I find that most people - to a shocking degree - lack integrity.
This saddens me.
No... I'm not talking "bad" people... not talking thieves... criminals... serial liars. No... I'm talking more of a dictionary definition - this for example:
Why can't most people see how important integrity is? Is it simple the "me" culture?Integrity is a concept of consistency of actions, values, methods, measures, principles, expectations, and outcomes. In ethics, integrity is regarded as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one's actions. Integrity can be regarded as the opposite of hypocrisy, in that integrity regards internal consistency as a virtue, and suggests that parties holding apparently conflicting values should account for the discrepancy or alter their beliefs.The word "integrity" stems from the Latin adjective integer (whole, complete). In this context, integrity is the inner sense of "wholeness" deriving from qualities such as honesty and consistency of character. As such, one may judge that others "have integrity" to the extent that they act according to the values, beliefs and principles they claim to hold.
While of course there's a limit to how far one takes intellectual consistency...
One can "generally" believe in the rule of law and yet consistently drive at speeds above the speed limit.
Just don't try to "justify" the intellectual inconsistency!
Surely one can favor according each accused criminal his civil rights... but let's say you've caught a serial killer - who admits to being a serial kill - who admits that he's buried his latest victim alive with an air supply certain to run out within, say, six hours... would this scenario justify torturing the serial killer in an attempt to get him to give you the location of the victim in time to save the victim?
I would do it. I would "justify" it. But at the same time I'd be willing to suffer the consequences of my actions... my well-intended and ultimately life-saving actions. In this case I would argue that the greater integrity is serving the greater cause of saving an innocent life.
Ahh... but now we're to the slippery slope! What is the greater good? Is it always as clear as the above scenario?
Take the Right To Life Movement. Is protesting abortion a legitimate tactic?
Lobbying for an end to abortion?
Being true to one's belief that "Life" begins at conception and therefore abortion - and even the so-called "Day After Pill" - represent murder leads where ultimately...? Does it lead to justifying the assassinations of physicians who perform abortions... nurses who assist... pharmacists who give out the "Day After Pill"?
I'm guessing few Pro-Life people would justify the murder of those they view as murderers... but assuming I'm correct, doesn't this indicate a lack of integrity on their part?
"No." I'd say "no." I'd argue that there are lines that shouldn't be crossed and that killing abortion practitioners clearly crosses a line.
(I'd be curious, though, to hear anyone with the balls to attach his or her name to defense of the "assassination" scenario do so here... at Usually RIght... via comment.)
Putting murder aside, let's lower the stakes! How'bout lying....? Can "lying for a good cause" - or "cheating for a good cause" - be justified as qualifying as a form of integrity?
"No." Again... I'd say "no."
You all know who Glenn Beck is - correct? Some of you hate the man. Others view the man as "usually right." I fall into the latter camp of course.
Though I have my fears with regard to who Glenn Beck may actually be in truth at his core, on the surface I view him as a man after my own heart in many respects. The key respect... he really does seem to care about acting with integrity.
I'd like you all to access the following and watch the video and read the article.
How can one not respect Beck's take...? How can one not agree with Beck...?
Putting aside Beck's take on what happened in Texas, allow me to throw out another recent abortion controversy centered here in New York.
Governor Cuomo and his fellow democrats who view "liberalizing" New York's already "liberal" abortion laws even further tried to get a bill through the NYS Senate last week (S5881-2013) which opponents (falsely) claimed would have (if passed) allowed non-physicians to perform abortions.
This (false) claim was actually forwarded to me by someone whom I have great respect for.
I read the bill. I didn't see anything in the bill which backed up the claim. I let my "contact" know this. His reaction.... he stuck to his guns... he insisted that "his sources couldn't be wrong"... and he basically refused to acknowledge reality.
Well... we went back and forth via email for days. Finally I found out where the disconnect was! (Indeed, my "contact" inadvertently sent me the link that solved the puzzle!)
It turns out that the Pro-Life organizations had taken their claim out of a previously submitted bill (S438-2013 - which never made it to a vote). That bill did indeed contain the "qualified practitioner" language which would justify the "non-physicians would be allowed to perform abortions" claim. The thing is... the Pro-Life forces and my "contact" had juxtaposed the language of the past (January) "dead on arrival" bill with last week's bill (which by the way was stopped by the Republican majority and never made it to a vote).
Going back to the top of this post, though, here's what troubles me and here's why I'm writing this and throwing it out there:
Even after I conclusively "proved my case," provided all the evident to back up what I'd questioned and what I'd said all along... my "contact" refused to accept it... refused to accept the reality.
