. All have been confiscated by the Israeli forces, all except one, snuck past the Israelis by San Francisco-based activist Lara Lee, available here. It records sixty minutes, starting about 30 minutes before the commandos boarded the ship. The dialog is mostly in Turkish, perhaps five percent in English. A brief and admittedly amateur analysis of the video is posted on the website of the United States Naval Institute, here.
Like any government that covers up evidence, Israel is damaging its credibility. Israel’s friends and impartial observers will believe Israel has much to hide, else why would they be hiding so much.
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Tags: blockade-running, cover-up, ethics, Gaza, George Orwell, Hamas, humanitarian relief, Israel Defense Force, Israeli commandos, Lara Lee, Mavi Marmara, Turkey, United States Naval Institute
Posted in Ethics-general, International, military | 1 Comment »
June 12, 2010
I went to see for myself what the mosque at Ground Zero is like. Considering the fuss made over the mosque by the New York Post and by the thousands of people who post rabid anti-mosque messages every three minutes on a Facebook group, I thought it would be easy to find; just go to Ground Zero and look around.
Nope, you can’t see it from Ground Zero, and none of the half-dozen locals I asked had any idea what I was talking about. I finally remembered that it was in a former Burlington Coat Factory store. I googled “Burlington Coat Factory Ground Zero New York,” and there it was: 45 Park Place (closed). Two blocks up Church Street from Ground Zero and a half-block into Park Place.
You can’t see the mosque from Ground Zero, and you can’t see Ground Zero from the mosque. We walked in and were greeted by Kemal, the caretaker, who was busy scrubbing the floor. He invited us to take off our shoes and look around. There wasn’t much to see—old drab retail space, completely empty except for the indoor/outdoor carpet that serves as a prayer rug.
The Imam is Feisal Abdul Rauf, a graduate of Columbia University who has worked for twenty years to build bridges between American Muslims and the broad public, and between America and the Muslim world. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: 45 Park Place, 92nd Street YMHA, American Muslims, Anwar al-Awlaki, Burlington Coat Factory, ethics, Facebook group, Feisal Abdul Rauf, mosque at Ground Zero, Muslim Center, Muslim world, New York Post
Posted in Ethics-general, International, Politics, Tolerance | 4 Comments »
June 11, 2010
The National Collegiate Athletic Association has imposed harsh penalties on the USC athletic program for disregarding NCAA rules and for permitting a general campus environment that made compliance efforts difficult.
USC is barred from post-season bowl games for two years, is losing ten scholarships a year for three years, is on probation for four years, and is docked 14 victories and probably the 2004 national championship, The bowl ban could be especially costly: the Rose Bowl paid its participating teams $13.5 million each last year.
USC’s sin: allowing super star Reggie Bush and his parents “impermissible benefits in the form of cash, merchandise, an automobile, housing, hotel lodging, and transportation…worth many thousands of dollars,” and allowing basketball star O. J. Mayo to collect “benefits in the form of cash, lodging, merchandise, automobile transportation, meals, airline transportation, and services.”
Pete Carroll, arguably the most successful football coach in America for the past nine years, was “absolutely shocked and disappointed” at the NCAA decision. He protested that “We didn’t know, the University didn’t know” about the Bush violations. Carroll may not have known, but Todd McNair, a USC assistant coach did. And athletic director Mike Garrett made it clear that he didn’t want to hear about the Mayo affair. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: 2004 national championship, bowl games¸ scholarships, compliance, envy, ethics, integrity, Mike Garrett, NCAA, NCAA sanctions, O. J. Mayo, penalties, Pete Carroll, probation, Reggie Bush, Rose Bowl, Sport, Todd McNair, Trojans, USC assistant coach, USC basketball, USC football
Posted in Ethics-general, Sports | 2 Comments »
June 8, 2010
“We’re sorry.”
Magical words.
