The Ohio man with my name is making me look bad, and I’m starting to take it just a little bit personally. It apparently isn’t a 2020s Christmas until Vivek Ramaswamy pours kerosene over his political future in the form of an essay where any valid kernel of a point he makes within it is […]
American Civil Rights is now a “right-wing” cause. It was apparently not enough that working out, liking hot girls, and eating red meat are all considered right wing. Nor was it enough that liking America, being patriotic, or flying the stars and stripes are also now right wing by default. In 2025 America, it is […]
It had to be done.
Last night, Pete Hegseth was confirmed to be the next Secretary of Defense. With three Republican Senators voting against him – two of them hailing from states that elected President Trump by overwhelming margins – this is the first confirmation process in several years that required the Vice President’s tiebreaker vote. As the confirmation process […]
When Donald Trump succeeds you as the President of the United States, you failed. To understand Trump beyond blindly loving or hating him requires understanding the context in which he emerged. Trump is and always has been a reflection of, and a referendum on, his contemporaries. Not just because he is, by nature, a mud […]
60 years ago today, the United States declared war on poverty. If the outcome of such a war was not clear 5 years later, 10 years later, 25 years later, or even 50 years later, it is clear by now that poverty won. To put in perspective just how long this war has been waged, […]
“World War” is an imaginary term. There has never been a literal “world war.” Many countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Portugal, Vatican City, and Tibet did not participate in World War II. They are part of the world, yet they never went to war. The Allies also did not win either world war by […]
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”– Sun Tzu, THE ART OF WAR, 5th […]
Yesterday was Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. In these dark times we find ourselves in, a day like that prompts a useful reminder that Lincoln should not just be celebrated for his idealistic qualities, his speeches, or his being the leader of the North. He should be celebrated, respected, and even admired for his darker deeds. No […]
A quick guide to determining your predictions for the upcoming House midterms. In nearly every midterm election, the party in power loses seats. Over the last four consecutive midterm elections (2006 – 2018), the president and his party have either lost the House or further lost the House. Before that, strange events disrupted the usual […]
Over 21 years into the 21st century, Ed Rollins is a name only remembered by political historians, beltway swamprats, and whatever I am. Actually, that’s a lie. Before I picked up this book, I had never heard of Rollins. Thanks to Bare Knuckles and Back Rooms, I will spend the rest of my politically aware […]
The Russo-Ukrainian War of 2022 is now nearly 200 days old. Happy anniversary. Well into the fighting, this war is now almost twice the length of the next closest war that mirrors it – the Winter War between the Soviet Union and Finland, where the newly-purged Red Army invaded Finland with over twice the strength, […]
It hasn’t always been this way. There is only one way to fix it. And it ain’t pretty. The newest Supreme Court nominee, Ketanji Brown Jackson – a former clerk of the Justice she has been chosen to replace, a federal practitioner of criminal defense, former member of the United States Sentencing Commission, and near-decade […]
The following essay is a review that was originally intended for publication on Amazon. It may be for the best that I will probably never publish a book. If I did, it would be 800 pages before the end of Part I, and it would have been published over the dead bodies of every editor […]
High-tech and low-tech lynchings in America still happen. It is imperative to the interests of justice, racial harmony, and the rule of law in America that Kyle Rittenhouse be acquitted of all homicide charges, and that Travis and Gregory McMichael (and Roddie Bryan) be convicted of all respective charges for what they did to Ahmaud […]
What good is a promise if you don’t know what it means? January 27, 2021 marked a notable event in recent history. It was the 25th anniversary of Holocaust Remembrance Day – a day of sober and reflective gathering to honor and give posthumous dignity to the millions of Jews that were slaughtered by the […]
The following is the transcript of my favorite speech ever delivered by the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Although I have never actually heard the speech, every time I read the words below, his voice rings alive in my mind. I take no credit for the transcript. It is available in Scalia Speaks: Reflections on Law, […]
Donald Trump would be a better president if he was meaner. Not louder; not CAPS-LOCK obsessed; not frivolous. “Meaner” in this context means what it would mean if we were to say that Abraham Lincoln was mean to the Confederacy. Or if we were to say that Harry Truman was mean to Japan. What those […]
I once saw a lone cape buffalo in Africa hold off a small pride of lions for the better part of half an hour. They had managed to separate him from the rest of his herd, and I was so sure they had him. But those puny, lazy, pack-hunting amateurs didn’t know what hit them. […]
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This article was originally published on the Cinematic Katzenjammer in December, 2015 shortly before the theatrical release of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. The individual discussed, whom I refer to as “Karol” is my friend Paul Vollmer, whose opinions and statements I have shared on this blog before, albeit on […]
In politics, your children are not interesting. Your young have nothing valuable to say about issues, candidates, cultures, or events. They aren’t informed, they aren’t aware, they aren’t equipped, they have no real ideas, and their thoughts are not their own. And worse, they’re struggling. A lot. So please do them and the rest of […]
For the past two weeks I have followed intently the accusations against Judge Kavanaugh. I read nearly every breaking article, every major hot take, and I have now listened to essentially the entire testimony by both parties. Skip to the end if you don’t want to read the rest. Before today, I refused to adopt […]
I am a student and practitioner of the martial arts. I began taking self-defense classes at a young age. As I grew into maturity, I came to understand the arts as not solely a prescription for unarmed personal protection, or method for maintaining physical fitness, but as a philosophy and discipline of life. One of […]
I wish Barack Obama and his family all the very best in their lives going forward. May they be blessed with joy, love, grace, and prosperity. I will not, however, miss his presidency, and to it I say farewell and good riddance. There are two reasons. First, Obama has been an abysmal chief executive, both domestically […]
Donald Trump and his movement defied the odds yesterday and won the Electoral College, cementing him as the 45th President of the United States. At this time we await results only from Michigan, Arizona, and New Hampshire, with only N.H. swinging for Hillary Clinton. Thus, popular vote notwithstanding the electoral breakdown looks to be 232 […]
V for Verbatim 