The framers of the Constitution didn’t invite everyone into the body politic, but their document has, over the course of American history, promoted a more inclusive society.
Terry Newell is currently director of his own firm, Leadership for a Responsible Society. His work focuses on values-based leadership, ethics, and decision making. A former Air Force officer, Terry also previously served as Director of the Horace Mann Learning Center, the training arm of the U.S. Department of Education, and as Dean of Faculty at the Federal Executive Institute. Terry is co-editor and author of The Trusted Leader: Building the Relationships That Make Government Work (CQ Press, 2011). He also wrote Statesmanship, Character and Leadership in America (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013) and To Serve with Honor: Doing the Right Thing in Government (Loftlands Press 2015).
The framers of the Constitution didn’t invite everyone into the body politic, but their document has, over the course of American history, promoted a more inclusive society.
Moral crusaders should consider all the ethical implications of the changes they seek.
We may never render some great service to humanity, but the way we live our lives can foster justice and joy in our world.
Decades after emancipation, thousands of African Americans were forced back into slavery in the South. Warren Reese, Jr. , against great odds, sought to free them.
Our opinions on public issues are often shaped by “experts.” But are they really expert? How can we know?
Good political arguments are essential in a democracy. Too many Americans don’t have the skills needed.
When we acknowledge that animals think and feel, we must face a number of moral and practical questions. A court case looms testing how much an animal is a “person” under the law.
We regulate commercial firms, but there is a large “hate industry” in America that operates under free speech protections with too few controls.
Ethical and morally courageous, Marie Ragghianti held corrupt government officials accountable and changed the law as well.
Is government failing us so much - or are we expecting more than our government was designed to do?
Both liberals and conservatives want to stock federal and state courts with partisan judges. This contradicts the desire of the Constitution’s framers and is dangerous to republican government.
Amidst the overbearing presence of COVID and a snow-induced power outage, just having an ordinary day seems glorious.
Fighting for a moral principle, in defense of the Constitution, takes great courage when so many disparage you and are comfortable with injustice.
Americans tell pollsters that the nation is on “the wrong track,” but that view can trap us into ways of thinking that make “right track” progress so much harder.
The trial verdict on Kyle Rittenhouse is in, but our deliberation on how we think about this case is still needed.
If you’re fortunate, the person you marry turns out to be far more surprising and interesting than you expected.
When we “cancel” the freedom to speak, we damage the learning, debate and persuasion essential to a free society.
The poor and nearly-poor must organize to vote in greater numbers. Without doing so, they will continue to be ignored.
Without morality in the people, the Constitution cannot work.
Faced with facts that contradict what we think, we often resist changing our minds.