I typically would have featured my favorite meme ever in the warm-up–May 6 is the anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster (in 1937)—but I couldn’t wait.
It’s Friday, and time to discuss the ethics issues you choose after putting up with my choices all week. (That, by the way, is the honest and ethical use of “choice.”)
Ethics Alarms 
Land of Fruit Cakes and Nut Cases Governor Gavvy: If Men Could GET PREGNANT This Wouldn’t Even Be A Conversation
With his own WOKEWEBSITE assuring the great unwashed that men can, in fact, GET PREGNANT, take a (heh!) wild guess which direction this’s taken.
Gloria Steinem said that abortion would be a sacrament if men could get pregnant.
She was right.
Abortion is a sacrament to those who feel that men could get pregnant.
Tim LeVier batting down people on twitter today regarding this. But wow. Remember, when hyperventilators on the Left indicated that the rise of Trump and the MAGA crowd were the same as the what happened early in the fall of the Roman Republic?
Well, when the Executive Branch quietly endorses mob violence against the Judicial Branch by a mealy mouthed non-condemnation – well, now we’re actually talking really dangerous stuff for the Constitution.
I completely agree. Ironically, this could have been used as a chance to defend the right to privacy which is the shaky rationale for Roe in the first place.
“Shaky” is an understatement.
If Trump had said the same we’d be facing I don’t know what.
Imagined the freakout if Trump said “Since we’re doxing justices, and the left is OK with it, here are the home addresses of Kegan, Sotamayor, Breyer and Brown… “
If this results in bloodshed or loss of life, then I think we will have really sunk to Third World status. This is the kind of thing that used to happen in Peru, where judges had to be hooded and their voices obscured to protect their identities and their families.
Oh yeah, what about the stickers on gas pumps???
Isn’t intimidating a judge actually illegal under 18 U.S. Code § 1503?
Can’t protesters at the homes of Supreme Court Justices be arrested and jailed for up to 10 years?
Am I misunderstanding the law?
It is, but don’t hold your breath for it to be enforced here.
But this looks insurrection-y.
There are many democrats who should be praising Barr’s reluctantly to use his office for political means. If Trump had appointed a hack like so many recent democrat attorney generals, there are many people he or she could have gone after.
As an aside, is there a rule regarding where federal cases must be brought when they are “against the government” so to speak? No republican can get a fair trial in DC. This gives democrats an unfair advantage. If republican prosecutors could bring cases in say, Oklahoma, they could get the same advantage.
Ethics Reminder: small unnecessary gestures of good will can pay huge dividends.
https://nypost.com/2022/05/03/aaron-judge-homer-leads-to-fans-wholesome-moment/amp/
https://nypost.com/2022/05/04/aaron-judge-meets-youngster-blue-jays-fan-from-viral-video/amp/
Hope the double-link does not get my post eaten.
-Jut
Comment got eaten.
-Jut
Remember, WP only eats mermaidmary’s comments. Yours and other approved commenters—except MMM’s—- just end up in the “pending” file, which notifies me automatically.
Good to know.
-Jut
It was reported in the NYT’s that the Russian Generals were being killed with the assistance of the US using our high tech drones. It does not seem likely that we could have trained the Ukrainians in their use in 60 days. How will the Kremlin interpret this and who in the WH or the Pentagon leaked the information to the press. Information like this could escalate the conflict and give the Russians the ability to say that we are waging war in Russia.
I don’t like the leaks. But I’m also considerably less concerned by Russian escalation.
What strikes me as odd – there’s no way Russia doesn’t know yet that we’ve been feeding the Ukrainians intel from day one. Therefore, I don’t see how Russia hasn’t yet coordinated one of it’s little 3rd world nation’s terrorist proxy elements to make a bold strike against any of the hundreds of NATO naval vessels or NATO aircraft anywhere in the world.
I have seen American reporting indicating that the Russian news is reporting that it is highly likely that the war will end up using nuclear weapons. Is that fear mongering or the actual mental state of the kremlin? Who knows. News coverage of the Ukrainian war seems to be entirely propaganda. The truth is we don’t even know if any Russian generals have actually been killed, much less whether American drones were used to kill them.
