Category Filter: Opinion

The Collapse of American Optimism and the Rise of Apocalyptica

By Sean | Published: April 19, 2013

Ask any American older than 30 what the country was like when they were growing up and with few exceptions, the answer will be uniformly positive, and certainly more positive than its perceived to be today. Indeed, even young adults in their 20s recognize that the tone of the nation has changed in recent years. [...]

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Five Months After Hurricane Sandy

By Sean | Published: April 9, 2013

It’s been almost 5 months since Hurricane Sandy devastated several towns and knocked out power to more than 8 million people across the east coast. The storm resulted in 72 deaths and thousands of destroyed homes and businesses. At $75 billion, it was the 2nd costliest hurricane in US history.
The lives of those directly in [...]

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Government Pushes For a New Housing Bubble; Backs Subprime Loans With Taxpayer Dollars

By Sean | Published: April 4, 2013

The divide between what the majority of people want verses what the establishment wants is never greater than it is when discussing property values. Those who have assets want them to rise in price, while the poor and those just starting out want lower prices they can afford. Of course, they have no political power. [...]

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Rising Nationalism Pushes Nations to War

By Sean | Published: February 15, 2013

In early 1095 AD, Byzantine emperor Alexios I Komnenos sent a letter to Pope Urban II warning that the Turks were about to overrun Constantinople. Hoping to reunite the Church, which had been in schism for 50 years,  the Pope gave an impassioned speech at the Council of Clermont decrying the atrocities being committed by the Turks in their westward [...]

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Superbowl Bullshit

By Sean | Published: February 5, 2013

It doesn’t take much to see the Superbowl as a parallel for our society. It is the ultimate display of consumerism, violence, nationalism and faux-Americana. Every year it gets a little worse. Equally unbearable are US families who decry the “edgy” advertisements as they try to “enjoy the game” with those spastic mental cases they [...]

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The Dependence on Food Stamps is a Ticking Time Bomb

By Sean | Published: January 3, 2013

Discussing the nation’s dependence on Food Stamps is likely to put many people into a defensive mode. Some feel resentful of those accepting government food subsidy. People on Food Stamps are sensitive to criticism in the media because often it comes with the implication that they are lazy or exploiting the system. Of course, fraud [...]

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History Rhymes: An Analysis of Nazi Germany

By Sean | Published: November 16, 2012

Mark Twain said, “History never repeats, but it often rhymes.” Indeed, the similarities between collapsing societies can be quite stunning. Rome comes to mind. It eventually rotted away through gross mismanagement, but collapse took centuries, while our rise and fall is being made manifest over the course of a single lifetime. While the bread and [...]

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Alien vs Predator: Election 2012 Post-Mortem

By Sean | Published: November 7, 2012

“Whoever wins, we lose.”
That was the tagline for 2004’s critical bomb Alien vs. Predator where two franchises battle on Earth for supremacy. I haven’t seen it, but looking at the recent election, there seems to be something to the comparison — powerful forces fighting each other for control of the planet, it’s current inhabitants irrelevant or [...]

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Questions You’ll Never Hear at the Debates

By Sean | Published: October 9, 2012

Sadly, you could also title this article “The Most Important Questions That Need to be Asked.” Today, our debates are merely a stage upon which candidates can exchange quips or attempt to act presidential. Most important issues are never discussed and those mentioned have little depth.
Before we list some of the questions that should be asked, [...]

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Is Greece an Omen of a Future America?

By Sean | Published: October 9, 2012

Imagine sitting on a beach. The tide is out. Things look static. You’ve set up your chair, beach towel, maybe you’ve even constructed a little sand castle. The tides come in slowly at first, then without warning a big wave comes rushing toward you, swamping you and your belongings.
We think we’ve learned from history. We think [...]

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