November 3, 2023

We seem to be wasting a lot of time, money and energy trying to figure out which of our government officials are innocent or guilty. I think we can agree that there are bad people on both sides, and that they represent a reputational risk to the institutions they represent and work for. George Santos is the most recent example of Congress looking the other way, but he is certainly not alone.

Reputational risk is something that every organization has to concern itself with. Reputational risk is a threat to the goodwill and name that a company or organization has built up over many years. Reputational risk can come from the actions of a company, the actions of its employees, or even the actions of its customers. Companies have to decide whether the benefits that an employee, a client, or a customer provide outweigh the potential liabilities. In my previous life, I was faced with this decision often enough. At times, I had to call clients to tell them that we could no longer do business with them. For many reasons, they might have had a public persona that we could not or would not be associated with. They may have been accused of or convicted of a crime. They may be associating with unsavory characters. They may have taken a public position that was particularly controversial or distasteful. Regardless, we didn’t want to be known as a company that would do business with such an individual.

Just as seriously, I had to deal with employees, who we could no longer have represent us because they had created a history that made them indefensible. If a client were to lodge a complaint against the individual, whether he was guilty or not, we would have to settle. The individual may not have committed a crime, but his reputation was suspect, and this presented a major risk to the organization.

As we all know, reputation is everything unless, unfortunately, we are talking about Congress, the Supreme Court, and the White House. Current and past members of these organizations present a reputational risk, which should be recognized and dealt with. Each body should take actions to protect its own reputation whether certain members are guilty or not. The fact that the public has serious questions about certain individuals should be enough incentive for the good people to act. That is not happening in any kind of expeditious manner, however.

George Santos (R-NY) is the latest and one of the more egregious examples of Congress eschewing its responsibility to protect its own reputation. He is the subject of numerous state and Federal inquiries. While he hasn’t been proven guilty of anything, yet, it is clear from the public record that he is a liar and grifter of the first magnitude. If Congress were a business, Santos would have been gone a long time ago. It recently voted not to expel him. Jim Jordan (R-OH) has been credibly accused of looking the other way at Ohio State while its athletes were being sexually abused. If that weren’t enough, he helped organize the overturning of the 2020 election. Senator Robert Menendez (D- NJ) is on the hot seat again for financial and other improprieties. He avoided the first round of accusations, but Houdini would have trouble escaping his current situation. I don’t know if he is innocent or guilty (he’s guilty), but he has damaged the reputation of the Senate, which makes him an ongoing liability. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) has a laundry list of things that she has said and done that would disqualify her from most jobs, but groping and being groped by her date at an event with children in attendance should cause her fellow Representatives to say enough to the gentlelady, who espouses family values. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has been accused of consorting with underage women. Charges were not pursued, but the appearance of such a thing should be a death sentence for anyone in Congress.

The Supreme Court has been hit with a number of unsavory stories regarding Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Leaving Anita Hill to the side, his wife, Ginny

Thomas, was actively involved in trying to get the 2020 Presidential election overturned. Justice Thomas has admitted to accepting numerous gifts totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars from Conservative donors, and he incredulously doesn’t see this as influence pedaling or outright bribery. For these and many other reasons, polls show that the favorability ratings for the Supreme Court are historically low. The Thomas’ so far are not guilty of anything, but, for the sake of the reputation of the Court, they need to go.

Which brings us to Donald Trump, the twice impeached, four times indicted former President, who is facing ninety-one felony charges. He has been found guilty of rape, and guilty of falsifying financial statements. He faces charges for making hush money payments to a porn star. He faces Federal charges for withholding and distributing classified information, and attempting to overturn a Presidential election. He faces charges in Georgia for election interference. He has done more to hurt the reputation of the U.S. Presidency both home and abroad than any other President in U.S. history. Whether he is guilty of additional Federal and state crimes is not the point. He has already done enough to disqualify himself from any future office.

To paraphrase Donald Trump, there are bad people on both sides. My list is certainly not complete. Regardless, they all need to go.

October 21, 2023

I overheard a conversation the other day in the men’s locker room. It wasn’t the “grab by them by the p@#$y” kind of talk that Trump says we all engage in. We don’t. The person essentially said, “I really don’t know much about what is going on, but there is nothing you can say that will change my mind. The attack of Israel by Hamas would never have happened if Donald Trump was President. Biden is so weak.” Which begs the question, “Do you really want Trump back in the White House to handle an international crisis that could quickly inflame the entire Middle East and beyond if not handled properly?”

Given the propensity of millions of voters to want Trump to have his finger on the nuclear button, I think it would be fair to review the former Commander-in-Chief’s tortured relationship with the military because too many people mistake bluster for bravery in the same way they mistake John Wayne for a real Green Beret.

