A new era of voting in California is fast approaching. Why, you might ask, in a world where information and services are accessible at the tips of our fingers almost any time of day, is voting so ”old fashioned”?

As comedian Chris Rock famously observed, “They don’t want you to vote. If they did, we wouldn’t vote on a Tuesday. In November. You ever throw a party on a Tuesday? No. Because nobody would come.”

With more than 10 nations actively bombing Syria, a country roughly the size of Oklahoma, one of the primary concerns is the possibility of spill-over wars--with entangled treaties creating a WWI-style political catastrophe.

This type of catastrophe is not out of the question, as all participants in the fight seem to have different objectives, conditions of victory, and exit strategies (if any).

American beer, wine, and spirit enthusiasts recently celebrated Repeal Day on December 5. It was on this day in 1933 that the United States officially passed the 21st Amendment, effectively ending the failed “noble experiment” known as Prohibition.

This was not only a good day for liberty and libations; it also marked the end of a violent era in American history.

Supreme Court justices heard oral argument Tuesday in a case that may change the way we look at voting rights and elections in the United States. In the case Evenwel v. Abbott, which centers around the constitutional principle of "one person, one vote," the high court will decide if the right to representation applies to every citizen or just eligible voters.

On Tuesday, December 8, a widely reported misconception hit the internet. Headlines with variations of “Trump Disqualified for Presidential Run,” claimed that Trump’s recent proposal to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the country officially violated the Constitution and that he would therefore be unable to run for executive office. This is simply untrue, but the confusion is understandable.

For most of my career in politics, I was the ultimate Republican team player, always falling in line to support the team's candidate. In 2012, I was the most prominent openly gay advocate for Mitt Romney. Then in 2014, I left the Republican Party and declared my political independence. Like most Americans these days, I don't feel that either party represents me, but that doesn't mean that I'm not engaged or that I don't care about our country.

Ever since Marco Polo made the first 'modern' trading route to the Orient, there have been those who wanted faster, safer, and cheaper ways to get goods to and from Asian markets.

When the Suez Canal opened in 1869, this created the first enormous leap forward, shortening the trip from Asia to Europe by over 4,000 miles.

The United States follows a very familiar formula when it comes to gun violence: mass shooting, outrage, do nothing, repeat. This cycle has a few root causes that contribute to the status quo.

"This is not a day care. This is a university!"

This was the reaction from the president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University, Dr. Everett Piper, in response to a student's complaint about a sermon he had delivered on the topic of love. The student, Dr. Piper wrote, said he felt "victimized" by the sermon because he was made to feel guilty about not showing enough love toward others.

California’s glorious history is fueled by our tradition of “direct democracy,” most notably our initiative and referendum process which allows people to shape state policy via the ballot. That passion was historically accompanied by a similar interest and participation in the workings of our local governments.

But this great California tradition of public engagement is at risk. Voter turnout at the November 2014 general election hit a record low and Californians are decreasingly engaged in their communities as confidence in elected officials and government remains low.