“The American Dream is not dead. But the Americans who believed in it might be.”For generations, the American Dream stood as a beacon: work hard, play Continue Reading
Don’t Be Someone Else’s Useful Idiot
There’s a phrase that gets thrown around a lot in political and military circles, usually as an insult and rarely as a warning: useful idiot. Most Continue Reading
Everyone has the right to free speech. No one has the Right to be Heard.
"Free speech" is one of the most misunderstood principles in modern life. It’s praised loudly, invoked constantly, and weaponized relentlessly, often Continue Reading
The Asoh Defense: A Lesson in Leadership, Integrity, and Accountability
In November of 1968, Japan Airlines Flight 2, a DC-8 flying from Tokyo to San Francisco, came in a little too low. Instead of touching down gracefully Continue Reading
Mondegreens, and Other Things You Didn’t Know
Language is a fragile thing. We like to pretend it’s precise, orderly, and governed by rules, but in reality it’s held together by context, habit, and Continue Reading
New Converts Are Always the Most Dangerous Zealots
No matter what the organization, no matter the time or place, there is one thing that holds true within any type of exclusive organization: the new Continue Reading
Borrowed Battles and the Hunger for Higher Purpose
People need a mission. They need a reason to get out of bed, a hill to climb, something that demands effort and offers meaning in return. Something Continue Reading
Are We Not Going to Talk About the Chinese Biolabs in Las Vegas?
Last week, a quiet residential street in northeast Las Vegas became the focus of a federal investigation with national security implications. Law Continue Reading
The Price of Unjustified Optimism Is a Human Life
There’s a particular kind of optimism that gets people killed. Not hope. Not resilience. Not the stubborn refusal to quit when things go bad. I’m Continue Reading
Strength grows through pressure, not comfort
There is a persistent lie in modern culture that comfort is the goal. We are told that success means insulation from stress, distance from hardship, Continue Reading
The Master Has Failed More Times Than the Novice Has Even Tried
“The master has failed more times than the novice has even tried.” The quote is most commonly attributed to Stephen McCranie, an artist and writer Continue Reading
Leadership Is Not A Cause, It’s An Effect.
Leadership is often spoken about as if it were a mission statement or a movement—something you declare, organize around, or demand recognition for. Continue Reading