The world’s least-free country
By John Silveira
Issue #77 • September/October, 2002
Here's a quiz: Which is the freest country on earth? The answer's easy. It's the United States. Ask anyone. And why are we the freest? Not because we're...
Every group needs a black sheep
By John Silveira
Issue #74 • March/April, 2002
I used to play a lot of poker and I learned things about people that surprised me. They were things other than the "Know when to hold 'em,...
Money can buy happiness
By John Silveira
Issue #72 • November/December, 2001
The results are in: money can buy happiness, but it doesn't come cheap. Not only that, the amount of happiness your money can buy can be measured.
I know...
Man vs. the machine
By John Silveira
Issue #71 • September/October, 2001
About 10 years ago, I was living in southern California and I was summoned for jury duty. I was glad to be called. I've always liked the concept...
Chuck meets Bubba
By John Silveira
Issue #68 • March/April, 2001
What follows happened a decade and a half ago. I worked in a large corporation where I shared a large cubicle with two other guys. I'll call them...
Climate Change Theory: science or religion?
By John Silveira
Issue #153 • May/June, 2015
Is climate change theory a real science or is it merely a new religion? It's a fair question to ask because although climate change enthusiasts like to refer...
Three more ways the world can end … and I’m not kidding
By John Silveira
Issue #155 • September/October, 2015
"What are you doing?" a voice asked.
I looked up and saw O.E. MacDougal, Dave's poker-playing friend from Southern California, and he's now my friend, too. Accompanying him was...
Why oil and other fossil fuels are good
By John Silveira
Issue #152 • March/April, 2015
Last issue I concluded The Last Word saying I'd "... talk about the myth of oil destroying the environment." But between issues I thought about it and realized...
The Coming American Dictatorship Part XII — The militarization of America’s police forces
By John Silveira
Issue #146 • March/April, 2014
He's back our poker-playing friend from Southern California, O.E. MacDougal. He came up here to fish. I thought he was after salmon, but this time he came...
The false argument about defending our freedom
By John Silveira
Issue #142 • July/August, 2013
I'm tired of hearing how we should honor our veterans because they're defending our freedoms. They're not. No one in any of the Islamic countries is trying to...
Concealed carry laws reduce crime
By John Silveira
Issue #143 • September/October, 2013
This year, Illinois became the 50th state to allow the carrying of concealed weapons by law-abiding citizens. That's a milestone that heralds a lot of good news for...
A reason for the Second Amendment
By John Silveira
Issue #141 • May/June, 2013
Right after the shooting of 20 children and 6 teachers at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, I was asked by several people, "Does anyone really...
Homeschooling your dylsexic kid
By John Silveira
Issue #142 • July/August, 2013
I write and edit for a living. I'm the senior editor for Backwoods Home Magazine for which I've written numerous columns during the last 24 years. Before that...
Bartering for bad times
By John Silveira
Issue #138 • November/December, 2012
Bartering may not be a part of your life, right now, but if there's a deepening of the recession, or it becomes a depression, or we enter a...
Turn the poor into capitalists
By John Silveira
Issue #137 • September/October, 2012
I'm not a fan of the welfare system and I think it's been more of a failure than a success. It may serve as a 'safety net' for...
Should we scrap our ‘old’ Constitution?
By John Silveira
Issue #135 • May/June, 2012
In a recent New York Times article by Adam Liptak, he observed that the Constitution of the United States is not only the oldest constitution in existence, but...
