Category social issues
The Danger of Bumper Sticker Mentality
Apparently, I must have missed the memo that said that I must publically hate someone or something to fully actualize my human experience. I’m not apathetic, at least not in the usual application of the word. I do care about stuff–in my own private way. Private, in that I don’t feel the need to plaster […]
It’s Just A Word
Remember the old children’s verse; sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me? Well, I’m calling bullshit on that one. One ill-chosen word has weight and is capable of inflicting a hurtful sting. String a few of these words together and lives are impacted. Last week I posted about a setting […]
The Prison You Don’t See
I’m writing a new story and part of the new piece involves prison — specifically mental health treatment in prison. It’s a strange thing to witness a prison mental health crisis first hand and after working around correctional mental health units and activating one in a maximum security prison, it occurred to me that most readers don’t […]
Election Roulette
I started writing another post today and it got way too serious. I was going to talk about the balance of good and evil in the world — and the good seemed to be harder to find. Folks are all strapped for a gunfight over everything from who uses a bathroom, to politics and hate speech. Kinda gloomy, […]
How Do Drugs Get Into Prison?
Getting prohibited items inside a prison is more than a game, it’s business. Every so often, a naive junior legislator will leave a fundraising lunch long enough to pop their head into a committee hearing and express their handwringing shock and dismay over drugs and other contraband appearing inside prison walls. Contraband is any item prohibited by […]
Want to Time Travel? Go To Prison
I’ve been playing with an idea for a new book and it involves – wait for it – time travel. Not like the H. G. Wells, Time Machine kind of time travel. There is not fanciful device to dial up the year and zap you to the exact time and place of your choosing. The story I’m noodling […]
Is Our Guest Room Ready?
I don’t blog about politics, but I often touch on social issues in posts, from human trafficking, to violence and crime. All great makings for flashy television news ratings. I’ve been watching the coverage on the Syrian refugee coverage for months. Nearly 5 million refugees have fled the country, and another 6 million displaced within […]
A Dented Can Is A Good Thing
I must have missed the memo. You know, the one that demanded that I be a better person this year. Less than a week after the first of the year, I’ve broken most of the well meaning resolutions I set. And, you know what? I’m okay with that. Maybe, I’m content to be the dented can […]
How It All Began…
Meet George Black. George was ordinary guy. A guy who put in his 40 hours (plus or minus) slaving away at a dead-end job, in some soul-sucking factory where he polished widgets. Day in and day out, George clocked in and clocked out. Mind numbing drudgery. At the end of the week he’d collect his pay, a […]
#Whose Lives Matter?
#Whose Lives Matter? That debate seems to drive blood pressure and rhetoric from every corner. And, frankly, I’m sick of it. #BlackLivesMatter, #WhiteLivesMatter, #BlueLivesMatter… This isn’t about that past, or transgressions. This is about now. None of us is a special little snowflake. We all matter, or nobody matters.
James L'Etoile 