Secretary Mattis: everyone seems to hope he’ll bring some sanity to national security. Perhaps he can even win these seemingly interminable wars. Maybe. But consider Hannibal: He was, perhaps, the greatest tactician in history. For 14 years he ravaged the Italian countryside; despite being outnumbered, he defeated every army put against him (in one 6 […]

Presidents are charged to defend the Constitution. Virtually all of them have stated at one time or another that their prime duty, which comes before all others, is to defend the nation. But defending the nation begins with recognition of threats, and then an acceptance of certain risks. For each president the acceptable level of […]

The other day I heard someone opine that it’s a crime that the US hadn’t (and wasn’t considering) going into Syria to take down President Assad. Well, consider this: While the focus of the US, and much of the rest of the world, has been squarely on the US elections, and ISIS, things have continued […]

The President is looking at unraveling the Affordable Care Act (the ACA, commonly referred to as Obamacare) and replacing it with something that is less expensive and at the same time giving citizens more options in their health care. Less expensive is key. Since the ACA was passed in 2011, health insurance costs have soared […]

If you haven’t paid attention to the civil war in Syria (entering its 6th year in March), the Assad – Russia coalition has moved deep into the city of Aleppo, and now controls all but part of eastern Aleppo. This means that Assad and the Russians are winning the war. It may take another year […]

The transfer of power, per the Constitution, has taken place. President Obama peacefully and gracefully ceded power to President Trump. Huzzah! Three Cheers for the United States of America! It’s worth noting that while Mr. Obama was passing power to Mr. Trump, troops from Senegal and Nigeria were moving to Ghana, preparing to remove the […]

When I woke up this morning it was very cold, only 256… Okay, that’s the Kelvin scale, which starts at absolute zero, the point where atomic motion stops, -459 degree (Fahrenheit) or -273 (Celsius). (256K equals 4 Fahrenheit.) To put that in perspective, the temperature in deep space (between the stars) is about 3K. Which […]

In Buddhist mythology, Maya – Buddha’s mother – dreamt she was presented a white lotus flower by a white elephant. In Hinduism, Airvata, a white elephant, carries the god Indra, king of the first heaven. Thus, in both Buddhist and Hindu culture, white elephants are sacred. Unfortunately, white elephants are so sacred they’re not allowed […]

Syria, China and the Trump Administration If you haven’t paid attention to the civil war in Syria (entering its 6th year in March), the Assad – Russia coalition has moved deep into the city of Aleppo, and now controls all but part of eastern Aleppo. This means that Assad and the Russians are winning the […]

Okay, not really. But, there’s been lots of talk about “military” vs. civilian control, with 3 retired officers (3 civilians) selected for senior positions in the Trump administration. Hmmm… First: they’re retired. They were in the military. We’ve had retired military serve in government before; it’s never been a problem. In fact, 60 years ago […]