Divorced, with one son, residing in Northern VA. Began writing in 1997 for various publications, including two special-interest lottery publications. Launched the relationship website in 2002, called: QuestionsBeforeMarriage.com Completed a screenplay in 2004, this writer's first work of fiction, based on song by Grammy and Academy Award Winner Phil Collins.

Should there be a law that prospective parents, particularly women, be required to obtain a license before their first pregnancy? Or for each pregnancy after that, assuming a couple wants more than one child? As a parent who has read far too many news articles about children dying unnecessarily from parental abuse or n... continue reading

Regrettably, there are many people who still prefer to live in the dark where sex is concerned, although I'll never understand why. Yet, much of American society has a huge problem accepting the idea that sex can be enjoyed with pleasure and comfort instead of shame and guilt.

Anyone looking for a book to enable th... continue reading

It's impossible to count how many times secularists are told by religious folk of various faiths that we will regret our "godless" or "sinful" life sooner or later. Although I can't speak for everyone, I can honestly report that this secular writer hasn't experienced any regrets for my decision to trade in the unhappin... continue reading

It is both astonishing, not to mention deeply disturbing, how the serious - and potentially fatal - flaws in our current 'criminal justice' system bear a remarkable similarity to those of the ill-fated ship, the Titanic. What is equally alarming is that no one realizes just how similar until we or someone we know ... continue reading

Looking back over the rising number of false allegations of sex crimes over the past decade, intentionally brought by those who enjoy inflicting pain of all varieties on others, one has to wonder, how did this happen? How did innocent people, who committed no crimes at all, end up being accused, jailed and even wrong... continue reading

Times in past American history have clearly demonstrated how cruel and merciless people can be when they arbitrarily decided a particular group of people were a "threat to society." In Salem, Massachusetts, from 1692 to 1693, so-called "witches" were the target of choice. All that was necessary for a person to be loc... continue reading

Although we all like to believe that anyone accused of a crime has the presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a court of law, that isn’t necessarily true. Certain crimes, especially those which allege sexual abuse, molestation or battery, carry a different presumption; guilty until proven innocent, although ... continue reading

With the addition of a Catholic Chief Justice to the United States Supreme Court, and what appears to be a confirmation battle for an evangelical Christian, one has to wonder how long it will be until the Religious Right achieves its long-held dream of a customized Supreme Court. The fact that James Dobson, leader of... continue reading

  Religious conservatives argue their moral beliefs against
contraception give pro-life pharmacists the right to refuse dispensing
prescriptions for various contraceptive methods. Pro-choice advocates
argue personal convictions, whatever they may be, do not give these
pharmacists the right to withhold patient ... continue reading

It is no secret that prominent religious leaders of the Christian Right have declared open war against secularism in all forms.  They've declared it responsible for all of society’s ills, ranging from the 9/11 attacks by Muslim fanatics to the natural disaster of the tsunami. They would like nothing better than t... continue reading

It is no secret that prominent religious leaders of the Christian Right have declared open war against secularism in all forms, declaring it responsible for all of society’s ills, ranging from the 9/11 attacks by Muslim fanatics to the natural disaster of the tsunami. They would like nothing better than to eliminate t... continue reading

Did someone pass a law saying that birthday celebrations are only for children? Some folks seem to have that feeling when it comes to their own birthdays, and the excuses are endless. "I’m too old for that silliness", "birthday parties are a waste of time", "I don’t have any reason to celebrate." What a shame. Why not... continue reading

What will your teenager be doing this summer? Going with you and the family on a long-awaited vacation? Working at a summer job until September? Just hanging out at home because he’s not legally old enough to get a job? That’s what my son will be doing, but this year, his vacation isn’t going to be all play and no wor... continue reading

One can’t help wondering why every journalist at the President’s press conference last month missed the obvious question. Which is, does the President support the separation between church and state or not? If he is truly in favor of keeping religion out of government, then why is he nominating justices that are on re... continue reading

Increasing reports of pharmacists refusing to fill prescriptions for contraceptives are raising concerned questions among pro-choicers. In two recent cases, a pharmacist not only declined to fill the prescription presented by the customer for dispensing, but also refused to give the slip back to the customer for filli... continue reading

