Tag: business ethics

Gate Lice?

On By southwerkIn business ethics

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/m-flight-attendant-passengers-annoying-141610163.html

Apparently the term, gate lice has been around a long time. Let me quote from the article referenced at the top of the page:

Allegedly coined in a 2005 FlyerTalk discussion thread, “gate lice” refers to passengers who hover around the gate like insects before it’s their turn to board so they can ostensibly secure overhead storage space.

The article goes on and while discussing the pros and cons of the practice, it is generally critical.

My job as a writer in business ethics is not to simply accept what I am told. And I’m not happy about what I’m being told here.

Airline travel has transformed over the years into a difficult and often miserable experience with the principal and only defense of this decline is that it is cheaper. That doesn’t make what the airlines have been doing to cut cots ethical or right.

Why isn’t there enough storage? Do the policies concerning baggage make any sense or are they just a way of generating a new revenue stream?

My general impression isn’t that people are acting badly but are acting in response to how badly the airlines are being run.

You can call them gate lice all you want but what you really have our customers being treated badly.

James Alan Pilant

Will Prince Andrew Leave his Official Residence?

On By southwerkIn business ethics

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/king-charles-reportedly-ultimatum-prince-165723091.html

Difficult people present themselves throughout our lives. A badly designed political system makes more difficult people than a functioning government like a republic or a democracy. One of the most, if not the most horrible forms of government is a hereditary monarchy. These are based on the idea that breeding is blessed by God to produce Heaven’s choice for a government. All of that, and in particular, the blessing of God, is complete and total nonsense.

History has demonstrated constantly and repetitively, over and over again, that giving people power, money and influence purely based on the circumstances of their birth is a formula for disaster.

For an example of a royal gone badly wrong, we only have to point to Prince Andrew. I believe that currently he is the worst of the Royal family. You may disagree and I freely admit in a world where royal descendants are common and their crimes and behavioral nonsense often well known, that maybe to you he doesn’t stand out. But I believe he is the worst.

Now the headline at the top of the page says that the King of England, (Scotland and Wales), wants him to move out of the official residence. Apparently because of all the bad press. And he does not want to go. Did I mention that besides being odious, that Andrew is also greedy and entitled? Please add that in.

There may be someone out that who does not know what Andrew is about. The “Prince” has labored all of his life to get more money in addition to the large sums from the British tax payer and he has had a laser like focus on young women, so much so that Jeffrey Epstein was a close personal friend.

There are books, magazine articles and pod casts about this person. I recommend you take my word for his awfulness not because I’m lacking in evidence but because it is so vile and disgusting. I’ve read about him at some length and as an American, I can’t help but think that with his position, all that money and power, that he could have made something of himself and been a bright and shining light with the example of his life. And that would have been a rebuke to me and my contempt for aristocratic government. But there was no danger of me being rebuked by a Royal’s good behavior. When presented with incredible opportunity, the prince chose the path of greed and sexual gratification.

And now, kind reader, you are probably wondering why I, who hold myself out as an expert on business ethics, am writing about an errant and foolish prince?

It is very simple. We still have the problem of those favored solely by birth, the boss’ son, so to speak. Nepotism and other forms of evil are still with us. Andrew is just an outstanding example of a problem that is never totally going away.

Okay, so what is the great truth here? In the United States, we should promote and reward based purely on merit. That should be our guide when choosing our leadership and much else. It is the right thing to do, the morally correct thing to do.

And every single time that Prince Andrew wiggles out of another predicament, gets forgiven for awful behavior and continues to act entitled and outside the conduct of a gentleman, he is an example to others of how goodness, mercy and kindness as well as all of morality and the law can be ignored in the race for money, sex and influence.

People like him make life harder for the people who follow the rules, work hard and depend on others realizing their merit.

It is with deep regret that I must confess that even Andrew is thrown out of his official resident, I am sure he will continue to misbehave and I may reluctantly, regretfully and painfully have to return to this topic. He and his ilk are just generally not fixable.

James Alan Pilant

Rudy Giuliani Disbarred

On By southwerkIn business ethics

Back in 2001 after 9/11, this outcome would not have been considered possible. And yet, here we are.

Giuliani failed in his duty as an attorney. He lied directly to the court. There have to be penalties for this crime. But how did he get here? How did he fall this far?

