Category: Defense and Security

Welcome to the Shortest Blog You Likely Will Ever Receive from Agents of Reason

Leave a Comment on Welcome to the Shortest Blog You Likely Will Ever Receive from Agents of Reason

It All Comes Down to Today

 

Today is Election Day. Millions and millions of votes have already been cast. The last of them will be done early tonight. Then begins the count, the worries, the hopes. There is not much more to say at this point. Now we see what happens. More talk is wasted breath today.

Like you, I worry a lot about the machinations of the Trumpsters and their supporters. Between intimidation and administrative power or friendly judges, there are people intent on stealing this election. By this point, I expect most of them think they cannot win a fair election.

Join the discussion at: Welcome to the Shortest Blog You Likely Will Ever Receive from Agents of Reason

Trump Damaged So Much. These May be the Two Worst

2 Comments on Trump Damaged So Much. These May be the Two Worst

One Domestic, One International “Legacy” That We Will Cost Us for Many Years

 

In case you missed it yesterday, Happy Constitution Day. September 17 is the day we celebrate the ratification of our constitution by the delegates assembled in Philadelphia in 1782. A timely reminder, given what follows in this blog today. Would that more of us read the thing.

If We Were Making a List…

Were we to write out a list of everything Trump has done that has harmed this country, we would be here for a very long time.

Join the discussion at: Trump Damaged So Much. These May be the Two Worst

Joe Biden Was Right All Along

3 Comments on Joe Biden Was Right All Along

The First Words from Joe Biden as a Candidate Are at the Heart of This Election

Take Note

 

Political campaigns are full of forgettable phrases. They also can contain words for the ages. As it turns out, Joe Biden uttered two of the latter when he declared his candidacy. They proved to be the defining issues of this campaign and what we will be as a nation going forward.

History rarely puts that large a stamp on a few words, but it did this time. If Biden wins, it will be largely because most Americans came to agree with him.

 

Join the discussion at: Joe Biden Was Right All Along

We Are Witnessing BIG History. Take Notes.

1 Comment on We Are Witnessing BIG History. Take Notes.

Some of This Will Inspire Us. Much of This Will Not Be Pretty

The following post was one I drafted back in early March, but never posted. It was bumped by other news and forgotten. At the time, we were just starting to experience the pandemic that now dominates so much of our lives. Little did we know back then just how big an effect we were about to experience, and how long this fight was going to be. Looking back on this post, it seems both prophetic and a bit innocent, almost naive. I don’t know about you,

Join the discussion at: We Are Witnessing BIG History. Take Notes.

The Secret to Solving Big Problems? LOGISTICS

Leave a Comment on The Secret to Solving Big Problems? LOGISTICS
  • Hi Everyone Talks Tactics and Strategy. Making Things Actually Happen Requires Logisticians

 

Save Us from Armchair Experts

I learned a valuable lesson as a young Army officer, a lesson that time proved to be valid over and over again. The lesson is as follows. Everyone thinks of themselves as great armchair generals. Everyone thinks they know what is needed for tactics, strategy, and priorities. Darn few people have a clue about what it actually takes to make all those great plans happen on the ground. Master logistics or its all talk,

Join the discussion at: The Secret to Solving Big Problems? LOGISTICS

Government’s Mission and a President’s Role in a Time of Crisis

2 Comments on Government’s Mission and a President’s Role in a Time of Crisis

There are few fundamentals of what we expect from government and presidents.
The current team has failed them all.

Surprise!

I have written often that at some point a transformative crisis would hit the Trump administration. They would fail to meet it, with disastrous consequences. I felt that way from the first year of the administration and noted it early on at the start of this publication. I expected it would be something in national security that came calling. Perhaps a military conflict with China in the Pacific or a major terrorist incident. I did not see a virus as the precipitating event.

Join the discussion at: Government’s Mission and a President’s Role in a Time of Crisis

What’s the Difference Between a Zombie and the Republican Party?

3 Comments on What’s the Difference Between a Zombie and the Republican Party?

Not much, as a Matter of Fact

Consider the Zombie

The zombie. Certainly a popular fellow in mass entertainment these days. We seem to see them everywhere. Consider what makes them different from human beings.

A zombie, at first glance, looks like a human being. But, of course, it is not. It was a human being, but now it is the undead – not really dead or alive, but somewhere in-between. There is no heart. No soul is evident. It has no purpose other than sustaining itself by eating the occasional brain. This, of course,

Join the discussion at: What’s the Difference Between a Zombie and the Republican Party?

This is The Trump That Was Always at Risk

3 Comments on This is The Trump That Was Always at Risk

It’s Not Hard to Make the Case for Killing Soleimani.  Even Easier to Cite How Wrongly This Was Carried Out.

 I really wanted to talk about something other than politics today

I had a nice blog on something completely different ready to offer you. But the real world does intervene, doesn’t it? Many will be speaking out on this over the next few days, but this one is just too important to let slide, so I too am joining the parade. This is The Mother of Unintended Consequences and Poor Execution. The price will be steep in many corners.

Join the discussion at: This is The Trump That Was Always at Risk

What Happens Next in the UK with Brexit? Should We Care?

Leave a Comment on What Happens Next in the UK with Brexit? Should We Care?

Boris Johnson got perhaps a mandate, certainly the room to maneuver. Now what?

 

What Happened – and Why?

Few called the sweeping win the Conservatives garnered in the UK last week. I certainly did not. A lot of time and calories will be burned figuring out why this. Remember that Brexit is not that popular in the UK. Most analysts say two things were at work. One, people are exhausted of the uncertainty; at least this gets things moving. Two, Labor had terrible leadership and a muddled message. The best thing to come out of all this is a change in leadership.

Join the discussion at: What Happens Next in the UK with Brexit? Should We Care?

Impeachment? Sure. How Many Counts? Ah, Well, Let’s See…

2 Comments on Impeachment? Sure. How Many Counts? Ah, Well, Let’s See…

How Impeachment Goes Depends to Some Degree on the Number of Charges

Where Are We?

Anyone involved in prosecutions – or impeachments – can tell you. A critical decision is determining how many charges to file and for what offenses. There are a lot of factors to consider. It is not simply a question of what offenses have been committed.

I recognize that some people are still undecided about impeaching Donald Trump. Still others are determined that it is God’s Will that he not be impeached, ever, for anything. For the rest of us,

Join the discussion at: Impeachment? Sure. How Many Counts? Ah, Well, Let’s See…