Ethic Soup

A Thanksgiving Meditation: To the Great Spirit

  

To the Great Spirit

              We return thanks to our mother,

                   the Earth, which sustains us.

     We return thanks to the rivers and streams

               which supply us with water.

We return thanks to all herbs, which furnish medicines

                for the cure of our diseases.

    We return thanks to the corn, and to her sisters,

         the beans and squashes, which give us life.

       We return thanks to the bushes and trees,

                        which provide us with fruit.

                    We return thanks to the wind,

     which, moving the air, has banished diseases.

  We return thanks to the Moon and the stars,

which have given us their light when the Sun was gone.

          We return thanks to our grandfather He-no,

     who has protected us from witches and reptiles.

                             We return thanks to the Sun,

    that he has looked upon the Earth with a beneficient eye,

                                  We return thanks to the Great Spirit,

                                       in whom is embodied all goodness,

         and who directs all things for the good of  his children.

                                                     After an Iroquois song  (19th century)

       TO READ OTHER HOLIDAY "MEDITATIONS & PRAYERS" IN ETHIC SOUP CLICK HERE.

Execution Doctors Unethical: Whether Hanging, Electrocution, Gas or Lethal Injectionl

     

There's hasn't been an execution in North Carolina for two years. Not that the state doesn't want to kill anyone. It's got 163 prisoners sitting on death row at Central Prison in Raleigh right now. But the state hasn't had a chance to kill anyone since August 2006. Down in North Carolina they are in the middle of a de facto moratorium on executions.

The execution shut-down happened because of a disagreement about the role doctors should play in a state killing. It finally reached the state Supreme Court last week. Well, that didn't seem to help any. In fact, there are a number of disagreeing factions involved in this dispute. I'm not talking about those that are fer versus those that are agin capital punishment. Apparently, no one is arguing that these 163 guys shouldn't be killed in the first place. Oh no. It's just who's gonna be involved in the killin' and then who's gonna have to make the final decision about who's involved. I wonder if it really comes down to just who wants to sleep good at night.

Excuset he sarcasm.  You do have to be alive to get to sleep, don't you. It's the ones they kill that get the Deep Sleep. No Ambien for them.

Animal Rights in Switzerland: Even Ethics for Goldfish

  If the idea of more animal rights aggravates you, take a Zantac.  You're gonna have some acid reflux.  If you are in favor of animal rights, pretend you're in the Swiss Alps singing "The hills are alive ..." Switzerland has adopted new animal protection legislation.

The new law, which went into effect in September, spells out in minute detail how all domestic animals are to be treated. This includes pets, farm animals and those destined for scientific experiments. Even wild animals are covered by the legislation if they are in zoos or circuses.

It's the inclusion of entities such as goldfish that bothers some folks. The new law specifies in detail how goldfish are to be treated -- live fish cannot be flushed down the toilet. They must be knocked out and killed first -- er, euthanized, according to Feedstuffs, the weekly newspaper for Agribusiness. I think these are some of the guys who might want that Zantac. If you go to their website, you can get a free subscription to the new "Hog-Handling Newsletter."

As for fish other than goldfish, the Swiss law bans catch-and-release fishing and the use of live fish bait.That last one is a bit confusing to me. If you can't use live fish bait, it must mean you have to use flies and artificial lures. What if a formerly live worm is dead after being stabbed by a hook? Okay, let's assume artificial only. So if you catch a fish using artificial bait, is it more pro-animal rights NOT to catch-and-release, but rather kill and keep?

Parents Abandon Children: "I'm Gonna Dump You in Nebraska"

   

What are the ethics of raising a teenager? First, if you don't kill them, you're doing good. Second, even though it is the hardest job ever expected of you in your lifetime, you cannot abandon the child.

I wonder just how many parents are currently threatening their teens: "If you don't straighten up, I'll drive you to Nebraska and leave you there. I can't be arrested for abandonment." One hell of alot of them, I bet. It's a fact that parents who do so cannot be arrested. But, it's just talk. No one would ever really do it. Oh yeah?

ETHICS HELL, IT'S SURVIVAL

It's happening all right. As of this writing, 35 kids have been dropped off at Nebraska hospitals ever since the state legislators make a mistake. The last state in the union to provide a safe haven law, Nebraska did not specify the age or define the word "child" in the statute. State legislators' intent was to provide a safe haven for unwanted newborns; but, they passed a law that allowed parents to abandon even teenagers without fear of prosecution. Uh-oh! Who Knew?

Overwhelmed parents  have dropped off 20 teenagers and a number of pre-teens -- but not even one newborn. They came from Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Iowa and Michigan to dump their problem teens. It's both infuriating, tragic and heart-rending. There seems to be anguish all around.

Kansas Marquee: Obama Muslim President, a Sin

     

"Kansas," Mixed Media, Copyright by Sharon McEachern

Christian ethics, for some in Kansas, include calling President-Elect Barack Obama America's "Muslim president" and a "sin against the Lord." The Spirit One Christian Center in Wichita, KS. has a huge marquee sign in front of the church, the kind usually seen at entertainment venues like movie theaters, which is taller than the church roof. 

This "moral" marquee has in the recent past emblazoned messages against gays, against planned parenthood clinics, against Muslims, against Mohammed and against Allah.The same church has spent money on large billboards promoting similar messages of hate.

The exact message on the church sign currently reads: "America we have a Muslim president. This is sin against the Lord." The preacher says he will not remove the message, despite the fact that Obama is a Christian, he told Fox News Kansas City.

