(ANTIMEDIA) An article discussing the overdue earthquake dubbed the “Really Big One” has been circulating at warp speed—scaring the begeezus out of the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately, the fear hype this time is not a case of trumped-up click bait. If you’re worried about the devastating earthquake that could come at any time called “The Big One,” you certainly have legitimate concerns. But as Kathryn Schulz made abundantly clear in her lengthy article in The New Yorker, you should be downright terrified of “The Very Big One.” This exponentially stronger quake will also trigger a massive tsunami—a combination that will literally render … Continue reading →

[Earlier today, CNN carried the national headline: “John McCain: Donald Trump owes POW families an apology” As a consequence, I’m republishing Pulitzer Prize winner Sydney Schanberg’s stunning expose on that topic, which I had originally run as a cover story at The American Conservative a few years ago. I also encourage readers to consider my own introduction to that long article, which appeared at the same time. Individual Americans should decide for themselves which of our public figures owes an apology to the POW families.—Ron Unz, 7/20/15] * * * * * * * * * * * Eighteen months … Continue reading →

Rates are low, the weather is hot, and builders are more active than they’ve been in years. “Groundbreakings on new homes surged 26.6% and permits to build new homes rose 30% in June compared to one year ago, the U.S. Commerce Department said Friday,” reports Forbes. Housing construction hasn’t seen this kind of action in eight years. Nevermind that median income has gone nowhere for two decades except down the last seven years. Plus, plenty of scar tissue remains from the housing crash with nearly 16.5 million homes vacant and over five million homeowners still underwater. But builders build when … Continue reading →

The principle of states’ rights, which has lived on for the last 150 years as a noble, though often sickly, memory of the Founding Fathers’ intentions, was dealt its final, fatal blow by the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage decision last month. Thirty-one states banned same-sex marriages between 2000 and 2012, responding presumably to the wishes of their populations, and they were easily a majority of Americans.  Those bans are now overturned and the will of the people in those states is now thwarted.  States do not have rights that a liberal majority of nine non-elected judges declares they should not. … Continue reading →

Conservative, evangelical, and fundamentalist Christians are outraged at the Supreme Court decision in favor of the government recognizing same-sex marriage in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges. They are outraged that the Supreme Court redefined marriage. They are outraged that there will now be pressure put on ministers to marry same-sex couples. They are outraged that the homosexual lobby has won another victory. They are outraged that two Supreme Court justices didn’t recuse themselves since they performed same-sex weddings before hearing the case. They are outraged that the legalization of marriages between three or more people will certainly be the … Continue reading →

It’s not a job, it’s an adventure, orwearing your own clothes is the new camo By CJ Hinke Excerpted from Free Radicals: War Resisters in Prison by CJ Hinke, forthcoming from Trine-Day in 2016. There are as many reasons to desert military service as there are deserters. All countries’ militaries like to snatch young men when they are uneducated, inexperienced, and unemployed. It takes a soldier far greater courage to throw down his weapon than to kill a stranger. There are deserters in every country that has an armed forces. Armies demand blind obedience and human beings crave liberty. Why … Continue reading →

It seems to sneak up on us every year. Suddenly we look up and for many, it’s summer and the thermometer is hitting triple digits. For some people, depending on locale, that first 100 degree day is the start of a string of hot summer days that lasts for months, for others, August brings the hottest temps. Either way, this is is a tough time of year for your car, but there are things you can do to help your car get through the summer season. Check Air Conditioner Have your air conditioning system checked, many repair shops do this … Continue reading →

After World War II, many politicians talked about creating a united Europe, much like the United States. The idea was that there would be one currency and a federal government that would act in much the same way as does the federal government in the US. They began, very sensibly, with trade agreements and slowly expanded. Over the ensuing years, the national leaders of Europe steadily pushed forward toward the major goal of a unified Europe under a federal leadership. They reached this point with the Maastricht Treaty in 1992. My personal belief was that the concept would not succeed … Continue reading →

We call the war of 1861 the Civil War. But is that right? A civil war is a struggle between two or more entities trying to take over the central government. Confederate President Jefferson Davis no more sought to take over Washington, D.C., than George Washington sought to take over London in 1776. Both wars, those of 1776 and 1861, were wars of independence. Such a recognition does not require one to sanction the horrors of slavery. We might ask, How much of the war was about slavery? Was President Abraham Lincoln really for outlawing slavery? Let’s look at his … Continue reading →

As President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran is compared to Richard Nixon’s opening to China, Bibi Netanyahu must know how Chiang Kai-shek felt as he watched his old friend Nixon toasting Mao in Peking. The Iran nuclear deal is not on the same geostrategic level. Yet both moves, seen as betrayals by old U.S. allies, were born of a cold assessment in Washington of a need to shift policy to reflect new threats and new opportunities. Several events contributed to the U.S. move toward Tehran. First was the stunning victory in June 2013 of President Hassan Rouhani, who rode to … Continue reading →

Last week’s successfully concluded Iran agreement is one of the two most important achievements of an otherwise pretty dismal Obama presidency. Along with the ongoing process of normalizing relations with Cuba, this move shows that diplomacy can produce peaceful, positive changes. It also shows that sometimes taking a principled position means facing down overwhelming opposition from all sides and not backing down. The president should be commended for both of these achievements. The agreement has reduced the chance of a US attack on Iran, which is a great development. But the interventionists will not give up so easily. Already they … Continue reading →