Is Trump really desperate for a deal in Iran or is time much more on our side than widely reported?

Wooden king chess piece on a chessboard under a focused light.

Why would a man that’s supposed to be desperate beyond belief to end hostilities with any kind of deal, refuse one that was on the table, and make a reasonably big show of going back and forth about it? According to conventional wisdom, President Donald Trump is desperate to make a deal with Iran.  Like… Continue reading Is Trump really desperate for a deal in Iran or is time much more on our side than widely reported?

Maine’s Graham Platner and the sad truth that everything Democrats say is bullshit

Cracked blue donkey statue on stone pedestal illuminated by sunlight in museum room

Top Democrats are rallying around a Senate candidate with a Nazi tattoo, a long history of engaging in various sexual proclivities, and various other issues that make him somewhat Trumpian in the worst possible sense of the term according to his detractors.  For more than a decade, Democrats and their progressive allies have insisted that… Continue reading Maine’s Graham Platner and the sad truth that everything Democrats say is bullshit

Newark is the next battle in the immigration war and there will be more blood if progressives have their way

Two groups of people in a tug of war, one side holds signs supporting immigrant compassion and welcoming policies, the other calls for strict enforcement and border security

After an explosive January in Minneapolis, the progressive war against immigration enforcement subsided until recently, but this time, at least some local Democrat politicians are trying to keep the peace while placating the protestors. Earlier this year, progressives took to the streets of Minneapolis to protest immigration enforcement efforts with what many believed was the… Continue reading Newark is the next battle in the immigration war and there will be more blood if progressives have their way

The irony underlying widespread opposition to AI and its equally widespread usage

Crowd of people holding signs supporting and opposing technology and AI development.

How can 70% of people be against the infrastructure for what most use on a daily basis and are only likely to use more?  Has there ever been a useful, time saving technology we simply stopped using or have we tended to simply keep complaining while using it? If recent polls are any indication, Americans… Continue reading The irony underlying widespread opposition to AI and its equally widespread usage

The midterms still favor the Democrats, but not by much and much remains impossible to predict

Red and blue electric energy streams crossing over cracked rocky terrain

Democrats are offering Republicans an opportunity that they probably don’t deserve at this point, but as we all know, deserve has nothing to do with it. While there are clear historical trends favoring Democrats in the midterms and it’s no secret that President Donald Trump has chosen to launch a largely unpopular war that has… Continue reading The midterms still favor the Democrats, but not by much and much remains impossible to predict

Iran and the sunk cost fallacy

Map of Middle East with glowing tectonic plate boundaries outlining regions including Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and surrounding countries

Why are some unwilling to take half-a-loaf by forging a less than satisfying deal or even reverting to the status quo, making not getting the optimal outcome into an embarrassing defeat? While the conflict with Iran lumbers onward through an admittedly bizarre non-ceasefire ceasefire, some are arguing that we have only two options:  Either accept… Continue reading Iran and the sunk cost fallacy

The strange state of the conflict in Iran and why Republicans better hope something happens soon

Three abandoned rusted tanks in muddy battlefield with destroyed buildings in the background at sunset

The war has entered a sort of slow moving stasis rather than anything resembling the frenetic pace of the first five weeks and time is running out to pivot to the midterm elections. I’ll admit it upfront:  I didn’t expect the Iran War to devolve into a non-ceasefire ceasefire for almost a full month.  While… Continue reading The strange state of the conflict in Iran and why Republicans better hope something happens soon

Why I don’t give a crap about the gerrymander wars

Brass balance scale with weights beside rolled scrolls and a quill

At this point, the only thing I really want to see is an end to the self-righteous sanctimony and an open admission that the gerrymander wars are what politics is always about, power, plain and simple. Last week Virginia upended the midterms by narrowly passing a referendum to the state constitution that allows for a… Continue reading Why I don’t give a crap about the gerrymander wars

Progressives have become what they claim to hate when it comes to promoting conspiracy theories at least

Old television with shattered screen showing news and mysterious glowing symbols

Ten years ago, progressives mocked conservatives when a relatively small percentage embraced a bizarre theory known as “Pizzagate,” but now, they reflexively claim every assassination attempt on President Trump is a conspiracy. Ten years ago, progressives were fond of mocking conservatives when a relatively small percentage of Trump supporters embraced a bizarre conspiracy theory known as… Continue reading Progressives have become what they claim to hate when it comes to promoting conspiracy theories at least

The chimpanzee civil war in Uganda explains a lot about our current politics and the dark heart in us all

Shattered glass window on a tree with silhouettes of primates walking on a branch inside

While it might be convenient to attribute human conflict to religion, culture, or resources, the reality that chimpanzees go to war seems to suggest more fundamental reasons.  Sometimes we are prone to believe that humans have an innate capacity for violence beyond other creatures on this Earth, that there is something uniquely dark in our… Continue reading The chimpanzee civil war in Uganda explains a lot about our current politics and the dark heart in us all