I have read that he was never the great man that he was portrayed as. He was more of a mirage. I have come over time to believe that. He was never the man, the public believed that he was.

He had opportunity that virtually no human being has ever had. For a time, he was “America’s Mayor,” the very epitome of what our fellow countrymen thought was patriotic and brave. His future seemed unlimited. Most believed that the White House was next.

It appears that as time went by, the things that made him successful were cast aside in his seeking financial gain and status. In particular, his marriages involved trading up (so to speak) in terms of high society. He forgot where he came from and what he was. Instead of man fighting for justice and a determined enemy of wrong doing, he morphed into at first an establishment politician and then a devoted if not openly slavish follower of the great American mirage, Donald Trump.

Like some crazed gambler, he put every chip, every resource, every shred of reputation, down for Trump. When the former president, needed someone to make the case that there was vast fraud in the 2020 election, he stepped up. He zealously led the charge against voter fraud. He only lacked one necessary item, any evidence on behalf of his case. He had no evidence that wrongdoing had taken place and so not having evidence, he lied claiming that there was evidence.

Here let me quote from the article referenced below:

The court found that the former mob prosecutor “falsely and dishonestly” made claims that thousands of votes were cast in the name of dead people in Philadelphia. He also falsely claimed that people from nearby Camden, New Jersey, were taken to vote illegally in the Pennsylvania city, the court stated. The New York’s Appellate Division, First Department ruled that Giuliani “flagrantly misused” his position as Trump’s former attorney and his campaign to create “intentionally” false statements “some of which were perjurious, to the federal court, state lawmakers, the public, the AGC, and this Court concerning the 2020 Presidential election, in which he baselessly attacked and undermined the integrity of this country’s electoral process.”

I could go on to talk about his other problems and his other failings but this is enough.

It resembles a tale told by the Greeks back during their Golden Age. A man favored beyond all other men, becomes full of pride and acts foolishly, squandering his reputation and ruining his life.

Hubris is dangerous, even today.

In conclusion, what are the ethical rules here? What should he have done? While devoting himself to Trump may be considered unwise, if he had merely acted the role of an attorney and presented the little evidence he had, he would certainly have gained nothing in the courts for his claims of election impropriety but he would have been innocent of any crime. That is where he should have stopped. But to escape disappointing his benefactor, he lied exuberantly about the evidence he claimed to have. This was his moral wrong. It is expected that a lawyer will defend the interests of his client zealously but lying to the fact finding body, the court, is wrong and it is also a crime. And thus he suffers the penalty for this misjudgment.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/rudy-giuliani-disbarred-effective-immediately-175718799.html

The First Climate Tragedy of 2024?

On By southwerkIn business ethics

The death of more than 1300 people at the Hajj in Saudi Arabia is tragedy for the world. First, pilgrims from all over the planet including the United States died. Second, the Hajj has been going on since the 7th century and there is strong evidence that these pilgrimages started in the time of Abraham, but there was no death toll like this caused by heat recorded in all of those years. This is new.

The temperatures that caused this tragedy exceeded fifty degrees centigrade and there were reports of temperatures of one-hundred twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit. And these measurements are expected to grow higher in the years to come as global warming accelerates.

This is just May, The first day of summer is weeks away. And many parts of the United States are already suffering from excessive heat. I worry that this is just the first mass casualty event for 2024. I very much hope that it is not. But while many of our pundits and politicians (Florida) pretend that climate change is an exaggerated threat, the thermometer cares little for political posturing and high temperatures kill.

A few days ago, I read this on my Internet feed: COUNTERPOINT: Climate change fearmongering isn’t working anymore. Let me quote from the article:

Like it or not, climate change is big business. Over the next decade, the United States will spend at least $500 billion to “combat” climate change. To keep the money flowing, the government needs an endless list of scary predictions to keep the alarmist narrative going. The good news is Americans are beginning to realize that they are being lied to about climate change. More and more, polls show that Americans no longer automatically believe that climate change is an existential threat. Because they are starting to lose their hold, the alarmists are resorting to even more desperate measures.

I had no idea that I was a climate alarmist! I have mainly reported temperature events and today I am reporting deaths, a good number of them. On the other hand, this fellow may be right – I just might be desperate. And I am desperate because I am afraid there is little chance of effective actions before millions die.

