A new beginning. A colleague suggested that I needed a venue for my writing and my thoughts, some way to get it all out and to further distill them. I intend to write often on a variety of topics. I hope doing this, with the responses and guidance of readers, will enlighten me further. Perhaps this may enlighten others as well.

Democracy and freedom are inherently and constantly in danger for there is always someone who wishes to take all or portions away. There are the obvious avowed enemies needing no explanation as to their clear and present danger. And then there are the less than obvious legitimately appointed people from within who, citing security as an obvious good, would curtail freedoms by instituting measures of control in the name of the maintenance of democracy to achieve that good. A slippery slope indeed. Both forms of danger to democracy and freedom are equally bad and require no less vigilance and courage on the part of the people young and old to maintain hard won rights and freedoms. Well meaning people lose sight of the overall significance of democratic notions and lacking the courage to fight fear itself fall victim to the reaction to it, and the inevitable fall from democracy, by enabling fear and the tension associated in attempting to aleve it.