That’s my Dad! Our family will be visiting his final destination (and my mother’s as well) at Arlington National Cemetery today. Major Jack Anderson Marshall, Sr. was a decorated war hero, a wounded veteran, and a man who hated war and guns but knew when they were necessary. World War II was the defining experience of his life, and his traumas, triumphs and travails in those years, which began for him before the U.S. entered the war (Dad signed up with the British to fight in Africa) crystalized an ethics code that he conveyed to his two children by example and through intense dinner-time discussions.
I think about him just about every day, so I don’t need this particular holiday for that purpose, but this particular Memorial Day reminds me that I still have to find time to get his fascinating and inspiring memoirs published, which have been languishing in my care since Dad died during a nap on December 1, 2009. (I can’t believe it’s been that long.)
My father was proud that he would rest at Arlington, and took me on periodic outings there in his eighties to “scout the neighborhood.” A Kentucky boy (and Boy Scout), Dad liked to say that he was going from Arlington, Massachusetts (where I grew up), to Arlington, Virginia, where my parents moved to be near their grandchildren, to Arlington National Cemetery. He loved the United States, Loved its history and culture, loved the military, and genuinely loved this holiday. He was one person I could say “Happy Memorial Day!” to and not feel a little goulish.
Happy Memorial Day, Dad.
And thank-you for your service.
1. A superb analysis of the Princeton and MIT ethics abuse of two distinguished professors has just been posted on his blog by Curmie. He provides context and details of the persecution of David Sabitini (MIT) and Jonathan Katz (Princeton), both of which were covered on Ethics Alarms but not nearly as well. I recommend it highly.
2. “Do something! Do something!” I was tempted to make this story a full post (and rant) as either an Unethical Quote of the Day or a mass Ethics Dunce. Before leaving the Uvalde church yesterday where he attended the obligatory service for the victims of yet another mass shooting , Biden encountered angry demonstrators gathered nearby, some of whom booed him as others chanted, “Do something! Do something!” The reason I didn’t make this a stand alone post is that I am applying some restraint in recognition that people in the grip of emotion say and do stupid things. Nonetheless, there are far too many Americans who, prodded by irresponsible politicians and pundits, are using “Do something!” as if it is a legitimate policy position. The chant is offensive, brain-dead, un-American and dangerous. We don’t run to the government to solve our problems, giving it an invitation to abuse its power. The President isn’t God, a King or a Magician, and making one feel omnipotent is suicidal for a democracy. Nor is demanding “something” fair or helpful. Uvalde has some very specific problems that only its community can solve, like an incompetent, badly-led police force, teachers who leave school doors open that are supposed to be locked, and citizens who ignored one warning sign after another that an angry teen in their midst was potential menace. Meanwhile, telling aspiring totalitarians like the current crop of Democrats to “Do something!” in the midst of hysteria and exploitation is how democracies disappear. Felling insecure? Unsafe? Dissatisfied? Run to papa, have him kiss the boo-boo, trust him to make everything swell. Saying that to this regime is like sending the kid on the yellow inflatable raft out to play with the Great White Shark in “Jaws.” Continue reading →
Ethics Alarms 