The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Standards of morality in politics and journalism Political standards? Some claim they do not exist and rank politicians at the bottom of the esteem level well below doctors, teachers and even lawyers. An American friend who is cynical of government, sent a message stating that of the 535 members of the U.S. Congress: 29 have been accused of spousal abuse 7 have been arrested for fraud 19 have been accused of writing bad checks 117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least two businesses. 3 have done time for assault 71 cannot get a credit card 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges 8 have been arrested for shoplifting 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits 84 have been arrested for drunk driving Hard to believe? Maybe, but the low opinions many have of politicians makes it very difficult to convince substantial men and women to run for office. The usual answer is no, not a chance! This is also believed by many as leading to low vote turnouts in every election. In the U.S. turn-out for congressional votes hovers around 50%. The actions of some politicians are the cause of their own misfortune. Take for example Pat Martin, the current NDP member of parliament for Winnipeg Centre, and former union boss. Winnipeg Centre is a mix of working class and non-working class people which includes the east end of St. James, downtown and a chunk of the north end. It is also home to many churches and active church groups. Martin's vocal support of the proposed gay marriage bill has drawn a storm of criticism from the groups and calls to his constituency office. His reaction was to call his Christian critics some despicable, and unprintable, names which drew a further storm of criticism. Martin's popularity has dropped faster than Enron stock, and his critics vow to defeat him in the next election, expected next year. Bev Desjarlais, the local MP for Churchill has come out in opposition to the bill, the only NDP MP to do so, which shows her astuteness. She is being praised by church groups with no opposition so far. When was the last gay pride march in Flin Flon, The Pas or Thompson? Turning to journalistic standards, there is obviously a standard in the libel laws preventing personal attacks, although politicians are seen as fair game. Of course if it is true it isn't libel! One well known and long time writer for Manitoba's largest daily, often, shall we say is accused of pushing the limits of believability. One of his articles dealt with the sad tale of a black 32 year-old Cuban who married a 53 year-old financially secure blonde from Steinbach. Immigration Canada refused to admit this unschooled and unskilled gentleman into the country, and the theme was it is true love not opportunity, and the immigration officers were unfair! A second sad but true story was the Stone-Lamontaign affair. Last year a young man named Joe Stone (not stoned) Lamontaigne was arrested and thrown into an Equadorian prison after being caught with a briefcase full of drugs at the airport. He claimed innocence, that he didn't know the briefcase was loaded, and he should be released from this "hell-hole" of a prison. His mother and the journalist took up the cause, arousing many bleeding hearts to contribute to a "free innocent Joe fund". Joe languished for six months in one of the world's top-ten worst prisons until the family raised $40K U.S. to bribe enough prison officials to have him released, spirited out of Equador, and returned to Canada. On his return, Joe admitted he had taken $6,000 to carry drugs from Equador to Spain, and that he had admitted his guilt to his mother. He claimed the crime wasn't worth the time, especially in that prison. His mother didn't recall being told he was guilty, but a number of his former supporters and contributors were hostile and upset and even expressed admiration for the Equadorian's belief that prisons are not meant to be places of joy and happiness. The journalist expressed no regret for his support, guilty or not. What do you think of the ethics? Another highly-respected writer dealt with the morality of a north end Winnipeg family who ripped-off McDonald's for $3,250 in August. This summer the father picked up food for his family of six, bit into his burger, found it uncooked, had the meal replaced, then went home. He and his wife decided to demand compensation on the basis that their family may have become ill from the original meal. Amazingly McDonald's negotiated, offering $500 then a final $3,250. The wife's negotiations even included a request for a year of McHappy meals. Their pitch for an apology was not acceptable to McDonald's but the $3,250 was. The family wasn't thrilled with the settlement claiming" $3,200 is nice but to McDonald's, it's about five minutes work, it's a drop in the bucket to McDonald's." Are you appalled at this type of thinking? Is being paid off for a non-injury similar to the lawsuits McDonald's recently faced for "making people fat and unhealthy?" The most recent case was thrown out of a U.S. court with no leave to appeal. Do these cases and the 'payoff for nothing' show any standard of morality or ethical behaviour?