He says, “Climate Change is big business.” Wow. And then had adds numbers, 500 billions dollars. The fossil fuel industry is 7.2 Trillion dollars. It doesn’t sound very even, does it?

He clearly implied that people like me are part of this “big business.” If he believes or anyone believes that I am making money off this, I don’t. I am just a concerned American worried about the future of the nation. I like to think of myself as a patriot. I want this nation, I want the United States to both survive and thrive.

Temperatures of over 125 degree in this country will severely damage the economy, the environment, our life styles and it will kill a good number of us.

We should do something to prevent this.

James Alan Pilant

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/23/hajj-pilgrimage-death-toll-extreme-heat-mecca-saudi-arabia

https://www.axios.com/2024/06/24/hajj-heat-deaths-saudi-arabia-climate-health-risks

https://www.vox.com/world-politics/356624/hajj-mecca-heat-saudi-arabia-pilgrims-climate-change-prophet

Doctor Who Ratings Disaster

On By southwerkIn business ethics

The last three Doctor Who episodes are some of the lowest rated shows in the entire history of the franchise. That is in all of the sixty years of this formerly successful show. This horrible performance is not surprising considering we went from science fiction to a promotional vehicle for alternate life styles. That’s not Doctor Who.

How about Rotten Tomatoes? A 95% score for the critics and 28% from the audience. When transgender themes are significant in a program, the critics find this novel and worthy of their approval. It’s not novel anymore and dramatic lecturing about how wonderful these lifestyles are does not make for good story telling. The intellectual bankruptcy of modern criticism is everywhere evident and any intelligent human being will rely on the audience reaction.

What should be done? The British should fire everyone and I mean everyone. Fire the showrunner, the actors, the producers, everybody, find the guy the that sweeps up at night, fire him too.

And then wait for the memory of this “entertainment” to diminish in the public mind. At least five or six years until some innocent can say “Whatever happened to Doctor Who?” And then let’s find a new actor to play the doctor, an experienced actor with gravitas and a good track record in dealing with the public (someone who doesn’t tell the audience to “touch grass”). Maybe even someone who performed Shakespeare?

Then above all we have to find good writers who know and love science fiction — and who intend to write science fiction stories that motivate good acting and entertainment. It could celebrate heroism, good deeds and honor. It could tell coherent stories that are each uniquely interesting while being related to the development of the whole. Quality writing for a change.

And if you want a quality show, no one and I mean, no one gets hired because they’re female, lesbian, bisexual or just plain nuts. Hiring is based solely on merit and if the person with merit is a white male, well, we’ll manage to deal with it.

Let’s have a Doctor Who that celebrates its tradition of the human race confronted with the vastness and complexity of space. Let’s see adventure without an unhealthy fascination and advocacy of alternate lifestyles.

James Pilant

Affordable Connectivity Program Ends Because of Governing Failure

On By southwerkIn business ethics
This is a Tennessee focused article but very good.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/31/tech/fcc-affordable-connectivity-program-acp-close/index.html

Direct Quote from the article above:

On Friday, the US government announced the final closure of the broadly popular federal program, which has helped tens of millions of households afford internet service, after Republicans in Congress ignored calls by consumer advocates and Democratic lawmakers to approve more funding this spring. The program’s lapse threatens to throw nearly 60 million Americans into financial distress, CNN has reported.

For several years, the federal government has subsidized internet access to millions of Americans, almost 60 million of them. It was a very successful program because access to the internet is a “production good.” If you don’t remember you college economics or never had it, a production good is something you can buy that increases your output. Before the age of the computer that would have been a car (so you could go to work) or a typewriter (for filing applications and sending cover letters or working from home). Internet access allows you to apply for jobs or government benefits, communicate with your employer and learn the rules and regulations in countless fields. It is quite difficult to successfully apply for a job without an active internet connection.

Then why did the Republicans not fund it? I think it is safe to say that philosophically Republicans believe that the government cannot successfully do anything. Perhaps when subsidizing highly profitable industries, they see an exception but not very often. There is also the factor that this assists people of the lower and lower middle class incomes, and they feel a strong need to make these people suffer so they will “learn to achieve like the rest of us.”

