Category: ethics

When Did the GOP Lose Touch With Reality?

On By Rick McIn ethics, GOP USA, governmentLeave a comment

OK, lets say you’re like this guy:

… I’ve been a Republican all my adult life. I have worked on the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal, at Forbes magazine, at the Manhattan and American Enterprise Institutes, as a speechwriter in the George W. Bush administration. I believe in free markets, low taxes, reasonable regulation, and limited government. I voted for John ­McCain in 2008, and I have strongly criticized the major policy decisions of the Obama administration. …

I can respect that.

I’m a fiscal conservative myself. Unfortunately the USA has no Party that’s proven itself fiscally conservative.

But what the Republicans have done since the rise of the Tea Party movement is simply wrong. And terribly wrong for the USA.

Historians will look back on this era as one of the low points of American history, especially if Obama wins again and they get another 4 years.

When this lying, evil scumbag is the voice of moderation in the field of candidates, you haven’t got much to choose from.

It’s worth reading David Frum … before you go on FOX TV and call him a closet Liberal.

NY Magazine – When Did the GOP Lose Touch With Reality?

Thanks Tom for the link.

torturing and murdering seafood

On By Rick McIn economics, ethics, food2 Comments

… apologies for all the (delicious) dead animals on this blog of late. Yet here are more creatures put in pain for our pleasure.

I’d avoided the usual Japanese tourist “attractions” — fish markets … until Hokodate.

At that seaport it’s near impossible for a passerby to avoid the cruelty zoo.

Crabs and squid seem to object more strenuously than the rest.

The shark tried to make a run for it.

_____

Let’s say you believe in trying to reduce global warming. Like this guy:

… There’s not a single person who’s done more to fight climate change than Bill McKibben. Through thoughtful books, ubiquitous magazine contributions, and, most notably, the founding of 350.org (an international non-profit dedicated to fighting global warming), McKibben has committed his life to saving the planet. For all the passion fueling his efforts, though, there’s something weirdly amiss in his approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions: neither he nor 350.org will actively promote a vegan diet. …

… as a recent report from the World Preservation Foundation confirms, ignoring veganism in the fight against climate change is sort of like ignoring fast food in the fight against obesity. Forget ending dirty coal or natural gas pipelines. As the WPF report shows, veganism offers the single most effective path to reducing global climate change. …

read more on Freakonomics – Agnostic Carnivores and Global Warming: Why Enviros Go After Coal and Not Cows

SOPA sucks … American legislators are criminals

On By Rick McIn ethics, government, internetLeave a comment

Proponents of the latest disastrous IP bill , the “Stop Online Piracy Act” (SOPA) insist it only targets the “worst of the worst”: so-called “rogue” foreign websites that profit from pirating U.S. intellectual property. But the broad definitions and vague language in the bill could place dangerous tools into the hands of IP rightsholders, with little opportunity for judicial oversight. One very possible outcome: many of the lawful sites you know and love will face new legal threats. …

Etsy
Flickr
Vimeo

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Anybody who thinks about SOPA for more than 15sec will realize it’s an idiotic idea.

… It’s a power play from big corporate media companies — the sort of legislation that nearly everyone strenuously opposes but which might pass because the money is on the wrong side. …

Daring Fireball by John Gruber

American legislators are mostly bought off by old media. How does that happen. Here’s one painfully obvious example just brought to light by 60 Minutes, a show that aired Nov. 13, 2011:

… The next national election is now less than a year away and congressmen and senators are expending much of their time and their energy raising the millions of dollars in campaign funds they’ll need just to hold onto a job that pays $174,000 a year.

… Most former congressmen and senators manage to leave Washington – if they ever leave Washington – with more money in their pockets than they had when they arrived …

(Peter) Schweizer says he wanted to know why some congressmen and senators managed to accumulate significant wealth beyond their salaries, and proved particularly adept at buying and selling stocks.

Schweizer: There are all sorts of forms of honest grafts that congressmen engage in that allow them to become very, very wealthy. So it’s not illegal, but I think it’s highly unethical, I think it’s highly offensive, and wrong.

Steve Kroft: What do you mean honest graft?

