Check out these pieces for the best of the best that Inthereddest.com has to offer!
Top Pieces
The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey – This simple political cartoon tells the story of the old Aesop Fable “The Man, the Boy, and the Donkey” in the form of an important political message to President Obama.
Rationalism – I wrote this article to honor In the Reddest’s one year anniversary, and in it I tried to put into words the very core principles of my ideology that permeates my political, philosophical, and even religious beliefs. It has strong connections to agnosticism and humanism, but it’s not without its differences, and I wanted to articulate as much by not classifying it under one specific ideological title.
Is Your Right to Vote Worth $200? – This nagging question came out of the fact that many people in America suffer from taxation without representation, one of the fundamental complaints of the founding fathers, thanks to the two-party system that now has a strangle hold on American politics.
FOX Talk – Primarily a “Top Piece” because of its miscellaneous categorical nature, in FOX Talk I take apart how and why FOX “News” is hardly news at all, why they are not credible, and how they manage to manipulate the masses
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How Corruption Happens through Incentives and Disincentives – Every decision we make in life is all about what incentivizes or disincentives us from making that decision. Politics is no different. When a politician takes a questionable action, we shouldn’t be asking “why on earth did he do that?” but rather, “what was his incentive to do that?” In doing so, we can reach a new, slightly disturbing realization about the American political system
Artificial People *Shouldn’t* Be Real People – This article is a result of a correspondence with state Senator Clark Jolley. Apparently Jolley, or at least someone in his staff, read my website when I wrote a piece about campaign finance reform, and responded to it. In it I explain in greater detail than ever before why corporations, special interest groups, and other “artificial people” should not be considered real people, least of all in the realm of political bribery.
Republicans Overtly Rigging Elections – After massive victories in 2010, the Republican Party launched an assault on electoral freedom and democracy itself. From strict voter-ID laws and backdoor poll fees reminiscent of Jim Crow, to incentivizing politicians to support polices that lower voter turn out and more, the GOP wages a dangerous war against the most vital tenant to the United States of America; a trait which continued into 2013.
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The Asylum – A viral video from Bill Nye the Science Guy got me thinking about the policies of the Republican Party in mid-2012. Contrasting it to the political stories of the day, it was in this article I started to realize the depth of the modern Republican Party’s insanity.
Pause for a Moment of Thanks – During campaign season, it can sometimes be easy to lose confidence in your own political ideology because so many people are so blindly dedicated to the opposite side. Well, over the course of one week in 2012, there were nearly a dozen news stories that helped remind me of just how right I am to be a progressive
Stupid is as Stupid does – Politicians say stupid things quite often, but which party is really more guilty of it? Two news stories featuring stupidity from both a Democrat and a Republican happened around the same time, so I analyzed the question and came up with a fairly clear answer.
The Five Types of Republican – In all the time I spend following politics, I’ve noticed there’s five distinct categories into which all Republicans and conservatives can fall. Using examples purely from Oklahoma politicians, I expound upon each one.
A New Irony – Following the trend of “The Fool” from the above piece, I created this brief article to help show the depth of Senator Inhofe’s foolishness, particularly in regards to global warming. We all know it’s ironic for a Senator from a state with such a dramatic and dynamic climate to not believe in global climate change, but there’s another layer of irony I felt compelled to highlight.
Libertarian Smoke (and Mirrors) – After the Oklahoma state government decided to allow local governments to ban smoking in public places, many libertarians began to speak up on the issue. After giving it some long, hard thought, I came to these realizations about libertarian philosophy as a whole, and why when applied to the real world, a libertarian society couldn’t work.
The Undermining of America – This piece was a long-time coming. After my initial examination of libertarianism in the above piece, I tried to think about what a libertarian society may look like. I came to the conclusion that the city of Undermine, the goblin capital of Kezan in the game franchise World of Warcraft, may fit that bill perfectly, and explain how right-wing politicians in America are trying to make the fantasy city of Undermine a reality
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The Cycle of Growth – Learn about the vicious cycle that has our economy trapped in a spiral of recession, and more importantly, how to break out of it.
The 5th Law of Capitalism – I first learned of the three laws of capitalism back in college. After adding the “fourth law,” the Cycle of Growth, I proposed this all-important fifth law to prevent capitalistic societies from being destroyed by their own insatiable quest for wealth
Money, Power, Wall Street, and TIMMAH – After seeing the FRONTLINE Documentary “Money, Power, and Wall Street,” I had to share my commentary in this largely informative piece about how Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and the Obama Administration did nothing to punish those responsible for the 2008 economic recession, nor did they take any steps in preventing it from happening again.
