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What World of Warcraft Can Teach Us About Today’s War
In the five-man World of Warcraft dungeon Magister’s Terrace , the final boss briefly nullifies gravity. The player party, accustomed to...
john raymond
Oct 6, 20252 min read


Tomahawks for Ukraine? Don’t Count on It
It may sound as if President Trump has turned over a new leaf on the Ukraine war. His surrogates hint at “re-evaluating support.”...
john raymond
Oct 5, 20252 min read


The Unseen Machine
Across the United States, citizens continue their daily routines—commuting to work, scrolling through newsfeeds, managing...
john raymond
Oct 4, 20252 min read


The Small-World Trap: How Trump’s Shutdown Strategy of Mass Harm Risks Collapsing His Deception Network
President Trump and the GOP are sustaining their political power through an information umbrella of relentless falsehoods. By saturating...
john raymond
Oct 3, 20253 min read


The Class War Is Real and Won’t Go Away Without Something Big Changing
Just as the war in Ukraine will not truly end until Belarus, as Russia’s strategic depth and proxy, is forced into unconditional...
john raymond
Oct 2, 20253 min read


Yes, Mike, of Course the Democrats Fucking Hate Trump and Everything He Stands for, Which Is Nothing but Himself and His Master in the Kremlin
Mike Johnson wants the country to believe that Democrats’ opposition to President Trump is a kind of irrational hatred — a fever dream...
john raymond
Oct 1, 20253 min read


A 60-Votes Senate: Why the Big Beautiful Bill (BBB) Was Never Going to Work Long Term
I. The Big Beautiful Bill Wasn’t At the time of its passage, very few voices openly predicted that the BBB would lead directly to a...
john raymond
Oct 1, 20252 min read


The Math and the Message: Democrats Need to Prepare for a Long Shutdown
I. The Public Pain Curve Shutdowns of 10 days or less rarely leave deep marks on the public. Agencies shift funds, contractors float...
john raymond
Oct 1, 20252 min read


Trump, the Enormous Man, Should Fill You With Great Unease
Most commentary on President Trump still treats each outrage as an isolated episode—something to be debated, fact-checked, or...
john raymond
Sep 28, 20253 min read


Despite Collapsing Utility, Trump Set to Deploy Troops to Portland
President Trump’s decision to send troops to Portland, Oregon, is neither surprising nor strategically novel. What is remarkable is how...
john raymond
Sep 27, 20252 min read


From Warburg to Zelensky, One Thing Is Clear: Russia Is in Trouble with Air Defense the Canary in the Coal Mine
Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent, blunt warning that Kremlin officials “have to know where the bomb shelters are” is not rhetorical bravado;...
john raymond
Sep 26, 20254 min read


If Today’s Epstein Disclosures Are Symmetric, Then the Worst About Elon Musk Is Confirmed
Today’s release of Jeffrey Epstein estate records by House Oversight Democrats is being described in the press as “newly revealed...
john raymond
Sep 26, 20253 min read


William Spaniel’s Belated Realization Proves Why NATO Cannot Afford Analysts Who Cheer Headlines
William Spaniel has finally stumbled into a truth that was obvious to any serious observer from the beginning: NATO’s headline spending...
john raymond
Sep 26, 20252 min read


Dear Kamala Harris, Getting Your Criticism Right Matters
When you raise the alarm about threats to democracy — as you should — your choice of words is not merely stylistic. It is the...
john raymond
Sep 26, 20253 min read


“Live by the sword, die by the sword” — The Abbreviated James Comey Story
“Live by the sword, die by the sword” explains James Comey’s arc with unnerving precision. He stepped outside institutional armor in...
john raymond
Sep 25, 20252 min read


The Line Democrats Must Use Against Trump’s Shutdown Gambit
There is nothing wrong with knowing what you want to get if you're going to vote for a bit of legislation. The Democratic Party will...
john raymond
Sep 25, 20252 min read


Decoding Trump’s UN Speech: Part 8 — Brazil, BRICS, and the Push for Democratic Backsliding
Late in his September 23 UN address, Trump turned his fire on Brazil. He declared: “Brazil is doing poorly and will continue to do...
john raymond
Sep 24, 20252 min read


Decoding Trump’s UN Speech: Part 7 — NATO Spending and the Wedge of Unrealistic Demands
In his September 23 UN address, Trump returned to one of his favorite tools of division: NATO burden-sharing. He claimed that at the June...
john raymond
Sep 24, 20252 min read


Decoding Trump’s UN Speech: Part 6 — The UN as Boondoggle and the Politics of the Security Council Veto
Trump’s September 23 UN address included a lengthy tirade against the institution itself. He mocked the organization as feckless,...
john raymond
Sep 24, 20252 min read


Decoding Trump’s UN Speech: Part 5 — Gaza, Hostages, and the Weaponization of Recognition
After migration, crime, climate, and Ukraine, Trump turned to Gaza. In his September 23 UN address, he framed the ongoing war not as a...
john raymond
Sep 24, 20252 min read
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