Dead, Dead, Dead: The Thanatocracy
Constitutional fundamentalists, like other fundamentalists, yield thought and free will in worship and submission to the dead authority of the thanatocracy, a system that is dead, dead, dead.
Wisdom
Ridiculing Neo-Nazis
Ridiculing neo-Nazis and other extremists is a powerful tool, but one that can also backfire badly. It is imperative that we offer carrots with the sticks.
Racism: Charlottesville
Racism is as old as humanity. But the word, and the concept, are quite recent.
What to Say to a Rape Victim
What do you say to the rape victim, what can you tell her that might help her begin the process of healing? After 30 years in the emergency room, this is my best attempt.
Human Genetic Behavior
…And this is why I have foolishly chosen to discuss the taboos of genetic behavior, and ethnic and sexual norms; not to chain people to stereotypes, but to free us all from them. We must recognize our genetic tendencies in order to design around them, and past them; as Bertolt Brecht noted, “When there are obstacles, the shortest distance between two points is a crooked line.”
The 6 Branches of Government
There are six Branches of Government, not three: the 6th Branch is really the first, ‘We the People.’ To protect the democracy, we must assert our rights.
Advice for New Parents
How an ER doctor became a primary care doctor, and developed a talk for new parents.
Alienable Rights
Guarantees are human constructs, not divine. If we do not provide and protect our beliefs, they are simply alienable rights.
America in One Word: Feedback
As a multifaceted country, it is hard to define America in one word; but ‘feedback’ seems a good candidate, and explains our ‘Big 3 Freedoms’ as well.
Gender Equity & Pointless Ambition
Too often, gender equity pursues a masculine success of domination and pointless ambition, ironically making ‘equal rights’ offensively anti-egalitarian.