Boys will be boys!

Way to go, Larry Craig. You have dodged another bullet, although this one may leave a scar. Today's (Feb. 14, 2008) New York Times reports on the Senate Ethics Committee's "admonishment" by the U.S. Senate "for conduct that reflected poorly on the Senate as the result of his arrest and guilty plea last summer in an undercover sex sting in a men's bathroom at the Minneapolis airport."
Despite this latest censure, Craig is hanging in there and serving out his term. Bet the Republicans are thrilled to have him around as a reminder of how ethical lapses have dogged Washington for longer than most care to admit.
Craig continues to protest he isn't gay, but at this point, that's a moot point. Nobody really cares about that anymore, it seems, but they DO care about his handling of the whole incident. Handing his card to the policeman is seen by some, the article says, to be an act of throwing his title around in hopes of making the officer overlook his actions. Saying he'd resign in a mea culpa news conference and then saying he wouldn't further damages his credibility. Accepting an award back in Idaho after all this happened is the ultimate act of hubris.
Here's a suggestion. Fess up, give up, and go home.
Your credibility is so severely eroded that you are effectively impotent as a Senator.
The people of Idaho deserve someone who can be effective and advocate for them.
Trouble is, their Senator is too busy shoring up his sagging reputation.
And, as Ross Perot used to say, "That's just sad."

What's next in politics?

Rudy's out. Edwards departed. Now what? Debates will probably get more intense and personal. Let's stay tuned for tonight's Democratic debate and see! What role will Bill now play for Hill given that it's pretty much Hill and Obama? Will Chelsea appear more often in Bill's place? Can Chelsea woo young voters away from Obama, who's been adept at getting them to participate more in the election process?
And, looking ahead, how are those running mate rosters shaping up? Rudy wanted to make sure he quickly endorsed McCain. Edwards has refused to make an endorsement. Is he keeping his options open so either candidate could pick HIM to be a running mate?
What about Romney? Can he paint McCain as the liberal and himself as the conservative in the Republican primaries to come next week?
By next Tuesday--Super Tuesday--will we have a clear idea of the nominees or will it drag on to the conventions?
As we like to say, "Stay tuned!"

Let's jump in!

Today is the beginning of an experiment in one of my Public Relations classes.
As part of The Ethics of Advocacy class, we are starting a blogging project to react to today's ethical challenges.
Many of the students will be trying something they've never done before.
Many will be apprehensive. Many will be excited!
That's all OK!
With discussion comes understanding, shared meaning and energy.
With discussion comes responsibility to think clearly, maintain integrity and check facts.
The blogs created in this course will be shared with others and will help us debate and dissect the ethical challenges facing us in today's society.
Happy reading!

A Whale of a Vacation

Recently my partner and I took a friend from Michigan on her first trip East, spending a week in Dennisport on Cape Cod.

Part of our plan was to go whale watching, something we'd done many times. Our friend had never had seen the Atlantic Ocean, let alone a whale.

We booked three tickets on the Dolphin Fleet in Provincetown, on the tip of the Cape, and set out on a blue-sky afternoon to see more whales than we ever expected.

In fact, the marine biologist on board kept reminding us that future whale watch trips would never equal this one. He was probably right.

We saw 20-25 humpback whales, a finback mother and calf, dophins and a minke whale, as well as many sea birds.

These pictures don't begin to convey the thrill of having one of these creatures come up next to your boat and open its mouth to pull in fish and sea water. They dive, send up bubbles which attract small fish to the surface, then sneak up on them and plow through the pool of fish, taking in fish and water by the boatload.

Their baleen filter the water back out and keep the fish in. Then the whale swallows the fish down a gullet the size of a grapefruit.

These whales spend their winters south and spend months without food. Then they summer up north and eat practically nonstop. Imagine spending a few months eating so you don't have to eat for the rest of the year!

One whale swam right under our boat. Not to worry. He was just watching us.

The Cleavage Conundrum

Hillary Clinton showed a little cleavage recently and everyone's abuzz. Pundits are speculating that her wardrobe decision was carefully calculated, designed to combat her "acting like a man" tough-girl image. After all, John Edwards saw fit to lament that her debate-night jacket wouldn't be his first choice. But, then, guys in pink generally get more guffaws than gals do.
You can't make this stuff up!
With Americans and Iraqis dying every day while the folks back home worry about fashion choices, it makes you wonder where our priorities really reside.
So, here's a suggestion for the next debate. Add up the number of men and the number of women participating in the debate. Select amply cut suits for X number of men and something in pink for the one woman in the pool. Then, number the outfits, put the numbers in a hat, and have everybody pick a number.
If Richardson draws the dress, then that's the way it goes. Suddenly, Richardson aside, wardrobe becomes a fairly moot point. Unless, of course, one of the guys is stuck with a pink shirt.
Seriously, kids, it's not that big a deal what she wears. Few people will be able to get past the fact that she's a woman and a woman has never been elected president.
Here's the thing. Women have been leading other countries for a long time and most of those countries were in a lot less trouble most of the time than are we, the United States, today.
So, give her a shot. Let her debate with the boys. And, networks. Let's keep it to just head shots, OK?

Beginning a conversation

Greetings!
After some help from a former student, Eric Hansen, I've decided to jump into the social media world and start blogging!
As a teacher, I find I learn as much from my students as they likely learn from me. Eric, a recent graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with a degree in public relations, delivered a dynamite series of seminars on new media in spring 2007 here at Newhouse and he inspired me to start communicating with others through this technology.
Since I work in an environment where news is king and all things current spark interest, I look forward to chatting about the latest trends, disturbing news stories, corporate foibles, and many other topics.
Here's to some great discussion!