FREETHINKERS is a must-have for anyone who values liberty in America, for secularists and the religious alike. At a time when the Christian right is flexing its muscles at every opportunity, Susan Jacoby cites the many contributions to humanity made by agnostics, atheists, and all champions of Freethought in America. ... continue reading

It looks like the Christian "Right" is at it again. Recent news stories have surfaced that some staff members at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs have been aggressively promoting evangelical Christianity, and that cadets who are either of different faiths or follow no religion have been victims ... continue reading

We all know that if something is worth remembering, it is certainly worth writing down. Your plan for living debt-free is one of the most important life plans you’ll ever make. As the old saying goes, there is no time like the present to begin putting your plan together. If you are still living at home, and haven’t gi... continue reading

As some recent news headlines have illustrated, the ongoing battle between pro-choice customers with prescriptions for contraceptives and pro-life pharmacists refusing to dispense them, isn’t about to end anytime soon. In fact, it appears that both sides of the pharmaceutical debate, both in government and in the priv... continue reading

Last Friday, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich filed an emergency rule that clarifies pharmacies in Illinois that sell contraceptives must accept and fill prescriptions for contraceptives without delay. In taking this bold and decisive action against pharmacists who insist that their religious beliefs against contrace... continue reading

Like all Americans who enjoy a little politics with their entertainment, I have greatly enjoyed this NBC drama since its debut in September 1999. However, during this past season, the quality of the writing has surpassed itself, from excellent to outstanding, especially the last two episodes. I found myself wishing th... continue reading

This past February, the Virginia House of Delegates approved an amendment which will eliminate the church/state protections from the state constitution and allow officially sanctioned prayer in public schools. Bill HJ-537 proposes an amendment to Virginia’s constitution that would "permit the exercise of religious exp... continue reading

According to an article published in a recent issue of Christianity Today, atheism is slowly declining. That is certainly news to me and the atheists and secularists I have come to know over the last few years. It would also come as a big surprise to the editors of Free Inquiry, the official journal of the Council For... continue reading

Those of us who believe the draconian institution of debtor’s prison was a nightmare of the past have had a very rude awakening this week, with the passing of the so-called "Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005" in the Senate. One has to wonder which "consumers" this new law is supposed to p... continue reading

It is very hard for some people to say no. Reasons for this difficulty vary as widely as the individual, but regardless of the reasons, folks who prefer saying "yes" rather than "no" often find themselves wishing they had said no in the beginning. However, the regrets generally don’t surface until much later, when th... continue reading

Columnist Ann Landers once did an informal survey of her readers back in the 1970's. The single question she asked of them was: "If you had it to do over again, would you still have children?" A surprising 70% said "no." Although the survey was hardly scientific – she didn’t claim that it was – it was still a strong i... continue reading

No matter how many times it has been made clear that the separation of church and state must be protected and maintained at all levels of government, it is painfully obvious that members of the Christian "right" will continue to make every effort to circumvent it or, if they can get away with it, eliminate the separat... continue reading

Columnist Ann Landers once did an informal survey of her readers back in the 1970's. The single question she asked of them was: "If you had it to do over again, would you still have children?" A surprising 70% said "no." Although the survey was hardly scientific – she didn’t claim that it was – it was still a strong i... continue reading

This week’s edition of the PBS program To The Contrary, aired Sunday, February 6, 2005, featured a segment titled "No Fault, No More," in which the topic of tougher divorce laws were discussed. According to this segment, there is talk in several state legislatures about making it harder for married couples to divorce.... continue reading

The issue of sex education in our schools has been a source of never-ending conflict for decades, with no sign of a compromise in sight. Some say it’s the parents' job to teach their adolescents the facts about sex, others insist the job belongs to the public and private schools. Schools with programs already in place... continue reading

In the February issue of PARENTING Magazine, their “Second Time Around” article is adding more fuel to the fire of a growing “only versus multiple” parenting debate. As a mom of one by choice and the moderator and participant in several online support groups for “done after one” moms, I have to wonder why PARENTING and... continue reading

If you want to keep yourself out of serious debt (before you get into it), make sure you know the difference between a "status symbol" and a con job. After seeing endless examples of media hype of all sorts of products, be they homes, cars or anything else, I’m firmly convinced there are no status symbols. It never ce... continue reading

