Re: [Leica] 35-70/2.8 saga

[SthRosner@aol.com]

Hello all: 

I am brand new to the LUG though I have followed the archive since last late 
summer. It has been interesting reading - occasionally resembling a 
kindergarten group. That's not a value judgment, simply a personal 
observation. 

I am not new to Leicas as some of you to whom my name will be familiar 
already know. My first real negotiation in life was at age 14 with my father 
concerning my purchase from him of a llla (model G) with 50mm Summar that a 
German refugee from the Third Reich gave Dad in payment for his services 
getting the refugee through U.S. Immigration.

I certainly believed that my first posting would relate to Leicas or lenses 
or 50mm Summicrons. It will not. 

Je ne peux plus me taire. This sordid little mess - saga is not the word; it 
bears a nobler connotation, stemming as it does from Norse mythology, but 
that's another story - does indeed bring home the state of the value systems 
that have evolved in our cultures. Here's why I interject on our Leicaphilia.

I am a founding member and currently Chairman of the Board of Governors of 
the Josephson Institute of Ethics, homeported in Marina del Rey, CA. Several 
years ago the Institue carried out an American Youth Ethics survey. The 
results were so devastating, even given the low estimate we had going in of 
current values, that we sponsored a Youth Ethics Summit at the Aspen 
Institute, bringing together leaders of virtually all of the major national 
youth organizations in the United States. We believed and still believe that 
getting to kids with the charaacter message is the best and most likely way 
to begin to get our society back on the values track.

That Summit adopted what it called the "Six Pillars of Character" and created 
the Character Counts! Coalition consisting of most of the original 
participants. The Coalition now has over 500 members nation-wide. The Six 
Pillars of Character upon which the Summit agreed are Trustworthiness, 
Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship. One could have 
adopted any number of others but these six were what emerged from the deeply 
involved participants. And they work.

There are many communities throughout the United States that have become 
Character Counts! towns or cities. Albuquerque, NM was the first to buy in 
and character is the dominating theme not only in Albuquerque's educational 
system but in the police department, the fire department, the mayor's office, 
well you get the idea. And we are in the second year of a contract with the 
State of Texas to provide its educational system with character training 
programs and materials.

Here's the bad news. With all that we've done (and it's been a lot), a second 
survey we did last fall produced the following:

71% of all high school students responding admitted they cheated on an exam 
at least once in the last 12 months (and 45% admitted two or more cheats). 
And those are just the kids who admitted it.

92% lied to their parents in the last 12 months (79% admitted two or more 
lies to parents); 78% lied to a teacher (58% twice or more) and more than one 
in four (27%) admitted they would lie to get a job.

68% admitted hitting someone in the last 12 months because they were angry 
(46% at least twice) and 47% said they could get a gun if they wanted to. It 
is almost as bad for college youngsters which may be even more distressing.

Is it any wonder then that so many people think nothing of chiselling for a 
few dollars, that so many people are willing to taint their most valuable 
possession, their honor, for so little?  

Any LUGGERS interested in getting aboard the ethics/character train? It's 
non-denominational and non-partisan. Click on: www.jiethics.org and 
www.charactercounts.org.

Happy snaps! (thanks Sal),  

Seth Rosner