I am tired of the "bad cop" narrative. I have seen far too much of this narrative over the past few years and it is time for us to step back and rationally reflect on why so many folks are willing to perpetuate it, or conversely, are not willing to rebut it. Regardless of what others [...]
When I lived in Southern California I became aware of the notion of professional courtesy for the friends and family of law enforcement. You just kept that officer's card next to your driver's license and miraculously you received warnings instead of tickets - or so I was told by my law enforcement friends and their [...]
One of the things that college faculty become well-acquainted with are excuses. After teaching for a few years you recognize that the same old excuses come up again and again. I don't pay too much mind to excuses. My students know there are limits to my flexibility and my patience. They know that I will [...]
Martin Niemöller, a Protestant pastor born in the late 1800s and a vocal foe of Adolf Hitler, is the source of one of my favorite quotations. Niemöller's words below carry a powerful message about honoring the rights and equality of others. Unfortunately, there is always another reason to revisit his words. First they came [...]
I was pleased to read a recent Associated Press article that used a Maine case to highlight a growing trend - the publication of the names of prostitutes' patrons . Oh yes, you heard that right. The days of nameless, faceless customers only referenced as "Johns" seem to be coming to an end. Well, it is about [...]
Integrity is sometimes difficult to define, but we tend to know it when we see it. At the very least it can be said to be consistency between what we say and what we do over time. Ideally, it is also a statement of honesty, fairness, and character. Integrity simply put (in The New Forty dictionary) is [...]
The Forum has a choice to make. Will it revise its existing policy on wedding announcements to allow for publication of same-sex wedding announcements? The opportunity for this choice arose from a denial sent to Allison Johnson by The Forum that informed her that the paper does not publish same-sex marriage announcements. Allison wanted to announce her [...]
THE NEW FORTY 