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
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
As I sit down to write this week, I am conflicted. That’s the emotion of our age given our divisions. The chasm between individuals, groups, and political parties is as great as we have seen since the American Civil War. Moreover, people are not satisfied simply to disagree. Oh no. That Read more
After spending much time studying the Middle East, I am—as many of you are—appalled at the October 7 Hamas massacre of innocent Israelis. I won’t recount the unspeakable horrors, many of which are so violent and depraved that they cannot be discussed in any civil forum. Hamas has proven itself to Read more
The season is changing. Soon we will enter Astronomical winter on the winter solstice on 21 December. At this writing, an outside temperature of 20 degrees suggests that it has already arrived. There’s another season that begins this Sunday in the Christian calendar: Advent. Advent is that time during the Church Read more
Here is a reminder on why we celebrate Thanksgiving. Do so in the spirit that George Washington commended to us. Transcript of President George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation from October 3, 1789. By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge Read more
As Thanksgiving approaches, so too the discussions that will occur around the dinner table. The health of a loved one. Catching up on family lore—both true and mythical—and contemporary news. The latter is dangerous territory, particularly when politics enters the discussion. Better to enjoy the tender meat of a well prepared turkey than to consume the bitterness Read more
Years ago, when I was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, we would conduct force-on-force training at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California. It’s a vast complex in a high desert environment where training was quite realistic. We would conduct maneuvers against what was termed “the world-class OPFOR” or opposition forces, Read more
