Author

Ren Brabenec
Ren Brabenec is a Nashville-based freelance writer and journalist. He reports on politics, local issues, environmental stories, foreign policy, and the economy. For questions, comments, or to suggest a story, email, [email protected].
Getting to the root of the ‘conspiracy industrial complex’
By: Ren Brabenec - September 12, 2023
“Societies develop social structures, or institutions, that persist because they play a part in helping society survive. If anything adverse happens to one of these institutions or parts, all other parts are affected and the system no longer functions properly.” – Diana Kendall, author of Sociology in Our Times When humans organize into societies, the foundational […]
Reducing military spending would reign in U.S. debt and improve global security
By: Ren Brabenec - July 11, 2023
At the time of his death in 1940, Major General Smedley Butler was the most decorated Marine in U.S. history. Yet in the last decade of his life, Butler became an outspoken critic of U.S. wars and imperialism. He had seen first-hand the profit motive behind war. Words from Butler’s seminal 1935 work, War is […]
20th anniversary of Iraq invasion provides teachable moments for today’s geopolitical landscape
By: Ren Brabenec - May 8, 2023
In 1946, one year after the use of atomic bombs in Japan, Albert Einstein penned his first letter as chair of the newly formed Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists. “A new type of thinking is essential if mankind is to survive and move toward higher levels,” Einstein wrote. “Today we must abandon competition and secure […]
Tennessee lawmakers must understand rape when drafting exceptions to abortion ban
By: Ren Brabenec - April 3, 2023
To the ordinary citizen who follows the activities of the Tennessee General Assembly, the launch of the 2023 legislative session might have appeared more hectic and disorganized than usual. Such has been particularly evident around the abortion issue, as some Republicans have proposed exceptions to the Volunteer State’s abortion ban. Currently, all abortions, even those […]