In her book, Twilight of Democracy, Anne Applebaum delves into what is alluring about authoritarianism and the subsequent reasons as to why democracy has declined around the world. One of the most useful tools in propping up authoritarianism has been conspiracy theories. Applebaum writes, “The emotional appeal of a conspiracy theory is in its simplicty. It explains away complex phenomena, accounts for chance and accidents, offers the believer the satisfying sense of having special, privileged access to the truth.” It also does another thing — gives politicians a way to deflect their shortcomings while also making them out to be…

On Wednesday, I published an article questioning the sacredness of American democracy when one political party does everything in its power to suppress minority voters. Cited in the article was a quote by the chairwoman of the Gwinnett County Republican Party where she said that Georgia had to change some of its voting laws “so that we at least have a shot of winning.” On Thursday, the Georgia Republican Party aimed to do just that.

They introduced a 48-page bill to change voting procedures, precisely targeted at Black voters. Ari Berman, a writer for MotherJones, described it bluntly as a…

A recent report by Freedom House titled “Democracy Under Lockdown: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Global Struggle for Freedom” found that the conditions for democracy and human rights have deteriorated further in 80 countries throughout the world. The opening paragraph of the report states, “Governments have responded by engaging in abuses of power, silencing their critics, and weakening or shuttering important institutions, often undermining the very systems of accountability needed to protect public health.”

Before we go any further, let us make one thing clear, a mask mandate does not constitute an infringement on democratic freedoms or an abuse…

Nearly five months after the presidential election in November of 2020, there are still those claiming that the election was filled with voter fraud. Courts across the country have investigated and struck down the legal arguments brought by the Trump administration and those in federal agencies have repeatedly assured the population that there was zero evidence of voter fraud.

After the election had taken place in November, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) stated, “The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history. Right now, across the country, election officials are reviewing and double-checking the entire election…

“To keep kompromat on enemies is a pleasure. To keep kompromat on friends is a must.” — Yulia Latynina

If the Kremlin wants you to know something happened, they’ll go to great lengths to make you believe it.

And New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin was the latest possible target of the Kremlin’s wrath against opposition. Panarin, born in Korkino, Russia, was accused by an old coach of assaulting a woman 10 years ago while playing in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), the Russian professional league. Panarin denied the allegations and the New York Rangers issued a statement calling it…

“Of course, it is impossible to explain to Ukrainian society why, when America and Europe are not giving you vaccines, you shouldn’t take vaccines from Russia.” — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

Ukraine has been embroiled in a war with Russia that is nearing seven years. Competing forces of oligarchs, politicians, and separatist groups have turned the Donbass region in Eastern Ukraine into a no-man’s-land where international organizations and aid groups struggle to get the necessary supplies to citizens. People living around the line of contact or “buffer zone” — the demarcation line separating government-controlled areas from the separatist-controlled areas —…

The insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6th can be directly traced to Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, the Senator from Texas Ted Cruz, the Senator from Missouri Josh Hawley, Fox News and a number of other right-wing propagandists. But it goes way beyond any of those people. Trumpism has seeped its way into security organizations, making the riots at the Capitol all the more possible, and bringing about the idea that it impeded the responses of the security forces — intended or not.

The head of Chicago Police Department’s largest union, John Catanzara, went on radio and stated, “There…

Maybe I’m ignorant, or stupid, or naive, or all three.

I go on Twitter and see that “We’re Being Hacked” is trending. It was an op-ed published in The New York Times by former Homeland Security Adviser to Donald Trump, Thomas P. Bossert, detailing the recent hacks on the US government and American corporations. Bossert outlines how last week, the cybersecurity firm FireEye was hacked, and its clients, including the United States government, were at risk of being compromised. He points to the evidence which experts could usually conclude with a high degree of certainty who the culprit is, and…