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Archive for July, 2008
« Previous EntriesThe House’s apology for slavery and Jim Crow is long overdue
Thursday, July 31st, 2008The House of Representatives made history this week by apologizing to African-Americans for slavery and the Jim Crow laws that mandated racial segregation throughout much of the United States. The apology came in the form of a formal resolution that seemed (to this reader anyway) to be straightforward and well-written. The House clearly enumerated the [...]
MSN’s Brush explains why the housing bill may not prevent future financial disasters
Monday, July 28th, 2008Over the weekend, Congress passed a massive bill designed to calm investors and pacify voters in the wake of the subprime mortgage mess. The bill provides for homeowner tax relief and a $300 billion program to prevent foreclosures. The bill also establishes a new paradigm for embattled financial giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, increasing [...]
Will the next President challenge election fearmongering?
Friday, July 25th, 2008This week I heard from a friend (let’s call her Ellen) about a political fundraising gambit that left her hopping mad. An older widow who has difficulty getting around, Ellen returned home one day to find that the Post Office had tried to deliver a certified letter to her. Fearing the worst (certified letters often contain [...]
New York Times “Social Q’s” apology advice misses the mark
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008Yesterday, New York Times “Social Q’s” columnist Philip Galanes answered a query from an irritated hostess named “A.S. from Manhattan.” A.S. explained that, at a recent dinner party, one of her “dear friends” got a little tipsy, spilled red wine on A.S.’s new rug, and never acknowledged the gaffe. Not only did this friend fail [...]
How effective was the Pope’s apology in Australia?
Sunday, July 20th, 2008Pope Benedict XVI made headlines yesterday with the apology he delivered in Australia. The Pope expressed deep and personal sorrow and regret for the suffering of children who endured sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic clergy. It was by far the most direct and heartfelt apology I can remember any Pope making to the [...]
How will the next President handle reconstruction in Iraq?
Friday, July 18th, 2008On a recent trip abroad, I happened to be watching BBC television when the network rebroadcast an investigative series titled, “The Baghdad Billions” that first ran in November of 2006. BBC reporter Mark Gregory described how the U.S. government apparently mismanaged private contractors who were brought in to rebuild post-war Iraq. The program described alleged improprieties [...]
How ethical is “gotcha” journalism?
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008The late Edward R. Murrow, one of America’s most legendary journalists, once said, “we cannot make good news out of bad practice.” Lately, I find myself wondering what Murrow would think of the “gotcha” game that passes so often for news in America. We all know the drill: it started with Watergate. Washington Post reporters Bob [...]
Should “New Yorker” magazine apologize to the Obamas?
Monday, July 14th, 2008This week’s New Yorker magazine cover, a cartoon depicting Presidential candidate Barack Obama in Muslim robes and his wife, Michelle, as a gun-toting terrorist, may have been intended as a satire, but the joke fell horribly flat. The cartoon is titled “The Politics of Fear” and, according to the New Yorker, “combines a number of fantastical [...]
How will the next President conduct terrorism surveillance?
Friday, July 11th, 2008Continuing my series on ethical issues facing the next President, let’s discuss the amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that were approved by Congress this week. The new law was developed in the wake of revelations that, after 9/11, the Bush Administration eavesdropped on American computer and phone lines for almost six years without [...]
Jackson, Obama and Fox: who owes whom an apology here?
Thursday, July 10th, 2008By now, former Presidential candidate Jesse Jackson’s crass comments about current Presidential candidate Barack Obama are being gleefully bandied all over the Web. Jackson has publicly apologized for what he said (quite correctly – his comments were so tasteless that even his own son has condemned them) and Obama has accepted the apology. So we’re all [...]
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