Citizen Trump, when it came time to serve his country, mysteriously came down with bone spurs that prevented him from serving, but not from playing tennis and golf. This was after receiving four educational deferments. The diagnosis was provided by a random physician, who happened to be a tenant in one of Fred Trump’s rentals.

Gold Star parents, Khizr and Ghazala Khan, whose son, Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004, criticized Donald Trump for his proposed ban on all Muslims coming to the United States. This policy was eventually ruled illegal. Trump immediately criticized the parents in a very personal way, and has done so to other Gold Star parents.

Donald Trump infamously said that Senator John McCain was not a war hero for serving five years in a POW camp after being shot down in Vietnam Nam because he preferred war heroes, who were not captured. In another unseemly episode, the Navy had to reposition the USS McCain so Trump wouldn’t see it on a trip to Japan.

It was reported in real time and confirmed recently by Trump’s Chief-of Staff, General John Kelly, that Trump believed that servicemen who got themselves killed or wounded in battle were “suckers and losers.” That is why he refused to visit the graves of U.S. Marines killed in France in WWI. He asked General Kelly, while they were standing at the grave of Kelly’s son, “What was in it for him?”

According to Kelly, Trump showed an obsessive fascination with the details surrounding our nuclear arsenal, and he seemed oblivious to the damage that nuclear weapons could cause.

Trump actually said that he knew more than all of his Generals.

The Justice Department has charged former President Donald Trump with four criminal counts related to Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which culminated in the Jan. 6th attack on the Capitol by a mob of supporters. Part of Trump’s plan was to create a national emergency, and then call out the military to quell any uprisings.

Trump duped the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, who was wearing fatigues at the time, into accompanying him on a walk from the White House to a local church to assert his control over peaceful protestors. When Milley realized that the military was being drawn into a domestic disturbance, he walked away, but the damage had been done for which he apologized.

Trump disparaged the military men, who worked for him, like former United States Secretary of Defense, General James Mattis, and National Security Advisor, Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster.

Trump has nothing but disdain for the men and women, who serve this country in the military. He openly ridicules them, and has no respect or appreciation for the jobs they do. To paraphrase Jack Nicholson in “A Few Good Men,” Trump uses the military as a punchline at his Mar-a-Lago cocktail parties. We can’t have Trump in charge of the military. He is uniquely unsuited, and everyone knows it. I am sure the military does not want Trump in charge of the military. The USS Trump will not be setting out to sea anytime in the near or distant future unless it is a garbage scow.

October 6, 2023

Because of the actions of some well-meaning people and the motivations of some not so well-meaning politicians, the issue of abortion has been moved from the doctor’s office to the Oval Office. The Hobbs decision hobbled those who believe in a women’s right to control her own body. The pro-choice people are not pro-death, which is what the term pro-life insinuates. They just believe that people can, in good faith, disagree about when life begins and should be protected. However, Supreme Courts at the state and federal levels continue to hear cases that will restrict abortion rights even further. One such case, which will be heard by the Supreme Court in its current session, is targeting the use of mifepristone, which is a medication most commonly used for medically-induced abortions.

The issue of abortion can be very personal for many people. When I lived in Florida, a friend of mine invited to me his home for dinner, and to meet his wife, Sally Blackmun. The name should sound familiar. The walls of their home were covered with photos of Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun and his famous acquaintances. Justice Blackmun wrote the majority opinion fifty years ago in the Roe vs. Wade decision. For that, they had to suffer drive by shootings by Right to Lifers, which is exceedingly ironic.

Sally was a major supporter of Planned Parenthood. She was very open about her own experiences as a young woman, and how Planned Parenthood probably saved her life. Her story probably affected how Justice Blackmun approached the Roe case, and how abortion is a very private and painful decision that some women have to make. Justice Blackmun understood all too well the dangers that bans on abortions posed for the health of young women.

The field Anthropology is probably best known for Jane Goodall and her studies of chimpanzees. However, the field of Anthropology is much more than monkeys. Anthropologists do cross-cultural studies of the issues that affect the hundreds of different, definable groups, both advanced and primitive, around the world today. For example, anthropologists have looked at how the issue of abortion is addressed by various cultures and groups. The reality is that abortion and restrictions to abortion are practiced in different ways by virtually every one of the 350 cultural groups studied. Abortion laws and restrictions vary widely across countries and cultures. Religion is a major influence on beliefs regarding abortion. The Roman Cathlolic Church is well-known for its intolerance of abortion. Cultural norms and values can influence how abortion is perceived and whether it is accepted. Socioeconomic factors play a role. The role of gender and women’s rights can affect the availability and acceptability of abortions. Stigma associated with abortions can differ widely from one culture to another.

Even among primitive and less-developed cultures, attitudes about abortion run the gamut from groups where punishment for abortion is high to low or absent. Interestingly, abortion is punished 100% of the time in patrilineal cultures, but permitted in 71% of matrilineal cultures.

