University of Arizona Medical School
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona Medical School; former president of American Medical Association Law Society
PROFILE
Joel Dvoskin
Guest
FROM Joel Dvoskin
To the Point
Passing Gun Control before the Sandy Hook Massacre Is Forgotten President Obama and the New York Mayor Bloomberg are coordinating the effort to enact some form of gun control before the Sandy Hook massacre is forgotten. Bloomberg is trying to rekindle it with $12 million in TV spots in 13 states. Yesterday, the President took part in a so-called " Day of Action ." But are they forgetting some major players: the people who actually own 300 million guns that will never be confiscated and never decay? The NRA has the loudest voice in opposition to gun control, but only four percent of gun owners belong. What about those who oppose "control" but care about safety? Are there ways to bring them on board and create a consensus?
Which Way, L.A.?
Newtown Massacre and the Lessons about Mental Illness Nobody will ever know what led Adam Lanza to slaughter twenty 6- and 7-year-olds last Friday at the Sandy Hook School in Newtown, Connecticut. But what has been reported strongly suggests that he was a young man who needed help. Is it ever possible to know what a killer is thinking? In 1999, as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Rick Meyer interviewed 17-year-old Jamie Rouse for more than 30 hours over several days. Using a semiautomatic rifle, Rouse had killed a teacher and a 14-year-old student at the Richland High School in Lynnwood, Tennessee.
To the Point
Newtown and the Lessons about Mental Illness Nobody will ever know what led Adam Lanza to slaughter twenty 6- and 7-year-olds last Friday at the Sandy Hook School. But what has been reported strongly suggests that he was a young man who needed help. The vast majority of mentally ill people are not violent, but the Newtown massacre has raised questions about America's mental health system. Mental hospitals have been shut down, but seldom replaced with community-based services. Federal and state resources have been cut to the bone. Private care is expensive, insurance coverage is rare and very sick people can end up in jail, even though treatment could be available. We hear from a desperate mother who called the police on her own son, and the words of a killer who never received the treatment he needed.
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To the Point
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
Left, Right & Center
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
To the Point
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?