EDITORIAL
Ecclesiastical malpracticeIt's a longstanding Christian tradition for ministers to comfort and console not only the victims of crime, but also the alleged perpetrators. In fact, the Catholic Church has formalized the process of extending ecclesiastical grace to offenders. One of the church's seven holy sacraments is penance, also called reconciliation. A believer can seek out a priest for confession to receive penance. None of the Western judicial systems will require the priest to divulge the identity of the penitent or the contents of confessions. More » |
OPINION
Towering obstacles in prosecuting the Oscar Grant killingThere's a good chance that former Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police officer Johannes Mehserle will be charged in the videotaped New Year's Day killing of Oscar Grant, a young African American, in Oakland. But getting a conviction in the fatal shooting will be a far different matter. More » |
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Accessible housing still a dream for manySince Barack Obama's election, there have been frequent discussions about the state of inequality in the nation. Many have said that the landslide election of an African American raised by a single parent demonstrates that while racism and socioeconomic inequality stained America's history, they are no longer a significant part of our society. More » |