Schweizer: For example insider trading on the stock market. If you are a member of Congress, those laws are deemed not to apply.

Congress: Trading stock on inside information?

Implicated are Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner and many other heavy hitters. If they were anyone other than the group of people writing the laws, they’d be in prison.

There is some hope this criminal behaviour can be slowed – Measure to ban Congressional insider trading gains steam

manga, anime, women in Japan

On By Rick McIn ethics, photos, travel1 Comment

Tourists are sometimes disturbed by how women are depicted.

Yet since equal rights legislation went into effect after WW II, it may be that the role of women in society is paralleling what’s happened in other “western” nations:

… the fixed image of the Japanese woman has been that of the office lady, who becomes a housewife and a kyoiku mama after marriage. But a new generation of educated women is emerging, that is seeking a career as a working woman. …

wikipedia – Working women in Japan

The large eyes were actually originally inspired by American characters such as Betty Boop, Mickey Mouse, and Disney’s Bambi.

Manga (comics) are still popular in Japan. On every train car I’ll see a few people reading them.

Anime (animated cartoons) are very popular too.

Discomforting are Japanese manga and anime porn, often violent. But that’s a small subset of the industry. In 2011 strong warrior princess stereotypes are (arguably) good role models for girls. If you feel Buffy and Xena are good role models.

Better than this, I’d say:

Cosplay (コスプレ), short for “costume play“, is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan …

In Tokyo there are a subset of those called Harajuku girls:

… teenagers gather with like-minded friends in places like Tokyo’s Harajuku district to engage in cosplay.

Harajuko girls

Since 1998 Tokyo’s Akihabara district has contained a large number of cosplay cafés, catering to devoted anime and cosplay fans. The waitresses at such cafés dress as game or anime characters; maid costumes are particularly popular. …

American actress Kirsten Dunst in Cosplay

… So, it may just be all dress-up fun.

One thing is certain, Japanese women spend an incredible amount of time and money getting dressed.

I feel their pain, a fashion victim myself, agonizing over what to wear each morning.

worst judge in America – Amanda F. Williams

On By Rick McIn ethics, government, product complaints9 Comments

If you ever have to go to court, don’t go to court in Georgia.

If you ever have to go to court in Georgia, here’s the worst case scenario:

Judge Amanda F. Williams

This woman is symbolic for everything that is wrong with the American ‘tough on crime‘ trend.

I heard the awful story on This American Life – VERY TOUGH LOVE

This listener was moved:

…I am asking you to listen to the story. It takes a while, but listen to it. And then I am asking you to do something about it. I am asking you to please send an email to the Office of National Drug Policy asking them to please investigate this judge who is unfit to be on any bench.

Also, please send a letter or fax to the GA Judicial Qualifications Commission (they don’t accept email, apparently). Here is the contact information and a sample mock up.

Judicial Qualifications Commission
P.O. Box 191
Madison, GA 30650
Phone: (706) 343-5891
Fax: (706) 342-4593

To Whom It May Concern:

I wanted to bring up a concern that I was recently made aware of by Ira Glass from This American Life. He gave an in-depth account with strong reporting about a particular Drug Court in Glynn and Camden Counties of Georgia. I am very concerned about the job that the Judge Amanda Williams is doing. The information presented in the news story about the manner in which Judge Amanda Williams is conducting herself is frightening. I live in metro Atlanta so I am not one of her constituents but I feel strongly that something should be done.

Travesty of Justice: Judge Amanda Williams, Glynn County, GA

Or email this judge directly – amandaw@glynncounty-ga.gov

Or send a message via her website. (Update. Her sites have been taken down.)

Or post this to Facebook. And Twitter.

Amanda F. Williams must be removed from the bench. She’s worse than Judge Judy, … and that’s saying something.

the old In and Out scandal …

On By Rick McIn ethics, governmentLeave a comment

Canadian politics truly are boring compared with most nations of the world.

What we call a scandal involves about $1 million dollars. … Or is it only $100,000?

