The prison industrial complex, together with the criminal justice system in our country, are perhaps the most inhumane, unjust and corrupt entities in our society. These injustices are exacerbated by the privatization of prisons which has resulted in intolerable conditions with little future prospects for Latino/African-American and low income White populations. The increased incarceration rates [...]
Posts under ‘Uncategorized’
Situational Sovereignty
I have always been an admirer of the notion of situation ethics, although like most other ideas about life, morality etc., it has its challenges/problems. This way of understanding ethical behavior is attractive to me because there are really no black and white situations in life, despite what some might have us believe. Although at [...]
The Immorality of Internal versus External U.S. Policies!
Should I vote for a second term for president Obama based solely upon his policies towards U.S. citizens or should his policies towards non-U.S. citizens matter? I ask this question because the hypocrisy involved in the dichotomization of human rights and dignity for U.S. citizens, compared to the lack thereof for foreigners is simply, in [...]
The Thin Line Between Modernity/Post modernity and So-Called “Primitivism”
Upon reading about the abhorrent intentional infecting of Guatemalan mentally ill patients with STDs by the Unites States Government during 1946-48, I was reminded of the deceptive and forced sterilization of Puerto Rican women that resulted in the sterilization of 1/3 of all Puerto Rican women by 1965. I could not help but wonder how [...]
Romero in the Borderlands
On Wednesday, March 24th, communities all around the world commemorated the 30 year anniversary of the assassination of Salvadoran Archbishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero. Instead of spending time talking about who Romero was and why his life was significant (if you are wondering, at the bottom of this post there are a number of links to give [...]
Predicando en Calzoncillos
“Predicando en Calzoncillos” is a phrase my grandmother used which, literally translated, means “Preaching in Underwear.” My grandmother used this phrase to refer to the hypocrisy of preachers who did not practice what they preached. Our country, that I love, unfortunately falls into this category of hypocrisy. Although I believe that for the cause of [...]
Re: Good Intentions and the Kidnapping of Haitian Children!
Dr. Cruz, I appreciate the concerns and questions you raise in trying to understand what these missionaries were thinking when they took these 33 children and tried to cross the Haitian/Dominican border. I too really have been trying to wrap my head around what would drive a person or group of people to think that [...]
Good intentions and the kidnapping of Haitian Children!
Perhaps I am a bit too sensitive, being the father of three wonderful daughters, to opine about these issues regarding the possible kidnapping of Haitian children. While I may have more questions than commentary, let me begin by clearly stating one of my views concerning this story of 10 Baptist individuals from Idaho who allegedly [...]
