THE PAULA GORDON SHOW |
Justice — Obstructed & Defiled |
Tangled Webs is published by Penguin. Among many others, the book has been reviewed by BusinessWeek and The Daily Beast. Anthony Lewis (Freedom for the Thought That We Hate) argues forcefully for the importance of the First Amendment and for its role in curtailing injustice and in clarifying our understanding of what "justice" means in America. Throughout his career (Sir) Harold Evans has demonstrated the vital role of journalists in exposing injustice. Since his time as Richard Nixon's White House Counsel, John Dean has written at length about the modern Republican Party's contempt for government. Mr. Dean has also had substantive experience with a President subverting justice. In FIASCO, Frank Partnoy lays out Wall Street's appalling abuses of public trust which create the kind of environment in which Bernie Madoff thrived. Oddly, James Carse's description of "belief systems" (The Religious Case Against Belief) presents an accurate picture of Mr. Stewart's four antagonists. Each seems to have a belief centered solely on themselves. Paul Hawken Alan Dershowitz wrote The Genesis of Justice to show how the Hebrew notion of justice evolved from the strikingly unjust behavior of Yahweh recorded in the book of Genesis. Cornel West argues (Democracy Matters) that America has a unique opportunity to combine three traditions to help move along the development of democracy: the Jewish tradition of justice, the Greek tradition of democratic dialogue and the African American experience of tragi-comic hope. Psychobiologist Frans de Waal sees the origins of justice in the evolved adaptive behaviors of great apes and, more generally, in social animals. Philosopher Frederick Ferré also finds the basis for ethical behavior in the evolution of our universe. Experimental biologist Stuart Kauffman points to the agency of early animal life as part of the biological continuum leading to justice and its absence. And, here's a little background information on Paula Gordon and Bill Russell, the Program co-hosts. |
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When the people of a nation are the origin of a country’s power, we have special responsibilities to hold each other accountable. Justice requires it. In addition to telling the truth ourselves, we also need to be told the truth by those we entrust with gathering and sharing what we call “news”. James B. Stewart sets an appropriately high standard both as a reporter and as a citizen. We roundly applaud his willingness to do the work necessary on both counts. |