The “In and Out” scandal is an ongoing Canadian political scandal involving allegations of improper election spending on the part of the Conservative Party of Canada during the closely contested 2006 federal election. …

Elections Canada places strict limits on campaign budgets in order to provide an even playing field between the parties. …

Large amounts of cash were transferred from the party organization to the individual riding associations that are in charge of running one candidate’s election campaign. The money was then distributed to the volunteers as payments for various expenses. The volunteers then donated that money back to the party. …

It was bogus. It was dirty accounting.

A few honourable Conservative candidates refused: Inky Mark, Helena Guergis, David Marler and Dave Mackenzie.

Good on ’em.

I heard David Marler interviewed on CBC radio’s The House. There’s no question in my mind that In and Out was crooked.

But it’s nothing on the scale of the Sponsorship Scandal (“AdScam” or Sponsorgate), a similar debacle that took down the LIberals and brought the current government into power.

Still, Stephen Harper’s government is racking up scandal after scandal. He never apologizes. Sooner or later one of them is going to crash him.

Seagate sold me pirated movies

On By Rick McIn ethics, movies, product complaintsLeave a comment

Today I bought a FreeAgent® GoFlex™ Ultra–portable Drive from FutureShop.

It came preloaded with pirated Hollywood movies.

Of course I’m outraged.

Somebody is stealing food from Brad Pitt’s baby.

I’ll head back to FutureShop to register my outrage. And to ask why they are encoded in a crappy .wmv format.
🙂

_____

After returning and replacing that drive, the next had exactly the same movies!

Turns out they are preinstalled, encrypted … and cost $10 or more to unlock. Bleh.

what Confucius Peace Award?

On By Rick McIn ethics, governmentLeave a comment

Beijing blundered. This is funny.

Irked that jailed dissident Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace Prize, they created a competing award called The Confucius Peace Prize.

I’d be happy to accept the $15,000 cash prize and two Pandas. But they chose instead a Taiwanese Lien Chan for fostering relations with the motherland.

… Only problem, they seem to have forgotten to tell the winner.

Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan’s (連戰) office yesterday dismissed a report by The Associated Press (AP) that Beijing had chosen him as the recipient of the Confucius Peace Award and would award him the prize today.

“We’ve never heard of such an award and of course Mr Lien has no plans to accept it,” said Ting Yuan-chao (丁遠超), director and spokesman of Lien’s office. …

Taipei Times

can I OWN a Canadian, Dr. Laura?

On By Rick McIn ethics, humour4 Comments

Of all the idiot right-wing American talk show nuts, Dr. Laura Schlesinger is worst.

That’s saying a lot.

This comic open letter to Dr. Laura is an oldie, but a goodie. It still makes me laugh.

In her radio show, Dr Laura Schlesinger said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura …

Dear Dr. Laura: Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God’s Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination … End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God’s Laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can’t I own Canadians?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of Menstrual uncleanliness – Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord – Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don’t agree. Can you settle this? Are there ‘degrees’ of abomination?

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn’t we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I’m confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God’s word is eternal and unchanging.

Your adoring fan.

James M. Kauffman of the University of Virginia did not write this, however.

The Green Zone – a review

On By Rick McIn ethics, government, movies, product endorsementsLeave a comment

This Matt Damon Hollywood blockbuster The Green Zone brings Iraq back to public interest. It details blunders made and deliberate lies told by some in the U.S. Government.

Iraq’s been largely forgotten, I feel, as attention shifted to Afghanistan. This movie is timely.

… The film was inspired by the non-fiction 2006 book Imperial Life in the Emerald City by journalist Rajiv Chandrasekaran, which documented life in the Green Zone, Baghdad …

Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube.

It’s a work of fiction, based loosely on fact. That seems a misrepresentation of history to many critics.

Personally I thought Green Zone a very compelling movie. Not Bourne compelling, but strong.

The only downside is that the plot hinges on WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction).

There are many reasons why the American led invasion of Iraq will go down in history as a mistake as colossal as Vietnam. Lies told about WMDs are one of the lesser reasons.

Ironically, I feel that George H. Bush did the right thing in Desert Storm (1991). An awesome, strategic air strike. And then withdrawal as quickly as possible.

If you threaten the USA, expect the bombers and drones over your capital city within weeks.

I wish George W. had done the same.