Shortly after Pearl Harbor Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Marshall tasked then Brigadier General Eisenhower to provide a strategic assessment of the situation faced by US Army Forces Far East, trapped in the Philippines by the Imperial Japanese Army. Eisenhower studied the problem and several days later told Marshall there was no possibility of […]

Lost At Sea Since October four men, none of whom were friends of mine, but each known well by friends of mine, committed suicide. Three were in the Navy, one was a Marine; three on active duty, the fourth retired less than 2 months. One made the news, Vice Admiral “Sterno” Stearney, commander of US […]

Good Government There’s an old adage that if something is “stupid but works, it’s not stupid.” There is, of course, a corollary, that if something is brilliant but doesn’t work, it’s not brilliant. This is particularly true with regard to government. The folks who cobbled together the Constitution understood this. In the Preamble, the goals […]

President Trump and Emperor Xi appear to arrived at an understanding: tariffs on Chinese goods will go no higher, and China agrees to purchase “substantial” amounts of grains, energy (presumably oil), industrial and other items from the US, as well as designating fentanyl a controlled substance. The two countries will continue to negotiate to address […]

The 116th Congress will sit on January 3rd 2019. Maybe we should consider what the new Congress needs to address. The prime responsibility of Congress, in practical terms, is to fund the government. Congress passes laws to direct – in general terms – what the executive branch does, and then provides the money to carry […]

A poll taken after the mid-term elections reveals that some 50% of Democrats label Republicans as evil, and 44% of Republicans use the same label for Democrats. 54% of Democrats view Republicans as ignorant, 49% of Republicans reciprocate. The polls goes on and on, detailing a growing schism, each calling the other bigots, sexists, racists, […]

Two weeks ago President Trump announced the US will withdraw from the Intermediate Range Nuclear Force Treaty (INF) – pursuant to Article XV, para 2 of the treaty. While the media paid little attention, this is a significant and important action. The INF, signed by President Reagan and General Secretary Gorbachev in December 1987, was […]

Let me see if I have this right: the bulk of the media, and many of our politicians, tell me that: The US is not exceptional and in fact has much to answer for, But The US should spend more time and effort abroad because the global community is more important – rather than getting […]

Several economists, opining on the 2019 federal budget, lambasted the President for spending too much. They concluded that Trump must be stopped, and that, in particular spending on national security needs to be reined in. If not, we’ll be overtaken by the deficit and face economic ruin. Their solution appeared to be to vote for […]

Years ago I bought a two-seat convertible – it was a great car, and a ton of fun to drive. But after I’d had it about a year it started turning off – just out of the blue. After making certain it was mechanically as close to perfect as it could be, I focused on […]