Barack Obama

Monday Miscellany is a weekly-ish column with no real focus or direction. A mix of news, politics, sports, culture, media, reviews, trivia, local events, puppy gifs, stuff I saw on Reddit/Wikipedia & some other items perhaps only tangentially related to Minnesota. If this column has a purpose, it would be to provide you, my dear reader, with (A) a brief escape from the monotony of your Monday morning chores and duties, and (B) some topics to talk about should you encounter an awkward silence during an upcoming first date. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back! Links to Monday Miscellany — Volume 1, ...

On Monday, Donald Trump proposed blocking all Muslims from entering the U.S. for an indefinite period of time. This proposal was almost universally criticized or condemned by every imaginable figure spanning the entire U.S. political spectrum from Bernie Sanders to Hillary Clinton to Paul Ryan to Dick Cheney. The White House said Trump’s statement “disqualifies” him from being President. Representatives from all over the world also weighed in to chastise the leading Republican Presidential candidate for what many view as dangerous and provocative rhetoric. Despite the nearly total...

Russian aggression in Ukraine has provided yet another theater for political mudslinging in Washington D.C. As per usual, more energy has been spent pinning the blame across the aisle than offering up concrete solutions. Some Republicans fault Obama for being too soft while a handful of Democrats regard the problem as a general weariness in foreign policy caused by the recently concluded Iraq War. Both have (to a degree)...