It is my opinion that John Adams, our second president, had keen discernment and a bit of the Spirit of Prophecy. He was a man of principle, and had a knack for sensing what others in politics could not. Later, when events worked out the way he predicted, he was lauded as a great visionary patriot.

Despite consistently low approval ratings of Congress, candidates outside the Democratic and Republican parties have faced an uphill battle gaining enough exposure and credibility to get elected.

Here is something that the United States cannot do to address the recent flood of Central American children streaming through Mexico to our southern border. We cannot have the U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala, where a large number of the children are coming from, meet with Guatemalan officials to try to find solutions at the source. We cannot do this because we do not have a United States Ambassador in Guatemala.

On Monday, July 21, IVN contributor Joshua Alvarez examined how Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has abused his power to "fill the tree" -- clog the limited number of amendment slots with his own amendments -- in order to block Republican proposals.

Three states -- Colorado, Oregon, and Washington state -- have all-mail voting systems in place, but if recent history is any guide, they will soon be joined by other states like California, Arizona, Montana, Hawaii, Utah, and New Jersey.

The all-mail system is relatively new; Oregon was the first state to institute it after a referendum in 1998. Washington followed in 2011 and Colorado soon after in 2013. All three states introduced all-mail locally and its popularity led to its widespread use before it became the standard ballot system.

When Zephyr Teachout lost the endorsement of the liberal Working Families Party (WFP) in June, it was a blow to her upstart campaign. She hoped to run against Governor Andrew Cuomo as a third party candidate. However, In what the Wall Street Journal termed an “eleventh hour deal,” the WFP decided to endorse Cuomo’s re-election bid in exchange for a series of promises.

When journalist Adi Ignatius asked Vladimir Putin what his favorite Beatles song was in late 2007, the Russian leader replied, “Yesterday.” For some commentators, this expression of nostalgia is enough to convince them that Putin is the second coming of Stalin and that the Cold War is ending more than two decades of dormancy.

As the political divide between the Republican and Democratic parties widens and voters increasingly reject not only major party candidates, but an election system that disenfranchises millions of voters nationwide and disenchants millions more, it is important to examine the traditional "red versus blue" paradigm and whether or not certain terms can still apply -- or were ever truly applicable -- in the contemporary political environment.

1. Illinois Times runs op-ed saying open primaries and redistricting reform would help ease partisan gridlock in Washington.

"Open primaries would help moderate the nation’s politics, as would bipartisan redistricting commissions capable of doing away with gerrymandered districts. Increasing voter participation and improving the integrity of our elections would also help.

A new report highlights something that those in the military community and veterans have known for a long time: the treatment that is currently used for those with PTSD often has little effect on the disorder. In addition, the Department of Defense and the VA don't share information with one another, so if there are any successes, those findings are not communicated in a way that would help patients.