The ghost of Kiev has now been debunked. The story was never anything but propaganda. The deaths of the snake island soldiers were also nothing but propaganda. The CIA and Russian intelligence agencies seem to have a propaganda war going on. To what purpose only they could say.
Why would Russians use nuclear weapons?
the Soviets did not do that regarding Afghanistan.
I don’t pretend to understand what is going on. I just read the news.
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-tv-nuclear-ireland-uk-ukraine-kremlin-propaganda-1702909
The Russians also didn’t have enemy troops a 6 hour drive from Moscow either during the Afghan war.
It is flat out propaganda for the masses in Russia. Russia doesn’t want to look weak to their citizens. At the same time that Russia is saying that in state run media, their ambassador in the US is making opposing press releases here. He is pointing out that the Russian nuclear doctrine prohibits the first use of nuclear weapons unless the existence of Russia is threatened.
Even though that is the case, I think it is very important for the US to invite Russian military here and show how the US nuclear arsenal is fully maintained and functional. The more Russian soldiers in their nuclear forces no MAD is alive and well, the more likely it is that they won’t follow a launch order. Invite them to the ‘war room’, let them see some submarines and silos and how all are ready to go. We tell them that we don’t want to use them, and the best way to make sure we don’t is that Russia knows we will.
The ethics of anger.
Democrats have climbed up on their high horse and have shown us that their anger at Republicans is pure as the driven snow and the only anger that they consider to be valid?
Let’s play the who’s anger is ethical game.
Is it the anger of the ones that think that abortion is exterminating an utterly helpless human being or is it the anger of the those that want to be free from responsibility for their actions (or lack thereof) and be given a free choice to exterminate an unwanted parasite clump of cells? Who’s anger is ethical?
Is it the anger of the ones supporting the Constitution, Liberty and reasonable cultural status quo or is it the anger of the extreme anti-Constitution, anti-Liberty, anti-culture, aka anti-American, extreme shifting towards totalitarianism movement? Who’s anger is ethical?
I’ve heard it said from Democrats that Republicans shouldn’t go against the will of a vastly changing nation demographically, socially, and culturally; in other words, Republicans should be bowing to the will of social justice warriors and the “age of rage” angry horde of stupid people; to that I say…
Will the USA survive the 21st century cultural shift? I think the irrational reaction to the leaked draft from the political left is signature significant and should be a prophetic predictor of more of their ends justifies the means “mostly peaceful” reactions yet to come. In my opinion, if the extreme political left (that hates the USA) gets their way, the USA will not survive the 21st century cultural shift.
These people that I’m talking about (not all Democrats but an apparent progressive leaning majority) are an irrational totalitarian horde of rather stupid people. There’s an old saying, “beware what one seeks, as you may actually get it”; seriously folks, what happens to liberty if this irrational totalitarian horde of stupid people get their way? When you drop a rock it falls, the irrational totalitarian horde of stupid people have slipped off their slippery slope and are free falling into an abyss of Orwellian totalitarianism and socially canceled brown shirt styled fascism. The public needs to recognize this movement for what it really is. This is not going to end well.
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety” Benjamin Franklin
ETHICS STARTER: Do you feel the below response is true? Patently false? Does it depend on perspective and experience? In general terms of American society, does the below at least pass the smell test?
***From TikTok***
What’s something you’ll get a lot of hate for if you say it out loud:
“That men, their whole life, was taught how to treat a woman and not what to expect from a woman; but women were taught their whole life what to expect from a man but not how to treat a man.”
It’s the truth, at least among American women, most of whom think their presence is enough. Then again, what do you expect from girls raised on a steady diet of princess movies and empowerment stories? Of course they think their presence is enough. That’s why Asian or other foreign wives are a hot commodity.
There is some truth to that assuming one grew up in a Eurocentric home before 1973. I cannot speak for other cultural social frameworks. I do think it may be still true as well in Hispanic communities where fathers are more likely to be in the household and the European influences from Spanish culture. My reasoning is based on observation and established social/governmental norms.
Nonetheless, if misogyny is on the rise one look at today’s youth culture which views women as “ho’s” or Bitches could give us a clue as to why.
Yeah – this might become a Friday feature for me. Sourced ethics scenarios that I come across on TikTok.
ETHICS STARTER: Series: “Am I the asshole?”
