The Meaning of Life for a Soldier

By | April 25, 2026

[April 25, 2026]  Here is an interesting observation that I don’t really understand.  When I was in the U.S. Army, I noticed that being a Soldier had a differential impact on men and a particularly significant impact on racial minority men.  This is a good news story. For example, black men, particularly from the rural Deep South (like… Read More »

Jordan Peterson on Writing and Thinking

By | April 23, 2026

[April 23, 2026] Dr. Jordan Peterson states in one of his lectures that universities rarely explain writing’s core purpose: to learn precise thinking.  And thinking enables effective action and makes a person “absolutely deadly” against obstacles. He argues that education systems treat writing as compliance with rules and rubrics rather than the tool for shaping original thoughts and… Read More »

Originalist Constitutionalism & Why It Matters

By | April 22, 2026

[April 22, 2026]  Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s April 15, 2026, UT Austin speech  is one of the most important arguments for our form of government given in my lifetime, so I’m sharing my take here.  His speech is pure originalist constitutionalism (see embedded video at the end). In the speech, Thomas anchors the entire American system in… Read More »

Surviving the U.S. Army: Learning the Culture

By | April 21, 2026

[April 21, 2026] Here are some practical, actionable ideas to immerse yourself in the U.S. Army’s culture before enlisting. The Army has a distinct mix of formal elements (ranks, customs, courtesies, core values) and informal elements (unwritten rules, humor, jargon, unit pride, “Hooah” mindset, and a strong emphasis on hierarchy, teamwork, and resilience).   This article gives more tips… Read More »

A Good Choice: Investigate or Fix

By | April 18, 2026

[April 18, 2026]  It was early in my third combat tour in Iraq, late 2010. My boss, a Brigadier General in the Engineers, called me into his office for a quick discussion. Four detainees had escaped from Camp Cropper, the U.S. military’s main detainee camp near Baghdad International Airport—BIAP. I was Chief of Staff for Engineers under United… Read More »

Down With the Pope’s Political Games

By | April 17, 2026

[April 17, 2026]  The new Pope, Leo, just picked a fight with our President Donald J. Trump. He started it. Trump did not. The Pope went on social media and blasted Trump’s handling of the conflict in Iran. He dressed his attacks in religious garb. That was a mistake. Trump fired back, and the Pope kept swinging. Good… Read More »