Criminal justice system prioritizes procedure over results

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Gov. Mike DeWine has put a hold on executions. He’s bothered that the drug protocol used by the state to execute inmates causes severe pain and mimics waterboarding. DeWine is right to be bothered, but more than anything, he should be concerned for how flawed the system is.

The Death Penalty Information Center tells us that 163 Death Row inmates nationwide, including nine Ohioans, have been exonerated since 1973. Seven of those Ohioans were exonerated in the last 16 years. ...

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18
DEC
1

Death Penalty

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LGTBQ rights pose no threat to religious freedom

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Are religious freedoms under attack? Gays have the right to marry. The U.S. Supreme Court has left open the question whether a baker must decorate a wedding cake and a florist must provide floral arrangements to be used at gay weddings, and the court is now deciding whether employers can discriminate against LGBTQ employees.

Can society mandate equal treatment for LGBTQ people while respecting the beliefs of those who say their religion precludes them doing anything that condones what they see ...

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3
DEC
4

Social Issues

Trump’s spiritual adviser has a direct line to God

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I’m intrigued by the theology of Paula White, President Trump’s new spiritual adviser. Let me give you a couple snippets of her belief system and then contrast them with Richard Rohr, a Catholic priest and author.   

Most striking about White is that she knows what God wants for us politically. If you don’t support Trump, she tells us, “You’re gonna have to stand accountable before God one day.” And why would that be? Well, because “Trump has ...

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17
NOV
8

Political Issues

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New stadium scores over economic blight

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New stadium scores over economic blight

How governments prioritize expenditures is sometimes a head-scratcher. An example is the city of Columbus’ decision to invest millions in a new soccer stadium, while a segment of the west side continues to decay.

Two weeks ago, the Columbus Dispatch ran a three-day series, “Suffering on Sullivant,” about a three mile stretch of Sullivant Avenue that suffers from prostitution, drug use and other crimes. The landscape is marked by abandoned and dilapidated houses, trash and drug paraphernalia.

A week ago, ...

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4
NOV
6

Social Issues

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What part of “Thou Shalt not kill” don’t we understand?

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I don’t like it when authors quote the Bible to justify a position, because, I think, so many people use the Bible to advance very narrow interests and not the expansive message of love and compassion that authors like Richard Rohr advocate. But then there’s that old adage, “Never say never,” which allows me to extol a wonderful piece, with compelling references to the Bible, written by Margaret Renkl about the death penalty “What part of ‘Thou shalt not ...

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8
SEP
6

Death Penalty

Citizens and lawmakers all can work to combat gun violence

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If you’re not outraged by the nation’s gun violence, you should be. If you’re outraged but doing nothing, recognize that your inaction contributes to the problem. If you’re a state or U.S. lawmaker who follows the gun lobby script, it’s time to acknowledge that gun violence is a public health issue.

Here are suggestions for both concerned citizens and lawmakers. First, the suggestions for citizens.

  1. Understand what works. The gun lobby wields power because it knows that money talks and ...
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27
AUG
5

Gun Policy

Culture of accountability crucial for police

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We want them to protect us and maintain law and order. We authorize them to use force, lethal, if necessary, and we expect them to get it right every time. And when the police err, we get angry.

We’ve seen a number of police shootings nationwide, and the shootings that cause us concern often involve white officers shooting black men. The optics aren’t good, as they say, and the question that always follows is, were the officer’s actions justified?  But ...

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8
AUG
2

Social Issues

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No evidence needed when it comes to gun legislation

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If you pay attention to the reasoning given by legislators for the bills they propose, you’ll frequently see more anecdotes and personal opinion offered as support than statistics or other forms of evidence. Gun legislation provides a good example.

Pending in the Ohio Statehouse is H.B. 178, which is sponsored by Republican representatives. The bill would permit anyone 21 years or older, who passes the standard background check, to carry a concealed weapon without a license or training. The training required ...

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7
JUL
11

Gun Policy

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Eliminating poverty requires new paradigm, mindset

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Is the nation’s and Ohio’s poverty rate an inescapable fact of life or one we choose to ignore? The breadth of the problem is inescapable: 16.7 percent of Franklin County residents live at the poverty level—$25,100 annual income for a family of four—and the poverty rate has increased in every large Ohio city from 1999 to the 2013-2017 period. At last count, it’s 20.8 percent in Columbus and 36.8 percent in Youngstown.

If we want to fix the problem, ...

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9
JUN
5

Social Issues

Hate is destructive, as told by a former POW

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Yesterday, I had the opportunity to do something remarkable: I shook hands and spoke with Colonel Tom Moe, a retired Air Force fighter pilot who spent five years as a POW in North Vietnam. He’s a soft spoken, warm man who had the strength to survive unspeakable torture.

The opportunity to meet Tom came about because my wife, Debbie, and I attended the Memorial Day commemoration at the National Veterans Memorial and ...

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28
MAY
2

People I Admire

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