America

December 27, 2017December 27, 2017 in Politics

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

You’re more than likely familiar with Aesop’s brief fable of a mouse and a lion. If you’ve lived under a rock your whole life I’ll bring you up to speed: A mouse convinces a lion to spare his life in exchange for the promise of a future favor. Cue the future. The lion finds himself trapped in a hunter’s net and the mouse responds to his roar and saves him from the net. It’s a quaint story with a timeless message, that is, a kindness is never wasted. It’s a nice thought but we don’t live in a fable, we… Keep Reading

November 17, 2017November 17, 2017 in Culture/Politics

Gun Control Wouldn’t Work In America

Another spat of mass shootings, and the same old arguments for and against gun control have sprung up like clockwork. Since we all know this isn’t really going to affect anything, allow me to give my two cents on this issue: Gun control would never work in America (and I specify strictly WITHIN the United States). Not only will it not happen in the United States, it would NOT fix the violent crime problem were it to be passed. First of all, yes, it is true that some other nations in the similar economic “level” as the USA have strict… Keep Reading

October 30, 2017November 1, 2017 in Politics/World

America Lost The Cold War

Upon reading the title of this article, you were likely confused, if not gobsmacked by the idea. “‘America lost the Cold War?!’ Absurd!” I can hear you saying. And indeed, the very thought of it seems pretty absurd–after all, The USA is still around, and the Soviet Union has long since collapsed. That should summarily disprove the very thesis of this article…right? As you could probably assume, I am going to be arguing contrary to that fact, mainly due to one reason: The Cold War was allegedly never supposed to be about defeating The Soviet Union…so much as it was… Keep Reading

October 8, 2017 in Culture/Politics

Does Ethnic Heterogeneity Make Homicide Worse in the Americas?

When gun-control advocates make international comparisons on homicide rates, they generally employ an assumption that places with more stringent gun control laws have lower homicide rates. Unfortunately for them, this only holds up when countries with both high levels of gun control and high homicide rates are excluded from the analysis. By recognizing the need to exclude most of the world’s nations from this analysis, the gun control advocates are of course implicitly admitting they recognize that gun control cannot explain low homicide rates in many areas. The case of Mexico, for example, illustrates quite well that simply imposing gun control… Keep Reading

September 30, 2017 in Culture

More People Need A Punch In The Head

It is often complained about that civil society just isn’t very civil anymore. And those who argue certainly have a very good point. A cursory glance around the world at the moment would show a smattering of politically based riots and terrorism going on at any given time. Much more prevalent (albeit not as singularly harmful) are the many tiny, venal ways that individuals make other people’s lives worse. Undoubtedly, you’ve seen these in your daily life: Those in the workforce have to deal with the inane regulations of their bosses (that seemingly exist just to prove you can follow… Keep Reading

May 5, 2017May 5, 2017 in History/Politics

The Civil War, Then and Now

One hundred and fifty-four years ago this week, nearly at the peak of the Civil War, General Robert E. Lee cemented his legacy in American history with his triumph over Union forces at the battle of Chancellorsville, a victory often referred to as a perfect battle. It is an example of how sangfroid and strategy and chutzpah and cunning have together the potential to overcome overwhelming odds. It was a disgraceful performance by the north’s General Joseph Hooker and it cost Lee his “right arm” in General Stonewall Jackson, who was killed by friendly fire on the second of May.… Keep Reading

April 19, 2017April 29, 2017 in History/Politics

The Trump Doctrine Takes Shape

The concept of Presidential Doctrine dates back to when James Monroe adopted a posture of anti-European colonialism in the western hemisphere. Since that time many presidents have come and gone without leaving a signature stamp on the attitude and behavior of our nation vis a vis foreign policy though many have at most sought to merely modify pre-existing positions. Theodore Roosevelt took Monroe’s doctrine and mutated it into the Roosevelt Corollary which would later be reversed by his fifth cousin, Franklin Roosevelt who adopted a Good Neighbor policy toward those nations in the Central and South America. In relatively short… Keep Reading

April 19, 2017April 20, 2017 in Politics

Antifa Cowards Meet their Match

Newton’s Third Law of physics states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Though commonly understood to apply to physical interactions between objects in action, this law is as true in boxing and baseball as it is in politics. Midterm elections are often a down-ballot repudiation of a president and ruling party’s policy initiatives. This accounts for the Democratic Party’s drubbings in 2010 and 2014. It accounts for the humiliating dressing down they received at the hands of the forgotten men and women of the American electorate in November of last year. It accounts for the… Keep Reading

April 12, 2017April 12, 2017 in News

‘Putin’ Her Place: Russian Foreign Minister Smacks Down Anti-Trump Media Hack

In an incredible display of tone-deaf arrogance, corporate media stalwart Andrea Mitchell complained about dishonesty and a lack of access from the Trump White House. Mitchell’s boisterousness even drew the ire of a Russian bureaucrat during a State Department press conference today. “I have never seen anything like this where people just flat-out lie,” NBC News’ chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell said in a recent Politico interview. “You know, black is white and white is black, and they mislead you. It’s really disconcerting to see the podium in the White House briefing room being used to mislead or misdirect… Keep Reading

December 6, 2016December 6, 2016 in Culture/Politics

No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy

General James Mattis has been selected by President-elect Trump to succeed our country’s current Secretary of Defense, Ash Carter. The response to this choice has been almost universally praised as Mattis’ reputation for intelligence, innovation, and honor have preceded him since he first began his climb to prominence during the Persian Gulf War. He is not without his critics. There are those who believe in preserving a strict status of civilian control over the military, a policy and sentiment that are not without worth. Because of this tradition, there is a law in place which requires former military officers to… Keep Reading