Columnists

THE PUBLIC EYE: Searching for Republican Soul

By Bob Burnett
Friday March 15, 2013 - 02:57:00 PM

Despite the pugnacity of its leaders, the Republican Party is in bad shape. In 2012 it lost the Presidency, the Senate, and the popular vote for the House of Representatives. More important, it has lost its identity. Other than opposition to everything President Obama proposes, Republicans have no vision for America. Nonetheless, like an aging parent that no longer drives but truculently holds onto the keys to the car so no one else can use it, Republicans are part of the national political process: a perpetual stumbling block. How did they get this way and is there any chance they could find their soul? -more-


ECLECTIC RANT: Is Pope Francis the Right Choice to Fix a Church in Disarray?

By Ralph E. Stone
Friday March 15, 2013 - 02:54:00 PM

As the whole world now knows, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected Pope (Pope Francis). Clearly, the cardinals saw him as a safe, compromise choice. In other words, a keeper of the status quo. He holds traditional Catholic Church views. Otherwise he would not have been elected. He opposes abortion, euthanasia, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, adoption by gays and lesbians, and contraception. -more-


ON MENTAL ILLNESS: Tortuous Side Effects of Antipsychotic Medication

By Jack Bragen
Friday March 15, 2013 - 02:58:00 PM

Psychiatric medication, ideally, is a tool to help persons with mental illness become and remain functional in life. Medication should not be an enemy. -more-