Does my "contact" believe "Honesty is the best policy"? Apparently not. (And this saddens me...)
Folks... I love debating! Some accuse me of loving to argue. Perhaps they're right. But in any case, I enjoy the intellectual back and forth. Here's the thing, though... without honesty... without acknowledging facts as they are rather than as what we'd like them to be... it's impossible to have a valid intellectual exchange. And I find that to be a pity...
Back to Glenn Beck... I came upon the Texas story after having gone through a back and forth with my "contact." Upon watching the video and reading the story I forwarded it to my "contact" as a kind of "parallel" point... the parallel to "sticking to the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" being simply "it's not a true win if you've cheated."
My "contact's" response...?
Bill,OK, "contact," I will. But understand... you're doing yourself no favors by refusing to acknowledge reality and by living a "ends justify means" approach to pushing your Pro-Life agenda.
Save your advice.
I myself lean strongly towards the Pro-Life agenda and while I myself am not an absolutist, I respect those who are; I certainly respect those who believe in no abortion far more than I respect those who attempt to justify so-called "late term abortions" which are nothing more than infanticide.
That said... whether we're arguing abortion or economics or foreign policy... advancing falsehoods to make a point... breaking the "rules" in order to "win"... not only do such tactics represent a lack of integrity, but as I've noted again and again, when one gets caught employing such tactics... it only serves to destroy one's own credibility.
Anyway... that's it.
8 comments:
http://www.wabcradio.com/common/more.php?section_id=1&m=58&ts=1372342320&article=A6E93A69DF0811E286DEFEFDADE6840A&mode=2
Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced on Wednesday that the Texas state legislature would head into a second special session starting July 1 after efforts to pass abortion restrictions failed.
“Texans value life, and want to protect women and the unborn,” Perry said in a statement. “We will not allow the breakdown of decorum and decency to prevent us from doing what the people of this state hired us to do.”
The initial bill, which would have closed nearly all clinics performing abortions in the state, failed in the legislature after Democratic state Sen. Wendy Davis launched a filibuster lasting more than 12 hours, forcing a vote after the midnight deadline of the special session.
* THIS IS WHAT GLENN BECK - AND I - WERE TALKING ABOUT. AT FIRST THE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY TRIED TO ARGUE THAT THE LEGISLATION HAD PASSED... EVEN THOUGH TECHNICALLY A 12:02 a.m. "PASS" ACTUALLY REPRESENTED A "FAIL" SINCE TECHNICALLY ALL BUSINESS WAS TO CEASE AT 12:00 p.m.
The bill would ban all abortions after the 20-week gestation mark and would require clinics to adhere to stricter regulations, including upgrading facilities and reclassifying the clinics as surgical centers.
* SOUNDS REASONABLE.
* TWO-PARTER... (Part 1 of 2)
http://abcnews.go.com/US/george-zimmerman-witness-cantt-read-letter-wrote-shooting/story?id=19504826#.UcxvtKzfLXQ
A teenage friend of Trayvon Martin was forced to admit today in the George Zimmerman murder trial that she did not write a letter that was sent to Martin's mother describing what she allegedly heard on a phone call with Martin moments before he was shot.
* GEEZUS...
In a painfully embarrassing moment, Rachel Jeantel was asked to read the letter out loud in court.
"Are you able to read that at all?" defense attorney Don West asked. Jeantel, head bowed, eyes averted whispered into the court microphone, "Some but not all. I don't read cursive."
It sent a hush through the packed courtroom.
Jeantel, 19, was unable to read any of the letter save for her name.
* JUST CURIOUS... DOES THIS WOMAN HAVE A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OR GED? I ASK NOT AS A SWIPE, BUT TO NOTE THAT (HAVING NOTHING TO DO WITH THE TRIAL) IF SHE DOES... AND SHE CAN'T READ... WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT HER SCHOOL SYSTEM?
* TO BE CONTINUED...
* CONCLUDING... (Part 2 of 2)
The testimony was an attempt to raise questions about veracity of Jeantel's testimony, who is a key prosecution witness in the racially charged case.
Jeantel was subdued on the stand today, in contrast to her openly hostile demeanor towards Zimmerman's lawyers on Wednesday. Her behavior was so different that defense lawyer Don West asked Jeantel whether someone had spoken to her about her behavior on the stand.
* AND, AGAIN... REFERRING TO LAST NIGHT'S POSTING... DID THE PROSECUTION HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH SCRUBBING JEANTIL'S TWITTER ACCOUNT?
During nearly two hours of cross examination Wednesday in which he tried to raise questions about her version of events and accused her of telling several lies under oath, including about her whereabouts during Martin's wake. "Under oath, you created a lie and said you went to the hospital?" asked West. "Yes," responded Jeantel. She said she lied because she didn't want to see the body.
