srparedon – editorials (archive)

April 2005

Recent reports from New York City suggest that one man there has died of a drug-resistant and potentially new and more virulent strain of HIV. While some debate the scientific validity of extrapolating too much from a single case (did the man have a genetic predisposition making him more vulnerable? did his drug habits contribute to his rapid demise?), others have used the avalanche of publicity to agitate for more coercive measures to stop HIV transmission. Some have called for breaching doctor/patient confidentiality in order to identify “those spreading disease,” for turning health care providers into… Continue reading →

March 2005

To judge by newspaper and television reports, sexual molestation of our youth is one of our culture’s most pressing concerns. Everywhere you look, you find stories about allegedly overly-amorous priests, coaches, and pop-culture icons. Newspapers devote entire sections to where clerical hands may have wandered decades ago, and the current Michael Jackson case will generate yet more fodder for society’s seemingly insatiable appetite for “news” about the corruption of our youth.

Why this consuming fascination?

Of course, the “protection of children”– from sex or drugs or godless communism– has always been a potent political… Continue reading →

February 2005

President Bush’s first attorney general, John Ashcroft, was infamous for his contempt of the Bill of Rights. Ashcroft used the phony wars on drugs, pornography, and terrorism to instill fear and disinformation so as to expand governmental power. Due process was a dodge for drug dealers. Freedom of the press gave the green light to pornographers. And any and all civil liberties could be dangerously exploited by terrorists. Under Ashcroft’s twisted logic, decent Americans would never need protection from the government, and anyone asserting such protections was, obviously, up to no good.

Given his deplorable… Continue reading →

January 2005

Last month, ABC’s news magazine show “20/20” aired a story about the Matthew Shepard murder. Before the hour-long special was broadcast, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) issued media advisories blasting the show’s promotion as “sensationalistic” and warning of “red flags” in the show’s presumptive content. After the show aired, GLAAD urged gay people to “take action” against ABC, claiming that the network was “advancing an agenda of public ignorance” and engaging in “misguided historical revisionism.” And GLAAD continues to dedicate much of their homepage to ways viewers can “share our outrage” about the… Continue reading →

December 2004

Political pundits analyzing the 2004 election debacle conclude that Republicans won on “values” issues. They sure couldn’t have won based on their mendacious war-mongering nor their steal-from-the-poor, give-to-the-rich economic policies, so these “values” issues must be politically potent. Many Democratic strategists now urge adoption of a more “values centered” platform in order to be politically competitive with Republicans.

Such a strategy is indeed imperative. But instead of engaging in more “family, flag, and church” sloganeering, opposition must focus on the real and enduring values threatened by current Republican hegemony.

Today’s Republican Party is in… Continue reading →

November 2004

When President Bush attempts to justify his Iraqi mis-adventure, he inevitably claims that he is on the side of justice and truth and that those who oppose him are “evil doers”– or their accomplices. Again and again he reminds the world, you’re either for us, or against us. There is no room for nuance, much less dissent. Though he has learned to avoid the word itself, “crusade” accurately describes the evangelical fervor with which Bush pursues the continued occupation of Iraq. His fanatical zeal can admit no mistakes nor tolerate any criticism.

The Administration paints… Continue reading →