The Third Degree is a weekly Sunday column that relies on the good judgment of the American people to make informed decisions for themselves and the nation.

The Third Degree, however, in keeping with its definition, reserves the right to pose hard questions on personal and public subjects worthy of interrogation.

Published in newspapers over the last 2 1/2 years, the column migrates, as of January 2022, to an email subscription model. For the price of a cup of coffee a month, you can “Take The Third Degree” (subscribe) every Sunday via BC email to protect addresses.

As you will be reminded: “The unexamined life is not worth living” (Socrates). The answers and actions are yours.