Accepted Thoughts

When anyone gains a great deal of success, regardless of how that success was obtained, someone somewhere is enduring the opposite condition either directly or indirectly due to the perceived machinations of the successful.  There simply cannot be haves without have-nots.  And, unfortunately, there will always be a number of have-nots who correlate most or…

Democratic freedom, technological progress, general prosperity, and a true sense of security have spread throughout the world due to the guiding light of American Exceptionalism.  However, each of these ideals has been obtained through the soft power of American Diplomacy, secured by the hard power of the American Military, ensured by the propagation of American…

We are living in a time in which how a person or a group of people feel about a situation is more important than the facts of the situation. Unfortunately, the barbarians are at the gate. And the only care they have for our feelings is in determining how and to what extent they can…

I am a product of the 80s.  Born in 1972, my Wonder Years were literally at the height of Wonder Years.  My pop culture roots are unapologetically grounded in the age of the mullet.  I glory at the sight of a bike with mag wheels, the sound of a cassette tape sliding into place, and…

When I was a young Lieutenant the year before 9/11, trying to figure it out in the army, I found myself in a bit of a predicament at a training exercise.  I was a Cavalry Scout Recce Platoon Leader in the newly formed but not yet named Stryker Brigade.  (The initial and official nomenclature was…

I am not religious.  I do not attend a church.  I believe that politics, public schools, and governments around the world should be void of all religious ideology.  That would probably make for a much better world, more peaceful anyway.  Unfortunately, that is not the world we live in.  So, it is vitally important that…

Space Travel Should be Simpler. Felix Baumgartner of Red Bull parachute fame once held the record for the highest altitude freefall (later broken by Alan Eustace).  I remember watching it when it happened.  He literally jumped from what looked to me like Outer Space.  (It was technically the stratosphere.)  He was wearing an actual space…

Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, once said, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” This quote has resonated throughout history, often being cited to emphasize the importance of individual freedom and personal safety. However, a closer examination of…