About Brian Wright

Hello, I'm Brian Wright, the proprietor and chief content provider to this Web opinion and review site. The Coffee Coaster (thecoffeecoaster.com) has been around since late 2006, and in early 2012 I finally decided to give the site a major makeover with this Wordpress implementation. My views are 'wholistic libertarian,' meaning focused on the spiritual--I like to use the word: essentual--evolution we will need, individually, in order to reach the New Paradigm of peace, freedom, and abundance. Let's help one another in the process.

Guest Column: Russian Peace Gambit?

Proposal to subject chem weapons to UN control
by Pepe Escobar writing in Russia Today

Russian_PeaceThe frantic spin of the millisecond is that the White House is taking a ‘hard look’ at the Russian proposal for Bashar Assad to place Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal under UN control, thus at least postponing another US war in the Middle East.

Oh, the joys of the geopolitical chessboard; Russia throwing a lifeline to save US President Barack Obama from his self-spun ‘red line’.

True diplomats are supposed to prevent wars – not pose as warmongers. American exceptionalism is of course exempted. So just as Secretary of State John Kerry had the pedal on the metal selling yet another war in a London presser, his beat up Chevy was overtaken by a diplomatic Maserati: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Continue reading

Brian’s Column: An Inconvenient ‘Poof!’

A bedtime story for my seven-year-old
by Brian Wright

WTC7_CollapseVirginia, just for a moment I want to tell you a story about what happened after a mysterious big ‘blowup’ in a major American city to see whether public officials and law enforcement persons observed the highest professional standards in finding out what caused it. What happened was the complete destruction of a tall steel-frame building in lower Manhattan Island of New York City. First, please view the video of this building falling down by clicking the image on the right. Note that the video is only nine seconds long, and several of these seconds record the astounded reaction of people on the street. Continue reading

Book Review: Libertarian Lessons of South Park (2013)

Analysis of libertarianism of South Park
by Brandon Simpson (reviewed by Brian Wright)

South ParkThis little book is a charmer, full of stories from South Park accompanied by simple analyses that point out the libertarian world view and principles that apply without any muss or fuss. For someone like myself, who has only seen a few complete episodes of South Park, the recounting of these representative stories is a complete joy. For example, take the episode entitled “Douche and Turd” where a school mascot has died. Kyle wants everyone to write in Giant Douche, while Cartman wants the write-in candidate to be Turd Sandwich. Giant Douche and Turd Sandwich proceed to debate each other in a presidential style debate format, each telling the audience why he stinks far less than the other. Continue reading

Movie Review: The Girl from Petrovka (1974)

Early Goldie magic, 2d time’s the charm __ 7/10

The Girl from Petrovka

Minister: What’s the transition phase between communism and socialism?
Joe: You tell me.
Minister: Alcoholism.


Tag line: A Russian girl, an American reporter, the love they shared …and the country that made it impossible. Pretty good line, but as I say in the subtitle, The Girl from Petrovka is one for viewing a second time. After reading the Goldie autobiography, I made a special effort to acquire this VHS tape, which is rather rare but still inexpensive. Continue reading

Guest Column: Imminent Revolution in Consciousness

Why the real revolution is being achieved with consciousness, not bombs
by Mike Adams

ConsciousnessI don’t know if you can see it yet, but you are living through the unfolding of the most profound revolution in human history. This is a revolution of raising consciousness, advancing real science, holding corporations accountable and empowering individuals. Sites like Natural News are hubs of this revolution, but the real power comes from readers, bloggers, customers and activists like you.

What kind of revolution is underway, exactly? Well, there are several of them happening all at the same time, and all of them are bloodless: Continue reading

Brian’s Column: Fantasy Football Nation

Fantasy Football NationWe’ll have fun, fun, fun ’til mama takes the TV away

Originally posted September 2007. This is the time of year boys from teen age to middle age huddle around dining room tables drafting mythical football teams consisting of the best players in the National Football League (NFL).  It’s become big business, or rather big unbusiness: a 2006 report claims as many as 40 million men—it’s mainly a guy thing—spend as much as 10 hours per week grooming and prepping their fantasy football league (FFL) teams.

Continue reading

Book Review: The Patriot’s Toolbox (2010)

Eighty principles for restoring liberty and prosperity
by The Heartland Institute
Reviewed by Brian Wright

The Patriot's ToolboxBack in the late 1970s the so-called Craniacs— Libertarian Party (LP activists, led by Ed Crane, rooted to funding by Kansas oil billionaire Charles Koch—were on the march (to influence party policy on a broad range of issues). I recall, then, one young political journalist in the Crane/Koch camp writing for the magazine, Libertarian Review, a column something like, “Garbage Can Libertarianism.” Of course this phrase was pejorative and targeted at the sorts of libertarians who identified with more down-to-earth economic policies—such as privatization of city services (such as garbage collection)—advocated by the Reason Foundation and Reason magazine. Continue reading