The suggestion was made that we ought to find a way to keep guns out of the hands of those who are possibly unstable, and so reduce the chance of someone going on a shooting spree.  The series explores the ramifications and possibilities involved.  This series began in 2012, and so earlier articles are indexed there; there are additional articles on the subject in 2014.

9. Gun control:  Screening, appeared 1/1/13:  returns to the issue of attempting to identify everyone who might be marginally unstable, and finds difficulties.
10. Gun control:  Assault, appeared 1/8/13:  examines the incongruity and inadequacy of banning "assault" weapons in preventing these types of massacres.
11. Gun control:  Automatic, appeared 2/19/13:  provides definitions of several of the terms being bandied about in the present discussion.
12. Gun control:  Schools, appeared 3/12/13:  replies to the suggestion that schools should have armed police officers but not armed guards who are not police officers.
13. Gun control:  Mental health, appeared 5/14/13:  considers the impact on the mental health care of the nation when it becomes commonly believed that seeking psychiatric care will get you stripped of your constitutional rights.

Gun control has been a hot topic as long as I have been aware of the political process, and is not likely to go away, so there will surely be more of these to come.

See also Church and State, Freedom of Expression, Discrimination.

This series began in 2012, and has continued at intervals since.

9. Homosexual marriage:  NAMBLA, appeared 1/15/13:  considers afresh the link between the homosexual community and pedophilia, and finds there is not so sharp a line as defenders of homosexuality claim.
10. Homosexual marriage:  Births, appeared 1/22/13:  discovers that there is a strong economic reason for government to subsidize heterosexual unions which does not apply to homosexual ones.
11. Homosexual marriage:  Rights, appeared 1/29/13:  using gun rights as an example, we address the accusation that those who are opposed to homosexual marriage are opposed to civil rights of homosexuals.
12. Homosexual marriage:  Disability, appeared 2/5/13:  explains the argument that non-religious evolutionary theory would claim homosexuals dysfunctional members of the species.
13. Homosexual marriage:  Marriage, appeared 2/12/13:  approaches the semantic problem of exactly what is being sought in the phrase "homosexual marriage", and warns that it might be no more than turning traditional morality into hate speech.

See also Homeland Security Articles, Gun Control Articles.

Receipt of information about a Supreme Court decision in this field has prompted the introduction of a new subject category, on issues related to Fourth Amendment protections.

• Dogs, Technology, and Searches, appeared 3/5/13:  notes that the pending Supreme Court decision in Florida v. Jardines concerning the use of drug-sniffing dogs on private property may have significant impact on the use of technological surveillance techniques.
• Search and seizure:  Canine invasion, appeared 4/2/13:  summarizes the decisions in Florida v. Harris and Florida v. Jardines, noting that the court treats drug-sniffing dogs as if they were modern technological devices, and laying the groundwork for further discussion.
• Search and seizure:  Un-dog-matic, appeared 4/9/13:  delves deeper into Florida v. Harris to consider what would be required to discredit a dog as a valid basis for probable cause.
• Search and seizure:  Sniffing machine, appeared 4/16/13:  looks more closely at the decision in Florida v. Jardines and its implications for the use of newer technology in gathering evidence.
• Search and seizure:  New breed, appeared 4/23/13:  tackles the specific problem of identifying when particular devices or applications are "new" and what happens when they become ubiquitous.
• Search and seizure:  Rashad Walker, appeared 4/30/13:  looks at a peculiar New Jersey case, in which the (New Jersey) Supreme Court's decision seems so obvious that it raises the question of how the appelate court could have reached a different conclusion.

As of the end of 2014 there have been no additional articles on this subject.

See also Marriage Law Articles, Freedom of Expression, Health Care, Discrimination.

Although my biases in this area might be impugned, it is sometimes necessary to address the arguments advanced by some in the name of freedom from religion.  Some are no doubt well-meaning, but still misunderstand the sense of the First Amendment.

• Church and State:  FEMA, appeared 3/19/13:  responds to an editorial in The Record on whether Federal emergency money can be used to repair and rebuild religious buildings.
• Church and State:  Invocations, appeared 3/26/13:  the very sticky issue of whether ministers ought to open government meetings with prayer, and whether they ought to be banned from mentioning in those prayers any point that is specific to their own religion (e.g., the name of Jesus), is considered.

It is a topic that arises occasionally, and has been revisited repeatedly to be indexed in future indices.

See also Gubernatorial, Senatorial, Presidential, Miscellany.

We began this category in 2012 with a look at bond issues on the ballot; a couple more articles appeared this year, one in the spring and one in the fall.

• South Hackensack Municipal Court Judge is a comedian, appeared 5/7/13:  discusses the case of his honor Vince A. Sicari, a.k.a. Vince August, stand up comic, and whether there is a conflict involved in a sitting judge also being a standup comedian.

As mentioned, this category continues in the next index.

From time to time something will be written which does not fit conveniently into a category.  Some of those articles landed here.

• Obamanable, appeared 5/21/13:  addresses the general problems with conservative charges against the President.

Additional miscellaneous articles appeared in the latter half of the year as well.

There was a gubernatorial election in 2013, and our coverage began early in the process.

• Chris Christie Weight Loss Program, appeared 05/28/13:  Governor Christie underwent gastric banding surgery to help reduce weight.  Many questions arise from this, but the big one is, will it work?
• The 2013 New Jersey Gubernatorial Primary Candidates, appeared 5/31/13:  looks at the four names on the ballot and gives a brief synopsis of the positions of and outlook for each:  Troy Webster, Seth Grossman, Barbara Buono, and Chris Christie.
• The 2013 New Jersey Gubernatorial Primary results, appeared 6/4/13:  covers the outcome of the primary and the special election called to replace the deceased Senator Frank Lautenberg.

With the passing of Senator Frank Lautenberg (mentioned in The 2013 New Jersey Gubernatorial primary results), a special election was held to fill the seat.  Our coverage began before the primary, mid-year, and continued into the early fall.

• 2013 New Jersey special Senatorial election candidate Cory Booker, appeared 6/11/13:  Mayor of Newark, popular Tweeter, he was planning to run for the seat next year and has advanced his plans to the present rather abruptly.
• 2013 New Jersey special Senatorial election candidate Frank Pallone, Jr., appeared 6/18/13:  having served in the House of Representatives for a quarter of a century, the Congressman was already raising money to run after Lautenberg's retirement, and jumped into the race.
• 2013 New Jersey special Senatorial election candidate Rush Holt, Jr., appeared 6/25/13:  another New Jersey Congressman, in the House since 1998, Holt is probably the most liberal in the field.

Coverage continued up to the election.