ONE MEMBER EXPLAINS TO ANOTHER HOW ETHICS GOVERN AND SHAPE THE WAY THE BENIGN BRIDGE CLUB DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE GOES ABOUT ITS BUSINESS...............

- So what happened to old Spooner then ?
-  He had to attend a disciplinary hearing
-  What for exactly ?
-  Making a disparaging remark about the Chairman in a private bar room conversation......
   heard and recorded by four committee members in a secret bunker downstairs.......using   
   recently purchased state-of-the-art surveillance and bugging devices 
-  Is that all ?
-  Yes....and all five submitted a complaint about him to be dealt with by the committee........
    which as it happened included themselves
-  Isn't that a bit unethical
-  Wise up dunderhead......we talking about a bridge club here , which has a strict zero
    tolerance policy to uphold no matter what. The right and proper procedure of course    
    required the whole committee to be involved , as a collective unit , putting on a united front    
    in its quest to get members to toe the line....... and do as they are told
-  Oh yes.....sorry , I forgot.........but I still want to know what happened to Spooner ?
-  He got suspended for 5 years and had to pay a £2000 fine
-  What !......The poor man was 82 years old and had given over 30 years of his life raising
   funds for this club.... not to mention the thousands of hours of unpaid work he put in behind  
   the scenes
-  Yes , that's true.....but that cuts no ice with this committee.....because when push comes to 
   shove ,  it would have been totally unethical for them to treat him more favourably than say  
   a loose-tongued layabout , who had never given a damn about the club or lifted a finger to 
   help the club out in any way at all
-  You're right......double standards and ethical ideals make very uncomfortable bedfellows
-  Indeed they do
-  So tell me....how did Spooner take this punishment ?
-  Naturally , he was deeply upset....utterly distraught......beside himself with pain and anguish ...
   in fact he was as miserable as sin 
-  And how did did the committee react to that ?
-  They ordered him to be taken outside and shot
-  What !
-  Well putting a poor old soul out of his abject misery then seemed the most ethical and  
    humane thing to do
-  Yes, I guess you're right
-  So you see this committee is beyond reproach when it comes to making decisions purely
   on ethical grounds
-  Yes, I stand convinced....