Syndicated Columns
Reducing Racial Profiling Depends on All of Us
The post 911 mantra, “If you see something – say something” appears to have taken an ugly turn these days. It used to relate to concerns about terrorism. If you saw an abandoned backpack or van or if you discovered evidence one could construe as bomb related the instruction was to immediately call police to…
Read MoreTime to Bring Back the Asylums
What does the word asylum conjure up in your mind? An overpopulated mental ward with screaming patients frothing at the mouth? A snake pit, as depicted in the 1948 movie of the same name in which actress Olivia de Havilland, battles schizophrenia, shock treatments and a sadistic nurse? The word asylum simply means, “An institution…
Read MoreConfronting Tough Questions Following the #MeToo Movement
Bill Cosby is a convicted felon. A jury has declared him guilty of three counts of indecent sexual assault. If you’d told me a few years ago that I would one day be writing lines like that about the actor called “America’s Favorite Dad” I would have thought you were nuts. But there it is.…
Read MoreChild Sex Abuse: Men Break Their Silence
Each of the men on the dais was successful in his field. There was a Broadway actor from the hit musical “Hamilton,” a popular TV personality and a District Attorney. All came to talk about being sexually abused as a child and how it had impacted their life. Each story was unforgettable because males often…
Read MoreSometimes First Responders Need Help After Helping You
Could everyone reading this just pause for a bit and really think about our fellow citizens who, literally, put their lives on the line for us every day? I’m talking about police officers and firefighters who face deadly dangers and serious stressors on a regular basis. Gruesome car accidents, raging fires with trapped victims screaming…
Read MoreFighting Sex Trafficking One Internet Site at a Time
Dateline Washington: “The Justice Department announces the seizure of Backpage.com, the Internet’s leading forum for prostitution ads, including ads depicting the prostitution of children.” All I can say is, it is about time. Since 2010, state and federal politicians and law enforcement have known about Backpage.com’s classified section which offered a seemingly
Read MoreBeware the Con Who Steals the Valor of Military Heroes
They blend in to veteran’s groups, military parades and usually sport a hat or jacket displaying the logo of a branch of the service. They tell intriguing stories about their military exploits with highly trained and super-secret special forces like the Navy Seals, Green Berets or Army Rangers. Some may let you see their Medal…
Read MoreYour Privacy in This Digital World
Here we go again. Facebook critics are up in arms, outraged over the idea that their personal information might have been mishandled either by the U.K. based company Cambridge Analytica, by Facebook or both. It’s as if people are surprised that digital information is shared or outright sold to other companies. Since no one pays…
Read MoreWas It the Bomb’s Fault or the Mind That Made Them?
There is no doubt the deadly mayhem endured by the citizens of Austin, Texas at the hands of a mysterious bomber this month was horrendous. But in the annals of crime 23-year-old Mark Anthony Conditt (a.k.a. the Austin Bomber) will go down as an amateur. And, sad to say, bombings are not that unusual. The…
Read MoreLove It or Hate It — Daylight Saving Time is the Law
Ahh. The extra sunshine these days makes me long for spring. Thanks to daylight saving time nearly all of us are now able to enjoy an extra hour of sun on the back end of the day. The only U.S. residents who don’t benefit live in Hawaii, most of Arizona (excluding the Navajo reservation) and…
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