Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Packaging Morals

Morality is the distinction between right and wrong, the line drawn in the sand to determine what should be done and what should not be done.

Problem is, there is no end to the debate on what is the source of morals and whether or not they are objective. According to anthropologists, even in small homogeneous societies that have no written language, distinctions are sometimes made among morality, etiquette, law, and religion.

Etiquette is sometimes included as a part of morality, but it applies to norms that are considered less serious. Thomas Hobbes ("Leviathan" or "The Matter, Forme and Power of a Common Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil") expresses the standard view when he discusses manners. “By manners I mean not here decency of behavior, as how one man should salute another, or how a man should wash his mouth or pick his teeth before company, and such other points of small morals, but those qualities of mankind that concern their living together in peace and unity.”

Law is distinguished from morality or a moral system by having explicit written rules, and officials who interpret them to apply the penalties. Moral criticism is often cited to argue for a change in the law. Especially bad laws. Like whether someone should have unfettered discretion to deny citizens from having a rightfully elected official to make their representations in government.

Religion differs from morality in that morality is only a guide to conduct, whereas religion is always more than this. When the law fails to enforce conduct required by morality, religion provides recourse to a higher authority far beyond the reach of mortal parliamentarians susceptible to temptations of the flesh. By definition, God is incorruptible.

When “morality” is perceived in such descriptive senses, there are no absolutes in content and it is left to the foundation that members of the society claim to set their standards of morals. Bowing is morally acceptable in one culture and kissing the cheek is in another. Last week we heard that adultery is condoned as long as "you have worked long hours, tirelessly attending to the concerns of your residents, reaching out particularly to the needy and to youths, and building stronger bonds among them." Deciding whether the speaker is amoral to state so depends on what kind of society you want your children to grow up in.

10 comments:

  1. In my younger days I use to enjoy reading the comic strips called "Spy vs Spy" There is a white spy vs the black spy. The white spy always able to outsmart the black spy for no simple reason then he was in white.As a result, I grew up believing that a person in white is often better than a person in other color.
    It is very astute of PAP to dressed their MPs in white that gives them a sense of superiority and morally uprightness and can do no wrong even if the he is a adulterer!

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  2. Yes it sucks, but read this carefully too ... http://libertyblitzkrieg.com/2012/12/17/meet-brandon-bryant-the-drone-operator-who-quit-after-killing-a-child/

    You see, the problem is the line of morality is a perception of society. As long as members of society gets free access to facts, then the line in the sand can be used to guide our actions and judgnment, especially of politicians. But when the MSM is dominated to this degree all over the world by politically-aligned forces, this line keeps shifting. Why is Obama considered a upholder of international peace (Al Nobel would be flipping in his grave) when he approves and encourages the CIA's drones killing thousands of children and innocent women and men in not only Afganistan but Pakistan Sudan Yemen and soon East Asia. BUT then jumps up like an insulted cockeral when a gunman with asperger kills 20 of American children? If Obama is allowed to stay as president, why shud Mike Palmer not be allowed to stay as speaker? What do you think?

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    Replies
    1. Yes, Mrs Clinton goes on to be Secretary of State and Mrs Palmer can try giving a shot as Prime Minister?

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    2. Yes yes, adultery did not stop JFK and Bill Clinton from ushering in and presiding over the 2 most prosperous decades of US' post-War history. And Hillary Clinton is by far the most effective Secretary of State since Kissinger; the NYT call her a oner-person army, stopping the Chinese hiorde on its war-like track IN THE South China Sea. Obama and the 3 Bushes are as kia bo as LKY, how effective are they? Go read Lucky Tan's post on this affair, kia-bo is a PAP characteristic, anyone who blindly follow LKY's diktat and insist on sacking anyone with an affair ought to examine whether they are on PAP's side, or on the alternative camp. Yaw SL shud not have been removed, neither shud Mike Palmer. And why can;t Mrs Palmer run for office?