If you have been following the news these last few weeks you may have observed that they were also busy browbeating University Presidents, Merrick Garland and the former Surgeon General. This kind of grandstanding takes the place of governing in their minds. Performing important government functions doesn’t get your name mentioned favorably on America’s numerous hate radio stations where every kind of nonsense is spouted as if it were the wisdom of the ages. Our alternate media sources do not find achievement and action on behalf of the public to be compelling topics. It doesn’t push the big topics of the deep state or the coming civil war, so we have a political party basically devoted to inaction and publicity stunts. This is called nihilism.

It was a good program, a successful program that helped millions of Americans go to school, get jobs, maintain employment and learn important skills. It wasn’t very much money and it made a lot of difference but that kind of governing is out of style. Sabotage and inaction are the tools in use here. If we can make the government not work, we can hurt the current administration. The public be damned.

It is ethically wrong, morally bankrupt and a failure of business ethics. But screwing over people while owning the libs is a value among Republicans more valuable than diamonds and gold. So, some teenager having difficulty applying to college because he has no internet access is just another victory over those people who practice compassion and making them suffer is the most important thing in the world.

James Pilant

Avoid False Workplace Positivity

On By southwerkIn business ethics
I am not opposed to a good work environment. I am opposed to nonsensical happy talk workplaces.

How to Navigate the Pitfalls of Toxic Positivity in the Workplace (msn.com)

New Study Finds Wishful Thinking Can Have Catastrophic Consequences (msn.com)

I had bosses who insisted on positivity in all circumstances, fortunately not very many. My personality does not lend itself to lies. I am a truth teller often to great personal cost.

But it wasn’t my unhappy experiences with workplace optimism that soured me on it. It was my historical knowledge. The former nations of the U.S.S.R. and the Empire of Japan both practiced forced optimism on a grand scale. Of the two, the Japanese were by far the worst example, promotion and even participation in decision making could be stalled for not sharing a rabidly happy attitude. And the Japanese in the course of the Second World War had a lot to be pessimistic about.

The Japanese believed in their variation of the “decisive battle doctrine.” The Japanese, the Americans, the Germans and the Italians were all followers of the teachings of Mahan, the master of modern naval strategy. Mahan believed that certain battles, for example, Trafalgar, determined the outcome of naval conflict between nations for as much as a hundred years. The Japanese assumed many, many battles were that kind of decisive when they were just another battle. A dramatic form of a truly incredible optimism.

After Pearl Harbor, the Japanese newspapers editorialized that just like Trafalgar, Pearl Harbor had transformed the balance of power in the world and henceforward they would be the dominant naval power on earth. Since Pearl Harbor reduced the margin of American superiority in numbers of warship but did not overcome it, this is quite the claim. Nor does it take into consideration the enormous American building program already underway which would eventually give the Americans complete dominance in the Pacific.

But this is what optimism untempered by reality gets you, foolish decisions and ridiculous opinions. And it got worse. As the Japanese began losing the war, each loss was simply a precursor to the “decisive battle.” So, no loss is that big a deal since the Japanese will eventually win the big one. Even in the final days before surrender, the Japanese military claimed that if they drew the Americans into one final battle over the home islands they would yet prevail. It was all nonsense. If not for the loss of so many lives, it might have risen to level of comedy.

And that brings us back to the subject of American business’ relentless focus on happy talk, meritless optimism and a thoroughly false workplace unanimity. Achievement depends on accurate information. You can’t fool people into doing well. You can rip them off and that happens. But real achievement depends on real cooperation, the use of people’s talents and a willingness to recognize and honor authenticity in the workplace.

It is hard to create a successful achievement model in business. It is easy to do the authoritarian model where “fearless leader” is always right and strides the land like a giant. Workplaces that are cooperative and intelligent are annoying and useless to the power oriented among us and many managers have little talent and less motivation toward high achievement. The simply coast along doing the same old things over and over again.

I remember some years ago reading squadron leader’s evaluation from the Royal Air Force in the midst of World War Two. They concluded that he had reached as high a leadership position as was possible, that he had no natural leadership ability and that they had trained him to the basics of combat leadership as was possible. I remember thinking that in the American college and university systems we seem to actively believe that we can educate leaders when we really don’t know how.

When leadership doesn’t know how to lead, corporate happy talk makes sense. Reality is an enemy to the untalented and foolish. Just deny, deny, deny. Everyone’s happy. Everyone’s successful. Everything’s fine. So, I ask you, my fine reader, wouldn’t actual leadership, actual performance and a strong connection with reality better serve us all both the business community and the larger society surrounding it?