@mcarredesigns posts to TikTok ( https://vm.tiktok.com/TTPdgFbJPV/ )
Am I the asshole for exposing my ex to his mother about our kids? I’m currently divorced from my ex of 30 years and we ended up seeing a lawyer and dividing everything. Everything was wrapped up until he said he no longer wanted to be part of our kids lives, 5 & 12 years old. I didn’t argue with him because I know what it’s like to have a parent who doesn’t want you. I asked what he wanted me to tell the kids and he said he doesn’t care and he just doesn’t want to be a parent anymore.
A few weeks later I got a call from my ex mother-in-law asking if we could meet each other. When I come over, she’s breaking down and begging me to let my ex see his kids. I was confused, but then realized what he had said. So I called him in front of his mom and asked her not to speak.
I said ‘Hey our 5-yo has a soccer game in a few days and I was wondering if you’d like to go.’
He said, ‘No. I told you I’m not doing this kid thing anymore. No birthdays. No holidays. I’m not interested.’
I asked how this would affect his mom and he said ‘She’s not going to care.’
His mom looked shocked. She said she would contact me in a few days.
Later that day my ex called me in a rage telling me that he’s been kicked out and is almost going to be thrown out of the will, that it’s all my fault for telling his mom how he really felt. So, am I the asshole?
(Now that one is too easy…)
I agree…too easy. I’m extremely skeptical of these stories that look like something out of a soap opera or a sitcom. The old saying “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” comes to mind. First, this isn’t really a controversial “maybe I could be wrong” scenario, this is a hero of their own story broadcasting their victory over a heartless and stupid villain. And seriously, why would this guy tell his ex he wants nothing to do with their kids, say his mother won’t care, yet let his mother think he DOES want to see his kids? He lives with her, wouldn’t it be easier to just make a token effort to get parent time with his kids for Granny’s sake? Otherwise he’d have to explain why he’s neither seeing them nor making any effort through his lawyer and the courts to see them.
Explain why it is unethical to murder homeless people.
The vast majority of people who object to murdering the homeless do not adopt them into their homes.
Are they hypocrites?
Like – when I stop a murderer, I don’t owe his would-be victim anything other than agreeing to stop other would-be murderers within my power to do so in the future.
A similar argument is made regarding abortion.
If you’re here to bait the pro-abortion crowd, they all ran away about 3-4 years ago except for one of them justifying abortion because some people did it back in the 1600s.
My niece turns seven this month and still doesn’t know the alphabet fully. This last weekend we asked her how she’s learning to read and she said on a tablet. We asked her if she wants to learn to read actual books. Her answer was no.
How should a concerned family member and tax payer approach this situation ethically? I know COVID-19 mandates played a role but her being this dumbed down is ridiculous.
I broke the nesting. Reply below.
Well, unfortunately you aren’t in a position to take bold action. But as in all upbringing – the only place to start with someone not as developed as they should be is to start where they left off. It may literally mean, within what power you have, to introduce her to pre-school picture books and to be joyful about reading them with her. Even if she doesn’t want to, you can let her know it’s only 5 minutes, then we can go outside.
You need to honestly answer for yourself, are you spend time working with her everyday or are you not close enough (physically or otherwise) that you are unable to devote that time and effort? This is not as a judgement or guilt trip, but because that changes the answer quite a bit. If you can spend time with her every day, you can teach her to read and read fun stuff to her to help her want to read. If not, you can try to encourage her parents to do so, otherwise I don’t think there is much you can do.
If people are willing to work with her, there are two different approaches to try. One is “The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Teaching Reading”. I like this one as it covers pretty much all the rules for reading. My eight-year-old reads WAY above level after trying this program. Another, liked by my friend, a SpEd ELA instructor for the ease of the program is “Teach Your Kids to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.”. I pesonally despise the approach, but it is easier for my six year old to understand and does not require the knowledge of all the letter names to get started. I have both because one kid couldn’t understand one book, the other didn’t handle the other.
As a note, you can purchase a one-year subscription to Starfall for her family if they are willing to work with her. This is pretty cheap. It is on her tablet or a computer, but the games help her with her letters and to learn to read. I would NOT have this on it’s own, but my daughter who has some developmental delays loves having Starfall to supplement her reading lessons with games and I like the fact that the games make her figure out some phonics. We have my daughter read 5 sections in her 10 section assignment. Then she can play a game. Then we have her finish up and she gets another game. She is only allowed Starfall games in reading class (homeschool mom).