Cross-cultural studies of abortion help researchers and policymakers provide insight into the diversity of perspectives and approaches to this sensitive issue across different societies. It is a very complex issue, and does not lend itself to simple bromides and placards. Politicians who hold up photos of aborted fetuses dumb down the conversation in the same way that politicians holding up snowballs do to disprove global warming. There are probably just as many legitimate beliefs about abortion as there are people.

There is no unifying approach to abortion that all people and cultures agree on. There are more questions than answers. I would have thought that God in his infinite wisdom would have spoken much clearer on such an important issue. Abortion laws and restrictions are clearly the result of the machinations of man, and, thus, are fallible and fungible. If there are no answers that everyone universally agrees on, we should be entitled to proceed in the manner each of us deems as appropriate and conscientious. If the pro-choice advocates are not forcing anyone to have an abortion, then the pro-life faction should not prevent anyone from having one. Not getting an abortion is your right. However, imposing your belief system on others is not your right. It is a wrong.

I would like to thank my tens of loyal followers on this website for allowing me to indulge myself. You may have had a question recently about the length of my last post regarding AI. As you may or may not know, many of my posts wind up in the Letters to the Editor section of the Springfield Republican. Literally hundreds of them have been published. The publisher of the paper has asked me to stop sending them in because I am way over my “quota.” However, the publisher likes my letters, and has “hired” me to write a bi-monthly column of 750-850 words under my byline. This will be a very new venture (adventure) for me seeing that I didn’t even write for the Melrose High School student newspaper. I am not sure where this is going to go, but it should be a fun ride.

September 25, 2023

It was AI week in Washington. Fellow classmate, Chuck Schumer, summoned many of the country’s technology leaders to D.C. to help Congress get it’s arms around the next big thing in technology. AI is going to reshape almost every aspect of our economy and our lives, and politicians want to be ready. AI is prepared to change almost every walk of life including education, medicine, the law, shopping, programming, finance and more. It is still an open question as to whether AI will be a job creator or a job destroyer. The labor strikes that are going on right now in Hollywood and Detroit are partially motivated by workers’ concerns that AI may put them out of a job. The creators of content in the entertainment industry are worried that AI will “scrape” their work with no compensation. For the record, I checked, and I don’t have anything worth scraping. However, what is not open to question is that AI will be a job changer.

Like the tornado in “Twister,” AI is not a storm that is coming. It is already here. Local teachers have to wrestle with the authenticity of the work that students are turning in. In many cases, the students are ahead of the teachers on the technology learning curve. I first became aware of the issue when I was interviewing high school students for college. College admissions officers have to look carefully at the essays that students submit as part of their admissions applications. It can be difficult differentiating authenticity from AI BS. AI can pass medical exams, and make basic diagnoses. A lawyer friend tells me that AI can meticulously prepare and edit legal documents. AI can create computer programs using a variety of languages. AI will be able to manage money. I am glad I am not in that business anymore. I am barely scratching the surface of the possibilities.

AI programs, using hard to get GPU microprocessors, slice and dice data, articles, photos, voice records and more to give you answers to your questions. A professor friend of mine at a local university is teaching an online course on identifying investment opportunities in AI. He didn’t ask for it, but, in literally five seconds, I generated a twelve point syllabus for his course complete with a reading list. Maybe I’ll go back into the financial services business, and use AI to identify investment opportunities. Another professor emeritus friend of mine said that once AI can figure out how to grade assignments, it will be “nirvana.” I sense there was a little sarcasm in his remarks.

Artificial intelligence as a technology platform should not be confused with the artificial intelligence that is being promulgated by certain media outlets, and being recirculated by irresponsible politicians and others. AI, MAGA-style, takes basic truths, puts them through a right wing word processor, and generates a litany of lies and alternative facts for public consumption. For example, many in the MAGA artificial intelligence universe don’t believe in global warming despite the visual evidence to the contrary. I asked ChatGPT, which is a free app, if global warming is real. It responded immediately. “Yes, global warming is real. This phenomenon is supported by extensive scientific evidence.” For a large number of people trafficking in fake AI, Trump won the 2020 election. Real AI begs to disagree. It says, “No, Donald Trump did not win the 2020 United States presidential election. The election results were certified by the Electoral College and upheld by numerous courts and state officials.” Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida is urging Floridians below the age of 65 to not get the new COVID vaccine. What does AI have to say about whether COVID vaccines work? “Yes, COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to be effective in preventing COVID-19 infections, reducing the severity of the disease, and lowering the risk of hospitalization and death.” There is a concept in AI that says that AI will “hallucinate” when it doesn’t know the answer to something. It will just make stuff up. The same can be said about many in the MAGA information universe.