Jeantel is seen as a critical witness to the prosecution because she is the only person able to say that Martin claimed that he noticed a strange man following him and that he was scared. Jeantel said Martin described the stranger as a "creepy ass cracker."
* WHY NOT JUST ASK THE NSA FOR A TRANSCRIPT? (*SMIRK*) FOLKS... IN ALL SERIOUSNESS... THIS TRIAL IS A DISGRACE. THE AUTHORITIES ARE TRYING TO RAILROAD ZIMMERMAN.
Jeantel said Martin, 17, was walking home during halftime of the NBA All-Star Game when he became unnerved because he was being followed. "He told me the man kept following him," Jeantel said.
* SO SHE SAYS...
Jeantel said she told Martin to run, but that he responded that he was almost home.
* SO SHE SAYS...
"I say, 'Trayvon,' and then he said, 'Why are you following me for?'" Jeantel testified. "And then I heard a hard-breathing man come say, 'What you doing around here?' ... And then I was calling, 'Trayvon, Trayvon.' And then I started to hear a little bit of Trayvon saying, 'Get off, get off.'"
* I... DON'T... BUY... IT...
* BUT, HEY... I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST HER TESTIFYING. BOTTOM LINE, THOUGH, WITHOUT A RECORDING OF THE CONVERSATION... IT'S ALL HER WORD. IT'S ALL HERESAY.
At times during her early testimony with the prosecution, Jeantel dabbed away tears. During cross-examination, defense attorney Don West tried to dig into the chain of events preceding Martin's death. West asked why Jeantel didn't call law enforcement after the phone died. "I thought he was going to be OK because he was right by his daddy's house, but his daddy was not home," Jeantel said as Martin's father cried in court.
Tracey Martin eventually reached out to Jeantel after looking at his son's phone log, Jeantel said. She added that she expected law enforcement to reach out to her, but none did, apparently, until the Florida Department of Law Enforcement contacted her much later.
* GEEZUS... FRIGGIN' FLORIDA... (*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)
Zimmerman, said he was defending himself from Martin after the unarmed teenager allegedly confronted him, knocked him down and banged his head of the sidewalk.
Prosecutors allege that the former neighborhood watch captain profiled and followed the teenager before killing him.
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2013/06/26/teen-beaten-outside-of-brookline-rec-center/
Local recreation centers are supposed to be safe places for kids and teens, but what happened outside the rec center in Brookline is now the subject of a police investigation.
The popular facility is a haven for teenage boys, who come to play hoops and football outside, and a lot more inside – a million dollar community investment paying off, until this.
Police say the incident happened in broad daylight along Brookline Boulevard. A 15-year-old boy was at the center to play some hoops.
* A WHITE 15 YEAR OLD BOY...
That’s when a group of African-American teenage boys approached the white victim and began beating him, allegedly to steal his basketball shoes, and for website notoriety.
* A GROUP... OF BLACK TEENS...
* FOLKS... I WATCHED THE NEWS VIDEO *BEFORE* READING THE ACTUAL ARTICLE AND A TWO MINUTE TV SEGMENT DIDN'T MENTION RACE ONCE. (*SNORT*) KUDOS TO THE PRINT PRESS IN THIS CASE.
* QUESTION: SAY IT WAS A 15-YEAR-OLD BLACK KID BEATEN BY A GROUP OF WHITE TEENAGE BOYS... DO YOU SUPPOSE RACE WOULD BE THE CENTER OF THE REPORTING IN THAT SCENARIO? I DO!
On the video the group of boys can be heard screaming the name of the website “World Star” (for WorldStarHipHop.com) as they round the corner. That’s when police say they attacked. Another teen captured the attack on his cell phone. World Star is an urban outlet website that hosts music videos, artist information, and also posts viral videos.
* "URBAN OUTLET WEBSITE." UH-HUH. (THEY MEAN "BLACK.")
It’s described as a “shock site.”
District Judge Jim Motznik was blown away by the tape. As a city councilman he represented the district, and fought for the funds to make the center work. “This rec center, this area where kids come should be a safe haven,” said Motznik. “Kids should be able to come here without fear.”
Police tell KDKA’s Marty Griffin that the two suspects who beat the victim are teenagers, one 15-years-old and the other 17-years-old.
* BLACK TEENAGERS... PART OF A "GROUP OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN BOYS" ACCORDING TO THE EARLIER REPORTING...
Sources tell KDKA they beat the young man in order to steal his basketball shoes, and to get notoriety for the beating on the website.
* ANIMALS.
