Cause and Civility

Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson, Keith Ledger: Are We Losing the War On Drugs?

Submitted by Janice S. Ellis Ph.D. on Fri, 02/17/2012 - 00:00
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Drugs. The lure of drugs comes as a thief in the night, robbing us of our best and often our most promising. We are reminded as we mourn the death of Whitney Houston.


While the toxicology report is yet to be finalized, from the accounts of what transpired during the days prior to her death, and her long-term battle with substance abuse, it appears that alcohol and drugs had something to do with Houston’s untimely death.

Adequate Health Care Coverage: Too Many Americans Do Not Have It

Submitted by Janice S. Ellis Ph.D. on Thu, 02/02/2012 - 00:00
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Amid the clamor on the Presidential campaign trail to repeal the HealthCare Bill passed by President Barack Obama, one has yet to hear what will be put in its place. Access to adequate health insurance coverage is still out of reach for many Americans — over 47 million. That number likely climbs daily with the persistent unemployment rate.

Negative Political Ads Pollute And Debase The Political Process Of Our Democracy

Submitted by Janice S. Ellis Ph.D. on Wed, 02/01/2012 - 00:00
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When you hear that more than twenty million dollars were spent in negative advertising in the Florida Presidential Primary, it is little wonder that the average citizen thinks our election process has become a joke, a necessary evil. But is that perception and resignation doing us more harm than good?

America At A Crossroads: Not Voting Is Tantamount To Being An AWOL Citizen

Submitted by Janice S. Ellis Ph.D. on Tue, 01/31/2012 - 00:00
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Not voting in the 2012 presidential primary elections is tantamount to an act of cowardice. At a bare minimum, it can certainly be considered laziness. What is the difference between being a nonvoter in a democracy and a deserter in the military? They both represent dereliction of duty.

Failing to vote is cowardice because it shows a lack of courage to take a stand, work, and vote for one party or the other and its candidates.

Playing To Racism: 2012 Presidential Candidates Missing A Great Opportunity

Submitted by Janice S. Ellis Ph.D. on Fri, 01/27/2012 - 00:00
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Whether it is Newt Gingrich calling President Obama the “Food Stamp President” or portraying poor black children as having only dope dealers for role models; or whether Ron Paul’s racially inflammatory newsletters of ten years accurately defined his positions on race or not; or whether Rick Santorum’s comments about blacks on welfare is paramount to them taking other citizens’ money; or whether Rick Perry’s N-word usage at the hunting “shack” on his property — whether these incidents depict the sentiment of the 21st Century Republican Party, what a missed, egregiously missed, opportunity!

Red Tails And House Of Lies: An Education On Race And Race Relations

Submitted by Janice S. Ellis Ph.D. on Mon, 01/23/2012 - 00:00
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While the movie, Red Tails, which premiered in movie theatres across the nation this weekend, is about an all black Air Force unit that flew successful air strikes in World War II, it is not a lesson just for black Americans, but all Americans. It depicts the journey of black men who were well trained and proud to fight for their country, even though they were not perceived or treated as equals by the very country and countrymen for whom they willingly risked their lives.

During The 2012 Presidential Election, The Public Can Just Say “No”

Submitted by Janice S. Ellis Ph.D. on Fri, 12/16/2011 - 12:00
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It is time for the public to say “No.” No, to the notion that we have become a society who would rather be entertained than informed as we go about the business of governing. No, to the sensationalism that has replaced rationalism in its power of influence when it comes to our collective decision-making process in selecting our leaders.


Not to do so is to continue to allow the awesome power of the people, the public, to be minimized and debased. The stakes are much too high. The consequences are much too exacting.

Common Sense Is AWOL In The United States Congress

Submitted by Janice S. Ellis Ph.D. on Thu, 12/15/2011 - 15:09
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Unlike our brave men and women coming home from Iraq after serving and getting the job done for their country, we cannot say the same about our elected officials here at home.


In the Halls of Congress, we see our elected officials take actions that defy plain old common sense, repeatedly refusing to pass needed legislation. What are sensible ordinary citizens to do when education, facts, and an appeal to reason fail during times like these, times when we need them most?

Newt Gingrich’s Description Of Poor Children Also Defines Rich Children

Submitted by Janice S. Ellis Ph.D. on Tue, 12/06/2011 - 00:00
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When candidates for President of the United States choose to play to racial stereotypes, it does little to educate and improve race relations among a growing ethnically diverse electorate. The travesty and tragedy of resorting to using distorted, divisive and derogatory languages and images to describe a whole group of people have untold, and unfortunately, lasting consequences.

Herman Cain, Bill Clinton, Anthony Weiner: Leaders, Heroes, And Double Standards

Submitted by Janice S. Ellis Ph.D. on Fri, 12/02/2011 - 00:00
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The specter of tuning in to the unfolding expose of the private life of Republican Presidential candidate Herman Cain’s alleged extra-marital escapade after escapade brings to mind the plethora of double standards that govern our lives.


It is a kind of public-private schizophrenia. We are one person in private, another in public. We tolerate, and indeed, practice certain behavior in our private lives while we eschew and condemn the same behavior in others.