Peace is weak; therefore, we must defend it. Once upon a time, I muttered to myself, “What a boring age.”. Oh, how I was wrong. My life has been turned upside down by a global pandemic, a brush with fascism, an ongoing dance with WWIII, and worldwide inflation. I could throw in the decentralization of finance as well; why not? I’m optimistic about decentralized finance, but I’m dubious of its power. I can imagine a world where despots have zero consequences for their actions. I can imagine decentralized despots giving the world a giant finger as they use nukes as an excuse to invade countries. ...

We must remove Putin and strengthen Democracy. We have no choice but to steel our resolve and fight to keep our voices. Authoritarian countries have gained power in recent years, and it’s up to us to peacefully convince the rest of the world that living free is not only possible but required. I have direct ties to Ukraine. I have amazing Ukrainian friends I worked with, drank too many beers and shots of Vodka with, and deeply love. I am friends with them on social media and recently learned that most have fled Ukraine. I don’t know the status of one friend, and one of their mothers and his spouse’s mother are still living in Ukraine, and he fears for their lives. ...

We are not enemies; we are human beings attempting to survive. I started ignoring Russell Brand’s commentary on life, the universe, and everything, but not anymore, not after this. Brand entertains discussions with divisive shit bags and elevates their bothersome voices. However, as Brand says in this video, the REAL political arch-villain is big business. ...

Don’t feed the trolls, seriously! Internet trolling is a pattern of behavior that people quickly identified in the early years of the Internet. Fast-forward to 2022, and we have a troll epidemic that has infected most media outlets across the board. Let’s learn about some of these trolls, why they are considered trolls, and what we can do about it. In The Beginning I was on the Internet in 1992 and have used it steadily for thirty years. My first experiences with Internet trolling centered around forums & chat. I quickly discovered people flooding forums & chats with nonsense for entertainment purposes. ...

Republican conspiracies are rampant in 2022. It appears that Republicans have been growing a Conspiracy Tree farm for decades, and the 2020s are the harvest season. Beyond your run-of-the-mill conspiracy theories, Republicans are conspiring to overthrow elections. I wonder what secret Republican meetings look like; I bet they look something like this. With an upcoming vote on H.R.4 - John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 looming, it’s time to peel the layers of the Republican conspiracy onion. I imagine crying will be involved. ...

I am an independent person that believes in pragmatism and cooperation and knows that Meeting extremism with extremism is not a solution to American problems. I believe in Democracy, and I no longer believe in our representative republic because our representation is widely corrupt. Like most American citizens, I know that corporate interests and powerful lobbyists control our system of government. We, the people who want a fair system, are caught in the middle of an ongoing culture war. We didn’t ask for it, but here we are. ...

I love science because it’s my favorite human invention. ❤️ I consider philosophy and ethics a close second and third. I might be writing on a scroll or parchment right now if science stalled after the first century. We humans would still be stuck in the stone age if some intelligent Cro-Magnon didn’t buy into the scientific method. Do you know why many leaders treat scientists like garbage in 2021? Why is Rand Paul lauded for attacking eighty-year-old scientists at every turn? I don’t, but I’ll explore some possible reasons. ...

Kyle Rittenhouse received a not guilty verdict because laws need changing. Why underage kids are allowed to carry an assault weapon openly is beyond me, but it is legal according to Wisconsin law. I believe Rittenhouse would either be dead or in prison if he wasn’t white. I am sure he would have been shot by law enforcement officers as soon as they saw him carrying an assault weapon. If he were lucky enough to make it to trial, the judge would have found a way to convict him. ...

Billionaires in space have been in the news lately. What’s most notable about this topic isn’t that humanity has achieved major commercialized space flight milestones. What’s remarkable is the jarring realization that society as a whole is getting the micro end of the stick. I’ll recount facts about Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, William Shatner, and more. I will then summarize a disturbing realization that compelled me to write this article. I hope we all realize billionaires in space have given us a blaring wake-up call. ...

Thought police is a phrase used in the novel Nineteen Eight-Four (1984). Google reveals that its usage has steadily crept up over the years. In 1984 citizens of Oceania were monitored by the thought police for thoughtcrime infractions. I highly recommend reading the book if you haven’t already. In today’s era chock full of assertive liars, we’re bound to encounter thought police that believe you must submit to their will. It’s nearly impossible not to get caught up in the personal pronoun debate these days. I started writing this article to talk about her/him/he/she/it/whatever social and English linguistic constructs. As I work through my thoughts, I’ll provide my view on this movement and argue against pronouns entirely. ...