[ale] OT: Well it is going to hit the list sooner or later.

[J.M. Taylor]

My interpretation of the SAGE code of ethics is the following: I do not
read people's emails, even tho it is within my power.  I do not spy on
people, even tho it is within my power and in many cases may prove their
misdeeds.  I do not collect data on people's misdeeds even tho these
people may be harming me on the job.  I do not make these decisions.  I
just run the server.

If it is required of me that I do these things, I ask for a signed letter
from a higher-up, or the law enforcement agency or whatever, to prove that
I was not acting on my own.  It is never right for a systems administrator
to give in to his or her baser nature and use their technical knowlege to
further a complaint against a coworker, unless s/he has been asked to do
this by a superior for legally and ethically correct reasons.

And yes, if my boss told me to gather data about someone that I knew was 
goofing off all day but wouldn't give me the signed letter, I would refuse 
to do it even if it meant my job.  That's how strongly I feel about the 
importance of my integrity in what I do.  It's also just CYA -- when the 
fit hits the shan and it's my word against my boss's about who ordered 
collecting the data....no way am I going to get involved in that.  I'm 
not completely stupid.

IMNSHO this guy isn't a saint or a martyr.  He did something
unethical, and unethical acts are unethical regardless of the motivating
reasons.  If you steal from your company and give the money to starving
people, it's still stealing.  If all he did was send emails about the
boss, maybe he should've taken the time to actually go speak to someone
face-to-face.  If he had gotten the go-ahead from a higher-up to do this,
then it would've been fine.  It sucks that the boss didn't get fired, but
ALDOT was entirely correct in firing the admin.

Jenn
</end moral high horse>