President Obama spoke this morning to discuss major policy initiatives regarding the handling of terror suspects at Gitmo, national security, and the need for transparency and the rule of law in government. It was a fantastic speech in both content and tenor, fairly discussing the actions and goals of the previous administration and contrasting those [...]

Some readers may remember this essay from it’s original posting on February 17, 2005. I apologize for the repeat, but this topic is one that doesn’t seem to go away and needs to be addressed with some regularity. The plight of homosexuals in this and other countries is one of the last great battles for [...]

If there is one thing that we can count on in life it is that someday we will die. For most people, this is not a thought that is dwelt upon; it is simply a fact of existence. We know that someday, somehow, our life will come to an end. In most cases, the time [...]

Like breathing and eating, sexual behavior is an element of the human condition that is necessary for keeping the species alive. But unlike other creatures roaming the planet, in human beings, sexual activity is more than just a means of procreation; sexual activity helps define who we are to ourselves and to others, it provides [...]

In 1933, the Congress of the United States passed the 21st Article to the U.S. Constitution, repealing the prohibition of alcohol. In doing so, they recognized that rather than reduce the use of alcohol, by making it an illegal substance they had only exacerbated its influence on society. Instead of making this country a safer [...]

The next several essays will attempt to underscore the difference between religious morality and legal morality. In doing so, I fully understand that these next essays will probably bring about much contentious hand-wringing among my readers who will try to assert that their personal religious morals supercede social legal issues. So, before I dive into [...]

Any discussions about reforming the state of our legal system must necessarily include our system of civil justice. The civil justice system exists not to keep society safe from physical harm, but rather to allow individuals a place for solving disputes that do not rise to the level of criminal behavior, whether they involve private [...]

The final element of criminal justice reform rests in ensuring that our legal code is both just and enforceable. Too much has been written into criminal law that endeavors to regulate behavior which has no overriding social need to be regulated. Individual actions that result in no physical or financial harm to others or their [...]

An important yet often neglected aspect of our criminal justice system is the effectiveness of our punishment system. Any punishment meted out by our legal system must contain three elements: it must appropriately punish the convicted person, it must act as a deterrent to others, and it must protect society from repeated criminal acts. Without [...]

The reforms I suggested in Criminal Justice Reformed offer the possibilities of more effective and fiscally prudent law enforcement practices and clearly defined areas of responsibility for investigating and prosecuting criminal behavior. Those reforms, while worthwhile in and of themselves, are not enough to reduce the criminal element in society. To better the chances of [...]