Our Sacred Honor

I really, really, really hate the mainstream media. Oh wait, maybe I should be a bit more specific about why I'm saying this at this particular moment. By now, you've either heard extensively  about the Santa Barbara killings last week, or you're already so disillusioned with the "news" that you no longer pay attention. Allow me to summarize -- a spoiled 22-year-old boy, with a warped perception of life and women, wrote a 137 page "manifesto" declaring his frustration with life and with women who wouldn't accept his advances (The media coined him the "virgin killer", as though this is some shameful label to be worn by an unmarried 22-year-old. But I digress...) . He then proceeded to stab 3 college students, and gun down another 3, while evading cops and running over cyclists with his car. He then took his own life before cops could arrest him. Oh, and this kid had been getting therapy since he was 8 years old - and his parents had pr...

As with many of my posts, this topic was inspired by a class discussion on development economics and the ensuing follow-up conversations with fellow students. I think it is a fascinating topic to discuss and analyze as well as a very important social ill that much of the world -including our own nation, continues to struggle with on a daily basis. Any follow-up discussion that you would contribute is welcomed and encouraged, in the comment section below. Poverty. The greatest social blight of the world. We've all seen the commercials for the non-profits that seek to sponsor children living in poverty. Most of us have seen documentaries and newscasts from experts that discuss the implications of poverty on society in Africa and Southeast Asia. In lieu of the sheer mass of public awareness campaigns and NGO's that we encounter in our daily lives, it can be easy to turn a blind eye to the reality of this issue in the world. There are millions of individuals in the world l...