It should be understood that you and your partner will have different opinions on a few philosophical ideals, plus life goals and values. But what goals or philosophies do you want your partner to share in order to give the marriage a better chance of success? For example, if you have a more liberal mind set, would a... continue reading

It’s time to clear up the obvious confusion surrounding the words "Christianity" and "fundamentalism." The two are not necessarily synonymous. Having posted on various debate boards on this very topic, I have observed more than a few schools of thought on each. This is not surprising, as the terms have different meani... continue reading

"It’s the most wonderful time of the year" proclaims the popular holiday song. But wouldn’t it be even more wonderful if this holiday could be debt-free as well? Imagine a holiday season that is more carefree and relaxed because you’re not incurring any new credit card debt. Sounds good, but think it’s impossible? Her... continue reading

Who gave doctors and pharmacists the right to make reproductive choices for women? Obviously they did it themselves, when they began refusing to prescribe or dispense prescriptions for birth control pills, and other hormonal contraceptives, claiming moral or religious beliefs as the reason. Several stories of women be... continue reading

There are those who say we tend to think too much before making important decisions. I disagree. Judging from the results of bad personal decisions we often read about in the news, such as nasty divorces and child abuse or homicide cases, my feeling is that we dont think enough. Weve all heard the saying, "if you thin... continue reading

What is your relationship with money? This may sound like an off-the-wall question, but consider it for a moment. Some people are relaxed with money, and have a good system of managing it that works well for them. They keep their spending reasonable, maintain careful records of what they do spend, and as a result, hav... continue reading

What "genius" dreamed up the idea that all people could or more accurately should be parents? It doesnt take a rocket scientist to see from both past and recent stories that more parents neglect, abuse, and even kill their children than we care to think about. Anyone who has ever been a parent, myself included, know... continue reading

Is there some reason why the gay marriage question has become such a hot issue in this Presidential Election? Why does it matter, anyway? Its always been a mystery to me why some people have such a strong opposition to homosexuality - a sexual orientation that has no direct effect on anyone. This includes lesbianism t... continue reading

How does an idea for a feature-length Hollywood action script develop?  For some writers, the idea suddenly comes as an "Aha!" moment, for others, it comes along a lot more slowly.  I was somewhere in the middle. Is it possible to get an idea for a feature-length Hollywood action script from the lyrics of a ... continue reading

Too many women are marrying abusive and dangerous mates, often with tragic consequences.  Ask yourself if your mate could be one of them before it's too late.If youre like most women, you dont want to think your prospective spouse or current 'significant other' is capable of assault or murder. Sadly, however, any... continue reading

Until more people in the pro-life group start doing something other than complain how bad abortion is or how bad its supporters are, I remain convinced that many of them just want to control the sexual and reproductive choices of others.Can someone tell me why the majority of the pro-life believers who complain so much... continue reading

The time for self-education on the credit game is now, not when debt has already come to you. I'd rather it stay far, far away, thank you very much.Is there anywhere we can go, either online or in a magazine, that talks about ways to help us, as individuals and consumers, avoid the black hole of credit card debt altoge... continue reading

Too many couples fail to address important sexual issues that may be troubling them before deciding to get married.  Don't include your future marriage in the failure statistics.Do you believe the great quality of sex you're having now assuming you are in a great sexual relationship will continue the same way af... continue reading

Many books have been written in support of the choice to have no children, but not nearly as many are positive of the only-child decision.  The Done After One Club, begun in October 2003 by this writer, is adding the collective experiences and observations to the growing number of one-child parents.The "Done Afte... continue reading

Since no one has ever told me why conservative branches of organized religion found it necessary to demonize sex, I decided to come up with a few theories of my own.  No doubt they will disagree with me.In his powerful hit song "Dont Get Me Started," Phil Collins tells us "dont even mention sex and religion, and w... continue reading

Contrary to what some sociologists, psychologists and marital experts prefer to believe, not all couples think marriage needs children to improve their relationship. As child-free couples believe, having children can, in fact, cause a great deal of stress in a marriage. Some of these couples had married ... continue reading

When we go out into the world, we are governed by rules. One set for the road, another for the workplace, and most likely, a different set for each of the friends' homes you visit. Am I saying rules are a bad thing? Of course not. Without fair rules and laws, we would have complete anarchy, which is not a world Id want... continue reading