We’re Fucked – Within minutes of Obama’s victory in the 2012 Presidential election I posted this piece just to remind everyone of how little he did to actually repair and prevent further damage done by the financial industry in the crash of 2008, and that another crash is inevitable so long as Obama continues his policy of “extend and pretend.”
Lankford’s “Jobs” Plan – Congressman James Lankford from Oklahoma’s 5th District (my Congressman) tries to fight back against allegations that he and his fellow Republicans have done nothing to create jobs, but when we break down his supposed “jobs plan,” it turns out to be nothing but lies and deceit that actually lost more American jobs than it created.
Deciphering Code Talk, “Making job creation in the United States affordable.” – Ever wonder what a politician really means when they speak elaborately or awkwardly in the face of an otherwise simple question? This piece examines what many politicians from both sides of the aisle mean when they talk about “making job creation in the United States the affordable option.”
A Global Labor Movement – We live in a time where middle and lower class labor is growing ever-more abused and taken for granted. Our jobs are rapidly being outsourced by big business who care for nothing but profit. If it continues, the middle and lower classes will be reduced to peasants and slaves, just as the wealthy of this society, and all societies throughout history, have wanted. With our current systems of government and industry, the only way to prevent it is if all the workers of the world stand together and say no.
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2011 Budget Battle – The 2011 budget negotiations between the Republican controlled House of Representatives, the Democratically controlled Senate, and President Obama were a train wreck of the highest order. Here’s a informational graphic explaining exactly what happened step-by-step.
Taxes, Robbery, and Treason – Why exactly do job creators have to pay less taxes? Why should big businesses pay no taxes? Why should we subsidize companies already making billions of dollars in profits? Elizabeth Warren spurred me to write this article not only about why paying taxes is important, but why no one, individual or company, should be exempt from paying their fair share in society as they so often sleazily get away with
Social Security and Medicare – Our two most important social safety nets are in grave danger from both Republicans playing the bad cop, licking their lips as they grow closer than ever before at finally ending these programs as we know them, and the Democrats playing the good cops, complicity agreeing and shrugging their shoulders saying “I wish there was something I could do, but they’re in charge,” even though they really aren’t. This piece contains stunning facts you probably didn’t know about Social Security and other entitlements that politicians and commentators often conveniently omit.
The “Free Lunch” of the State – Ever hear the saying “there’s no such thing as a free lunch?” Well, this saying can easily be applied to taxes. If you cut taxes somewhere in the budget, the lost revenue from that tax cut has to be made up somewhere, somehow, and all too often people don’t even realize just how they’re getting that revenue back, and how badly it screws the average citizen.
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The media has never been too kind to Obama, but during the 2012 election he was outright eviscerated, be it directly or indirectly, on a daily basis in nearly every news outlet in the country. I created this series of three pieces to help clear up some of the most empirically false misconceptions about the President.
Followup: Barack Obama Myth Busting 3
(More on Obama)
Death, Taxes, and Obama’s Conservative Beliefs – Obama’s first piece of legislation of 2013 was about tax reform, but it was not pretty. The debate and negotiations over this bill proved beyond a doubt just how strongly and disturbingly conservative Obama actually is at least when it comes to the issue of taxation.
Morality – It’s not often we get to discuss raw, objective morality in the realm of politics, but activities going on in the Obama White House have left me deeply saddened, and angered, over the severe lack of compassion and humanity on the part of the President and his council.
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Gun Control – I’m Right, You’re Wrong, Deal With It – After the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut where 20 young children died, people across the country leapt into the gun control debate from all sides. Gun advocates tried to make their case, but as this list of facts demonstrates, we need gun control now.
Another Strong Dose of Reality – The debate raged on for weeks, months even, over how to approach the issue of guns after Newtown. Apparently, all the facts from my last piece just weren’t enough, so I had to compile another mountain of evidence in favor of gun control that’s extremely hard to argue against. Nonetheless, the gun-nuts of society pressed on, forcing me to chase them into darker territory, leading to…
The Height of Political Insanity – Absolute madness. Pro-gun activists, having been defeated on a vast majority of their main arguments, fall back onto an old one, regardless of how untrue and ineffective it is; fear-mongering over tyranny. Worse yet, they flee to this argument in extremely distasteful, insulting, and dark ways as conspiracy theories and even serious attempts to incite a new Civil War rise up from the extreme-right, and all because they oppose universal background checks for purchasing firearms. Through the gun control debate and this article, we’re getting a better glimpse of just how mad and extreme the Republican Party of today’s America is.
