Virtue

I AM NOW an expert on virtue.I'm against it.I know I'm an expert because I was invited to speak on virtue by Santa Clara (Calif.) University's Center for Applied Ethics. The invitation came by virtue of my having written about William Bennett's "Book of Virtues" in a column.OK, I'm not really against virtue, personal or civic.Virtue is good, by definition. I'm against the use of virtue in politics, in particular its use as a substitute for politics.Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the purest of them all?

The sweat and nerves that accompanied St. Mary's journey to the NCAA tournament turned into a leisurely jaunt after the team had upset reigning national champion Salisbury, 13-11, in Sunday's final of the Capital Athletic Conference tournament and earned the automatic qualifier. It was a relaxing moment for a Seahawks program that had never advanced to the NCAA tournament until Sunday. “Well, it definitely took a little pressure off,” coach Chris Hasbrouck said with a chuckle Monday afternoon.

"Echoes of an Autobiography," by Naguib Mahfouz. Doubleday. 118 pages. $19.95Naguib Mahfouz writes in his novels of Cairo but always casts that overbright, crowded, exhausting megalopolis in shadow. Mahfouz' Cairo is a maze of alleys and muffled interiors. Characters are choked by dust, choked by poverty, by deadening jobs. Now, in this unsettling, affecting collection of parables presented as "echoes" of autobiography, Mahfouz explores old age and memory. He examines them as if these were other wondrous, mysterious cities, where the sounds again are muffled, the shadows darker.

It seems Easter was a field day for attacking Dr. Ben Carson for his conservative views ("Ben Carson's biblically based conservatism," March 31.) Columnist Dan Rodricks claimed he was not surprised by Dr. Carson's equating gays with pedophiles and people who have sex with animals. Mr. Rodricks then delved into a 2008 radio interview for more dirt to support his critique of Dr. Carson's conservatism, showing how Dr. Carson used the Bible to support such things as corporal punishment by parents and as justification of a flat tax. Well perhaps more people need to be seeking answers in the Bible or in their faith.

He wasn't born here, he didn't play here, yet he became a legend here. That was the magic of Rex Barney. He was more than just a public-address announcer or a radio talk-show host. He was part of the fabric, part of the family, part of the grand Baltimore baseball experience. He became an institution by being a nice guy.You gotta have heart, and Rex had one of the biggest, even when the rest of his body was crumbling around him. He'd sign autographs from his seat in the press box. He'd bring boxes of Berger cookies to his young radio producers.

WASHINGTON -- Some of his fellow moral crusaders express disappointment that William J. Bennett admits to big-bucks gambling and a high-roller life at big-time casinos. I'm disappointed that he's giving it up. After all, Mr. Bennett pointed out when first confronted with his expensive hobby that his gambling apparently was legal, harmless to his family and between him and other consenting adults. I would be delighted to let Mr. Bennett, former secretary of education and author of the best-selling Book of Virtues, gamble all he wants without a peep of protest, if he would just give Sen. Rick Santorum and other modern-day Puritans a spirited Bennett-style lecture on the virtue of staying out of other people's personal business.

A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that substantial portions of an investigative report that accuses a former top government immigration lawyer of exercising "improper influence" in the granting of visas to foreign investors must be made public. The ruling, issued in New York City by a three-judge panel of the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, said there was "a substantial amount of evidence" against Paul W. Virtue, the former general counsel of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

This medium-bodied California cabernet won't win prizes for complexity, but it offers pure black cherry fruit and admirable balance and intensity. Plus, it has the virtue of widespread availability. It's an excellent summer-weight cabernet that wouldn't be out of place at a barbecue.Pub Date: 7/21/96

A former top immigration official who was the subject of a lengthy internal probe is now actively working for the same promoters of an investor visa program he was accused of improperly assisting. Paul W. Virtue, former general counsel for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and now a private attorney, recently contacted former INS colleagues on behalf of a firm that has been marketing a contentious investor visa program. Bo Cooper, INS general counsel, said Virtue called him two to three weeks ago inquiring about what the agency's position would be on proposed legislation that would benefit investors in AIS Inc., also known as American Immigration Services, which is based in Greenbelt.

Early last month, a former top government lawyer got an especially warm greeting from a Senate panel considering a major overhaul of immigration laws. He was introduced as a "highly respected" expert whose insights were valued. That May 2 appearance by Paul W. Virtue, former chief counsel of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, was one of many he has made since leaving the agency, where he worked for 16 years, ending in 1999. Virtue, a partner in a top Washington law firm, also has made frequent appearances on national radio and television programs and is frequently quoted in newspaper articles.

