Recent Posts
John Mearsheimer Speech at NATO Summit
John Mearshemier, the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, gave a speech to the European Parliament a few days before the July 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, Türkiye. Mearsheimer examined the conventional…
Don and Melania Buchanan
Another day, another outrage. Yesterday, Trump announced he had “requested” FIFA overturn a ‘red card’ ruling against Folarin Balogun of the U.S. World Cup Soccer Team, enabling him to play in today’s game against Belgium. Balogun had been ejected in…
Lifetime Skills for a Resilient Person
If you are facing the uncertainties of living and working in the coming decades, you have legitimate reasons for fear. That is true if you have already spent a number of years working; are just entering the job market, or…
USS Liberty
The USS Liberty (AGTR-5) was attacked by Israel on June 8, 1967. During the attack by Israeli jet aircraft and torpedo boats, 34 American sailors were killed and 174 were wounded. The first focus of the attack was on the…
Learning Curve
As I wrote in a post last year, I decided to learn spey casting, which uses a two-handed fly rod with water anchors (and no backcast) to cast a fly. There were a number of reasons for wanting to learn…
Memorial Day 2026 – Remembering the McBride Class of 1938
Every year in remembrance of Memorial Day the McBride High Alumni Association sends an email with the list of the graduates who lost their lives in military service or as police officers. By my count, that numbers stands at 101…
Project Hail Mary – A Must See
So as not to bury the lede – Project Hail Mary is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. I was aware of it before it was released; had read mentions of Andy Weir’s novel the movie is based…
The Game of Doublespeak
Trump often gives the game away, likely because he’s a malignant narcissist and psychopath – a game embraced and played by the majority in D.C.
Some Thoughts on the Sinking of IRIS Dena
I have been thinking a good deal about the sinking of the Iranian warship by a US submarine. First, I served in the submarine force, and I have some sense of what those sailors must have experienced as they carried…
The Pack Forever
While going through old photos to select one for my post on Oliver, I came across this photo from February, 2019. (From left to right: Hannah, Oliver, Teddy, and Rainier) It brings back bittersweet memories of our days having these…
