Columnists

For someone with a schizophrenic diagnosis, a repeat episode of acute psychosis may begin much earlier than many people might think. Many might assume that it begins with the foolish idea of going off medication. And in some instances, that is probably so. -more-

When people contemplate potential disasters ignited by the Trump administration’s foreign policy, places like the South China Sea, Central Asia, or the Korean Peninsula come first to mind. Certainly a dustup with Beijing, Teheran or Pyongyang is a scary thing to contemplate. But the thing that should also keep people up at night is Washington’s approach to international health organizations and the President’s stubborn refusal to address climate change.

Bad bugs are coming, and they are stronger and nastier than they have ever been. A few—like malaria and yellow fever—are ancient nemeses, but they’re increasingly immune to standard drugs and widening their reach behind a warming climate. Others—like Ebola, SARS, MERS and Zika—are new, exotic and fearsome. And antibiotic resistant bacteria threaten to turn the clock back to pre-penicillin days, when a cut could be a death sentence.

Trump’s disdain for international agencies and treaties, plus cuts in public health programs, and a relaxation of regulations on the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry could create a worldwide medical catastrophe. -more-

"The more things change, the more they stay the same." Recently, some Democrats have been pondering, "What are liberal values?" Preparing a response, I remembered a values column I wrote seven years ago,"One, Two, Three, What are Liberals Fighting for?" (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-burnett/one-two-three-what-are-li_b_925245.html ) With a few changes, the column could have been written today.

The first paragraph sets the tone: "These are hard times. The weather’s bad and the economy awful. Obama has lost his mojo... Many Liberals are discouraged and fearful about the 2012 election. But there’s plenty of time to re-energize, so long as Liberals remember who we are and what we are fighting for." -more-

Brett M. Kavanaugh, now a U.S. Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, was nominated by President Trump to be an associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Judge Kavanaugh is a well-credialed Washington insider who compiled a long record as a reliable conservative. Did anyone really believe Trump would nominate a progressive, a liberal, or even a centrist? -more-