Since World War II, Americans have tended to elect middle class presidents. With the exception of the two Bushes - the first of whom lost his second election, the second of whom "lost" his first - both parties succeeded by nominating candidates from modest backgrounds: Republicans Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan were hardly products of affluence, nor were Democrats Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton or Barack Obama. Mitt Romney was born to both political and economic privilege.

It was a clear sign the campaign has gone on too long when I had a dream about Mitt Romney a couple of nights ago. Other than the fact that the Romney summoned from my unconscious was sitting at a breakfast table with me and was willingly answering questions, the dream was pretty realistic. The candidate was dressed in his ubiquitous Brooks Brothers checked shirt and relaxed-fit jeans. He seemed relaxed, too. But when I asked him a softball question about the personal strains of campaigning, he answered with a generic policy statement.

In my last column, "Medical-religious alliance can address elderly's health needs," I indicated that my next column (this one) would be a companion piece on "health ministries in Howard County churches. " Unfortunately I just couldn't fit all the interviews into my work and "retirement" schedule. I will pick up on this topic again and you will see that column very soon. So, I had to regroup in midstream and decided to write about the needy elderly and the need for all persons to treat seniors with respect and to provide them the care they deserve.

Anyone who has closely followed the Orioles this year is likely able to identify one of their biggest problems on offense, and that certainly includes manager Buck Showalter . The hitters just aren't particularly patient, especially in high-leverage situations. Heading into Thursday, Mark Reynolds was sixth in the American League in pitches seen per at-bat with 4.26 and led the team in walks with 48 this year, more than twice as many as any other Oriole. Luke Scott (4.16 pitches per at-bat)

"If you want an abortion, you go to Planned Parenthood. And that's well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does. " — Sen. Jon Kyl, Republican of Arizona, April 8, 2011 "[The statistic Mr. Kyl used] was not intended to be a factual statement ... " — Statement from Mr. Kyl's office to CNN, later that day Actually, about 3 percent of Planned Parenthood's services are abortion-related. The overwhelming majority of the organization's work involves cancer screenings, contraception and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.

Not all addictions live up to their advance press. In the past decade, it's become common to casually and humorously describe a favorite activity in the parlance of chemical dependency. People speak of being "addicted" to chocolate or high-fat foods, playing video games, buying expensive designer shoes, watching weekly episodes of "American Idol" to sleeping on high-thread-count sheets. But according to "The Compass of Pleasure," a new book by Johns Hopkins neuroscientist David Linden that is being released today by The Viking Press, just two of those pursuits -- eating fatty foods and shopping -- can become genuine addictions for some people.

A JUDGE in Shreveport, La., has ruled that teachin abstinence may not be part of a sex education program for high school students. Abstinence, said the judge (urged on by Planned Parenthood, which filed the suit), is a religiously based virtue. To teach it in public schools is to violate the separation of church and state.Now, before you laugh, consider this: It has long been illegal to display the Ten Commandments in public classrooms, and the Supreme Court recently held that a milquetoast, ecumenical, watered-down invocation of God's blessing on graduating high school seniors was also violative of the Constitution.

Symptoms of failure are becoming harder to deny in Afghanistan. The Taliban is resurgent in the south, probably in part because of support from within Pakistan. Hundreds of civilians have died in fighting this year, including some killed in NATO bombing raids. President Hamid Karzai has told two governors to re-arm their private militias, which is a big step backward but indicative of the weakness of the Afghan police. Drought is once again afflicting the north, pushing farmers either to move or to concentrate on the one crop that doesn't need much irrigation - the opium poppy.

As I've written before in this space, I'm not an advocate for nickel-and-dime taxation policies. One of the unfortunate consequences of the post-1980 tax revolt triggered by Ronald Reagan's election is that politicians at every level of government, rather than raising income taxes, instead devise inventive, often sneaky ways to generate revenue piecemeal. Parking meters, speed cameras, car registration fees, snack taxes, levies on cable television and other forms of communication and entertainment, not to mention the so-called sin taxes on alcohol and tobacco — these are the byproducts of the anti-tax movement that has grown so powerful, even President Barack Obama caved to its pressure by extending the Bush-era income tax policies.

By Marty O'Brien Few have ever questioned Kyle Busch's talent. How could they? Only 24, Busch has won 45 races in NASCAR's three major series since the start of 2008. The knock on Busch has been patience, or more precisely, his lack of it. His petulance, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s availability, led to a falling out at Hendrick Motorsports and a move to Joe Gibbs Racing. His brilliance was evident en route to eight wins in his first season at JGR in 2008. But his inconsistency — some would argue impatience — was evident in a failure to qualify for the 2009 Chase despite four more wins.