Some years ago, I was speaking with a distinguished scholar and former university president. Over coffee he lamented, “Where are the Marshalls of today?” I knew to whom he was referring. General George Catlett Marshall, a 1901 graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, former Chief of Staff of the Army, Read more…
Has anyone ever said to you that you have a blind spot? What does that mean? Literally a blind spot is (1) an area where a person’s view is obstructed or (2) an area in which a person lacks understanding or impartiality. I recently purchased a new car that deals Read more…
Here’s what’s on my mind today. Coffee I am a coffee lover. So is Shelley. And for those who love a cup first thing in the morning, the automatic brewer is a delight. We set ours before we go to bed for 6:00AM. That’s perfect. We’re early risers so when we Read more…
It was as prophetic as it was true when former US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said of then Vice President Joe Biden, “I think he has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.” Those words have been borne out Read more…
It’s clear to me, as it should be to anyone, that 2024 will be a tumultuous time. To say that we are a divided nation would be—as we used to say in the Army—a BFO, that is, “a blinding flash of the obvious.” But it bears saying—or writing—that turbulence, discord, and Read more…
Many people misdiagnose what is wrong with our government. In particular they tend to personalize what’s wrong with Congress. You hear the charges all the time. She’s a “socialist,” he’s “establishment,” or she’s a “globalist” and he’s a “neocon.” Most of the people who simplemindedly cling to bumper sticker monikers to Read more…
It’s not a new thing for politicians and ideologues to massage language to advance their efforts to achieve power and influence in societies. We see it all the time. Unfortunately, in America today, the twisting of words and their meanings is used extensively to deceive people concerning numerous topics. Consider Read more…
In case you’ve been asleep like Rip Van Winkle, our universities and colleges are failing America. Forget the extravagant costs—they’re obscenely high—and just consider the intellectual nonsense they’re pumping into the heads of naïve students. Higher education is no longer devoted to the pursuit of knowledge. It now delivers indoctrination Read more…
So, what can we expect from 2024? To be sure, it will be dominated by all things political. There are the presidential primaries that likely will be a rematch of the two candidates from 2020 that a majority of American dread. Both are superannuated and have worn thin on many, Read more…
Christmas is a season of gift-giving as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. While Christmas has become very commercialized, it remains a special time of the year. I like to go gift shopping, normally by myself as I stroll through malls and stores. These days I think about small and Read more…