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The Ultimate Pro-Choice Argument – When I first created this site and there was little content, this piece was the crowning achievement and virtually the title piece to the website. It was originally written months before inthereddest.com even existed, and its title says it all. This essay delves deep into the arguments of pro-choice vs. pro-life, scrutinizing the logic behind them, as well as the legislation, policies, and the type of society each produces. I encourage everyone to read it, be they undecided on the issue or firm in their beliefs, if only to get a fresh, new perspective on the issue.
A Letter to Governor Fallin – Consider this a condensed version of the above essay. When Personhood – the movement to define life as beginning at conception, effectively banning all abortions, many of the most common forms of birth control, and greatly endangering in vitro fertilization – came to Oklahoma, I was compelled to write the Governor about it in this call for sanity, asking her to oppose the measure.
The Witch Doctors of Women’s Health – Have you heard the story about the Muslim who worked in a slaughter house, but refused to handle meat? What about the Amish guy that enlisted in the military but refused to harm another human being? No? Well, how about the Catholic that became a doctor and refused to prescribe birth control pills or perform abortions? The latter most of these three stories really doesn’t make any more sense than the former two, and yet we have laws in place that protect doctors who chose not to do what their profession requires of them.
Personhood 2: It’s Baaaaaaaack! – Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the Oklahoma State Legislature… “Personhood” gets re-introduced in an identical bill to the one that was ruled as unconstitutional by Oklahoma Supreme Court less than a year prior to its re-introduction in a unanimous decision. I delve into the lunacy of both the bill’s policy, and the precedent created by re-introducing legislation again, and again, and again.
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The Biggest Issue that Shouldn’t Be – In this piece “to end all pieces” on gay marriage, I bust the crap out of virtually every argument out there from conservatives that still oppose LGBT marital equality, and I do so with great relish.
Chick-fil-Armageddon – Everyone and their damn dog was talking about the controversy around Chick-fil-A’s opposition to LGBT equality in mind-2012, even though by time this story broke the truth about the restaurant chain’s position on the issue had been out for years. The frustration I felt over people who supported the restaurant, and those who only just how were trying to make a big deal out of a no-brainer issue culminated into this article, ending in perhaps the bluntest conclusion I’ve ever written.
Inhofe Caught Lying Red-Handed – IntheReddest exclusive! – This short piece existed for one reason and one reason alone; to call Inhofe out on a blatant lie he told on the Rachel Maddow show. Two years prior, long before I had this site, I personally had received an e-mail from Inhofe proving he was lying, and I still had it. If you’re looking for a solid, inarguable case of a Senator unashamedly lying, this is it.
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One Last Look Back – This piece is a humorous review of the greatest moments in the 2012 Presidential Election, from the candidate’s greatest hits to explanation of what REALLY happened at the debates between Romney-tron 5000 and the Barack-uda.
What Are You Voting For? – I made this piece just before the 2012 election to highlight the poor nature of both candidates. No matter who people were voting for, I wanted to make sure everyone knew what they were voting for.
Complete Guild vs. Lankford Chart – The election may be long since over, but this piece is still a great treasure trove of information about Congressman James Lankford and his beliefs on some of the most pressing issues of our time.
Liberals are from Venus, Conservatives are from Kolob – Facebook became an infamous place of fighting and trolling in 2012 thanks to all the political campaigns. I have a great number of friends from both the left and the right on my timeline, and decided to make a compilation of the images most commonly shared by liberals and those most commonly shared by conservatives. The difference was shocking.
Occupy Mitt Romney – Inthereddest.com attended the Occupy Mitt Romney Protest on October 21st, 2011 and got some great footage and shots! Romney was in Oklahoma City holding a breakfast fundraiser for his super wealthy friends; $500 per plate, $2,500 for more exclusive access to the governor. Check out all our exclusive coverage, including an interview with the Democratic candidate for the 5th Congressional District of Oklahoma in 2012, Dr. Tom Guild!
The Radical in Moderate’s Clothing – Many people praised Mitt Romney, and chose to vote for him in the 2012 Republican primary, because they thought he was the most electable, “moderate” Republican in the field. The truth is, though, that Romney was far from a moderate, despite the disguises he donned for the election.
60 Reasons Why Not to Vote for Newt Gingrich – Again, even though the election is ancient history, like Gingrich himself, this list was too good to not include in my featured articles. The bad news just kept snowballing out of control for Gingrich throughout the election, and before the primaries had even started I had a list of 60 reasons why not to vote for him. I forced myself to stop at that point, even though countless more reasons arose as the weeks slogged on. It’s so sad it’s actually rather funny.
2016: Place Your Bets! – Published just after the 2012 Presidential election, I placed my initial predictions about who’s going to run in 2016. Really, it’s hardly anything special as far as articles go, but I had to put it up somewhere special just so when 2016 does roll around, I can compare notes and see just how close I was!