Author: Gnerphk

I am The Gnerphk, writer extraordinaire, opinionated, radical, and extremely humble by nature.

Is Voting Third Party Wrong?

NOTE:  This is intended as a response to an article by T. N. Reider published at “The Conversation” entitled “Is the ‘lesser of two evils’ an ethical choice for voters?”  That article is well-written, and I recommend reading it.  All quotes come from there.

As I’ve discussed in other articles, despair is endemic in this country.  The presidential politics of this year underline this in a fashion seldom seen before, with the fiercest supporters of each candidate shouting loudly that their pick for president isn’t quite as bad as the only other choice.  People have stopped questioning the system, which seems to guarantee that the worst possible candidate always gains their party’s nomination.  Instead they like to shout at one another about how the other option is worse.

One thing that cannot be denied:  Americans hate both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, and they do so in record numbers.  We haven’t seen this level (more…)

So About The Second Amendment

The general public is having another pointless debate, this one over the Second Amendment.

I call it a “debate” only out of courtesy.  It’s not really a debate; it’s a loud argument and it’s convincing nobody.  It’s just like talking to your idiot brother-in-law over the holiday table;  after a couple of minutes, both sides are too busy shouting to even hear anyone else, much less actually listen to them.  That moment when we drift beyond polite and reasonable discussion is the moment talking stops being productive. (more…)

We’re Having The Wrong Argument

This is a picture of a SiG MCX.

It’s a highly efficient modular tactical infantry weapon, designed to be easily modified so as to be the proper gun for any situation.  It’s lightweight, reliable, and deadly.  Oh, and a homicidal maniac used one to kill fifty people in Orlando the other day.

At the moment, the nation is sick and tired of hearing about guns and shootings.  We’ve had enough, and if the problem doesn’t get solved, We The People are about to fire a whole raft of Congressmen and Senators.  And the lawmakers in question know this full well, so they’re making a lot of extra noise about it this time around.

In fact, so very much noise is being made that I think we’ve lost sight of what exactly it is that we’re talking about. (more…)

What Is An Assault Rifle? A Guide For Non-Shooters

The current national discussion on gun control is taking place between a large number of people, many of whom have differing levels of expertise with the use or identification of weapons.  Many of those desiring greater restrictions on firearms are unfamiliar with them, which is entirely reasonable; firearms aficionados and collectors would be the most likely to educate themselves on the subject, whereas those who fear or mistrust them would be likely to avoid any contact with the weapons in question.

Unfortunately for the dialogue, this lack of expertise detracts from the credibility of those wanting change.  Additionally, decades of intricate and confusing gun laws have muddied up the conversational waters even more.  Since profitable discussion requires mutual respect, and since the subject is simple enough to learn, read on. (more…)

Stop The War On Drugs

The “War On Drugs” has failed, and we lost.  We’ve spent billions of dollars annually and trillions overall, and we’ve accomplished two things:  We’ve increased the street price of drugs, enriching the cartels in the process, and we’ve imprisoned millions of our own citizens, hopelessly overburdening the criminal justice system by so doing.

We have completely failed to eradicate drug use.

Some of you think I’m nuts already, and that’s fine.  I’ll provide a bit of history next and you can decide afterward if the facts justify my statements. (more…)

Beating My Drum

Every time something horrific happens, every op-ed writer in America puts out their thoughts on it:   why it happened, how it could have been prevented, the senselessness of it all.  And what’s sad is, a lot of people are getting sick of it, ignoring it, moving on.  We see so very much that’s horrible and we just can’t face one more thing in a litany of more things.  And the last thing we need is some self-important armchair political hack telling us who did what wrong and who’s at fault.

So why am I, yet another self-important windbag, writing anything?  Why do you need another helping of empty wind from someone else who doesn’t matter?  Why do we need any of them yapping at us when what we really want to do is grieve in peace or fix the damn problem already and get on with the business of living but this time in safety?

Good questions.  Here’s the answer: (more…)

On Magic

There’s a reason the supernatural has such a wide and dedicated following. It holds a fascination for us because, for most people, “real life” is not enough. Some of us are on a quest for deeper meaning and understanding the higher mysteries of life; others are seeking nothing more than an entertaining escape – one more complete, more imaginative than the average soap-opera. Most of us are looking for something else, though: the illusion of power. (more…)

Puerto Rico In Distress

Puerto Rico is facing a catastrophic financial crisis similar to that of Greece.  In a few minutes, the island government will default on a bond payment, which will generate an automatic sequence of events similar to a run on the banks.

This is all our fault.  And we’re not helping. (more…)

The Matrix Is Real.

This is your last chance.  After this, there is no turning back.  You take the blue pill — the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe.  You take the red pill — you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes.
-Morpheus, “The Matrix”

What is The Matrix?

A lot of people have no idea.

The original movie, “The Matrix”, was released over twenty years ago, in 1999.  Today’s college graduates were still in diapers, and many of them are completely ignorant not only of the story arc, the mythology, and the characters in the cinematic cycle, but also of the philosophical allusions and ramifications of the ideas presented therein.

They’re not alone; most of the film’s viewers don’t get it either.  To us, it’s a classic sci-fi (more…)

Is Puerto Rico Getting Screwed — Again?

You may not realize this — a surprising number of Americans don’t — but Puerto Rico is a part of the United States.  During the 1898 war with Spain, it was one of several territories conquered in an overt land-grab designed to promote American sea power throughout the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean.  It currently has a population of well over 3 million, all American citizens.  They have no right to elect the President; they have no representation in Congress.

At present, the territory is experiencing a public debt crisis that is out of control.  The opinion of the present territorial administration is that it cannot be solved without the assistance of the central government of the United States.  The Senate proposed an economic aid bill with $3 billion in aid; the House version, which has just been approved by committee, has expanded the bureaucracy but removed the aid.  (Update:  This version is the one that finally passed.) (more…)