It's ironic that Obama's mother was a Christian from Kansas.

Controversial Caged-Chicken Ban Passed in California Landslide

            "Breakfast Collage," 25" x 30"  Copyright by Sharon McEachern

I don't want to eat eggs from miserable hens. I remember research from the University of California - Davis a few years ago that said eggs from stressed chickens  are bad for human health -- higher cholesterol and full of stress hormones. And now, thanks to Californians we can have happier, less-stressed hens. Well, they'll be somewhat less stressed come January 1, 2015. 

Close to two-thirds of the state's population voted in favor of a proposition requiring that laying hens, pregnant pigs and calves raised for veal be kept in larger enclosures. This larger space will have to be enough to allow the animals to turn around freely, lie down, stand up and fully extend their limbs (are wings considered limbs?), according to the law. Although other states -- Florida, Arizona, Colorado and Oregon -- have passed similar laws for swine and veal, California is the first state to mandate that all egg-producing chickens have more space to roam.

It won't happen for the same chickens that are laying eggs today. They won't see the effects of Proposition 2, which was just passed by California votersin a 2-to-1 landside.  Egg-laying hens are killed after about two years, when their egg production drops. Typically they are sent to a tallow plant (where animal fat is collected for making candles, soap and lubricants) or ground into animal feed, says the Sacramento Bee. Proposition 2 doesn't take effect for another six years.

WHAT'S THE CONTROVERSY?

IT Execs' Top Wishes: Workers With Ethics and Morals

  The top workplace skills that IT execs are seeking among both entry-level and mid-level IT workers are ethics and morals.Those are the qualities at the top of their wish lists, according to the Society of Information Management (SIM).

The results of an online survey with 231 respondents overwhelmingly cited ethics and morals as the traits the executives most desire when hiring IT staff. These virtuous traits easily beat out alternatives like communication skills and business acumen, according to the group which released the results of its annual membership survey at its SIMposium 2008 conferenceat Lake Buena Vista, FLA., yesterday.

Numerous IT executives reported their concerns about staffers doing "unethical things" such as circumventing security systems. This concern has made the issue of ethics and morals paramount to the IT executives, reports Computerworld.

Catholic Priests Continue to Sexually Abuse Children

  It never ends -- Catholic priests keep sexually abusing children. I don't believe most people are aware of the extent to which the abuse continues. I think most of us, particularly non-Catholics, think that it's pretty much over, since the height of the sex scandal was in 2002.

Now that the Catholic Churchis aware (although many say the Church was always aware -- after all it moved abusing priests from diocese to diocese once they were caught), it has to have done what was necessary -- investigating, defrocking, suspending and ordering administrative leaves and paying out $100's of millions in settlements to victims. Oh, occasionally local news reports may appear about a local priest abusing children. But that's rare, we think. How wrong we are!

SHOCKINGLY, IT NEVER ENDS

A week ago Ethic Soup reported  "Priests Face Psychological Tests: Vatican Claims It Wants Gays Out of Priesthood," which you may read here.  We decided a follow-up was warranted and searched the national newspapers and international new sites. You're in for a shock.

Bullies May Be Wired in Brain to Enjoy Others' Pain

  Bullies' brains could be hardwired for sadism, suggests new imaging research. Many adults remember the glint of elation in a bully's eyes when they were a kid. So some of us might wonder why the surprise over research that suggests bullies enjoy inflicting pain. We've known that forever. In fact, studies indicate that as many as half of all kids are bullied at some time during their school years, with 10 per cent bullied on a regular basis. And for adults, research shows bullying in the work place is common and a very real problem. 

Well, researchers believe this recent work will help us better understand ways to work with juveniles inclined to aggression and violence. We can all give that possibility a hip-hip!

"Children who are bullied experience real suffering that can interfere with their social and emotional development, as well as their school performance," according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. "Some victims of bullying have even attempted suicide rather than continue to endure such harassment and punishment."

The new study, published in the current issue of the journal Biological Psychology, used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging(fMRI,)to compare brain activity in eight unusually aggressive 16 to 18-year-old males with those of eight normal adolescent males while they viewed videos of people getting hurt.

PAIN OR PLEASURE?

The imaging showed activity in the brain's pain centers for both groups; but,the brains of the aggressive males -- who had "conduct disorder," a very serious psychological condition-- also showed activity in the brain's pleasure centers. What did that mean? It suggests that they enjoyed what they were seeing. The normal males did not show this activity.

Ethics for Lunch: Scotland's Kids Help Save Children

  In Scotland, they are teaching ethics to kids simply by getting them to eat lunch in the school cafeteria. At the same time, they're getting healthy meals down the kids who in the past have preferred eating lunch at local chip shops while inching towards obesity. This is a great feel-good story on so many levels.

Wait, there's more. The Scots have linked nutritious diets to the concept of global citizenship and charitable giving. The kids start feeling better physically -- which helps in staying alert to learn --and they feel good about themselves for helping to fund projects in third-world countries and deprived communities. Additionally, the program helps to boost the local economy by purchasing ingredients locally for the lunch program. It makes me want to go back to school.

SCHOOL LUNCHES EARN "CHARITY POINTS"

Thousands of kids -- 16,500 children in 53 schools in East Ayrshire -- earn "charity points" in exchange for eating school lunches, which can then be used to purchase goods from the Save the Children Wishlist for projects around the world. In the process, they are being educated about the plight of those less-fortunate than themselves and participating in solutions.