When a U.S. C-130 reconnaissance aircraft collided several years ago with a Chinese MIG that had been closely tailing it, the MIG crashed into the sea and the C-130 made an emergency landing in China. The Chinese government delayed releasing the crew, and it looked like a serious threat to U.S.-China relations when the Chinese ambassador paid a call on Secretary of State Colin Powell.
“We demand an apology,” said the ambassador. “We’re sorry,” replied Powell. “You’re sorry?” “Yes, we’re sorry,” Powell repeated
The ambassador was taken aback. “I must talk to Beijing,” he explained and left the State Department. Two hours later he was back with Powell. “Can you regret the loss of life?” he asked. This was a no-brainer for the intrepid Secretary of State.
“Yes, we’re sorry and we regret the loss of life.”
“I can assure you, the American airmen and the wreckage of the plane will be returned immediately,” the Chinese ambassador responded.
And so ended a potentially dangerous confrontation between the United States and China. Two magical words.
If only somebody as sensible as Powell could influence the Israeli government. Israel is about to suffer a costly—and possibly irreversible—breach in relations with Turkey, the only Muslim country it counts as an ally. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: air-to-air collision, apology, C-130 reconnaissance aircraft, Chinese MIG, Colin Powell, ethics, Gaza, Israel, killings of Turkish activists, Mavi Marmara, Namik Tan, severing relations, sorry, Turkey, Turkish ambassador, U.S.-China relations, Washington Post
Posted in Ethics-general, International, military, Politics | 3 Comments »
June 6, 2010
Do you think President Bush knew about the 9/11 attack in advance, but allowed it to happen in order to advance his and Vice President Cheney’s secret pro-big oil agenda? If so you’re not alone. You and many other Democrats are the people that Democratic candidates target in primary elections. Congratulations.
Do you think President Obama was born in Kenya and is secretly a Muslim, striving to outlaw pork and introduce socialism in America? You and many other Republicans are the people that Republican candidates target in primary elections. Congratulations.
Are you sick about American political life being controlled by wild-eyed extremists. You and many other moderates are the people that California ballot Proposition 14 targets. You have a chance to turn politics back to the people who are trying to solve America’s problems without demonizing members of the other party.
Proposition 14 would change California’s primary election process. It would end separate primaries for each party and make all candidates run in a single primary, with the two candidates receiving the greatest number of votes moving on to the general election ballot regardless of party preference.
This would have a profound effect on the outcomes because candidates would necessarily try to appeal to independent voters and members of the other party, in addition to voters of their own party. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: 9/11 attack, california, Democrats, extremists, general election, independent voters¸ Proposition 11, Kenya, moderates, moderation, politics, President Bush, President Obama, primary elections, Proposition 14, redistricting reform, Republicans, secret Muslim, single primary, socialism, Vice President Cheney, YES on Proposition 14.
Posted in Ethics-general, Politics | Leave a Comment »
June 3, 2010
The Bible says “eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand.” (Exodus, 21:23) The Israeli government has long since amended this commandment. Israel’s policy appears to be eye for tooth.
Israel’s latest military action was to interdict an attempt to run an Israeli blockade of Hamas-controlled Gaza. The blockade-running flotilla sailed from Turkey with humanitarian supplies. It was stopped by Israel Defense Forces, who subdued the crews, killing ten of them, seized the boats and supplies, and brought the 700 activists, mostly Turkish, to Israel. The Israeli government said it would deport almost all of them within the next two days, but about 50 would be held for investigation into their part in the violence at sea.
It was another great victory for the once vaunted Israel Defense Forces over unarmed civilians. Here’s the recent scorecard of deaths:
· 2010 Gaza blockade incident: Israelis 0, Turks (and a few others) 10
· 2008-9 Gaza invasion: Israelis 13, Palestinians 1300
· 2006 Lebanon invasion: Israelis 162, Lebanese 1035
Israel asserts the right of self defense, and clearly some of the people they killed were fighting against Israel, including against the civilian population. But most opinion inside Israel is that the vast majority of those killed by the IDF have been unarmed non-combatants.