Motznik, who was sickened by the tape, says this sort of thing in his community park is done. He guarantees it. “These people will be arrested and face the maximum fine and penalty for their actions,” he said.
* I'LL BELIEVE IT WHEN I SEE IT...
“They’ve issued warrants for their arrests. There will be more police patrols. Staff will come out of the building so that not only is it safe inside but also safe outside.”
Police tell KDKA the teens will face aggravated assault, robbery, conspiracy and possible illegal use of communication device charges.
* JAIL TIME...??? (WE'LL SEE...)
* THREE-PARTER... (Part 1 of 3)
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jun/26/harper-media-misreporting-rampant-in-trayvon-marti/
A combination of pressure through social media and poor journalism led to the trial of George Zimmerman, who is accused of second-degree murder in last year’s shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.
* POLITICS. SECOND-DEGREE MURDER? A POLITICAL CHARGE IF EVER THERE WAS ONE.
Immediately after the shooting in Sanford, Fla., which is 20 miles northeast of Orlando, the media described Mr. Zimmerman as white...
* WHICH WAS WRONG!
The media then described Mr. Zimmerman as a “white Hispanic” after it was revealed that his father is white and his mother comes from Peru.
* HAD YOU EVER HEARD THE TERM "WHITE HISPANIC" BANDIED ABOUT BEFORE THIS...???
Even now, many media outlets use this description: “Zimmerman, who identifies himself as Hispanic.”
(*JUST SHAKING MY HEAD*)
Under the definition of the U.S. Census Bureau, Mr. Zimmerman qualifies as Hispanic. Why do the media continue to emphasize this inaccurate racial theme?
A columnist for The New York Times described “the burden of black boys in America and the people that love them: running the risk of being descended upon in the dark and caught in the cross-hairs of someone who crosses the line.”
(*SNORT*)
* HEY... AT LEAST THIS WAS IN A COLUMN - NOT SUPPOSED "STRAIGHT NEWS."
[Thus] setting up the racially divisive meme of a white man killing a black teenager — a characterization that proved to be wrong.
* DOESN'T MATTER! THIS WAS THE MESSAGE THE MEDIA CARRIED! WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE THE ODDS ARE THAT IF ZIMMERMAN IS ACQUITTED THERE'LL BE RIOTS?
(*SHRUG*)
* TO BE CONTINUED...
* CONTINUING... (Part 2 of 3)
The press and supporters of Trayvon’s family...
* OFTEN ONE AND THE SAME...
...maintained that Mr. Zimmerman had not been injured during the confrontation, placing in doubt his claim he was acting in self-defense because he said the youth had struck him and thrown him to the ground. Police photographs clearly showed Mr. Zimmerman had suffered injuries to his head, nose and eyes, which were consistent with a fight of some sort.
* BUT HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TILL THE INITIAL MISREPORTING WAS CLEARED UP? HOW MANY PEOPLE'S MINDS WERE MADE UP AFTER THEN HEARD THE INITIAL MEDIA SPIN?
The inaccuracies and poor reporting continued. The media described Trayvon as a good student.
(*SNORT*)
* AND DON'T FORGET THE PICTURES! AH... THOSE "NICE" PICTURES. THE OLD PICTURES OF A YOUNGER TRAYVON... (ALL WHILE THE MSM ROUTINELY REFUSED TO USE PICTURES THAT SHOWED "THE OTHER SIDE" OF THE 17-YEAR-OLD TRAYVON.)
Subsequent information, however, showed Trayvon often got into fights, used marijuana and was suspended from school before he was shot — material the judge has restricted the defense from using.
* EVEN IF ZIMMERMAN IS ACQUITTED, THIS WILL GO DOWN AS A TAINTED TRIAL.
Further evidence indicated the teen had marijuana in his system at the time he was shot.
* YET HE WASN'T OLD ENOUGH TO LEGALLY BUY CIGARETTES...
* FOLKS... NONE OF THIS - NOT THE FIGHTS, MARIJUANA USE, OR SCHOOL SUSPICIONS - "PROVE" A DAMN THING. THAT SAID, LET THE JURY KNOW ALL THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT MARTIN. LET THE JURY KNOW ALL THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT ZIMMERMAN. LET THE PROSECUTION CALL THEIR OWN CHARACTER WITNESSES TO REBUT THE DEFENSE'S PORTRAYAL OF MARTIN. LET THE DEFENSE CALL THEIR OWN CHARACTER WITNESSES TO REBUT THE PROSECUTION'S PORTRAYAL OF ZIMMERMAN.
* TO BE CONTINUED...
