The Eurozone has decided to minimize moral hazard and has chosen Cyprus as its sacrificial lamb.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down

It might also buy the "fairness argument"--that since this law is rarely used, Lay should not be the sacrificial lamb.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Mr. NOWICKI: The Democrats basically put up sort of a sacrificial lamb, just kind of a nominal candidate that wasn't one of their heavy hitters.

NPR: McCain Keeps Home Fires Burning

Thompson, by contrast, won an open Senate seat in the best Republican election year in half a century and was re-elected against a sacrificial lamb.

NPR: Reagan Sequel? Hard Act for Thompson to Follow

"We feel we've been chosen as the sacrificial lamb to allow virtually every other industry to improve their income proposals, " said Jim Pedersen, chairman of the Australian Cane Growers' Council.

BBC: NEWS | Business | Farmers decry US-Australia pact

We were the sacrificial lamb for the industry.

FORBES: A Look Back At Bear Stearns, Five Years After Its Shotgun Marriage To JPMorgan

These executives always have someone they can offer as a sacrificial lamb when something goes wrong, making it appear as though all that is needed to rectify the problem is to fire the worker and all will be well in the world.

FORBES: Passive-Aggressive Behavior Will Destroy a Company's Culture

Chris Goodall, an analyst at the media research firm Enders Analysis, said the News of the World was the "sacrificial lamb being taken out into the desert and killed" in order to try to save the Murdoch empire's bid to take over UK broadcaster BSkyB.

CNN: Murdoch's scandal-hit News of the World to shut down