Skunk Totem joins ACLU

I have just joined the American Civil Liberties Union. Like why didn't I do this long ago. Some of the ACLU's key points are some that I take personally: especially privacy and rights of the poor. This thing called the Patriot Act scares the crap out of me (would you believe 1 million people on the terrorism watch list? (Source: ACLU website). And you don't have to be an explicit threat to get on it. Meanwhile, an employer denied me a job because they labeled me a potential thief because of my credit record! Never mind that the 100% legal and moral income would have squelched my money problems; and the employer's high security would mean trying to steal would most likely make me a jailbird who'd get lampooned on Star 104.5's "Crooks are Stupid" feature.

Prohibition of gay marriage also hits a nerve. While I am heterosexual, two of my best friends, one of whom writes as SW Iowa Guy are a gay couple that of course don't have their marriage officially recognized. These are good people and the bigotry against them hurts. At the same time, I know some opposite-sex couples who are married by law only and I'm not even sure that God endorses their pairing.

OK, enough said.

Homeowner kills herself after bank foreclosed on her.

A tragic story about Carlene Balderrama, a foreclosed homeowner who committed suicide. While the bank can't bear all the blame, I can't help but wonder if they could have done more to work out a payment arrangement. How big was the mortgage debt compared to the bank's profits? It's hard to believe a spouse and parent would take oneself away from his or her loved ones unless one absolutely couldn't see another way out.

Sadly, this probably isn't the last time that a foreclosure turns lethal. I've written before on how our society could do a lot better at handling depressed and suicidal people. These deaths are preventable - but not by giving the person the message that there is something wrong with the way he or she feels.

I feel for Mrs. Balderrama and her family.