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  3. Quote,
    "The uncomfortable truth that Singaporeans have to confront is that the People’s Association is literally in bed with the PAP. This is not an idle or flippant comment. A supposedly non-partisan statutory board whose professed aim is to build social cohesion and represent the interests of all Singaporeans is nothing but an extension of the ruling party, both in spirit and in substance." unquote.


    I speak with authority, I wish to warn all People’s Association staff members, who are supposed to be non-partisan statutory board employees, that it violates the Constitution's separation of powers mandate and is a crime(Voter Fraud) to use the state's resources to advance and further the interest of the PAP, or any political entity, whether volunteerly or under the orders of the Chairman of the People’s Association.

    Pls bear in mind that PA staff members will not enjoy any official immunity from prosecution for this a crime under the law(Parliamentary Elections Act), they can be and will be prosecuted for any blatant disregard of the law when it is set before a court of law at a favorable time to come, and there can be no escape as there are well publicized documentation on this crime in the public domain, till then, may God bless you.


    (FBI — Clay County Officials and Residents Convicted on Racketeering and Voter Fraud Charges)
    https://www.fbi.gov/louisville/press-releases/2010/lo032510.htm

    (FBI — Former Clay County Election Commissioner Sentenced 20 Years for Racketeering and Voter Fraud Conspiracies)
    http://www.fbi.gov/louisville/press-releases/2011/lo030811.htm

    (PAP general tries to stop Aunty from talking to reporters!)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNdJZCp8SQE

    (Singapore's People's Association ?Central Intelligence Agency)
    https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol12no4/html/v12i4a05p_0001.htm

    (People’s Association and PAP in partisan tango Sgpolitics_net)
    http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=7942

    Joshua Chiang

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  4. Quote,

    "Parliamentary Elections Act
    (CHAPTER 218)
    Part III ELECTIONS
    CORRUPT PRACTICES
    Treating
    58.
    —(1) A person shall be guilty of treating if he corruptly, by himself or by any other person, either before, during or after an election, directly or indirectly gives or provides, or pays wholly or in part the expense of giving, any meat, drink, refreshment, cigarette, entertainment or other provision or thing or any money or ticket or other means or device to enable the procuring of any such meat, drink, refreshment, cigarette, entertainment or other provision or thing, to or for any person —
    (a)
    for the purpose of corruptly influencing that person or any other person to vote or refrain from voting;
    (b)
    for the purpose of inducing that person to attend or remain at any election meeting;
    (c)
    on account of any such person or any other person having voted or refrained from voting or being about to vote or refrain from voting at the election; or
    (d)
    on account of any such person having attended an election meeting.
    (2) A person shall also be guilty of treating if he corruptly accepts or takes any such meat, drink, refreshment, cigarette, entertainment or other provision or thing or any such money or ticket or who adopts any other means or device to enable the procuring of such meat, drink, refreshment, cigarette, entertainment or other provision or thing." unquote.

    (Singapore Statutes Online - 218 - Parliamentary Elections Act)
    http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/aol/search/display/view.w3p;ident=a4fb6853-78db-454c-b833-72818701a763;page=0;query=DocId%3A8cc6883c-c5f5-4e3c-bad4-e3b6992999a5%20%20Status%3Ainforce%20Depth%3A0;rec=0#pr58-he-.

    Joshua Chiang

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  5. I think this case involves more than adultery. Were they screwing each other during office hours? Were the meeting part of the expenses paid with tax payers money? Were the gifts also part of the expenses paid with tax payers money? Were any of the vote counting seesions done by PA staff?

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  6. So it that why they quickly want to wrap the whole scandal asap so there is no need for CPIB to come in to investigate whether it is another alleged sex for favour case like that CID/Narcotics Chief ?

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  7. The SCDF Chief leh?

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  8. Equal pay for equal pay.
    Why not PAP politicians benchmark pay against politicians in other countries?

    Why benchmark only against top earners in Singapore?

    ReplyDelete