AUTHOR

Norm Shannon

Norm loves writing and helping people through the wisdom of Scientology. He recently moved to Florida where he was delighted to learn they have air conditioning.

Religion Took Center Stage at Super Bowl 2024—Here’s Why It Matters

America is religious. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. America is also crazy about football. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

The Antidote for Hate and Bigotry—Why the World Deserves “Kindness Day”

“The most valuable asset we have, actually, is our ability to understand, to do the right thing, to be kind, to be decent.” — L. Ron Hubbard

In Previously Unheard Tapes, Adolf Eichmann Incriminates Himself as the Architect of the Holocaust

Eichmann, relaxed and holding court on the tapes, proves to be a calculating and brutal individual delighting in what he did best: murdering Jews.

Why My Church Fights for Free Speech

“If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” ― George Washington

“All Are Responsible. All Must Act.”—UN Targets Hate Speech as Public Enemy Number One

The United Nations, responding to the alarming rise in hate speech internationally, proclaimed June 18, 2022 as the first annual International Day for Countering Hate Speech.

This Rosh Hashanah, We Must Confront Anti-Semitism

The sounding of the shofar is a call to awaken from complacency, and to simply look and see.

Confessions of an “Open-Minded” Person

I was, however, “open-minded.” Cue the air quotes, please. There is a difference between open-minded and “open-minded.” When one is simply and honestly open-minded, it indicates a willingness to try new things, to hear other viewpoints, in short, to learn something new and be OK with that.

What Is Your Problem?! or Drama in the Produce Section

“WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!” The question was bellowed at me in condemnation of my failure to swerve my motion-challenged shopping cart out of the way fast enough to allow passage for the strident, trim, one-third-my-age Whole Foods shopper intent on beating all competition to the Christmas Brewers...

The Swastika in the Bathroom

You walk into the bathroom and a large, black graffitied swastika greets you. It’s big, it’s ugly and it exudes an almost living presence, defying you to respond in some way. You’re 11 years old, you have fifteen minutes to get back to class, you’re in a new school, you just started making friends, and you don’t want to rock the boat.