Socrates argued it was his duty to remain in prison because he had a contract with the city. This idea, more fully flushed out by Hobbes and Rousseau, came to be termed the social contract. Simply stated, there exists a de facto contract between the individual and the government and that contract forms the basis […]

There are any number of wars going on around the planet. But, in truth, none represents an existential threat to America. Nor does the Wuhan virus. Both China and Russia represent real threats, as both have large arsenals of nuclear weapons. But, the likelihood that one or the other will actually destroy the US with […]

What’s the probability Ted Williams will get a hit at his next at bat? And while we’re at it, what’s the probability that Mario Mendoza will get a hit at his next at bat? Ted Williams – Marine fighter pilot and Red Sox outfielder – had a lifetime batting average of .344 – 7th highest […]

Mr. Braithwaite, nominee to be the next Secretary of the Navy, noted that: “the Department of the Navy is in rough waters due to many factors, but primarily the failure of leadership.” He went on to say that: “It is my No. 1 priority, if I am confirmed, to restore the appropriate culture in the […]

Shakespeare observed: “the truth will out.” That may or may not always be true, but in the case of LTG Mike Flynn it seems that the truth is finally seeing the light of day. In a free society the mechanism central to that process is a free press (in all its forms – print, TV, […]

“Plans are nothing, planning is everything.” – General Eisenhower You may have missed it, but something – or someone – is missing in North Korea. Specifically, Kim Jong Un, North Korean despot, hereditary absolute ruler, and would be god-king hasn’t been seen for quite some time; speculation is that he’s either dead or in a […]

Earlier this week, in South Dakota, a Smithfield meet packing facility was found to have some 400 individuals with the virus. Suddenly South Dakota was labeled as another “Hot Spot” by the media, many of them – sadly – seemingly gleeful to be able to fix the label, angry at Governor Noem for having failed […]

There are a great many details, but the essence of it seems to be this: The first victim was a researcher in a lab in the city of Wuhan, in central China. The virus began to spread. China – that is, the Chinese government – that is, the Chinese government acting under the implicit (and […]

“Adventures are not all pony rides in May sunshine.” So JRR Tolkien warned Bilbo Baggins – and the rest of us – early in “The Hobbit.” Like Friendships, and Marriages and everything else, relationships are easy when the sun is shining, when, as the poet Robert Browning would tell us: “God’s in his heaven, all’s […]

There’s a strange fascination in warfare with the idea of killing the enemy’s leader. We often hear talk that: “if General X” (Sultan/Pharoah/King – pick you character in history) was killed, the war would end (or never take place). The favorite such figure is Hitler; if only he’d been killed, the war would never have […]