I am told that I will have to publish an article every day for some years to attract a considerable readership and at this early stage, very few if any people will read these words. This saddens me. But I will struggle on. I am speaking to the world and whether or not anyone hears me is irrelevant.

James Alan Pilant

The Cold Blooded Republican Response to Climate Change

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I was looking at a poll the other day that found that 12% of the members of the Republican Party thought climate change was an important issue.

This is fascinating. I live in the middle of the United States. It is hotter than it has ever been and the weather more dramatic and powerful than it has ever been. You can literally feel climate change in the middle United States.

And yet, the great majority of one of the major political parties in the United States look at the thermostat and mutter, “Oh, no big deal.”

Looking at the news over the last few days, one sees that in the Philippines, it has gotten so hot that schools have been closed and classes moved online. India is in the grip of a huge heatwave.

And just today, now, here is a lead news article that indicates that thirty states are in the midst of record breaking heat wave.

“My Goodness” That looks surprisingly like objective evidence of climate change and maybe even a looming emergency.

So, surely Republicans will notice, right?

That would be nice. It would be part of the duty of a citizen in participative democracy to pay attention to facts and adjust their views accordingly but they will not change their minds. They live in a world where “owning the libs” is much of the meaning in their lives. And you can say, “James, that can’t be much of a life?” Well, yes, it is not much of a life. Thus there is just a ton of hysterical anger.

If you think I’m wrong. Look at the other stuff they are denying. They deny there is any significant racism in the United States (except against white people). Simply, reading the daily new should thoroughly prove that racism continues in America. It seems they don’t read. They deny the evidence of poverty and hunger in the United States to the point of refusing to supplement school lunch programs to feed children during the summer. And I could go on.

Florida has passed legislation removing climate change from consideration when making policy and abandoning a variety of green initiatives while also forbidding the construction of wind turbines on the coast.

To quote the governor of Florida:

“We’re restoring sanity in our approach to energy and rejecting the agenda of the radical green zealots,” DeSantis said in a post on the X social media platform.

The level of irony in the words of the governor are difficult to approach. Florida is in the middle of very serious heat wave, there are coral die offs all along the coast, and insurance companies are fleeing the state like so many rats from an overheated and perhaps burning ship.

I am concerned. Not about the Republicans, their current fantasies are really just silly. Saving them from nonsense is not something I can do. When you surrender your judgment to a cult, an online posting, the rants of hate radio or some weird conspiracy theory, the death of judgment and intelligence follows. What concerns me is that this nation where I make my home will probably be unable to deal intelligently and effectively with climate change. And because of our enormous economic power, we may doom much of the world with us.

It is the greed enshrined in our society’s goals and the way our corporations are set up solely to take money as their sole goal that will probably doom us and our future generations. It is very sad. We live in a nation developed in the ideas of the Enlightenment. We have the words of Lincoln and Thomas Paine to guide us – and all of that history or righteousness and glory is being denied, diminished and attacked.

Oh well, if I am to die of heat stroke or flooding or some other interesting element of climate change, I will die here in the United States. It is my home and I consider myself a patriot.

It is unfortunate that the limitations, foolishness and greed of a some Americans are going to do so much damage to so many.

James Alan Pilant

https://www.yahoo.com/news/tv-meteorologist-blasts-florida-don-152447336.html

https://www.yahoo.com/news/hot-mexico-howler-monkeys-falling-165619685.html

After Covid, now heat forces schools to go online in the Philippines | The Independent

‘Red alert’ in Delhi after temperature soars to 47C as heatwave grips India’s north (msn.com)

Meteorologist rebukes DeSantis for scrubbing climate change from state law: ‘Florida is on fire’ (msn.com)

https://www.themirror.com/news/us-news/terrifying-heatwave-map-shows-30-503037

https://www.npr.org/2024/05/16/1251769080/florida-desantis-climate-change-law

Doctor Who Bombs.

On By southwerkIn business ethics

I was about 16 when I first watched Doctor Who. The idea that someday it would become a home for gay and crossdressing themes would have surprised me. But here we are.

There is nothing inherently wrong with a gay character if the writing and the science fiction is good. But this show is no longer about good writing or science fiction, the focus is clearly on convincing you the viewer that alternate sexuality is utterly, completely, without any question normal and very, very important.

