Author Archives: Douglas R. Satterfield
[February 13, 2026] We should not be surprised by what happens in a Baltimore school. The education system has been in free fall for decades. Recently, a student was sent back from his senior year, 12th grade, to the 9th grade. Shocking? Nope, not at all. In a Fox 5 News story, it is reported that in Baltimore… Read More »
[February 12, 2026] Most of us grew up with some basic rules that our parents had for us kids. One of them was “Don’t Lie.” There are many reasons for this rule, maybe reasons our parents did not fully understand, but what they did know was that lying has incredibly destructive consequences. And when a lie is perpetuated… Read More »
[February 11, 2026] In one of my earliest articles on this website, I wrote that leaders must have unequivocal clarity in communication. There is no substitute for doing so, not just in leaders, but for all of us. Every officer I have ever known in our military, and that of our allies, did their best to speak clearly… Read More »
[February 10, 2026] A couple of years ago, I picked up the book, Getting the Most Out of Life (1946) from a garage sale. The title intrigued me. I paid 50 cents for it along with a couple of other trinkets. Thinking nothing of it, the book sat on my bookshelf unread. The book is an anthology, and… Read More »
[February 9, 2026] Hindsight is a cruel mistress. The advantage of technology allows us to view the past, both its beauty and horror, in such a way that we can gain at least a small appreciation for those who lived before us. One such video captures a bird’s-eye view of the destruction wrought by that war, a “War… Read More »
[February 8, 2026] A buddy of mine in junior high school went by the name “Two by Four.” I have no idea why he was called that but rumor has it that he used a 2×4 piece of lumber to beat up a guy trying to steal his girlfriend. The year was 1966 or 67. The town… Read More »
[February 7, 2026] “How can I be a better friend?” This was a young Army officer’s comment to a classmate in the Infantry Officer Basic Course back in 1983. There were 200 of us new Second Lieutenants, and we needed every advantage we could get, and a friend was helpful. What I was to learn at Fort Benning… Read More »
[February 6, 2026] Well, here we go. If those of us who thought the UK government couldn’t get any dumber, we were wrong. There is a movement in British circles to force dog owners to get rid of their dogs. Why? The reason will shock even the dog haters of the world. Why is it that the UK… Read More »
[February 5, 2026] “Your job is to get the newspaper as close to their front door as possible.” That’s it; the outgoing paperboy was passing his paper route to a noob, an inexperienced, often confused teenager who had just moved from southern Texas to our new city. But the personality is not the focus of this story. I… Read More »
[February 4, 2026] Just a few crazy items I found on X and thought them interesting enough to share in my Clearing the Spindle: Chaya’s Clan @ChayasClan Satire is a form of humor that is used universally, but English-speaking nations seem to have an unusual flair for using it to attack the most outrageous situations. In this satire… Read More »