I’ve been noticing two big stories in the last week: Ted Cruz’s growing sex scandal and the media’s outright refusal to talk about it. A few people I know have even said “There’s a Ted Cruz sex scandal?” And these are people that regularly watch the news. For those that don’t know—-and given the media’s…
Author: Alabama Liberal
Will the Wisconsin Primary Continue the Midwest’s Irrelevance?
In the unpredictable roller-coaster ride that is the 2016 Presidential election we’ve seen many things: a Socialist independent pretending to be a Democrat, a closet-Democrat pretending to be a Republican nationalist, and a Canadian-Christian theocrat pretending to be a strict constitutionalist. Still, there’s one thing 2016 has made very, very clear: the Midwest is now…
How Low Oil Prices are Undoing America’s Last Major Enemies
Later this week, I’ll write an article defending “The Obama Doctrine” and really defending the entire Obama presidency’s amazing foreign policy work, that receives too little attention. For now, I’d like to draw attention to an under-reported story in our media: how low oil prices are unraveling America’s last major enemies. We’ve seen dozens of…
Yes, Hillary is STILL the Best General Election Candidate. Here’s Why…
One of the more curious (i.e. annoying) aspects of this election cycle has been for people to do something called “selective fact enforcement.” Meaning they only pay attention to information they like and outright ignore information they don’t. Which is why I’m still hearing that “Bernie’s gonna win this thing!” and “We’re gonna be laughing all the…
John Kasich’s Moderate Stances? Too Little, Too Late
It’s been a fascinating transformation watching John Kasich go from ultimate party insider congressional chairman to rogue Tea Party-wave governor (he came in during the “I hate Obama” 2010 midterm tsunami of crazy) to “moderate.” Yes, I do think the quote marks are necessary for legal reasons. Would Kasich be considered a moderate during the…
Book Reviews: The “Red Rising” Trilogy, “Golden Son,” and “Morning Star”
I’ve covered these books extensively before, but the final part of the trilogy came out recently, and it’s time to once again tell you about the best book series you’ve never heard of. I’m not sure why “Red Rising” hasn’t gotten the attention of “Hunger Games,” “Divergent,” “5th Wave,” “Legend,” or any of the other…
The Best Books of 2015…
What were the best books of 2015? Keep reading, and feel free to mention any you think I might’ve forgotten… Honorable Mentions: The Explorer’s Guild…I wouldn’t call it a particularly great book (I only gave it a “B” grade) but it is one of the most unusual and oddly old-fashioned books of last year, and…
Book Reviews: Under Tiberius, The Cartel, and The Winter Family
Three historical novels (well, kind-of in The Cartel’s case) that also happen to be among the very best novels of 2015. The periods depicted: the history of the drug war, the history of America’s war (Civil, Indian, and for Civilization itself), and the creation of the Jesus myth no less. Under Tiberius by Nick Tosches…Tosches…
Book Reviews: Badlands, Vanishing Games
Two great thrillers that might be dismissed because of their genre, but should be considered for any year end best lists… Badlands by C.J. Box…It’s technically a sequel to “The Highway” but deals only a little bit with the events of that book (and it’s still-at-large deadly serial killer) and I’m not sure why it…
Book Reviews: Explorer’s Guild, Zebulon Finch, Sword of Honor, Laurus, Man Who Spoke Snakish
I’ve got a certain soft spot for old-fashioned, epic adventure novels, although not all of them are created equal–as you’ll soon see… The Explorer’s Guild: Vol. 1 by John Baird and Kevin Costner…[Although who knows how much of it Costner actually wrote as this might be too long even for the director of notoriously overlong films.]…
Book Reviews: “Armada,” “Day Four,” “Slade House,” and “Two Years, Eight Months, and 28 Nights”
We now step firmly into genre work with two spooooky ghost stories, a rousing sci-fi adventure, and Salman Rushdie’s excellent meditation on Jinn as an allegory for terrorism. Two Years, Eight Months, and Twenty Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie…Terrific novel that starts a little slow, but builds up to a terrific conclusion as it becomes clear…
Book Reviews: Rogue Lawyer, Marauders, House of Wolfe, Other Son, and The Swimmer
It’s been way too long since I’ve done any book reviews, and—in keeping with a proud Alabama Liberal tradition of overkill—I’ve decided to do 24 of them in 24 hours. [Hey, why not clear 2015’s books out all in one day with a special promotion?] We begin with five “thrillers” (everything from spy to legal)…
Book Reviews: The Kind Worth Killing, The Hand That Feeds You, The Daylight Marriage
These are all domestic thrillers that had various tactics in exploring the age-old theme (well…since “Gone Girl” scored Harry Potter level sales anyway) of relationships gone bad. I’ll admit that some strategies work better than others. The Hand That Feeds You by A.J. Rich…Whereas “The Daylight Marriage” went for realism and “The Kind Worth Killing”…