The real plague is the pandemic spread of shareholder value to institutions of general interest such as hospitals, nursing homes, old-age care and education. The dogma of "private before state" has become deeply ingrained in official thinking.
Albert Camus: A Stranger No More (Book Review) (tags)
Two authors, Robert Zaretsky and Elizabeth Hawes, have resurrected Albert Camus, the late French Algerian novelist and philosopher, in their just released books. I’m recommending both of their tomes. I think their efforts contribute, in different ways, to enhancing Camus’ literary legacy. Camus’ courageous moralizing against the excesses of the ideologues of his days is timely. Let’s face it, we too live in an era where crazed warmongers are running amuck.
John Allen Muhammad, Death Penalty and the Gulf War Syndrome (tags)
The state of Virginia executed John Allen Muhammad, the Washington area sniper, who killed ten innocent people on a murder spree. Muhammad, like Timothy J. McVeigh, was a Gulf War Vet, who was exposed to deadly toxic chemicals. His lawyers pleaded with Governor Tim Kaine to spare his life, arguing that he was suffering from the “Gulf War Syndrome.” Albert Camus, the author, said the death penalty was really about--“vengeance!”