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Kathy Griffin, a comedian and co-host of CNN�s New Year�s Eve special, recently appeared in a video displaying the severed head of our President, drenched in blood. It�s a disturbing video and is certainly appalling. Was it supposed to be funny? Was it supposed to be a political statement? Was it a desperate plea for attention? Perhaps it was a combination of all three of those possibilities.             I find it hard to believe that at no point in the production and execution (ba-dum-tss) of this video that somebody involved did not think that it was a bad idea. What could possibly go wrong when you hold up the bloodied head of our nation�s leader and provide no explanation? But really, did nobody think to tell Griffin that this video was going to cause outrage?             Maybe she made the video to cause outrage and attention. And that she did. But it was not the outrage th...

When we last left off, Haiti had just gained its independence and was under the control of Dessalines, one of Toussaint L�Overture�s generals. Haiti was free and had become the most successful slave revolution since Spartacus in Rome.             Dessalines consolidated his power in 1805 and proclaimed himself to be the �Emperor of Haiti.� His rule was disappointing and ended with his assassination. His failures began when he tried to bridge the gap between the mulatto elite and the newly freed slaves by encouraging interracial marriages. When Alexandre Petion, a mulatto military leader, refused to marry Dessalines daughter, his efforts became the subject of ridicule by both mulattoes and blacks. He also tried to reinstate slavery to return Haiti to the economic prowess it possessed before the revolution. That also failed. He even tried to conquer the Spanish controlled region of the island but he failed there too. He was assassinat...

A few months ago, in the early days of this blog, I wrote an article addressing the problems in the Democratic Party and how the party needed to change in order to survive. Like any good doctor, I decided to do a check-up on the Democratic Party to see if any change has occurred, both positive and negative. The main problems I pointed out in that article were the lack of leadership, the need for a new, fresh face, and the disconnect among party leadership and the traditional Democratic base.             In terms of leadership, Senator Chuck Schumer has assumed that role. As the minority leader, Schumer has led efforts to filibuster and has criticized the President at every turn. He was the leading critic against the travel ban put in place in February and declared victory at the Houses� rejection of the first GOP Healthcare bill. He has been the face of the party in that his reaction and opinion is the first to be aired on TV and ma...

When we last left off, Haiti was under the control of the French and was an economic powerhouse. However, animosity between the African slaves and their white owners as well as the discriminatory relationship between the mulattoes (half European and half African) and their white counterparts created a societal rift. That tremor of a rift would soon escalate into an earthquake that can best be described as the scene from the movie 2012 when the protagonist�s family is trying to escape Los Angeles while the apocalypse unfolds (It is an insane scene. I highly recommend it.).             Revolutions are quite possibly the most complex and haphazard event to study in history. Everything has to work for a revolution to be successful. It�s like the Polyjuice potion from Harry Potter. Every ingredient had to be perfected, every stir had to be in the right quantity and in the right direction, and it had to cook for weeks.    ...

The United States constitution is a very libertarian document and the Fourth Amendment is the most libertarian piece of it. As it's short and supremely important to American life, let's quote it in its entirety: Amendment IV. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. What this means for personal liberty is that the government can pass as intrusive laws as they would like, forbidding or mandating myriad behaviors, but unless those behaviors have impact outside your home the laws are unenforceable. The law may mandate that you sleep with an ostrich, eat broccoli for dinner, or keep your supply of toothpicks stocked to a multiple of five. But as these are private behaviors impacting only your p...

It�s ironic that I had a hard time finding tonight�s story considering how much has happened in the last few days. There was definitely plenty of subject material to put to use, but none of it really interested me. Our president once again sparked outrage because he revealed classified information to the Russians and fired FBI director James Comey last week. And while there has been outcry and anger and lots of talk, nothing has happened. These events changed the minds of nobody. News anchors read out this information dramatically with �breaking news� plastered on the screen. Late-night comedians mocked the president and his actions. Surrogates for the president lamely tried to defend the president�s actions. And then the president took to Twitter to threaten and accuse his opposition of who knows what (doing their job?). We have been down this road too many times. Nobody�s mind has been changed by these events. The people who believed that our president is a puppet of the Russian gove...

In about a month, I will be traveling to Haiti for a mission trip. So, I thought it would be cool to start a series to explain the history of the country for both the readers of this blog and for myself. This series will be divided up into five parts and will be updated every Friday night. Haiti has an interesting history, so even if you have no reason to care about the country, I would encourage you to keep reading.             Haiti is an example of what happens when a revolution for independence goes horribly wrong. Haiti and America were not all that different in their early years. They both were tired of being exploited by their mother countries and they both fought and won to create independent, democratic countries. They both even had a civil war to abolish slavery later on in their nation�s course. The major difference between the two is that America became a prosperous republic while Haiti fell to corruption and economic fa...

If you know me well, then you know how much I love late-night comedy. I think I already have 2 or 3 articles pertaining to the subject, so even if you don�t know me personally you may have picked up on the trend. And being the late-night comedy geek that I am, it would be impossible for me to not discuss what happened last week on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.             Recently, Colbert has been under fire for a few comments he made about Donald Trump and his relationship with Vladimir Putin. I will not directly quote what he said because of its� crudeness. In fact, the only thing I have to say about the joke itself is that it was quite cocky. You can go watch it yourself to see what I am talking about. But in all seriousness, I do not like this joke. It was unnecessary and classless. And it was sad to see Colbert stoop so low as to tossing insults around just for the applause and jeers of the audience. These kinds of jokes...

The White House Correspondent�s Dinner was last Saturday and if you are like me, you were very interested in which comedian would be performing. The WHCD has been known for decades as the hardest gig in the comedy world. And this year the stakes were even higher as the tensions between the press and the president boiled over with the president�s boycott of the entire event. Hasan Minhaj, this year�s performer, had a very difficult task ahead of him.             And he outdid my expectations, as well as the expectations of the audience. Minhaj was quick to address the �elephant not in the room.� However, Minhaj continued by saying, �That�s because he�s in Moscow. It�s a long flight. You can�t just expect Vlad to make it on a Saturday. It�s a Saturday!�             That combination of wit and bravery really helped establish my confidence in Minhaj right from the beginning. He went...