![](\"http:\/\/cyber.law.harvard.edu\/blogs\/static\/dowbrigade\/mickeycard.gif\")
Sometimes situations occur in our lives which are
\n so fiendishly complicated that it is difficult if not impossible to see
\n our way to a clear path of moral superiority. As a case in point, take
\n the following situation which has recently presented itself to a fictional
\n character very much like the Dowbrigade.<\/p>\n
As regular readers will remember, the Dowbrigade’s eldest He is finding the reality more problematic than the They desperately need money, to finish the construction But the fiduciary arrangements between Dowbrigade Fleet was acquired by Bank of America, and rather than Never having had one before, and having spent the past And yet, in doing so we know in our heart we would On the other hand, if the Bank of America is willing As readers can appreciate, a thorny moral can of worms Villa Maria<\/a> web site<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sometimes situations occur in our lives which are so fiendishly complicated that it is difficult if not impossible to see our way to a clear path of moral superiority. As a case in point, take the following situation which has … Continue reading
\n son is currently attempting to convert a pristine piece of land alongside
\n a small river in the Peruvian Andes into an adventure
\n tourism hostal<\/a>. In
\n the manner of head-strong firstborn sons
\n throughout the ages he has chosen to follow the path not taken by his
\n Dad. Eschewing higher education, he has clearly surpassed his old man
\n in his affinity for native Americans, and has, in effect, gone completely
\n native.<\/p>\n
\n dream. Even after almost three years in their midst, the Indians haven’t
\n exactly opened their hearts and homes to the new Gringo. Gringos come
\n and go, but they have been there for a thousand years. Last month, while
\n our son and his girlfriend and her daughter were in the small town
\n two miles down the mountain on a Sunday, help’s day off, when the empty
\n hotel-in-progress was robbed of all things of portable value: sound system,
\n laptop, TV. The neighbors knew nothing.<\/p>\n
\n and replace the stolen stuff. We are determined to help by sending customers
\n rather than handouts (see sidebar ad this page). This weekend, appropriately
\n enough, the girlfriend is in
\n labor which what is purported to be the Dowbrigade’s first grandchild.<\/p>\n
\n father and son is not the complicated part of the equation. It seems
\n that back in ’03, after graduating from high school and working a year
\n as a teacher’s aide, when son in question decided to try his luck in
\n South America, he closed his Fleet Bank checking account, but didn’t
\n realize he had $5.68 in his saving.<\/p>\n
\n close the account for accumulated fees or inactivity, perhaps in anticipation
\n of lucrative future earnings, Bank of America kept the account open.
\n We still get the statements, three years later. And then, last week,
\n they sent him a credit card.<\/p>\n
\n three years in Peru, he has an unblemished credit record. The card is
\n from a major credit card company, which is gladly accepted all over Peru.
\n He could use it to finish the construction and buy the things they need
\n for the new baby. The card is in his name, he is a full-grown adult at
\n 24, and our legal obligation is to forward it to him as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
\n be aiding and abetting our eldest son in committing inadvertent international
\n credit card fraud. We know that despite the best of intentions, he has
\n absolutely no way to to even begin to pay the bills. We would be
\n protecting his credit history for a possible future re-entry into the
\n first-world economy. not to mention our own potential liability.<\/p>\n
\n to issue a card on an account with $5.68 in it an no activity for over
\n three years, who are we to argue with their wisdom. On the other<\/em> other
\n hand, knowing that he will probably not be able to pay off any charges,
\n we could be considered liable ourself if we forward him the
\n card. We know we’re running out of hands, but on the other other other
\n hand, isn’t burning through your first credit card a necessary lesson
\n in fiscal responsibility, and an American rite of passage?<\/p>\n
\n to sort out. What would the modern ethicist say? For now, we have
\n chosen a cyber-Solomonic solution. Every time we ask our son if, on his
\n trips down the mountain and into town, he checks the Dowbrigade News
\n to see what his old man is up to, he answers in the affirmative. If he
\n does, and he reads this, and asks for the card, we will send it. If
\n not, what he doesn’t know can’t hurt him. Fair or square?<\/p>\n