When they pick through the ashes of Western Civilization, along with its its many accomplishments, historians will note four major failures: First will be its greed driven ethical corruption; second its failure to protect the environment; third the treatment of criminals and the fourth will be its disregard of the mentally troubled. The ethical and moral corruption inRead more
Societal Issues
People With Mental Problems
As the nation expresses its shock and grief over another school shooting, another group of people, although terribly saddened, will tell you that they are not surprised. Actually they are relieved that this sort of thing does not happen more often. The people that I am referring to are the country’s psychotherapists. Therapists are acutely aware that aRead more
The Gospel of Greed
Economic inequality is getting worse in America every day. People are working harder and harder and making less, jobs continue to go overseas and structural unemployment remains high. Thomas Piketty’s “Capital in the Twenty-First Century” confirmed what we already felt, that America is well into its second “Gilded Age” where the divide between the wealthy and the restRead more
Dealing With Crime
OK, so someone harms another – steals their property or harms their person. That’s not OK, and cannot go unaddressed. But it’s the next series of steps that gets us into trouble. We go through all this falderal to prove these people are guilty and then throw them into prison, as though that were a solution to theRead more
When Did God Become A Fundamentalist? Part I
(Note: This article was written before the emergence of the religious right during the Trump years.) The emergence of conservative religious fundamentalism into the political arena is a subject that has brought everything from joy to concern and consternation to many people. Having stood in the background for years while the political and scientific establishments turned a deafRead more