Paradocracy

As illustrated by their latest article on the recently-released JFK files, news giant CNN legitimately has some of the world's most articulate charlatans. Don't allow that adjective, however, to eclipse the noun. The modifier is scarcely ever more important. Anyway, in expected fashion, CNN reporters have found a way to smear President Donald Trump yet again, associating him with another reviled fraction of the population that has long been the target of smear campaigns: conspiracy theorists. The article reads, "Still, Trump's decision to keep some documents secret is likely to keep conspiracy theories alive, fueling those who have long questioned official conclusions about the assassination and argued that the government has helped cover up the truth." But don't forget about fellow entertainment network Fox News, as they have followed suit in their own unique style, implicitly understating the volume of popular opposition to the findings of the War...

The Mercury News has reported that the fees to enter Yosemite National Park could jump to $70 per car, up from $30, under a proposal by the Trump administration. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke claims that the uptick in prices comes as "the infrastructure of our national parks is aging." Zinke continues, "Targeted fee increases at some of our most-visited parks will help ensure that they are protected and preserved in perpetuity and that visitors enjoy a world-class experience that mirrors the amazing destinations they are visiting." Ironically enough, these provisions and others are already funded through the National Park Service's annual $3-billion budget, whose principal objective is outlined as follows in the National Park Service FY 2018 Budget Justifications General Statement:  "As the keeper of 417 park units, 23 national scenic and national historic trails, and 60 wild and scenic rivers, the NPS is charged with preserving these lands and ...

In his 2010 ballad with Barbadian singer Rihanna, Detroit rapper Eminem laments the relatable failings of a relationship steeped in the deepest of emotions and volatility. He shouts at his audience, "You ever love somebody so much, you can barely breathe when you're with them?" The violence-ridden composition is shrouded by overtones of enduring love, persevering desire and seemingly-irrational hopes to repair a relationship that is apparently irrecoverable and simply not worth salvaging. In one of his lines, he desperately leans on metaphor to plea for forgiveness and understanding: "Maybe that's what happens when a tornado meets a volcano." Nowhere else may this analogy be more appropriate than the relationship between peace and liberty , two beloved and beguiling cornerstones of the American tradition. Peace and Liberty: A Story of Incompatibility One of the major intellectual catastrophes has been the ubiquitous interpretation of materials,...

The African-American population is disproportionately represented in the American prison system . The African-American vote is also disproportionately in favor of Democratic candidates. Democratic candidates are disproportionately in favor of dependency programs and the minimum wage law . Dependency programs are disproportionately correlated with single-parent households . Single-parent households are disproportionately associated with African-American families . Adolescents of single-parent households are disproportionately associated with low household income , both of which are disproportionately connected with violent behavior ,  low academic achievement and low self-esteem. Low academic achievement is disproportionately tied to low income. The minimum wage law disproportionately affects the African-American teen who's helplessly subjected to unemployment and then remains hopelessly mired in low self-esteem and a burgeoning dependency system which accomplis...

Throughout history there have been oracles, prognosticators and soothsayers who have enchanted their audiences, as if hypnotically, to unquestioningly accept and even endorse their prophesies. During the reign of the Roman Catholic Church, for example, parishioners have paid for indulgences to absolve themselves of sin, a custom which today seems absurd to the average reader. There have been governments which have fleeced their own people, rounded them up and even exterminated them with the support or deafening silence of the public. They've even conned their own peoples into wars of aggression against other civilizations they've neither known nor pointed out on a map . Beyond the political realm, fraudsters such as Bernie Madoff have mesmerized greedy investors looking to make fast, easy returns, just as revolutionary economist John Law did in the early 18th century by exaggerating the projected fortunes which were sure to be made in the development of Louisiana, an ec...

In the aftermath of the violent murdering spree in Las Vegas, Nevada, an emotional whirlwind has reliably tossed the intellectual world away from pragmatic understanding and logical thought toward fantasies of the Orwellian state of nirvana. As it turns out, Democrats are far too emotional to reason, while Republicans are far too inarticulate to defend freedom. So the end outcome will seemingly continue to favor conviction at the expense of liberty. And unfortunately the eventual masterplan will predictably fail, by fault of design, as political pundits, much like their wide array of unaccountable social programs, have no real end game beyond justifying still further expansion of the public Leviathan.  In policymaking, it is always and everywhere an endless cycle of political whack-a-mole. And just like the popular arcade game, it sells and players keep coming back to it. This publication is dedicated to addressing some of the recurring themes discussed each...

In a recent story from Harper's Bazaar , a female author shouts into the ether about her discontent with her present marriage with a husband who, instead of satisfying her Mother's Day request for a "house cleaning service," elected to "[wait] for me to change my mind to an 'easier' gift than housecleaning, something he could one-click order on Amazon." From this understandable and generally-relatable frustration spawns a radically-unsubstantiated claim that "Emotional labor is the unpaid job that men still don't understand." This statement is the headliner for everything to follow, the thesis she offers without any supporting evidence beyond her own personal experience with her husband. We'll return to this subject in a moment. Now, a broad number of people, laymen and scholars alike, are familiar with the nearly self-evident fact that humans are creatures of habit. This is supported economically by the law of least e...

Until 2009, the players of the National Football League (NFL) would remain in their locker rooms until well after the playing of the national anthem.  What changed? As it turns out, during the 2009 NFL season, the league began mandating that players stand at attention and face the flag during the playing of the anthem.  What's more, in 2012 the Department of Defense (DoD) began shelling out millions of dollars to teams for participating in the on-field ceremonies, rendering the players near equivalents to the gladiators of the Roman Empire.  You might remember Russell Crowe shouting , "Are you not entertained?"  As teams began participating in the ceremonies, a seemingly-innocuous expansion of the propagandizing presence of the metastasizing political machine, the well-intentioned players and the adorning heritages of their teams tacitly attached themselves to the new, uniquely American form of patriotism, unquestioning patronage to the sacred ...

ESPN host Jemele Hill labels Donald Trump a "white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself [with] other white supremacists." She continues with her next tweet, "Trump is the most ignorant, offensive president of my lifetime. His rise is a direct result of white supremacy. Period." First, Donald Trump's "rise" has far more to do with the real state of the American economy and the shift of the minority vote, a category that Barack Obama previously dominated in addition to that of civilian casualties by way of drone strikes, something the majority would surely describe as offensive. Voters effectively expressed their preference for a non-establishment candidate by supporting Trump over Clinton. White supremacy was hardly even a subject under consideration at the time of the election. Suddenly, after a number of violent episodes between two wildly-abrasive and contentious groups who have far more in common than they would readily ackn...