Personal Integrity Matters

We all have issues with certain things that happen in life. Over the past several years I have become increasingly upset with the lack of ethics in society. I am posting, in part, to vent. I hope we all think about what we may be able to do to improve situations.

DENISE LEE – On January 17, 2008 a 21 year old mother was kidnapped from her home. Two days later her body was found near her home. According to records, the police received a 911 call from a woman driving down the road. She reported her position and said there was a young girl screaming in the car next to her. She stayed on the phone with the operator for some time reporting what she saw. WHY DIDN’T ANYONE COME TO DENISE LEE’S RESCUE?
The police have made excuses and are implementing a new training program for all 911 operators. Nice idea but in MY OPINION I believe the problem is more basic. Why didn’t anyone, the 911 operator, her supervisor, the dispatcher, the two officers who passed Denise as she was driven down the road by a madman, the relative who saw the accused murderer with Denise (he provided a shovel and gas without questioning what they were for) or anyone who was standing around the water cooler talking about the strange 911 call and what it could be, DO SOMETHING? More specifically, why didn’t they do the right thing? If one person’s conscience was engaged during the four plus hours it took this terrible tragedy to play out, maybe the results would have been better. Someone could have prevented the death of Denise Lee.

Personal Experience - My son had an auto accident. He was pulling into the median and a motorcycle hit him on the driver’s side. The rider was thrown 150 feet and was fortunate to survive. He was wearing body armor. It turns out he was a friend of a friend. My son was sited for failure to yield. He went to traffic court to ask if it mattered that the cyclist was speeding or if he was stopped in the median (backed up by photos taken at the scene.) The judge recommended he enter a not guilty plea and take it to court. It turned out the third rescheduled date fell at a bad time for my son. He was in college and it was final week. He was unable to make it on the day the case was actually heard. We had requested a continuance but the judge refused. He allowed the police to reschedule twice since they did not appear the first two times the case was called. The same judge who suggested my son fight the ticket heard the case. The driver of the motorcycle testified (from jail on a drug charge) that the night of the accident he had looked down to check his gauges and when he looked up the car was there and he could not avoid it. I went to court with photos of the intersection and scientific evidence that the cycle had to be speeding (there is a formula you can follow.) The speed was also confirmed by the driver. You see my son spoke to him after the accident. He was offered money by the guy on the cycle. He also bragged to friends the officer came to his room at the hospital and advised him to say he was only going 55. He admitted to driving on a suspended license and having outstanding warrants in Ohio. The officer on the scene of the accident was also made aware of this. The motorcycle driver begged the officer to cut him slack because he was so injured. I really don't blame him for his attempt to avoid arrest. I presented the photos of the scene and scientific evidence of the speed of the motorcycle. I didn't expect the driver to admit careless driving but he certainly gave the judge something to consider when he admitted taking his eyes off the road. However, the end result was my son was given a fine more than double the original and required to go to traffic school. The same judge who told him to fight it slammed him with the fine and points.
I thought this was wrong. I wrote a letter to the court administrator. They apologized but said nothing can be done. Judges can make bad decisions. My son could not even appeal the ruling. Amazing.

One more example of bad job performance. My aunt had breast cancer. Once removed she went for her 6 month check ups regularly. She developed a throat irritation and began having difficulty swallowing.
The doctor ordered an MRI of her throat and chest. The radiologist reported no abnormalities. As her condition deteriorated she took the actual films to another doctor. He immediately saw a spot slightly left of her throat in her neck. The radiologist did not report it because the doctor did not mention anything about checking out the neck. She past away rather quickly after finding out the truth. Perhaps she would have had a better outcome if the situation was properly diagnosed. When the truth came out the radiologist blamed the doctor and the doctor blamed the radiologist. MY OPINION: The doctor perhaps should have been broader in his instructions however the radiologist was morally responsible for reporting the irregularity because he knew there was a need for further tests.