AI is a new technology that we are all going to have to wrap our heads around, and, as with anything new, it will be disconcerting and disruptive. However, who are you going to believe when it comes to some of the critical issues of our time? A program that incorporates almost everything that is knowable, or your crazy uncle, who watches FOX or NewsMax all day. The former is artificial intelligence. The latter is a victim of an artifice of intelligence.

September 8, 2023

Football coach turned Senator, Tommy Tuberville, is holding up over 300 promotions in the military over the military’s policies regarding healthcare for women. While these brave men and women fight a war against real enemies, Tuberville has decided to fight a war against wokeness. He certainly didn’t learn battle field tactics in the military because he never served. His expertise is in X’s and O’s, and not in “The Art of War.” He says that there are too many Generals. I could say there are too many Senators.

He complains that poems are being read over public address systems on aircraft carriers. After all, football players don’t know nothin’ about no poetry. I don’t know or care if that is true or not, but here is a poem that should be read.

Half a league, half a league,

Half a league onward,

All in the valley of Death

   Rode the six hundred.

“Forward, the Light Brigade!

Charge for the guns!” he said.

Into the valley of Death

   Rode the six hundred.

“Charge of the Light Brigade”

September 7, 2023

I have to take exception with a recent contributor, who accused the Biden administration of having a radical and unchecked agenda to abandon fossil fuels. He accuses the government of making alternative energy producers flush with cash while trying to destroy the oil and gas industry.

U.S. crude oil production is expected to rise by 850,000 barrels per day to a record 12.76 million barrels in 2023. Crude oil production is expected to rise by 330,000 barrels per day to 13.09 million barrels in 2024. The last record output was 12.3 million barrels in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic crushed demand and prices. That doesn’t sound like a business that is being destroyed to me.

For generations, the O&G industry has enjoyed the oil depletion allowance. The oil depletion allowance permits an oil producer to deduct from his taxable income a percentage of his gross earnings (15%) from an oil well. The federal government has a long history of providing critical industries with economic benefits.

I find it mind-boggling that the writer would credit state-controlled China, the world’s largest polluter, with more honesty regarding climate issues. He may have a point. China honestly doesn’t care about the climate.

August 31, 2023

Donald Trump has been jilted. No, it wasn’t by Melania, but who would blame her if it were true. No, it wasn’t by Stormy Daniels. Trump will be found guilty of paying hush money, not jilty. Donald Trump was jilted by Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea. We all know about the “love letters” that he received from Kim Jong Un. They may even be involved in the government’s case against Trump regarding stolen classified documents. However, it was reported today that Kim Jong Un has been trading “love” letters with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Dictators love fellow dictators. Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin qualify. Donald Trump does not. Kim Jong Un has moved on from an older, heavier wannabe dictator with fake billions to a younger, slimmer authentic dictator worth billions. It has to be killing Trump to see KJU and Putin flaunting their dalliance for all the world to see. Soon, Kim Jong Un will be saying that he has no idea who Trump is, and he will have difficulty picking him out of a group photo. He will call his alleged relationship with Trump totally fake, and made up by the media. He will disavow the letters.

August 30, 2023

In 2019, I wrote about Trump’s willful blindness regarding his presidential campaign’s hundreds of contacts with Russians. Willful blindness is a term used in law to describe a situation in which a person seeks to avoid civil or criminal liability for a wrongful act by intentionally keeping himself unaware of facts that would render him or her liable.

News outlets today are reporting that Trump will claim as a defense in his January 6th and Georgia cases that he was just listening to his lawyers like John Eastman, Rudy Giuliano, Sidney Powell, Jenna Ellis and Jeffrey Clark. In order to claim this defense, Trump needs to explain to a jury why he chose to disregard all of the advice he received from all of his White House and Department of Justice officials, who told him his ideas were crazy at best and illegal at worst. Trump exhibited “willful blindness” to the facts, and now we will see if justice is blind as well.

August 27, 2023

Trump is not going to jail. There, I said it. He is not going to jail because he didn’t do anything illegal. He is not going to jail because a jury of his peers refused to convict him. He is not going to jail because the government is afraid of the political and civil unrest that may ensue. He is not going to jail because it would be unbecoming to have a former President of the United States wearing an orange jumpsuit that clashed with his orange complexion and strawberry blonde hair.

Trump is not going to jail because, in the end, he will do what he always does. He will settle. He pushes cases and people to their limits before he just writes a check and walks away. He will make some kind of universal settlement with all of his antagonists that will keep him a free man. In return, in addition to some money and apologies, he will agree to never run for the presidency again. Meanwhile, he will put the country through a political meat grinder as he continues to garner tension and political contributions. He will make a mockery of primary season. However, you can be sure, Donald Trump is not going to jail.