I started Doctor Who with Tom Baker back in the mid-1970’s. In classic Doctor Who, the stories take place all across space and time and are adventures in which a space alien of enormous age and experience protects the earth and its inhabitants from various dangers. It has run for many years. During that period it has generated high viewership numbers some of them record breakers.

Not any more.

I’ m one of that most hated species of all in the world of “woke” entertainment, I’m a fan. Our insistence on good writing, sensible plots and perhaps even a willingness to watch white men act heroically makes us incredibly obsolete in a media world where all character for some reason need to be reimagined as different sexes and races while often behaving as psychopaths. And it’s all our fault when feminist themed superheroes and science fiction fail — every single time. It’s not bad writing, nonsensical characters and pitiful marketing choices, it is because people like me are racist, sexist and intolerant. At least, that’s what the producers, directors and actors say after each multimillion bomb. So, obviously it must be true.

It is time for me to give up. It is time for all of us fans to give up. The good writing and science fiction themes we valued as basic parts of the franchise are gone forever. The Disney Company is providing financing. They are dictating a multi-sexual cast propagating a political agenda in each and every episode. They have billions and billions of dollars and if no one watches it, they don’t care. They will simply claim that the BBC viewership numbers are just small part of the picture and it is doing fine on other venues —- all of which they control and keep totally, completely secret. They could run 90 minutes of static and claim success and who know, at some point in the future they just might.

This isn’t good business ethics. If you’ve been watching a show for forty some years plus and it is good science fiction while having some of the finest writers in television, you get used to that. It is poor ethics to provide a bad product that no longer resembles the basic themes that made it successful. Poor writing, blatant preaching and silly characters are bad for any series and they are bad, bad business ethics. Let’s be blunt – you don’t market watered down bleach as fine wine. People can tell.

Don’t despair. There is fan fiction and we have years of past wonderful episodes to watch. None of which has been in anyway touched by the Walt Disney Company! That world where people traveled with the Doctor on behalf of humanity in a continued adventure still exists in the past episodes and continuing radio shows and novels. There is still a lot of Doctor Who left.

James Alan Pilant

BBC Doctor Who branded ‘woke’ and ‘unwatchable’ as TV ratings plummet following return to screens (msn.com)

Noisy and crude but accurate especially in its assessment of viewership numbers.

A Very Bad Neighbor or When Fire Chiefs Go Wrong

On By southwerkIn business ethics
The wrong way to deal with neighbor.
New Jersey fire chief vandalizes neighbor’s rare car with rocks — and it was caught on video

Business ethics demands that a human being behave as a person of reason not subject to outbursts of rage or radical responses. This act caught on camera, a very foolish act, is a failure of behavior and judgment. It is also a moral and ethical failure for which there must be penalties. As of the current date I am writing this, charges have been filed and I suspect there will be a civil suit as well.

We live in a civil society. We have an opportunity every day to reject the law of the jungle and live as brothers and sisters, joint citizens of a nation and a community.

Disputes don’t have to escalate to violence or the destruction of property. I taught for many years. One of my subjects was business law. I told a story of a very large company. They had a minor dispute over the boundary line between a huge factory and a home owner. The leadership of the company handed the problem off to the legal department who filed a lawsuit. I explained that was probably going to happen every single time you handed the problem off to legal. Let me explain.

“What should you have done in the CEO’s position?” I asked. And then I had to explain because they thought what was done was okay. “How about simply asking the neighbor, the home owner, if the problem could be settled by an agreement?” Now, maybe it couldn’t and we wind up in court anyway. But I believe most of the time that minor property disputes should remain minor disputes and not major legal cases that can last for years and cost a lot of money. Besides, why not act as a good neighbor and in fact, be a good neighbor. We don’t have to go to war over every dispute.

The man above did not act as a good neighbor. The acts we see on camera are those of a pathetic fool. I bet he thinks of himself as an “alpha” male and had a lot of laughs with his buddies over the thousands of dollars worth of damages he did to the neighbor’s car. Just another bully. They are a dime a dozen, strutting their pretend machismo. We see a lot of them these days.

There is a better way. Be a good neighbor. Behave as a good member of your religion if you have one. But above all remember you have a duty to act as a lady or a gentleman is all circumstances.

James Alan Pilant