Ron Levy (9/27):
O'Dwyer's Directory of Public Relations Executives shows that Karen Langland Himle rose in 1997 to become one of America's highest-ranking corporate executives, Senior VP, Corporate and Government Affairs of the multi-billion dollar St. Paul Companies.
As VP University Relations for a great university, and as a lawyer who is bound to respect truth by the American Bar Association's code of ethics, she has a moral obligation to hold up presenting a film that she knows faculty members say is not fair and balanced. She has a right to favor impartial investigation of whether th film is or is not fair and balanced.
A source cited by Google says that more than 35,000 people in the world will die of starvation tomorrow. Another 35,000 will starve to death the following day and the day after that, over a million starvation deaths every month.
So if Ms. Himle like many of us feels that there is too much starvation, she has still another reason--in addition to respect for her univerity's faculty--to hold up presenting a film that university faculty members say is not fair and balanced. Impartial investigation could show that the film is well-intentioned but false shouting by environmental extremists who could increase avoidable starvcation. If Mrs. Himle believes in God, and many religious people are opposed to starvation, that's yet another reason the be cautious, pending investigation, about condemning the practices of farmers who grow what starving people need for survival.
"Thou shalt not kill," some may feel, bars not just kiling with a knife or gun but also with information that is not fair and balanced and that leads to increased death. The film can be presented later after the objection of faculty members is either (a) found unjustified or (b) eliminated by making the film narration more fair and balanced. BUT letting people starve to death is an election that precludes frepudiation.
So it is not crazy nor self-seeking to be cautious, taking time to consider whether faculty members of this great university may be right. Because her husband represents farmers, it takes courage for Mrs. Himle to take a stand that may benefit not only the world's starving but also farmers. But showing that kind of courage is what a moral person does. |