* CONCLUDING... (Part 3 of 3)
Moreover, Trayvon’s purchases of watermelon-flavored fruit juice — not iced tea as reportedly frequently — and Skittles may not have been so innocent. These are two of three ingredients of Purple Drank, a concoction that also includes cough syrup he used to get high, according to his text messages.
* FIRST I'M HEARING OF THIS. (SERIOUSLY... CAN YOU IMAGINE ALL WE'RE NOT PRIVY TO BECAUSE "THE STATE" HAS PRECLUDED US FROM KNOWING?)
It gets worse: NBC News and MSNBC took the misinformation campaign to a new level by editing a call to police from Mr. Zimmerman to make it appear the defendant was racist.
* YEP! I REMEMBER THAT!
NBC apologized and fired some of those responsible for the deception, which is a clear violation of journalism ethics. (Full disclosure: I am an expert witness in a lawsuit by Mr. Zimmerman against NBC and MSNBC.)
MSNBC’s Al Sharpton also became a leading advocate for Trayvon’s family — a role that would usually violate the network’s prohibition on personnel engaging in political activities. An MSNBC representative said Mr. Sharpton had received an exemption from the policy.
(*SNORT*)
The stories leading up to the trial still hype the racial issue. In a recent editorial, the South Florida Times said Sanford is “notorious for being biased against black males and … has a history of justice being warped in favor of white people.” The newspaper even argued that Mr. Zimmerman should be forced to prove he did not stalk the teenager to kill him. What a warped view of our legal system, where it has always been the government’s responsibility to prove a defendant has committed a crime.
(*NOD*)
Fortunately, a jury will hear testimony and evidence about what happened on Feb. 26, 2012, so a verdict will be based on facts rather than the poor reporting that has appeared so far in much of the media.
* WELL... ON SOME FACTS. WITHOUT VIDEO... WITHOUT RELIABLE WITNESSES... IT'S ZIMMERMAN'S WORD AND THE CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE AND ANALYSIS AND WHETHER OR NOT THE JURY CAN RENDER AN OBJECTIVE VERDICT ABSENT FEAR THAT A "NOT GUILTY" VERDICT WILL START A RACE WAR IN FLORIDA AND PERHAPS BEYOND.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/inside-politics/2013/jun/27/boehner-senate-bill-still-doa-house/
House Speaker John A. Boehner said Thursday that the Senate’s immigration bill (which passed earlier this afternoon) is still not going anywhere in the House.
“The House is not going to take up and vote on whatever the Senate passes,” the Ohio Republican said flatly at his weekly press conference, before going on to attack the Senate version as too weak on border security.
* SO WHY NOT BRING IT UP FOR A VOTE IN THE HOUSE AND DEFEAT IT?
* FOLKS... I DON'T TRUST BOEHNER AND NEITHER SHOULD YOU. PERIOD.
Earlier this week the top Senate Democrat, Sen. Harry Reid, had urged Mr. Boehner to consider taking and passing the Senate bill as is, saying that is one way to do an end-run around House Republicans who oppose giving illegal immigrants a pathway to citizenship. But Mr. Boehner rejected that option...
* AND HE'S SUPPOSED TO GET "CREDIT" FOR THIS...?
* FOLKS... AGAIN... THE HOUSE SHOULD HAVE VOTED THE BILL DOWN AND THEN VOTED ON ITS OWN BILL!
[Boehner said that] the House will instead act on its own bills, which are being written by Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert W. Goodlatte.
* AND HOW MANY FUCKING PAGES WILL THESE BILLS BE...? AND WILL ANYONE BE ABLE TO READ AND UNDERSTAND THEM PRIOR TO VOTING ON THEM...?
* AGAIN... FOLKS... YOU CAN'T TRUST BOEHNER!
Mr. Boehner also said any bill that comes before the House will have to have the support of a majority of House Republicans — which likely rules out a pathway to citizenship.
* AND IF THIS IS TRUE THEN KUDOS TO BOEHNER... BUT AGAIN... WE'LL SEE!
Mr. Boehner, in his remarks, specifically mentioned the progress by Mr. Gootlatte and House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul in moving separate bills, which seemed to signal that the speaker is leaning toward the piecemeal approach of immigration legislation, rather than taking up a broad bill as the Senate has done.
* GOOD IDEA!
“Chairman McCaul has done a good job passing a border security bill, Chairman Goodlatte is doing good work over in the Judiciary Committee, and if immigration reform is going to work, it’s essential that the American people have the confidence that it’s being done correctly,” Mr. Boehner said. “That’s how the House will approach this issue.”
* I'M READING THE WORDS... I SIMPLY DON'T TRUST THE MAN.
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