Monthly Archives: October 2011
Scary Ethics Theater: The Strange Case of the Freedom of DISinformation Act!
This Halloween night we ask the scary question, “When is it ethical to be unethical?” For the chilling answer, we must enter the mysterious lair of Eric Holder’s Justice Department!!! Continue reading
Five Questions and Answers About The Steven J. Braun Law Firm Halloween Party Outrage
New York Times Joe Nocera is stirring up public outrage because some employees of a law firm involved in questionable foreclosure practices attended the firms 2010 Halloween party dressed as homeless people. Continue reading
Herman Cain, the News Media’s New Sarah Palin
At least when the media and pundits decided to suspend basic principles of fairness and decency to attack Sarah Palin for the unforgivable crime of being an outspoken conservative woman (even before she had a chance to show she deserved to be attacked for other reasons), she had been nominated for Vice President. Business executive Herman Cain, a similarly reviled aberration from the expected norm as a black Republican, is now getting equally unconscionable journalistic treatment just for getting decent poll numbers. Continue reading
Henry James, Mis-Matched Neighbors and the Naked Silhouette
Warring Montana neighbors are possessed by an essentially unethical attitude: “I care only about me, not you. To Hell with you. You’re not me.” Continue reading
The Great Chicken Sandwich Caper, Safeway and the Duty to Think
By what possible reasoning process could it have made sense—to anyone, from the manager to police, to subject a family, including a pregnant woman and young child, to this ordeal as the result of the failure to pay for two chicken sandwiches? Continue reading
Filed under Business & Commercial, Family, Law & Law Enforcement
Occupy Wall Street: “This Is What We Want!” Finally! Oh…THAT.
Regarding “fairness”: It is fair for a protest that has taken up this much time and attention to produce this little in substance and coherent recommendations to be rejected and ignored. Continue reading
The Damage Incompetent Pundits Do: Criminal Defense Misconceptions
Myths that won’t die: guilty defendants can’t testify that they are innocent (they can) and lawyers can’t defend criminals they know are guilty (they must.) Continue reading
“Excuse Me, Sir? You’re About To Die” Ethics
This is a Golden Rule situation where we have no idea how we would like to be treated, because it depends. No, I don’t want to be harassed by everyone who thinks I should work out more. Yes, I want to be told if a safe is about to fall on me. And in between? Continue reading
Filed under Daily Life, Health and Medicine, U.S. Society
The Ethical Duty To Correct Stupidity
Preventing an unequivocal blunder you see happening in front of your eyes, or at least making the effort, is a duty, whether it is calling attention to an embarassingly mispelled word on a permanent sign going up over a highway, or telling the head of Netflix that splitting the company’s services off from each other is suicide, or telling Robert E. Lee that Pickett’s Charge is going to lose the war. Continue reading
