Columnists

The 2020 election is almost over; it will end when Joe Biden is inaugurated on January 20th. The election process took 19 months: beginning with the first Democratic debate and ending with the November 3rd election, January 6th counting of the electoral votes, and the inauguration. We all have good reason to feel drained. -more-

Stand By While We Adjust our Government

David Swanson, the executive director of World BEYOND War and author of several books (including "War Is a Lie"), has just shared a new PowerPoint presentation on "The Need to Abolish War."

The first slide begins with the following, timely alert:

"Global Technical Difficulties

Due to travel restrictions, the United States will now be staging coups only in its own capital. Worldwide services will resume shortly."

Karmic Strips

The December 25 edition of the Chronicle ran its usual 22 comic strips. Thirteen of them celebrated Christmas, mostly with depictions of Xmas gifts. Dan Piraro and Wayne Honath's Bizarro panel was a Donner downer: It depicted two desolate-looking reindeer at a coffee bar with one sadly complaining: "It's been years since I've shouted out with glee." -more-

I have said this before and now I am saying it again: The mental health treatment system infantilizes mental health consumers. This is only part of the problem. The second part is that our lives aren't considered worth anything. When a mental health consumer dies prematurely, because of [effects on the internal organs of] psychiatric medication, poor diet, smoking, lack of exercise, and not having medical issues addressed, no big deal is made of it. Our deaths are barely worthy of note. -more-