Columnists

Recently, I read the best-seller, "Everything Trump Touches Dies" (http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Everything-Trump-Touches-Dies/Rick-Wilson/9781982103125 ) by Rick Wilson -- a noted Republican consultant and strategist, and #nevertrump stalwart. It's alternately terrifying and hilarious. At the conclusion Wilson offers suggestions for the "recovery" of the Republican Party. They are worth considering for what they suggest for the Democratic Party. -more-

In a September 3, 2018 article in the San Francisco Chronicle, “Brett Kavanaugh won’t be pawn of Trump, predicts GOP stalwart John Yoo,” Yoo, a former Deputy Assistant U.S. Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel in the Bush administration and now Professor at the UC Berkeley School of Law, states that we should not fear that Kavanaugh will go easy on Trump if he is confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

However, Yoo is just not a credible witness for Kavanaugh.

Note that Yoo did not mention, if confirmed, Kavanaugh would likely work to preserve the Trump agenda for decades to come on such issues as abortion, gun control, immigration, voting rights, campaign-finance laws, health care, LGBTQ rights, unions, and the power of regulatory authorities, especially on the environment. Why else would Trump nominate him? -more-

In this week's column, please note that I am not offering you a professional opinion. I am sharing my experiences, and if you have questions about medications, you must consult with a medical and/or psychiatric practitioner.

My mental health and my behavior improved following discontinuation of antidepressants, which I took in addition to antipsychotics. Antidepressants do not do the exact opposite of antipsychotics. However, the combination of these two categories of drugs can be bad from a medical-physical standpoint, and it can cause people with psychotic tendencies to become ill. I suggest that readers do research about this on the web, and/or by discussing it with doctors.

A person taking antipsychotics will often feel depressed. Antipsychotic medications can cause depression. However, life circumstances can also cause depression. It is not always easy to know if one's depression is caused by antipsychotics, by difficult life circumstances, or by the brain condition itself. -more-

Algorithms Awry

Have you had this experience? You write to your elected rep about some foreign policy issue and you get a reply like this?

Dear Mr. Smith:

Thank you for contacting me regarding marine finfish aquaculture. I appreciate the time you took to write, and I welcome the opportunity to respond. . . .

I won't name the senator involved. -more-