Politics, Moderate
/Politics
Fighting the Opioid Epidemic From a Behind a Computer
Anyone remember when former President Donald Trump declared America's escalating epidemic of opioid addiction "a national health emergency" that is ripping families apart? The October 2017 announcement may have gotten lost given the sheer amount of Trump news, but that declaration allowed the government to designate federal funds to fight the ...Read more
Toys That Can Spy
Beware the gifts that can spy on you.
Sounds like an overly dire warning, you say? Well, in this evermore internet-connected world, it might surprise you how many wish list gifts come with a tantalizing lure for criminals.
"If you can connect it to your home Wi-Fi there is always the potential that someone can get in and hack it," tech expert ...Read more
Lessons From Manson
This is not another column meant to revive the nation's long fascination with Charles Manson. Countless articles have appeared about the evil mastermind and the seven murders most associated with his name. This column is written to remind society what can create such a monster.
You have likely read about Manson's uncaring teenage mother and how...Read more
When Parents Are in Prison, So Are Their Children
Women and children: two segments of the population we cherish and try to protect. But, sadly, not if the woman is in the prison system.
Now, don't think for a minute that I'm soft on women who commit crimes, because I'm not. But generational incarceration is a real thing, and we are doing little as a society to stop it.
Since 1980, the U.S. ...Read more
Russian Attempts at American Mind Control Continue
It is high time we accept the fact that the Russian government is engaged in a massive propaganda campaign aimed at getting Americans to fight with one another. It's been going on for a long time.
You might have thought the Russians would back off their social-media misinformation campaign after their attempts to influence our last ...Read more
Drug Abuse Band-Aids May Increase Addictive Behavior
Every action has a reaction, and every decision has a consequence. Remember that lesson you learned early in life?
A funny thing happened on the way to introducing naloxone to the world of drug addicts. Experts in the field decided this antidote to nearly fatal drug overdoses was a modern-day miracle that would save lives and help steer drug ...Read more
If You're Unhappy With the Direction the U.S. is Taking, Let Your Politicians Know You Are a Motivated Voter!
A few weeks ago, this column focused on the need for citizens who are unhappy with the state of our political and justice systems to speak up about their concerns.
Your opinion can't be counted if you stay silent, I wrote. Or as one of my readers put it, "We now have the government that we have earned but not the government our children deserve...Read more
Without Public Debate, Democracy Crumbles
It sometimes feels as though our democracy is broken, and I wonder if it is our own fault. We have the right to know what our government does on our behalf, but we have become an apathetic citizenry, apparently not caring enough to speak up when we don't like how politicians run the government or spend our tax dollars.
When was the last time ...Read more
Art Imitates Life -- Inside the Insidious World of Elder Guardianships
Given that this is a crime and justice column, it is pretty safe to say this will likely be the only time I do a movie review. But considering the subject matter of the 2021 movie "I Care a Lot," this film is right up my alley.
As longtime readers may remember, I have frequently written about the nationwide evils of exploitative elder ...Read more
Online Censorship Cancels the Right of Free Speech
There is an astonishing trend afoot, and if something isn't done to stop it in its ugly tracks, your right to freely express an opinion is in jeopardy.
Former President Donald Trump may be one of the most reviled people in the United States, but the moves to silence him in the public square -- and others who have espoused similar ideologies -- ...Read more
The Boy Scouts' 'Perversion Files' Tell the Tale
There are now nearly 90,000 men who say they were sexually violated as young boys while participating in Boy Scouts of America programs. The absolute shame of it comes with the realization that, with a little vigilance, the ranks of victims would never have gotten that massive.
Back in the 1920s, the organization began keeping a "red flag" or "...Read more
Social Media Censorship -- Fact-Checking Your News Source
There are no laws to shield people from misinformation. So, as the nation chugs toward the final stretch of the presidential campaign season, Americans need to take a good look at where they gathered the information that forms their political opinions.
If your news flows primarily from social media sources such as Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, ...Read more
Where Is Everybody?
There is too much financial uncertainty, political conflict and random violence these days.
We were already feeling frustrated with the prolonged isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic when waves of outrage began to spark. There were widespread civil rights protests following the tragic deaths of African Americans Breonna Taylor in Louisville, ...Read more