My online friend Christopher Elliott of
Entries Tagged as 'Ethics in Government'
TSA Subpoenaed My Friend For Telling the Truth
December 29th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Ethics in Government, Protests and Crackdowns, Transparency vs. Secrecy, censorship
Breaking: No Vote to be Taken on Medicare-for-All
November 6th, 2009 · 3 Comments · Ethics in Government, Politics, Social and Economic Justice
This just in: Proponents of single-payer health care, a/k/a Medicare for All–the system used by almost every developed country in the world–will not get our promised floor vote after all.
If I were in Congress right now, I’d vote no. The bill has gotten weaker, more complicated, and more expensive with every turn. As I understand [...]
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Shocking! Tweet Led to Outrageous Civil Rights Violation
October 6th, 2009 · 3 Comments · Democracy, Ethics in Government, Protests and Crackdowns
Last time I checked, there’s something here in the United States of America called the First Amendment that protects the right to speak and write.
Somehow, that right did not extend to Elliot Madison, a New York City activist who was arrested in Pittsburgh on the first day of the G20 summit for—get this!—tweeting that the [...]
Tags: Elliot Madison·false arrest·first amendment·free speech·G20·police repression
Corruption Roundup: Many ‘Stories, One URL
August 14th, 2009 · No Comments · Business Ethics, Ethics in Government, Ethics-International, Ethics: General
Exactly how did Bernie Madoff steal his billions? Why are Halliburton’s hands so dirty? What happened with corruption cases in the rebuilding of Iraq? Following a link from EthicsWorld’s e-newsletter, I came to a single URL that has multiple stories on corruption: http://www.ethicsworld.org/publicsectorgovernance/corruptioninvestigations.php#sec.
This is what we’re up against, those of us who believe in ethics.
Is It Right to Force Business Owners to Violate Their Beliefs?
May 8th, 2009 · 4 Comments · Business Ethics, Ethics in Government, Ethics: General, Marketing Techniques and Philosophies, Shel's Personal Life, Social and Economic Justice
When someone contacts me regarding my copywriting/consulting services, I send back an e-mail response that includes the following:
Please note that I reserve the right to reject a project if I feel I’m not the right person for it. This would include projects that in my opinion promote racism, homophobia, bigotry or violence–or that promote the tobacco, nuclear power, or weapons industries–or if I do not feel the product is of high enough quality that I can get enthusiastic about it.
In other words, I am putting out my values and stating clearly that I will not accept projects in conflict with my values. I have in fact occasionally turned down projects because they were promoting causes I actively disagree with.
Tags: elane photography·ethics·gay weddings·new mexico human rights·right to refuse work·same-sex marriage
How Could She Not See a Conflict?
March 8th, 2009 · 2 Comments · Ethics in Government
California State and Consumer Services Agency chief Rosario Marin resigned from the Schwarzenegger cabinet after taking criticism for accepting large speaking fees from companies who had a vested interest in the outcome of her decisions.
California policy prohibits this, and Marin’s actions show exactly why. I say this as someone who makes part of my own [...]
Tags: pfizer·rosario marin·speaking fees
Iraq Reconstruction Fraud “Bigger Than Madoff”
February 26th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Business Ethics, Ethics in Government, Peace and War
We’ve known for quite a while that the reconstruction effort in Iraq is rife with incredible corruption. Under the Bush administration, there were basically no safeguards, and stories of money diverted into the pockets of US looters were legion.
Still, I had no idea it was this bad. According to Patrick Cockburn of the respected UK [...]
Thorough As It Was, Obama’s Vetting Process Is Not Enough
February 4th, 2009 · No Comments · Ethics in Government
President Obama came into office following a long and thorough process of checking people out, and with a particular (and very welcome) screen for ethics issues. Yet here it is, just two weeks into this new presidency, and there have been at least five nominees who’ve either raised ethics eyebrows or withdrawn entirely: Bill Richardson, [...]
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Palin’s Book Trashes Alaska Republican Former Ally: “The Falafel Lady”
November 20th, 2009 · No Comments · Ethics in Government, General Commentary, Politics
Is it possible for Sarah Palin to get any more distasteful?
Here’s another example of her viper-like turning on old allies when they cross her, as Geoffrey Dunn writes in Huffington Post:
But perhaps the nastiest and most duplicitous passages of all in Going Rogue are those directed at Andree McLeod, the longtime Republican watchdog out [...]
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