For a humble brag, don’t worry about reading on a tablet vs real books. My 10 year old daughter (4th grade) started reading on tablets (and is now probably 50/50 between books and tablet). She reads above an 8th grade level (the highest the 4th grade standardized testing goes). Most of this is just genetics and personality; we didn’t do anything special other than encouraging her natural love of reading.
For your niece, has she been tested for reading issues (dyslexia, etc)? This has risen dramatically in school systems so some are essentially trying their best to avoid classifying students that way. I have a friend that had to take his obviously dyslexic son to an independent testing center to get their diagnosis to force the school to acknowledge it in his son. Additionally, how well those students are assisted varies from school to school. We used to live in a small town with two equally sized elementary schools, each with a reading specialist. However, one school had about 70% of the kids needing reading assistance.
The biggest change comes with parents being an advocate for her with the school system. Pushing the school, but also working to partner with the school on how to improve.
I was very worried when my daughter wasn’t reading in Kindergarten. This, despite us reading picture books to here incessantly since she was born. The struggle is real and unless a parent helps to break that barrier, relying solely on public education is a recipe for disaster. Teachers like to take all the credit in a child’s education, but you can’t let them. As parents we spend hours upon hours teaching in our own way. Whether it’s helping them understand their school work or enriching their lives in other ways.
For my daughter, because of my concern, I started reading Harry Potter to her. Sure, it was probably a little old for her by the time we got to the end, but when you’re reading books, it’s not as scary because you understand the character development. This was the first step in the transition. We went from me reading (aloud) picture books, to me reading (aloud) Harry Potter, to her reading some starter books like Magic Treehouse.
Now the last components to finding success are, regularity and interest. I read Harry Potter non-stop 1-3 chapters a night the whole way through from book 1 to book 7. (I loved doing that. Also consider that I’m a big TV & movie guy. This was the first time I picked up a book since I had initially read Harry Potter just for myself years ago when book 7 was published.)
And interest. The kid needs to be interested in the subject matter. We helped that with HP in two ways. 1) the first two books had just published an illustrated edition with some complimentary artwork (still all the words unabridged.) and 2) after each book, we got to watch the movie. When she found out there were movies, her interest skyrocketed.
Every night I read her interest was piqued and she learned how to build up her imagination. Plus she got to stop me and ask what certain words meant.
Now she’s almost 12, and wouldn’t you know it, she can’t f’n write to save her life. No joke. (I absolutely hate writing….or at least, explaining writing and how to write, or learning how to write…which is why everything I write on here is utter rubbish.)
Tim, Michael, and Sarah – thank you for your input!
Her parents are unfortunately pretty busy working full-time. We go over the alphabet with her on Sundays and it helps a little.
I will share all these suggestions with my family. Again, thank you!
I get busy. A nice thing is either of those programs I gave are about 20 minutes a day, so potentially not outside the range of busy parents. Some of the extras for review put them at about 45 minutes and streamlining (so cutting a lot of review) gets them to 15. (Nope, never cut review when I had a migraine or cold, never…ever…ok, you caught me and she does ok even on those days.). A half lesson a day also works well, if slower.
Time to fisk this article.
http://www.healthing.ca/wellness/opinion/abortion-rights-language-vaccines
Just not in the way the authoer thinks.
My longtime Usenet ally, Christopher Charles Morton, once overheard a cashier mentioning how a relative of hers died from blood clots caused by the vaccine.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/caterer-and-bride-arrested-after-allegedly-lacing-reception-meal-with-marijuana/ar-AAWt0nv
So, it’s probably not, like, super-ethical to dose all the attendees of your wedding with drugs, right?
How the hell did we get to the point where a caterer doesn’t see a problem with this?
Texas has a couple of Constitutional amendments on ballot today and Fort Worth has a few amendments to the city charter as well. Ordinarily my wife and I go vote individually and neither has the kids. Today, we rolled it into a series of tasks we needed to both complete so the kids were with us.
I don’t know about all the other parents of young children here, who may or may not have already done this:
But it turned out to be a great experience taking the kids to the polls. If you haven’t yet – do it. Great conversations with the next generation.