Israel’s relentless war on Palestinians and those who support them Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: Bible, ethics, Exodus, eye for eye, Gaza, Hamas, humanitarian supplies, IDF, interdiction, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Israeli blockade, Israeli government, Judith Ellis., Lebanon invasion, Muslim world, non-combatants, Orthodox Jews, Palestinians, Pyrrhic victory, Pyrrhus, right of self defense, scorecard of deaths, Today’s Zaman, Turkey, Turkish flags, unarmed civilians
Posted in Ethics-general, International, military, Tolerance | 1 Comment »
May 30, 2010
There’s a Facebook group called “1,000,000+ people who disapprove of building a mosque at Ground Zero!” It has 109,000 members so far, and the postings are mostly rabid anti-Muslim rants and slurs. Most of the members—even those not apparently driven by hate of Muslims—refer to all Muslims as “they”—as in they are terrorists, or they attacked us on 9/11.
There’s some background on the mosque here. Just last week a Manhattan community board struck a blow for New York-style tolerance and diversity by voting 29-1 with ten abstentions to approve the mosque. There are more hurdles ahead, but the community sentiment is in a good place.
I’ve joined the group to join the conversation. Wouldn’t it be nice if 109,000 more people joined who believed in religious freedom, and in NOT attributing to an entire people the acts of the worst of them. Go ahead and join up. You could join the conversation and perhaps inject a note of love-your-neighbor to the group. Who knows, it might be catching.
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Tags: "1, 000, 000+ people who disapprove of building a mosque at Ground Zero!", 9/11, Anti-Muslim, conversation, Facebook, hate, love-your-neighbor, mosque at Ground Zero, religious freedom, terrorists
Posted in Ethics-general, International, Politics, Tolerance | Leave a Comment »
May 28, 2010
Ethics Bob has to comment on the Sestak case, under penalty of losing his ethicist license. First, the background.
While campaigning in the Democratic primary for the U.S. senate seat from Pennsylvania against incumbent Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Democrat Arlen Specter, Congressman Joe Sestak said that the Administration had offered him a big job, hinted to be Secretary of the Navy, if he would get out of the race. He wouldn’t say who made the offer, and the White House wouldn’t say anything. After winning the primary mostly because Specter kept getting confused about which party’s endorsement he was seeking, Sestak repeated the claim, then became coy about who and what, finally clamming up completely.
In the wake of a furor on all sides over a possible felony and cover-up, the White House this morning released its official review of the affair by White House Counsel Robert F. Bauer. There had been an effort, made not by the White House staff but by Bill Clinton, (haha), “to determine whether Congressman Sestak would be interested in [uncompensated] service on a Presidential or other Senior Executive Branch Advisory Board.”
The lawyer’s memo gave a traditional lawyer’s analysis:
· We didn’t do it.
· The guy who did it didn’t make an offer, he just asked a question.
· The question wasn’t about a real job, just about an unpaid advisorship.
· It was perfectly legal when he did it.
· Everybody does it. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: Arlen Specter, Bill Clinton, cover-up, Executive Branch Advisory Board, felony, lawyer’s analysis, Pennsylvania Democratic primary, Pennsylvania senator, political alliances, representative democracy, Robert F Bauer, Secretary of the Navy, Sestak, transparency, U.S. senate seat, uncompensated service, White House, White House Counsel
Posted in Ethics-general, Politics | 4 Comments »
Congressman Bob Etheridge (D-NC) was walking down a Washington sidewalk when a short (half-a-head shorter than the Congressman) young man in a suit approached him with a camera—perhaps in a cell phone—and asked him if he supported the Obama agenda. “WHO ARE YOU?” the Congressman demanded, before he lunged at the camera, grabbed the young man’s arm, and then his neck, before letting go.
Ethics Bob 