IT IS FOLLY TO BELIEVE OTHERWISE;
THE CHARLES SMITH BLOG:
The question I am asked most often - other then "What makes Dr. Charles Randal Smith tick? - is, will he ever be held accountable?
I have therefore decided to explore this question in a series of postings on "accountability."
Although I do not intend to lay out my own thoughts on this question until later in the series, suffice it to say for now - no way!
This is not going to happen;
Dr. Smith scorns accountability, has attempted to block every attempt that has ever been made to hold him accountable, has never been brought to account, and will never be brought to account.
It is folly to believe otherwise:
For now, here are a few definitions of accountability which may facilitate our discussion;
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The state of being accountable; liability to be called on to render an account; the obligation to bear the consequences for failure to perform as expected; accountableness. «The awful idea of accountability.» R. Hall.
Answers.Com:
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1. Liable to being called to account; answerable. See Synonyms at responsible.
2. That can be explained: an accountable phenomenon.
The Free On-Line dictionary:
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The quality or state of being accountable; especially : an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions
Merrian-Webster On-Line dictionary;
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Culpability, liability, answerability; see responsibility;
Your dictionary,com
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Professional accountability: Wikipedia: (Bloggist's note: This could be the under-statement of the century!)
Professional public servants, namely lawyers, doctors, engineers, and accountants, are also bound by professional codes and norms established in the light of public interest [3]. Professionals are obliged to join correspondent professional societies and take oaths to be licensed. This task is always a good thing, and should be highly regarded;
(Wikipedia also observes that accountability is also an ethical concept);
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I really like the notion of accountability set out by the Professional Engineers Association of Ontario in its statement of core values, which include:
0: Willingness to take responsibility for action and outcome;
0: Delivering what you promised to
deliver;
0: Accepting good and bad outcomes;
0: Owning up to shortcomings/mistakes and taking responsibility for one’s
actions;
0: Honouring obligations, expectations and requirements;
0: Implementation of project according to expectations from the outset;
0: Double-checking your own work before handing to others;
0: Responsible for tasks—accurate and completing work on time;
0: Understanding what one is doing;
0: Openly explaining the rationale for the decision;
0: Taking ownership of task to completion;
0: Acknowledging that work is completed;
0: Prompt response to messages;
0: Respecting deadlines and agendas;
0: Treating each other with respect and dignity;
0: Accepting a person for what they represent;
I will windup this posting with a few neat quotations on accountability:
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"It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable."
Moliere;
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"We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions."
Ronald Reagan;
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We are accountable for our decisions in our personal life so why shouldn't we be just as accountable in our work life.
Catherine Pulsifer;
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“Perhaps nothing in our society is more needed for those in positions of authority than accountability. Too often those with authority are able (and willing) to surround themselves with people who support their decisions without question.”
The most prolific author of quotations of them all: "Anon!"
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Some of our readers may have their own definitions of accountability against which to measure the actions of failure to take action of Dr. Smith and the individuals and institutions that were supposed to supervise him in order to protect the public.
This Blog would love to hear from them;
Harold Levy;...hlevy15@gmail.com;
