It seems that almost every week now there is a story that should make anyone and everyone question the human condition in America and the world.

This week, it was a follow-up story in the Denver Post that made me wonder what terrible end America is headed toward. The story is silly at best, appalling at worst.

It plays out almost like a modern-day fairy tale: On an enchanted night last July, two Durango teenage girls decided to skip a school dance and leave cookies on neighborhood doorsteps as a good deed. Door after door, the girls left a box of cookies with a note saying “Have a Great Night” on the top. Soon, however they came to the den of a beast whose heart was more than a few sizes too small.

In fact, they’re still looking to see if there’s one in there at all. This summer equivalent of the Grinch claimed that the doorbell caused her a panic attack and a trip to the emergency room the next day.

She then proceeded to sue the girls for more than $3,000.

And she won! Though the idea of someone suing another person for GIVING them cookies is more than ludicrous, the idea of a judge finding that person or persons guilty is almost unfathomable.

The whole situation sounds like a bad episode of Judge Judy where an amazingly lame case is laughed out of court!

The fact that a judge could deliberate in such a trial with a straight face says something for his or her sense of humor. It’s a sad day when a simple good deed can be prosecuted in court.

What happened to brotherly or neighborly love? Is that politically incorrect now too? Apparently. When are we going to realize that we have lost so much trust and faith in each other that someone looking at us in the wrong way could land that person in prison?

At least an incident like this might raise public awareness as to how cold and aloof we have become.

The article “Outraged readers say cookie ruling was half-baked” in the Feb. 10 Denver Post said the girls have received large amounts of money from supporters and will appear on Good Morning America, but the fact that it took something like this to incite public outrage is telling.

At least the woman who spilled McDonald’s coffee on herself and sued lost the case. Maybe now that the public sees how we treat and even fear each other, we can unite as a country.

How can we stand up to the threat of terrorism if we can’t even trust our neighbors?

How can a country call itself united if you can’t leave a gift for someone on their doorstep?

The country will be a better place if we start giving people the benefit of the doubt. So next time, do us all a favor and check the box on your porch BEFORE you call the bomb squad.

Maybe even, I don’t know, eat the darn cookies and crawl back into your cave before the entire world finds out what a loser you really are.